Elm Street

Elm Street, Dallas, Texas.

Sitting on the leather-upholstered backseat of the Lincoln convertible, he was smiling. The sun was warm on his face and a light breeze blew through his hair. His wife sat on his left, radiant in her pink Chanel suit, dazzling all admirers with her Cadillac smile. At this moment in time, the man must have felt deeply loved, all the more so by the crowd which was acclaiming him. The first bullet hit him in the throat. The shock and burning sensation left him speechless. The terrible sound of the impact, a dry snap, made his wife jump. She saw him put his hand to his throat, and so leaned towards him, unable to understand; he tried to speak, but no sound escaped his lips. She put her hands over his, over those beautiful masculine hands which had caressed her body, as well as that of Marilyn, and Marlene and many others, these hands which were now covered in frothy blood. The second bullet struck him square in the head and with this image, all was lost to this last vision of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Assis sur la banquette en cuir de la Lincoln, il souriait. Le soleil lui réchauffait le visage tandis qu’un vent léger passait dans ses cheveux. À sa gauche, sa femme rayonnait, resplendissante dans son tailleur Chanel rose, offrant au peuple qui l’admirait un sourire de Cadillac. L’homme dut avoir, en cet instant, le sentiment d’être profondément aimé, y compris par la foule qui l’acclamait. La première balle le frappa à la gorge. Le choc et la brûlure lui coupèrent le souffle. Le bruit atroce de l’impact, un claquement mat, fit sursauter son épouse. Elle le vit porter les mains à sa gorge. Elle se pencha vers lui, ne comprit pas ; il voulut parler mais n’émit aucun son. Elle posa ses mains sur les siennes, sur ces belles mains d’hommes qui avaient caressé son corps, celui de Marilyn et celui de Marlène et bien d’autres encore, ces mains qui à présent se couvraient d’un sang mousseux. La deuxième balle le frappa en pleine tête et tout s’éteignit sur cette image, la dernière vision du président John Fitzgerald Kennedy.


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