Segolene's Triangle

Luis sat in his running shorts on the small back porch, drinking coffee and looking out over a small garden, preferring to run early to avoid the heat but also to get the workout over with as soon as possible. As he gazed into the red glow of the rising sun, he bit his lip in thought; the unexpected phone call of three days ago still haunted him. It had been seven, eight years since he last spoke with Nora. Even after all that time, the recollection was still fresh.

December; she finished her last exam of the semester and waited in the lobby of the dorm for a taxi to take her to the train station. It was Friday; she could have waited until Saturday morning but she did not want to prolong the situation. On Wednesday she said, "I'm not coming back next semester." Luis suspected something like this. A subtle, nuanced change had affected their relationship. He saw it but ignored it; Nora knew it but did not want to face it. Finally the words were said and by Friday it would be over.

Luis also recalled the first time he saw her. A cold autumn afternoon, the football team just lost a close game to their intra-state rival. Luis played well. The entire team played well. They just were beaten. Walking off the field, through the chain link gate he looked to his left and noticed her standing next to a guy who had his arm protectively around her. A mass of light red hair, agitated by the wind, fell in disarray about her shoulders. A bulky knit sweater concealed her ample bust. Faded, blue jeans clung to her legs and crotch. A voluptuous mouth, permanently fixed in a seductive pout sprang to a smile when he caught her gaze.

The circumstance of how he met her were lost but from that day until fifteen months later when they parted at the dorm lobby, was a rollicking spontaneous, uninhibited sexual free-for-all. Nora was 'new' money, suburban, accustomed to nice things, abundant attention and getting what she wanted. Luis was streetwise, confident; happy just to be surviving. In many ways they were polar opposites but that is what kept them together. The unadmitted realization that this would never last, like a dying star, kept the intensity going.

Luis made his way to the front stoop to sit and wait.

The car slowed at the corner and the passenger's eyes jumped up from the map to scan the street sign. As the car turned, Nora spotted an open space and eased the car to the curb. The passenger stared intently at the house addresses and commented. "It is over there on the other side of the street". With that Nora put the car into park but let the engine idle. "Over there" Segolene repeated and turned.

Nora's face flushed as she fumbled for words. "This must be a movie set". Her eyes swept down the long uninterrupted row of narrow tightly packed brick town houses. "I don't know anyone who would live in a place like this"

"Well, you know one person and it is probably that guy sitting on the front steps" Segolene retorted. "Let's go check".

Luis watched the duo from the top of the stoop. 'They are cast from the same mold' was his first reaction. From the shoulders down they could pass for twins; both had a little extra baby fat, very amble bust and sturdy legs. Nora was more short-waisted which made her seem shorter. Facially they were very different. Nora was still the well coiffed blonde with a fair complexion and the seductive pout. Her friend was darker; dark eyes and extremely dark hair which billowed wildly about her shoulders. The sight of Nora still aroused a sense of lust although tempered by the intervening years. Her friend aroused his curiosity.

The passenger made eye contact as she approached the steps. "You must be Luis. I'm Segolene" she stated as she extended her hand. Luis nodded and accepted the handshake. "Nora is a bit frightened by the neighborhood. Do you think she will be safe?"

Luis smiled not knowing if the comments were meant to be taken seriously or not. "Do you feel threatened?" he retorted.

"Hell no" was the immediate response, "but I wasn't raised in a gated community either. This is a bit of a shock to her." Her comments had a peculiar sound to them.

Luis mentally recapped their fifteen months; piecing together the various locales and venues they haunted together. He retrieved memory fragments; the smoky bars and music clubs where nobody asked your age; riding his motorcycle through the west side slums because they were the most direct route through the city; the nights in the woods that abutted the train tracks where they unabashedly indulged their sexual desires within earshot of the rundown row houses across the railway. He glanced up and down the litter free street with its tidy houses; 'she either was not paying attention to the surroundings or her memory is fading' he thought.

He stepped towards Nora as she approached and gave her a welcoming hug. She held him slightly longer than just friends but not long enough to revive lost feelings. "How are you doing?" she asked with the hint of a lingering New York accent.

"Fine. And you?"

"Things are going good for me too." As she replied, Nora gestured with her hands to display, perhaps unconsciously, the large diamond engagement ring and wedding band combination. Luis noticed but did not acknowledge.

