Her curtain call
Some say first impressions are the most valuable ones.
I disagree: for me, it’s the first confusion that defines a good story.
(Archive of Lady Catherine de Turnips, entry 4663-00-7)
My dear friend,
Yes, I understand the sentiment that you simply had to spend one of your first days in Rio on your quest for kefir. Fermented milk products mean a lot to me. So glad you found it eventually, on the way to Ipanema.
Some say first impressions are the most valuable ones. I disagree (only partially): for me, it’s the first confusion that defines a good story. First struggles? Possibly, if they are gentle, like a sudden want of a particular dairy, not of a life-and-death kind (looking back, I’m not sure how I made it through some of those).
And, even more importantly, a good story is defined by the fact that you can share it with someone.
As for first impressions: one can never be sure what the “proper ones” are. Years and years ago, I visited my friend Hannah in Jerusalem. She met me at the bus stop: my long bottle-green travel dress and bright orange umbrella (why did I even take it anyway?) seemed to be quite the opposite of the winter palette defined by the beige local stone.
So, imagine a city with thousands of years of history. A centre of immense symbolic significance for several religious traditions, a heart of ancient pilgrimage routes, a site of at least two Golgothas and one immovable ladder, a cause of its own psychiatric syndrome! As a first step, where would you take a guest who came there for the first time?
In my case, it was a second-hand shop. Very small, yet perfectly aligned with local textures.
Surprisingly, for Hannah it wasn’t even a subtle way to demonstrate a knowing disapproval of my sartorial choices. Like a dolphin in her long black skirt, she dived into the waves of hats and headbands for her own enjoyment. As for me, I almost walked away wearing a curtain that separated the fitting room from the rest of the shop. It looked too perfect as my new scarf, yet, unfortunately, my limited linguistic ability did not overlap with my limitless fashion sense.
Thank you for sharing so many interesting things with me. I hope that the idea you were thinking about a couple of weeks ago has received its further development. In the meantime, goodbye!
Yours, as ever,
C. de T.