La Ronde

They recalled that May 40 years ago.

"...The verdict of the Federal Supreme Administrative Court ended this three-year-long lawsuit involving multiple forces. From today, Kehuo Street is officially renamed Duchik Street to commemorate his contribution to the 68 Movement! "*1

Conrad, who was squatting hard to sprinkle cat food into the food bowl, heard this and couldn't help but look up at the TV.In his past impressions, the voice of the hostess broadcasting the news was as cold as inorganic, but he clearly heard a hint of exclamation just now.

However, the hostess has returned to her usual state, broadcasting the next news with a blank expression.He didn't care, walked over and turned off the TV, ready to go for a walk.

Today's Kreuzberg district is particularly lively, full of noisy young students.People greeted each other differently, and instead of talking about the unpredictable April weather in Berlin, there was what could be called a cheer: "Welcome to Dučekstrasse!"

Conrad had only walked a few tens of meters, and he had already met three young people who greeted him like this.Those people didn't care what his reaction was, and they ran to the next person happily after speaking.He even heard radical slogans shouted in a broken voice—"Down with the traitor to democracy, Springer Press!"*2, "Long live Duchik!"

An old man with slow movements and so many wrinkles that it is difficult to see his expression is naturally incompatible with all this.He smiled self-deprecatingly, maybe he shouldn't be out for a walk today.

Just as he lowered his head and thought, a strong force suddenly almost knocked him down.He subconsciously tried to support it with his hands, but was supported, and a young and anxious voice sounded: "I'm sorry! Please forgive me! Are you hurt? I'm rushing to the other side of the street to see new graffiti, run It's too fast—"

With the support of the young man, he barely stood up, glanced at the curly-haired young man in front of him, and said coldly: "It's okay. Young man, walk and watch."

However, the young man wanted to help him to sit on a bench by the street for a while, and he looked at the turbulent crowd on the street, so he didn't object to this proposal.They sat down on a bench under the lime tree.

While supporting him, the young man muttered: "...Don't you know? Koho, oh no, there must be a lot of people on Duchik Street today! I heard there will be a parade later, your family members How can I let you go out alone?"

"I live with my cat. And I'm going back soon."

"Oh, I live alone..." The young man showed an expression of enlightenment, and then he suddenly became interested in something else: "Sorry, you don't need to answer, but I want to ask: What year were you born?"

"45."

The young man answered excitedly: "Then did you participate in the student movement in 68? Did you, have you met Duqike himself—"

Conrad shook his head, interrupting the young man's reverie: "No, I haven't seen him."

He looked at the young man's drooping shoulders, and said again, "Because I was in Paris in 68."

The young man opened his mouth in disbelief, and with his exaggerated curly hair, it looked a little funny.It took a while before he regained his ability to speak: "So, you experienced that May? What was it like?"

Conrad was silent.Coriando, who has always been cheerful and lively, wanted to continue asking, but at the moment he met the old man's blue-gray eyes, he didn't know why he didn't dare to speak again.

He seemed to be drawn into a private atmosphere where it was just him and an ancient blue-gray puzzle.He did not see the revolutionary spark he expected, but a fog that could not be dispelled.

Just when Coriando felt embarrassed and was about to bid farewell to him to participate in the parade, the old man suddenly said: "That was the most chaotic May I have ever experienced. There is no day in Paris that is as peaceful as today's Rue du Chic."

"The whole city seemed to be on LSD and danced a round dance for a month."

The sky was getting dark, the leaves of the linden trees were rustling by the wind, and a brilliant spring had sunk into the night like this.He didn't look at Coriando any more, but turned to the cheering young men in the street.

***

One cannot tell how it all happened.Maybe it's been brewing for a month, a week, or a night.When people noticed, that lazy and elegant Paris has changed its appearance.Young people began to hate Paris, which had been firmly built on granite for a hundred years, and they declared that they wanted a city on sand.So in May, paving stones were pried up one after another, the streets were filled with dust, and everywhere people went, they could see the slogan: "Under the paving stones is the beach!"*3

First students, later workers.There are more people, it seems that the paving stones are not enough to pry.Conrad didn't care about these things. When he had work to do, he would not be diligent enough to deal with it in the garage; when there was no work to do, he would go back to his little den to sleep for half a day, and then go out to drink with his co-workers or girls from the Sorbonne. .Of course, those were the days when the tavern was still open.As for prying stones, he wasn't interested—wasn't it enough to pry those seemingly endless screws at the factory?Although he is the least qualified to complain about this.After all, as long as he smiled and said "Can you please...", half the workers in the factory would sacrifice their rest time to pry two extra screws for him.

