Reunion

“Are you shocked?” she asks.

I am surprised, just as she was on hearing my news, but not shocked.

“Life is unpredictable”, I say. “Who could have guessed that two people from the same village would one day meet in unusual circumstances; I, a defrocked priest and you…”

I hesitate, searching for a suitable euphemism.

“…a high-class prostitute.” She completes my sentence unperturbed.

“I don’t regret my choice”, she emphasises, “I only pick the men I fancy, I too have needs.”

I understand very well. I am fifteen years older than her and remember hearing her confession during her teens. A precocious child with an enormous sexual appetite whom I relentlessly probed to reveal intimate details of her experiences. It was a vicarious thrill that eventually led to my disgrace. I was caught in flagrante delicto with a married woman by her husband.

And now, as in those early days, she has bared her soul to me perhaps seeking absolution.

Now we are sitting side by side sipping wine in a Geneva bar, a businessman and a courtesan.

She leads me to her room saying “For old times’ sake” and I eagerly follow.

© Luigi Pagano 2015