Leaving Madeleine - Part 6
On Thursday I took Madeleine to the opera. A friend working on Ariane et Barbe-bleue gave me the tickets. I have not seen many operas and this particular show did nothing to increase my appetite for the art form. I am always impressed with the beauty and ability of the voices, however, having studied the craft of acting, I find it difficult to ignore the lack of believability in the performances. Moreover, the set design of this show, though detailed and elaborate, was, for the most part, confusing.
By intermission, Ariane had opened the forbidden seventh door, found the lost and presumed dead wives of her husband, and was banished with them to the dark, hidden regions of Bluebeard's castle. Madeleine and I followed the rest of the patrons to the foyer.
"Je vais aux toilettes, " informed Madeleine.
"I'm getting a drink," I said. "Want anything?"
"Un coke," she said. I loved the way she said "un coke" and she knew it.
"Meet you back here."
She nodded. We went our separate ways.
The bar was busy. It took longer than expected to get our beverages. The woman's bathroom must have been busier because Madeleine was nowhere in sight when I returned. I balanced her drink on the railing and watched the people going by. After a few minutes of this, one particular woman walking down the stairs caught my attention. She had on a turquoise dress and red stockings. Not just regular stockings, but something closer to leotards. Very thick. Her black hair was cut short in a bob and her bangs cut a straight line above her eyebrows. Her ethnicity was hard to determine. She definitely had some Asian in her, although what kind of Asian I could not be sure. Cambodian or Laotian perhaps. Or she was mixed. I saw traces of Indian. I really was not sure. Her gait was cat-like, but more of a shy, self-conscious cat. She was quite thin. Not an unhealthy thin, but more of a small-appetite thin. Her shoulders were almost imperceptibly raised and her chin seemed the tiniest bit lowered or jutted out. I found her very attractive. What got my attention most however was that she was carrying her shoes in her hand.
I decided to talk to her.
I finished my drink, threw the cup in a wastebasket and went back downstairs to where the lady in turquoise was waiting in line at the bar.
"Excusez moi," I started in french.
The lady in turquoise turned around, looking at me with expectant eyes. I had only known her a short while, but I suspected her eyes always looked that way.
"Oui?"
I could tell from her accent, french was not her first language. "Nothing really. I just noticed you weren't wearing your shoes." I spoke in English now.
"It's more comfortable like this."
I looked at her feet and said nothing.
"Is there a policy?" she asked.
"About wearing shoes?"
She nodded.
"I don't know. Probably."
This succeeded to confuse her. Still, she made no move to put her shoes back on.
"You don't work here?" she asked.
"Do I look like I work here?"
"You're wearing all black."
That was true. I was wearing all black. "No," I said. "I just thought I should talk to you cause you looked interesting."
This made her smile. A smile that was both shy and confident.
"And?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"Am I interesting?"
"So far." I smiled back. "Here." I wrote my name and phone number on the back of a receipt. "Call me sometime if you like."
With nothing else to do, she took the paper.
"Where are you sitting?" she asked after a short pause.
"Up," I said.
"I'm down," she said.
I smiled again. " I hope it gets better."
"Me too," she smiled back. The same smile as before. I left it there and went back upstairs.
By intermission, Ariane had opened the forbidden seventh door, found the lost and presumed dead wives of her husband, and was banished with them to the dark, hidden regions of Bluebeard's castle. Madeleine and I followed the rest of the patrons to the foyer.
"Je vais aux toilettes, " informed Madeleine.
"I'm getting a drink," I said. "Want anything?"
"Un coke," she said. I loved the way she said "un coke" and she knew it.
"Meet you back here."
She nodded. We went our separate ways.
The bar was busy. It took longer than expected to get our beverages. The woman's bathroom must have been busier because Madeleine was nowhere in sight when I returned. I balanced her drink on the railing and watched the people going by. After a few minutes of this, one particular woman walking down the stairs caught my attention. She had on a turquoise dress and red stockings. Not just regular stockings, but something closer to leotards. Very thick. Her black hair was cut short in a bob and her bangs cut a straight line above her eyebrows. Her ethnicity was hard to determine. She definitely had some Asian in her, although what kind of Asian I could not be sure. Cambodian or Laotian perhaps. Or she was mixed. I saw traces of Indian. I really was not sure. Her gait was cat-like, but more of a shy, self-conscious cat. She was quite thin. Not an unhealthy thin, but more of a small-appetite thin. Her shoulders were almost imperceptibly raised and her chin seemed the tiniest bit lowered or jutted out. I found her very attractive. What got my attention most however was that she was carrying her shoes in her hand.
I decided to talk to her.
I finished my drink, threw the cup in a wastebasket and went back downstairs to where the lady in turquoise was waiting in line at the bar.
"Excusez moi," I started in french.
The lady in turquoise turned around, looking at me with expectant eyes. I had only known her a short while, but I suspected her eyes always looked that way.
"Oui?"
I could tell from her accent, french was not her first language. "Nothing really. I just noticed you weren't wearing your shoes." I spoke in English now.
"It's more comfortable like this."
I looked at her feet and said nothing.
"Is there a policy?" she asked.
"About wearing shoes?"
She nodded.
"I don't know. Probably."
This succeeded to confuse her. Still, she made no move to put her shoes back on.
"You don't work here?" she asked.
"Do I look like I work here?"
"You're wearing all black."
That was true. I was wearing all black. "No," I said. "I just thought I should talk to you cause you looked interesting."
This made her smile. A smile that was both shy and confident.
"And?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"Am I interesting?"
"So far." I smiled back. "Here." I wrote my name and phone number on the back of a receipt. "Call me sometime if you like."
With nothing else to do, she took the paper.
"Where are you sitting?" she asked after a short pause.
"Up," I said.
"I'm down," she said.
I smiled again. " I hope it gets better."
"Me too," she smiled back. The same smile as before. I left it there and went back upstairs.
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