A solemn agreement is broken
Three Graces, and the fourth
by
Vitavie
SOMEWHERE DURING A CHAT BETWEEN PETER AND VITA
'.............................'
'So, are you proposing we meet? In person? When we met here, we agreed not to. Never.'
'Yes, we did. I know we did.'
'We would never meet. To keep things pure.'
'Yes, yes, I know. We thought we could be more honest if we would not meet. Not be distracted by the physical. And thus cherish the lust better. For longer. Forever. But...'
'But...? There would be no "buts", we agreed.'
'I guess I am weak...'
'Ah! Men! The weaker species, the same old story! LOL.'
'Phew... The 'LOL' saves my face. But I have to agree, I may be weak! Still, I've just got to see you.'
'Because you crave the body, can't be satisfied with just my mind and soul! You know those are the superior entities, the best to possess! The body, well, simply trails and is so easily uneasy...'
'I agree they are the superior things! I am in love with your mind. And in lust! Is it right to fall in love with a woman through the mind, as I have, before one has met the body? Yes, it is right, I am sure. But is it wrong to then want the body too? It may be inferior compared to the mind and soul, but not "inferior" as such.'
'It's not wrong to want the body, but it may the beginning of the end. We may not hit off in the new dimension in the first place, or burn out before too long. The intense lull in the desiring after a man's orgasm is a case in point. Hindsight may prove that we should have kept meeting the way we have thus far and keep the lust at a towering high.'
'I am willing to run that risk. I just can't imagine it is high, the risk, given the rapport we have been building.'
'Very well then, Peter. Let's burn our bridges and meet. Just don't say I didn't warn you!'
'Well... But how about you? Aren't you burning to meet me?'
'I have made my position clear. And you know that I know that what we have built is valuable. This we'll now risk. But we'll meet. I will send you instructions within a few days.'
'Instructions? But...'
'Yes, a time and place. What else? I will decide those, if you don't mind. Bye for now, Peter. Until we meet.'
VITA LEAVES THE CHAT
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Sometimes people meet online and have to trust that they are who and what they say they are. Very well. Does it matter if they are not? Or is it possible to simply accept the illusion? Well, yes, that is quite possible. It only matters if you decide to meet in person. Then it matters that the woman in question is a woman indeed, with dark brown hair, of a certain age, and that the man actually turns out to be a good man, not a joker, a rapist or a murderer.
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We agreed to meet at Café Baier in Berlin. You have never been to this café before.
How did you expect to find me? I would be there first and you would recognise me because I would be dressed in bright red from top to bottom and be reading a book.
It's a bright summer day. When you enter the café, your eyes need some time to get used to the semi-darkness. Café Baier is a large L-shaped room with many columns and corners. One doesn't have enough eyes to take in all the details, let alone see beyond them. The lack of overview makes you a little nervous, even though you have assumed the dominant role. There is no woman in red staring you in the face. You wonder why it has to be like this, why I didn't make sure you would see me right away. Slowly you begin to walk around and survey the room, including all the nooks, crannies and alcoves.
Finally, she is there! A woman in red, more or less the right age....
But she is talking to someone, even though she has an open book in front of her. She doesn't look in your direction as you stand still for half a minute looking at her. You decide to keep walking. You pass many people, mostly women, in pairs or groups. Not another in red... Was the woman you just spotted the one you were looking for after all?
But then, in a hidden alcove, you see two more women in red talking to each other. They notice you standing there, interrupt their conversation and both look in your direction, confidently, ironically. And then they both stand up. They could both be me, and yet they can't both be me.
You take a breath to say something when a voice sounds from behind you. 'Peter...?' You turn and see a woman in red turning and walking away from you. The woman you saw earlier, the woman who was talking to another, a book in front of her on the table. As you start to follow her, you hear the footsteps of two other women following you.
What on earth, you wonder...
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Of course, you have to go with them. Of course, you sense that you are being played with. You realise that they cannot all be Vita, that at least two of them are not her and...
Will they tell you?
You become uneasy when you realise that perhaps your Vita is not part of this trio at all. But then they will surely lead you to her. Or? Perhaps she is leading you astray, or rather engaged a few friends, or hired help, to lead you astray. Perhaps she didn't want to meet you after all and is teaching you a lesson.
You have no choice but to believe that all will be well and follow them.
The bright light outside first announces itself as it pervades the loose folds of the protagonist's light blouse and skirt as she steps out of the café's front door. For a moment you can make out her exact contours, but as you step outside yourself the sun immediately blinds you. You squint.
The guiding light strides on without hesitation. Your group marches for about ten minutes. You are aware of the attention this parade attracts from people in the street. What a strange procession! Holy Mother of God!
You see the woman in front of you marching along and hear the other two click-clacking behind you. The sight of the moving figure in front of you and the steady and purposeful sound of the three pairs of heels around you transfer you to a semi-hypnotic state. The straight shoulders of the leader and the hair waving freely and lightly.... The two legs alternately throwing back the light fabric of the skirt, which also undulates.... The strong steps... Click, clack...
Not once does the first woman look back.
Your group has reached a quieter square in downtown Berlin and the woman in front climbs the six steps to the front door of a stately house, pushes it open and enters. You don't hesitate and follow, and the other two follow you in turn.
None of the three has yet spoken a word. Neither have you.
The marble hallway and the adjoining corridor lie before you in relative darkness. The cool air provides a further contrast to the outside world you have just left. The clacking of the first woman's heels becomes muffled. She has begun to climb a carpeted staircase, lightly, as if weightless. Still following her, you are followed by the other two. The leader arrives on the landing, and again the rhythm of her heels cuts through the silence, this time on wood, soon followed by the sound of the other two pairs....
The destination...
You have all entered a large, sparsely furnished room at the back of the house. The curtains are almost completely drawn and being kept in motion by the light breeze. The ceiling is high and ornate, as are the fireplace and a few large old mirrors.
Now, finally, the first woman turns and faces you. A commanding presence. She remains standing at a distance of about two arm's lengths. Her gaze is clear, confident and unwavering. You stand there and stare back. Are you as confident as she is? Why do you finally turn around and notice that the other two are also standing still and looking at you? They form a circle around you.
Three against one? One for all and all for one? Is Vita the One? Where am I, you wonder.
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So, the looks of the three are confident, perhaps ironic, but certainly not hostile. But... Why doesn't anyone speak, why don't you? Your self-confidence, however, is strong enough to keep looking these women in the eyes, searching...
Yes, they all match the image you have of me, Vita. Each one could be me, indeed. About the right ages, quite well-groomed for their ages, shoulder-length auburn hair, attractive. Green eyes. But that doesn't mean they look alike. There's one whose hair is straight, parted on the left, that of the second is slightly curly, the third has a fringe. The cheekbones of one of them are high. Another has a small nose, the third has slightly wide-set eyes. You can't decide who best fits your image of me, Vita. Which is Vita?