In this scene: The Leonardo da Vinci conversation takes an intimate turn (condensed from a larger piece to capture the moment)
In Great Britain the topic on the table was not usually discussed in a lady’s presence. Not that my nymph of a wife minded, indeed, she voiced it plain enough. Luca didn’t answer right away, instead he sipped his wine. I wished in that moment I could read his thoughts for he appeared nervous. I wished for a lot in that moment.
Luca met her eye. “Did you know the ancient Greeks didn’t consider sexual proclivity to be a
social characteristic? They didn’t distinguish a person’s sexual desire by
biological sex, only by the role that he or she played in the act.”
Ellie took on her lovely blush,
and for the first time I realized both desire and discomfiture lie within the
hue. She asked plainly, “Do you mean to say all that mattered in ancient
society was whether someone played the active penetrator or the passively
penetrated?”
Bold-as-brass. I chuckled.
Luca’s smile widened and his
shadow-blue eyes sparkled. “Yes.”
I believe we were all aware of a sexual tension growing in
the intellectual-rich loam. There were little things at play now: the way Ellie moistened her lips and looked at
us with eyes that lingered from one to the other. The way Luca’s irises had
darkened from snow shadow to moon shadow as he looked upon her. The way I’d
catch myself with a reminder to breathe as my eye was drawn to these small
distinctions. Like da Vinci’s sfumato, our mutual attraction hung in
the air, and I was struck by the notion that the smoky quality depicted in his
art was desire. Desire like this.
“Ah.” Ellie nodded in
understanding and circled the rim of her wine glass with her fingertip. I could
feel the gears turning in the perfect machine of her mind. She proved my
estimation right when she laughed suddenly, “Why Signore Franco, I do believe you’ve evaded my original question.”
He touched his heart with mock
surprise. “Would I do that?”
That made Ellie laugh just as
she was about to sip her red wine, causing her to slosh it on her white silk
blouse. “Fiddlesticks! Please excuse
me gentlemen, I must see to this before it sets.” Giving us an adorable
self-deprecating smile, she quickly excused herself. We watched her go and
shortly after the tap ran in the bathroom.
To a man such as I who’d lived
on the same side of the fence for so many years, Luca’s answer had been plain
enough. There was a silent language men like us used in public that only those
of the same persuasion might guess what lie below the surface. Society might
speculate all it wished, but unless the intent was blatant, no one knew of it
for certain. In a world of unfounded prejudice, discretion might save one’s
life. Our eyes met. We knew.
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Hey this is a very interesting piece. I love the flow of the story, and I just might cop this ebook. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ray. :)
DeleteBeautifully written piece, Rose.
ReplyDelete