Well-Preserved

I wished that I lived in the days of pen and quill when authors, too, were silent workers and none knew, listening, what sound of words they might be mixing and stirring and applying to the parchment paper.
-Janet Frame, An Autobiography

Twenty-five years ago today:

September 4, 1985
Wednesday

Paloma and I woke up at 10:35AM or so. Paloma left to go change clothes. I showered and changed clothes, too. Now…I think I will go for a walk. I’d like to buy some postcards. I just remembered that my money needs to be converted into French Francs.

Paloma came over and we went shopping at what I might call a “square”. We took the RER (a kind of BART transportation system) to the “square”. I saw the neatest brown leather jacket of which I almost bought. Paloma talked me out of it because it was 3,500 French Francs (which is about three-hundred and fifty dollars).

Paloma drove along to take me to more sites like The Louvre, the Arc de Triumph, Joan of Arc, etc. Everything looked so well-preserved.  I bought a couple of T-shirts along the way, too.

 

After shopping around I went back to the studio apartment to take a nap.

I met up with Paloma again for dinner with her brother, Luis, and her sister-in-law, Bernadette. They are really nice. It’s a good thing that Paloma can translate for me though or we’d be in trouble. I mean, I would be in trouble—at least. The French language is so very different. The only thing I regret was not having a grasp on the language here.

We ate at a nice restaurant. Oh wait a minute! I am all confused. It was last night that we had dinner with Luis and Bernadette.  I recall now that I came home fairly early, sleeping all the way through. I needed to clear my mind and get used to the time difference.  I did write out all of the postcards I wanted to get done.

A peaceful silence reigned. Not of peace. Tom knew, but at least it was silence. 'This evening--today--can we just do nothing? Watch television tonight?'
This afternoon Tom wanted to garden. That always straightened him out.
-Patricia Highsmith
"Ripley Underground"