20200925 (Friday)

10

A libellula, and Riz Violet du Laos

Marcia Davenport:
And there was the mosquito with that beauty, appreciated above all from the perfect symmetry of her pair of wings. But she was dead. Drowned in the water that had collected on the cold white flat plate, in the sink. Denisse Harkalt had not washed the dishes. It was 6:10 in the morning on that January 10.

Marcia continues:
On the other hand, in the patio, there is a metallic blue libellula with her four wings of beautiful bilateral symmetry, also dead, in the water of a pot of azaleas. So you owe me a pack of Winston cigarettes and five dollars.

—Denisse: And why do I have to pay you five dollars?
—Marcia: Remember we made a bet yesterday at four in the afternoon. And if you don't pay, I will punish you...
—And what will be the punishment?
—You already know it very well, why do you ask?
—No, I don't know what the punishment will be.
—The punishment will be the one previously agreed upon, but you've already "forgotten": you won't be able to set foot in this house for the rest of your life.
—Here's the pack, but it only has 18 cigarettes. Give me two days to pay you the five dollars.
—Never mind. And yes, you have until January 13; three, not two days, okay?
—Okay, thanks, now I want to play Pacman.
—You'll be playing against the machine, because I'm going to read my Youth Makeup book.
—I've always played against the machine. Pacman cannot be played between people.
—Really?
—Yeah, that's why it's one of the "eighth wonders" of video games.
—Ah, okay. Please bring me the shampoo named Riz Violet du Laos, Jardins du Monde, by Yves Rocher.
—That's not a shampoo, it's a shower gel.
—Yes, but it is so fine and so expensive that I use it as a shampoo... you know that many products, articles, and substances can be made multifunctional.
—Yes, I'm going to find that Riz Violet du Laos.
—Thank you.

And Marcia mused, once again, about the banality of her life and her "no purpose" with the exceptions of taking care of her body and skin and accumulating money. She was the owner of the high-end Splash Spa.

#literature

20200925 (Friday)