A perfect combination

Posted by: fracas on January 27 @ 6:13 pm

I’ve just come out of a hot bath, where I’ve been soaking myself for a good hour whilst reading my new book – The Bad Girl, by Mario Vargas Llosa and sucking on ice lollies – a tremendous combination on all three accounts. The bath was hot, and the ice lollies cool, providing a rather strange dualistic experience of feeling hot and cold at the same time. The book, which I’ve only read the first chapter of, fit the scene I had created for myself perfectly. Contrary to what the title alludes to, it is not a chick flick. The novel starts in Lima, Peru in a well to do affluent district sometime in the 1950’s. Ricardo Somocurcio opens the narrative with the summer, when he falls in love with a bad girl.

After the first chapter I put the book away. Not because of boredom or failure of being drawn into the story. On the contrary. It triggered my memories of summer holidays, when the sun seemed to shine every day. And for those few days it did not we would be camping out with some friends playing Nintendo or running around in old, musty cellars, and creepy, dry attics playing hide and seek. Those summers were glorious.

My ice lollies melted fast and the last one was consumed in less than 30 seconds, having already turned into slush. I emptied the bath, still sitting there letting the air gradually cool my naked body until the water was all gone. I felt light headed, and took a few steps just to fall on the bed where I lay for a good 10 minutes. Perhaps I fell asleep but I opened my eyes to steps echoing downstairs. Reinout was home and I called for him. Two minutes later he came upstairs with the most immense bouquet of flowers – and a pineapple! It was the most perfect of combinations. Just like ice lollies and hot baths!