I believe in love

Whenever Mary got upset with something she remembered that scene from The Last Crusade when Indiana Jones takes a step in the void, and a path appears under his feet. That is what she must do now. She needs to make a hard decision. To continue where she is living and working is the easy thing to do. But she does not want to take the easy way. She wants to take the right way. So, she keeps thinking about this matter all day long and she doesn't find an answer.

Her friends don't want to compromise with a solution she does not want to face. So, in general, they tell her to stay. She has a lovely house, she works fine in her art studio. Why change? Well, just because she has to. The stairs got difficult for her to go up and down every day. Of course, now, with the pandemic and the order to stay home, she doesn't have to climb them, but nevertheless, time is getting shorter, the clock is tick ticking and she cannot escape the decision.

Her sons say they are worried about her alone in the house, but this is their problem. This is not the reason she wants to leave. As a matter of fact, she wants to leave for a new life. She wants to live by the beach, even if it is a faraway beach, in a neighborhood she does not know very well. Never mind, it will be a new adventure for her.

She was lost in her thoughts when the telephone rang and it was a friend from a social web that she wanted very much to meet. He is a handsome man of her age, a visual artist like her, also divorced and free as a bird. She never thought he would call.

They kept giving likes to the works of one another they used to post every two days. She enjoyed his art, although she was a bit ashamed to like some nudes and other erotic scenes. The nudes were beautiful and not at all offensive and the love scenes talked about passion.

Oh, passion was everything she wanted in her life! She missed it a lot and at every kiss scene on tv, she felt a pain inside. She missed romance. She didn't care much about the physical approach, although she enjoyed it a lot when it was accompanied by real feelings, sheer passion, excitement, and joy.

Her ex-husband didn't understand this. He wanted technicality. Where is the fun? Life deserves more.

"Hello? Hi, I am listening! Yes, I love your paintings. You studied at Fine Arts School, I know. You were acquainted with many artists of the seventies, I know. Yes, I was married to him. We have been happy for a while... Until he got great success and didn't share it with us. Of course, he should have... You were never friends... I understand. You just knew each other. Yes, I see, you two are very different men, I agree. And what do you think of my paintings? I see the likings all the time and I wonder what you think of them. Yes, they are very graphic, linear figures, that's it. They are sketches. I have always loved sketches, a kind of minimalism and pop at the same time. No schools, no schemes, I agree. But it is inevitable that we practice some formulas, isn't it? I would like very much to meet you too... for a coffee... yes, I would love that. Okay, let's do it as soon as we get both vaccinated. Okay, it is settled, then... of course we can go on talking every day until we meet. Do you know I went to your last solo show downtown? I saw you were very busy and that particular day I didn't feel quite myself. We have been introduced by a common friend but someone called you up and I took the chance to go away. It was not the moment for us to meet. Now, at home and looking at our pages on the web, we are much more at ease. Of course, it is a different approach. We see our souls first. Well, let's get some sleep. Hopefully, we will have pleasant dreams. Dream about you? Sure. Dream about me, too. Bye."

Uhu! At sixty feeling like a teenager. Will this teenager sensation ever end? She knew it would never ever end. Not until she breathed.

She was too excited to go to bed, but Saturday morning was a very busy day for her. The family would come to have lunch with her. They would bring everything for a barbecue in the garden. She enjoyed have them near but this weekend she was 17 years old. She knew nothing about arranging things, taking care of grandchildren, being a nice grandmother. All she wanted was to be beautiful for her new admirer, losing some weight, and yes, she was ready to move on, to go to a new house near the beach, entering the sea every morning, getting a suntan.

She went to sleep and dreamed about fairy tales. She was in a forest full of sounds and she didn't like the owl voice. It was a bad omen, in general, but she faced the bird and told it not to disturb her dream. She would go on in a leap of faith. She would move on to a new home, she would have a new life and she would live a real passion.

So, she closed her eyes again and saw him close to her. She felt his breath, listening to the sweet words he pronounced, and felt good. There were paintings everywhere, romance footage, kisses, loving looking, hand in hand, eyes in eyes. Could it be true at sixty? She believed in love at any age. Their voices sounded so happy on the telephone, that it must be true. Even facing the fact that it was so new, she sensed something was happening. At their age, it would be a loss of time to be false. Being in love again was her last but not least adventure. Make it last, be brave, be true, fear nothing!