Another day of strike.In the afternoon, Marco and Kurt went crazy for some reason. They pulled Conrad, who had just woken up, and refused to let go: "Let's go. You also go to the street with us today, and see the energy of the workers! Listen to that The soul-stirring "Internationale"!"

Conrad only thought these two guys were hysterical and wanted to push them away.Kurt added: "After the day is over, I'll buy you a drink! I know a bistro that's still open. It's just a little farther from the Sorbonne."

After hearing this, Conrad stopped struggling.Seeing this, the two let go of him. He scratched his blond hair, patted on his overalls, put on a brown fedora hat, and winked at Kurt and Marco: "So when will we Where are you going?"

The French had a nice name for dusk: blue time. ＊4 When the sunset is far away, the flash of dark blue twilight is always melancholy and sentimental. At this time, people usually need a chanson or a cup of coffee.But now everything has changed, there is no chanson, only the Internationale; no coffee, only paving stones.Even the moment itself has changed, with those little bourgeois sentiments being shattered by the baby wave and the right-wing government.People are still blue, but not blue hour blue.People started to get angry, and maybe in the next second, Paris would be engulfed by the anger of students and workers.

A large number of young people gathered on the street, some in work clothes, some looked like students, and there were long-haired men in flowered shirts, perhaps Americans trapped in Paris.They rubbed shoulders, held placards high in their hands, and roared the Internationale with different accents. Everyone's facial expressions and body language were fanatical like hysteria.Maybe someone in there actually took a bit of a drink.

Both Marco and Kurt sang loudly, almost in tears.Conrad could only sing the first three lines, and then he hummed vaguely, or replaced it with "la la la".The flow of people did not follow any rules, as if it was a disorderly movement of a large number of molecules, and they were quickly dispersed.Conrad was almost pushed forward in the crowd, and it was difficult for him to twist his body, let alone get out of the crowd.

The enthusiasm of the students for the workers was astonishing. Conrad never knew that these college students could be so warm and friendly to them.Girls hugged him and kissed him on the face, and boys hung colorful jalisco beads around his neck.He looked at the bead string for a while, and he was a little dizzy from the dazzling colors and the loud singing voices coming from all around.

Just as he moved his eyes to the crowd, his mind was empty, but his eyes found the focus by themselves - the tall man diagonally in front of him.The typical appearance of the Mediterranean people, the half of the face is as straight as an ancient Roman sculpture.He was wearing a suit and looked to be in his late 30s, maybe a college teacher.All the people around were excited and shouting, but the man seemed to wrap himself in a bubble, his demeanor was isolated.

Xu Shi noticed the sight behind him, and the man turned his head to look at him, still maintaining his calm expression.Conrad suddenly had a strange feeling in his heart, he felt that he had been seen through.At the same time, the blond boy, who had never been interested in the revolution, suddenly felt worthless for the other young people, and he was on the verge of shouting: Look, you have such distracted people in your ranks!

But he didn't shout out in the end, even if he did, no one could hear him.As the shape of the crowd changed, he was pushed beside the man.He inevitably touched the man's body, and the man looked at him.On a whim, he showed a sweet smile at the other party, which was enough to save him half an hour of work in the factory.Then he took off the Mexican beads around his neck, and put the colorful thing around the man's neck.

The man's expression changed, and he looked utterly surprised.Suits, beads, surprised faces.Conrad watched this scene and giggled.His fedora had been squeezed out, but he didn't care one bit.His blond hair actually shone in the dim yellow light, just like his smile, so bright that it was almost dazzling.

The man opened his mouth and seemed to say something, but Conrad couldn't hear it, and he didn't care.In this ocean-like team, he felt light and light, and everything was unimportant.He turned his head and happily sang the Internationale with the crowd.This time, he memorized a few more lines of the lyrics, but he hummed the tune as "Expedition Song".

He didn't look back at the man again.Soon, the crowd dispersed them.

*1阿尔佛瑞德·威利·鲁迪·杜契克（AlfredWilliRudiDutschke）是1968年德国运动领袖、代表发言者之一，当时就读于柏林自由大学。曾在1968年4月11日被名为约瑟夫·巴赫曼的右翼人士开枪射击。2008年，德国克罗伊茨贝格区柯霍街的一段改名为杜契克街以纪念他。

*2 Axel Springer, Germany. In the late 60s, the publishing house took a conservative line and opposed the student movement. Its media publications criticized the student movement and called for an end to the German student movement leader Duschke. In 2007 the publishing house tried to prevent the district of Kreuzberg from changing Kocholstrasse to Dučekerstrasse.Interestingly, today Dučekstrasse intersects with Springerstrasse.

*3 One of the May Storm slogans, the original text: Sousles spavés, laplage!

*4 Blue time, refers to a period of time before sunrise or after sunset, original text: L'HeureBleue