"Come on in and I will give you the nickel tour of the place." Luis opened the door and beckoned them in. Segolene enthusiastically looked around the long, narrow, sparsely appointed room. "This is quite charming; slightly Bohemian but not subterranean". She chuckled at her 'subterranean' description as she walked about.

"You have some nice artwork. That is a Daumier." Luis stepped behind her as she pointed to the etching on the wall.

"I don't think it is an original. I bought it at a yard sale for a few buck but it had a battered frame. I reframed it. That is why it looks good."

"Oh no! Look at the number in the corner. This is a numbered lithograph. It is 'original' but it is not unique. There was run of 125 before they scored the plate. Keep that one!" Segolene proceeded along the wall and stopped. "Calder" she exclaimed, "an interesting but not exceptionally valuable piece." She turned and sighed, "This I really like." She extended a finger to the edge of the frame and traced it along the perimeter. "There" she smiled over her shoulder at Luis, "this is a Gantner. See the signature. He is one of my favorites. How did you acquire such an 'eclectic' mix?"

Luis was taken back. He never had an eye for art, much less value. Most everything on the walls he purchased at yard sales or auctions, not because he thought them valuable but because he liked them or thought them interesting.

Nora walked slowly down the length of the room. . She could only guess but, maybe 13 feet wide and 30 feet from the front wall to the kitchen. 'My bathroom is larger that this', she thought. The kitchen was compact, economical and neat, but also quite small. The back door led to a deck overlooking a postage stamp size yard enclosed with a chain link fence. An alley separated the backs of the houses from those on the next street. 'Could I live in a place like this?' she thought rhetorically.

She re-entered the house as Segolene continued to lecture Luis on his art. Nora waxed nostalgic. 'Did I make the wrong choice?' she mused. Jimmy offered everything she always wanted; anything material, social status and most of all, not just security but excess wealth. Still, her doubts lingered. Luis will be very successful. He is focused and intelligent, but for Nora, he was not ambitious, at least not in a monetary sense. He was not an acquirer. Having things was not a priority as much as doing things. But perhaps she could have changed him.

The recollections percolated in Nora's memory. The carefree existence they shared in college; his constantly sputtering motorcycle, the spontaneous mini-adventures, but most of all the unbridled sex. She selected a memory and relived the scenes the same way she did when she was alone in bed and needed comfort. The way Luis drove across the lawn, Nora ran from the dorm, swung behind him. Draped over the handlebars was rolled up blanket. She clung to his waist as he accelerated away. The destination was anywhere secluded. She favored the far side of the old reservoir, maneuvering the cycle around the barricade and into the woods. There they spread the blanket. The word 'oral' still aroused Nora. The feel of Luis's rough whiskers chafing her inner thighs, his warm breath stimulating her wet crotch as it pulled away. Reflexively, her hand drifted towards the intersection of her legs and pressed.

The sound of Segolene voice startled Nora. "Want something to drink?" she inquired from the kitchen. "There is beer, wine, soda, water and a variety of mixed concoctions."

Nora recalled the halcyon Sunday morning; exhausted from sex but invigorated by a large pitcher of Bloody Marys. Did she still have the same capacity for sex and alcohol as she did then? She pondered and replied, "A Bloody Mary, if there is one."

Muted voices and rustling drifted about in the kitchen as the door opened with Luis holding a large pitcher of dark red liquid which he placed on the small table. Segolene followed with glasses and assorted condiments.

"That was quick. I guess old habits never die." Nora remarked as Segolene poured three tall glasses and passed them around. They nodded towards each other and raised the glasses.

Small talk occupied the next several minutes. It was an attempt to catch up but not reunite or relive any hurtful experiences and it seemed to succeed at that. Luis cast his eyes between them. "What are you three planning for the rest of the day?" The 'three' was a reference to Jimmy of course. "I know what you have in mind" Luis grinned as he nodded towards Nora, "anything else?"

"I was hoping to photograph some monuments." Segolene added lightly, "I have an ongoing quest to document and photograph as many monuments in as many cities as possible."

"Why go to DC? If you have not documented Baltimore, we can do that. We can fire up the motorcycle and cruise through the back streets looking for publicly financed works of art."

