Scene

"I'll be out of 'commish.'" That was part of the voice message he left. It was the part that stayed in my head.

He would be unavailable for some period of time: days, maybe more. I don't know. Friends visiting from out of town. Funny, he pluralized the noun. "Friends."

I did not, and I will not return the message.

My imagination switched on, sitting here, as I am, about to go off to The Point, sunset, maybe fireworks (the actual explosives: matches, dynamite, on a barge in Three Mile Harbor - not what's going on just below my solar plexus).

And he may be there, with his "friends."

I can decide now how I want to behave. This could be fun. Or frightening.

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The Grucci family did put on a one-barge show in Three Mile Harbor - and indeed, we were at The Point, the reggae band blasting just behind us, until the fireworks began.

And although I had prefabricated the permutations the evening could have taken - maintaining a cool exterior, ready to be nothing more than charming and cordial to all and sundry, especially sundry - none was needed.

He wasn't there. In fine Pride and Prejudice form, Light-adora Duncan made discreet inquiries. Nope, he'd gone off to the airport to fetch his buddies, a couple of fellas.

The coast was clear. But Light-adora needed a favor.

"Take one for the team," she instructed, as she and The Savior made another of their hasty departures, two pairs of eyes shining bright.

Her dear, lovely friend had met a charming man in Puerto Rico. And he was up visiting for the weekend. He had little English, and she had the same amount of Spanish. In the last few years, my self-taught French has over-taken the years of careful study of Spanish, that accent crafted first and foremost by a Colombian missionary nun who drilled and grilled us at St. John Villa. My accent is near perfect, but in practice I am not. Three glasses of Bordeau Blanc, and I grew more adept - or so I think.

It must of worked. Two more pairs of eyes shined bright.

How small our worlds are. The visiting gentleman, refined, elegant, and a dear - turns out he's a close friend of my longtime friend, The Volleyball Pro, one of The Orbitals.

I now have two permanent invitations to visit Puerto Rico. If I ever do.

Comments

[La Latina]

Now that you have 2 invitations to PR, watch out. That means twice the trouble! :)

[Loudlush]

"sometimes I'm just grateful to be able to feel, in all its thorny, messy splendor"

Amen to that, Holly.

[HH]

Hey there, LL: Those little sparks threaten, and when they do, I let them wreak havoc in private - often when I'm driving alone somewhere in the country - and then I marshall them back in-line as best I can. It can be hard (dammit), but sometimes I'm just grateful to be able to feel, in all its thorny, messy splendor.

[Loudlush]

I think that what goes on beneath the solar plexus IS 'actual fireworks'. It feels like it, anyway. A cool exterior? I can never do it.

[Buffy]

Love your style.