Tales from the Towers: Gifts, movies and markets

I have a smart neighbor whom I sometimes ask for advice. We sat down in the lobby and again I needed her opinion:

"My best friend has her birthday on the first day of Easter and I have to get her a present! I just don't know what!"

"Perfume! If you know her well and you probably do, you should know the scent she likes; cologne will make her happy!"

"No, cologne! Any kind of cologne, makes her sneeze!"

"Well, next choice would be chocolates!"

"Are you kidding? This woman is on a diet since I met her at the age of eight! Whenever I get her chocolates, she informs me promptly that she has passed them on to her cousin!"

"Then get her a book!"

"She doesn't read since the day she got TV thirty or so years ago! Books are out!"

"Well, the only thing which is left is getting her a flight ticket to Hawaii!"

"You'll be surprised", I told my helpful neighbor, "she is afraid of flying!"

"So", said the smart woman getting up and preparing to leave, "get yourself another best friend!"

Tuesday afternoon we were shown a full length movie, the old and faithful stand-by "Pride and Prejudice". I've seen this picture in a previous version and I was curious to see what they did with Jane Austen this time. Truth is I arrived in the middle and sat down next to Rina who was happy to have me in order to place her comments with me.

"That woman", she whispered, "that woman behaves in the most ridiculous manner!"

"Rina", I whispered back, "you've never had 5 daughters to marry off, so please don't judge!"

My own sympathy lied with the man of the house. How does a man, surrounded by 6 chattering females survive? No wonder he hardly spoke in this movie!

On Monday we had a different kind of entertainment. A young actress danced and spoke and enacted some obscure tale of oriental origin the significance of which remained completely impenetrable. It was written by a Russian poet whom we, or at least I, have never heard of and don't want to hear of ever again, if possible.

The rather pretty girl rotated her hips to oriental music, told some not quite clear story about a woman named "Truth" who tried to enter the khalif's palace, and was not admitted, because Truth has a hard time to be admitted anywhere- not only into an oriental palace.

At the end of the show I looked around in order to find out if the others were just as mystified as I. Great art is understood by the enlightened and initiated only, so what do I do now, do I admit that I don't know what it was all about, or do I keep up the pretense of being enlightened and initiated? Everybody got up and left before I reached a decision!

Wednesday morning I went down to the open market. It was a celebration for the senses, the luscious colors, smells, and even  taste, because a shopkeeper offered me some great olives to taste! I even enjoyed listening to the haggling buyers and the vendors shouting enticingly in all variations of: "come and get it!!!"

The market is pure magic and I would have gladly bought half of it, if I only could have carried it!

I hope that you too let your senses enjoy the great adventure of spring!

Lucca