"You still have that motorcycle!" Nora blurted. "That was an antique when I rode on that piece of shit. Segolene, don't do it."

"What do you mean 'antique'? You never complained and always said it felt good between your legs and it runs better now than it ever did." They both laughed at the shared memory but let it pass without reflection.

Luis addressed Segolene, "I don't want to make any assumptions or intrude on your plans, but if you think you would be a 'fifth wheel', you are welcome to stay here. There is a spare room and Nora could pick you up on the return trip."

A twinge of envy sprang up in Nora's belly. True, Segolene may be an inconvenience for Nora and Jimmy but Nora would prefer putting up with that inconvenience rather than leave her unattended in the home of a former lover. Ever the stoic, she bit her lip gently, fumed inside and said nothing.

Segolene was surprised by the invitation. She planned to be making this trip with a companion but complications arose and he bailed out at the last moment. She did not want to desert Nora, but now she did feel like a 'fifth wheel'. She glanced at Nora then back to Luis. "I . . . I don't know. What do you think Nora?"

Nora felt cornered. Segolene was too good of a friend to make her turn down the offer. Segolene would have a good time and that was fair. Even though she had not cared about Luis or who may be sharing his bed, she did not want her best friend spending a weekend with him. 'If he is not with me; I don't want him with any of my friends', she thought almost out loud. The firefight of emotions ended quickly. "Sounds like fun! That motorcycle is not as bad as I said. You can fill me in on the details during the ride home." With that Nora started the obligatory farewell hugs and prepared to venture on to her tryst alone.

Luis carried Segolene's suitcase into the living room. "You may not want to wear that on the motorcycle." Luis gestured towards her skirt. "It may give the residents quite a show and you should not give them something they didn't pay for." He joked.

Segolene unzipped the suitcase and removed a pair of neatly folded jeans from the top. She stepped out of her loafers and into the jeans pulling them up under her skirt. After fiddling with the waist for a few seconds, she unsnapped the skirt, stepped out of it and deposited it in the suitcase where the jeans had been. "There! Is that better?" She then picked up an over the shoulder courier pouch; checked the contents; camera, note book, pens; put the strap over her head so it crossed her body. "Ready!"

Luis marveled at her economy of motion. He wanted to ask her if she had rehearsed the part. Instead, he picked up two helmets and started out the back door. "Rider's up!" he barked as he wrestled the bike from under the porch into the alley. "Looks like rain" he noted casually.

Segolene struggled to fit the helmet fashionably over her bountiful mane before giving up and letting her hair haphazardly flail out the back and side.

"Ever ride on a motorcycle?" he asked. Segolene nodded "No".

"OK. Here is the deal. You become part of the bike. Don't twist or squirm or panic. If you want to stop, just tell me. Keep your feet on the rests. Hold on. Keep your back straight and in the same plane as the bike. Let me steer. When the bike leans, lean with it. I will take it easy until you get used to it." With that he straddled the motorcycle and balanced it.

Segolene gingerly eased herself behind him, propped her feet on the narrow rests, and reached her arms around his waist. "All set?" He felt her helmet tap his back as she nodded assent. He pressed the started and the engine came to life with a throaty roar. The vibration between Segolene's legs aroused her. 'This is what Nora longed for', she thought as she closed her eyes and clung to Luis's waist. He eased off the clutch, the bike wobbled slightly, steadied itself as it picked up speed and head out into traffic.

She sensed the speed and felt the wind buffet the bike but she did not open her eyes until they slowed and then stopped. "First stop! Everybody out!" Luis ordered. They were in a parking lot less than a mile from where they started. She looked about. "Over there!" Luis pointed across a field to a tall statue of a naked man. "Orpheus" he stated. Segolene approached taking her camera from the courier bag as she did. It was a marvelous statue nicely detailed and very classical. She took her time photographing it from all angles, occasionally jotting notes between takes.

Segolene finished up. "Where to next?" she asked.

"Well, I thought we could weave east and west while we tend towards the north. We can cut a wide swath through the city that way. Then maybe do some lunch, if it does not rain." He eyed the sky skeptically.

Segolene did not close her eyes this time. Luis sensed her confidence and revved the engine to accelerate. She grasped him tighter until they were up to speed. Then relaxed and upright she looked about as the motorcycle weaved through the narrow side streets; then leaned forward to rest her head against Luis's back as they sped on the main roads.

