Themes: Enrique
Coy girl-laughter with high turnover. Sunwarmed bare skin and Mediterranean colors. Tossing sea under blinding-white boat. Clean public fountains for splashing at dusk. Heavens on ceilings. Churches: in use. Rosary beads and Mom's crucifix: not in use. Vatican halls emptied, perspectiveless old artwork next to perspectiveless modern artwork.
Perspectiveless sometimes. Smug most times. Easy all times.
Vicious Amphilyon aglow.
Manicured lawn, raked driveway, and too many wings and windows. More painted ceiling-scapes. Flowers unrecycled. Dark leather. The urge to run. Academic voices stubborn for pay (high turnover again). Grand escapes: unpursued. Grand schemes—wings impassable, windows broken—unpunished. Frequent renovations. Father's closed study.
Father's steady black eyes, and good intentions but Machiavellian means. Lessons half-heard about Machiavelli. Mom's sunglasses and doll-curls, habit of embracing strangers and vacuous conversations, pills and reclining poolside.
Casual communication breakdowns, also unpursued.
Casual contact unquestioned. Grand gestures unquestionable.
Whim-based international forays. Unexpected imports. Tasteful and untasteful burlesque. Laughable 'do not enter' signs. Broken-spined checkbooks. Drugs lacing other drugs. Booze, other booze. No fear (besides loneliness), no responsibilities really. Honor, surely. Dignity, even grace, certainly charm. Bad and good humor. The urge to run again.
Arms hooked under Parisian night-lights. French pastries at odd hours, always.