Segolene repeated her routine at each stop; photograph the monument from several angles and document the style, inscription and commemoration. By mid-afternoon Luis wheeled the motorcycle next to a small triangle of grass in a residential neighborhood. At one of the corners was a short stone pedestal with a bronze bust.

"Simon Bolivar", Luis announced. "I am not sure why it is here or how it got here, but I do like it." The pedestal was low. Segolene stared the bust directly in the eye as she took her pictures. The inscription gave the standard title 'Liberator of Venezuela 'and when it was dedicated and from whom, but not why it was placed there. "Curious" Segolene remarked as she finished her tasks. "Is that all?"

"One more. My favorite. Just down the road. Rider's up!"

Two minutes later, they stood at the base of a large statue featuring two men on horseback. "A dual equestrian statute! I understand they are not common."

Segolene looked up at Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson on horseback. Two inscriptions circled the base of the statue. The Jackson quote read, "So great is my confidence in General Lee that I would follow him anywhere." And the other by Lee stated, "Straight as the needle to the pole Jackson advanced to the execution of my purpose."

"That is an impressive statue" she said as she went about her tasks, "very impressive."

When she finished she sat on the step at the base beside Luis. "That was fun. Thanks for the invite. If you have more to show me, we should do it before it rains." The clouds were gathering in the west; Luis discounted them as a threat.

"Tell me something" Segolene continued in a very familiar tone, "what happened between you and Nora, if I can be so bold as to ask?"

Luis drew a breath. For some reason, he had expected such a question eventually. "Well, I reckon nothing really happened. After a time, she went her way and I went mine. Not much more than that. What do you think happened?"

"Don't really know. Just was surprised when I heard but not shocked or amazed. I did not think it would last." Segolene spoke as if she had more knowledge of his relationship with Nora then he suspected. "The timing caught me off guard."

"You and me both! I too knew it would not last. Everything was going fine until summer break. When she left, I knew intuitively she would never really return. When she came back in September she was different. It was hard to say how, but different. I thought then she had made a decision about her life and it did not include me. So, it also 'caught me off guard' but was not unexpected."

"To put it in the words of an art critic" Segolene continued, "you had all the content but not the right form; smart, fun to be with, quirky, independent, and self-confident, a slightly bad boy attitude but . . . you do not have that unfettered desire for money. No matter what you are; if you are not rich . . ." her voice trailed off. "Sorry. I was just talking out loud."

Luis smiled. "No problem. I was over her long ago. Nothing remains but memories now."

"Actually I do have a theory about the two of you; but it is just a theory."

Luis cast a sideways glance and smirked, "OK, go ahead let's hear it."

"She's an Ernest and you are a James."

Luis now stared blankly. "Huh!"

"It is only my theory it has not been proven or peer reviewed." She gave a self- effacing laugh, "but here it is."

"Nora is an Ernest or a Hemmingway. Like the writer she has a story to tell; perhaps quite involved or very simplistic. Regardless. We all have stories to tell. It is how these stories are told that makes the difference. She is a Hemmingway; she tells a good story. However, it doesn't really make you think too hard. The sentences of her life are mostly short, simple and declarative; only basic punctuation and" she paused to frame her thought, "a juvenile or high school level syntax. Her narrative is tight and obvious. It is not complex; like Hemmingway's writing."

"OK, I get that. You make a good point but there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, maybe most of the time, it is best to be uncomplicated."

"OH! Don't get me wrong. I did not want to imply anything negative, it is just a characteristic." She paused again, this time uttering a low guttural hum. "Well, that is not really true. I do think it is a sign of shallowness, lack of intellectual curiosity; but not a real flaw."

"So, what about the other side of the coin; the James."

Segolene smiled. "You are a James or a James Joyce to be proper. You have a story but it is not a string of simple, declarative sentences. You do not have the same linearity Nora has. You are complex; stream of consciousness, your story is more allusion rather than concrete. Look at your house" she gestured as if they were in the living room. "It is a fine house, a nice place to live, but it doesn't define you. Nora might think it does, but it doesn't. Her house does define her. All her possessions define her. You are more complicated; your possessions don't define you."