By Miriam B. Medina
It is a clear day, a glorious, sunny day, with a calm sea and a
light breeze. Vincenzo Bonifazi looks out of his window and smiles.
"Perfetto." Today will be an exceptionally good day to sell his
paintings. The weather was in his favor. He had been painting feverishly
all week in his studio until the wee hours of the morning, preparing
for his new exhibit. When he awoke, emotions escaped his brush, filling
the canvas with the inner depths of his soul. He painted, stroke after
stroke, with vivid colors, leaving impressions quite pretty, yet bold.
His women with huge breasts and large butts seemed to consume him, and
were in demand.. Something about this particular day gave him a" feel
good" mentality. Vincenzo whistled as he packed his belongings, folding
chairs and paintings into his specially designed Sicilian cart. He
decided to head for the beach. There was something about the sea that
inspired and brought out the best in him. He knocked on the door of his
best friend, Rosario, and asked him to accompany him, so he could take a
break every so often while Rosario watched his paintings.
Vincenzo greeted his friend:
"Buongiorno
Rosario, sembra che sta andando essere un buon giorno per le vendite.
Forse avremo un altro giorno come la settimana scorsa."
(Good morning Rosario, looks like it's going to be a good day for sales. Maybe we'll have another day like we had last week.)
Rosario smiles, helping Vincenzo with the cart.
"Spero di si," Rosario responded.
(I hope so.)
Rosario
invited Vincenzo to sit down and have their usual espresso that
Stefania, Rosario's wife, prepared for them, along with something tasty
to eat. Rosario and Vincenzo had been best friends since childhood. They
lived in the same neighborhood, two houses away from each other.
Rosario's father, Salvatore Bellini, was a well-known artist in
Taormina. Since Vincenzo and Rosario's mothers were neighbors, as well
as friends, he was able to visit Rosario's home often. Salvatore liked
Vincenzo's interest in his paintings. He had a good feeling about this
young boy with the big eyes.. He sensed a passion for art stirring in
him. Salvatore would give Vincenzo some paint brushes and paper to see
what he could create. When he finished, Salvatore was in awe. This child
had the makings of a great artist. He had excelled at drawing and had
such an understanding of color at such a young age. He was gifted.
Salvatore saw himself in this young child.
He told Vincenzo's
mother that he would like to tutor him, sharing everything he knew about
design, forms and color. Paola was so proud of her son. She agreed to
this without telling her husband. Thus, Vincenzo began his artistic
apprenticeship with Bellini at a very young age.
Spurred on by his
enthusiasm, Vincenzo tried to find the perfect spot to exhibit his
work, just off of the beach, yet close to the water.
After walking
a distance with the cart, they stopped. Vincenzo couldn't resist going
to the edge of the water to wet his feet and look at the sea. Rosario
stayed behind setting up the exhibit. Vincenzo stood still, feeling the
warmth of the late morning sun on his face. The sea breeze ruffled his
curly brown hair as he deeply inhaled the salt air, tasting the spray
from the waves. It was invigorating. His feet sunk into the sand as the
waves overlapped each other, rushing, splashing and roaring against his
legs,, dragging the sand between his feet. He looked about him and was
surprised and disappointed that the beach was not crowded. There were
only a few tourists splashing in the waves. His self-confidence began to
sink. He had been so sure it was going to be a lucky day for him. He
scratched his head and mumbled:
"Dove sono tutte le persone. Questo posto è sempre pieno."
(Where are all the people? This place is always packed.)
Taormina
has been a top holiday coastal resort on the Italian island of Sicily
since the early 19th century. It has also been Vincenzo's hometown since
he was born.
Ever since he was a child, Vincenzo loved to come to
the beach with his mother. He would often play in the sand, building
sandcastles.Vincenzo was a gifted child who had the ability to build
impressive sculptures out of sand. His father, Lorenzo, was a simple
fisherman who worked hard to feed his family. His clothing reeked of
fish. Even when he came home, the kitchen and bathroom smelled of fish.
Wherever he walked or sat, the fish scales would trail behind him.
Vincenzo hated that smell, though he loved to eat fish, especially the
way his mother Paola would prepare it.
"Mmmmmmm... delizioso," he
would say to his mother, giving her a big hug. He was an only son. His
mother Paola adored him. She had a difficult delivery when he was born.
After Vincenzo, Paola couldn't have anymore children. Paola loved her
son and was always fussing over him. Lorenzo resented Paola for giving
him so much attention. Vincenzo was expected to follow in his father's
footsteps. Vincenzo was to get married and raise his family as a
fisherman, as many generations had done before him.. But Vincenzo had
other ideas, which did not include being a struggling fisherman with a
pile of snot-nosed kids.
"Non io, non sarò mai un pescatore. Diventerò un artista famoso e fare un sacco di soldi!"
(Not me, I will never be a fisherman. I will become a famous artist and make lots of money.)
Ever
since Vincenzo was a child, he was mesmerized by the curvy, voluptuous
women he saw on the beach, the ones who poured themselves into a
bikini.. Apparently, these women had no qualms about exhibiting their
god-given bodies. Even at age 40, Vincenzo would remember vividly his
first sexual experiences from adolescence, as he enjoyed the pleasures
of the flesh with a voluptuous woman. He was a willing teenager, 17
years old, and she was a cougar on the prowl at age 40. Rosa was a widow
whose body craved a man's sexual touch. Rosa saw Vincenzo on the beach
and liked his physique, so she flirted with him. His muscular build and
good looks made him look older than his age, and he had a hard time
keeping his eyes off of her curvy, voluptuous body. The more she flirted
with him, the more aroused he became. As her final act of seduction,
Rosa invited him to come to her house. He accepted her invitation.
Vincenzo knew she was much older than him, but it didn't matter, all he
knew was that she was a hot cougar that drove him wild, with her steamy
passionate flirtation and sex appeal. He longed to become a great carnal
pupil in her hands. Vincenzo hungered for the moment he could share a
bed with Rosa. He was glad that she suggested he come to her house, so
he wouldn't have to find a way to safely get her alone. He would tell
his parents he was going to Rosario's house. When he knocked on Rosa's
door, she opened it, dressed in a see through negligee. Vincenzo
couldn't wait anymore. He relaxed and enjoyed himself immensely,
learning as he went along. They were both convinced they wanted more
time with each other, but as they say, all good things come to an end.
.
Remembering
Rosa, Vincenzo's cheeks flushed as he became visibly aroused while
savoring the memory of their last desperate sexual encounter. Even after
23 years, she still had a lingering effect on him. So Vincenzo realized
that all good things don't have to end, they just evolve, and fade into
memory, where they are safe and forever available to be visited. Rosa
would never die, not as long as Vincenzo and his paintings lived.
Vincenzo
was happy with his current mistress, who reminded him of Rosa. He had
never married. He wanted to be free to paint, without worrying about
supporting a family.Life was good.
It was starting to get very
hot. Vincenzo was worried about his paintings. Luckily he had a tarp on
hand to cover his exhibit. Rosario was getting hungry and wanted to go
home. Vincenzo, desperately waiting for a sale, yelled out.
"Rosario, aspetta, aspetta, non andare. Rimani altri 15 minuti e cominceremo imballaggio. Ti pagherò in più."
(Rosario, wait, wait, don't leave. Stay another 15 minutes and we'll start packing. I'll pay you
more.)
Suddenly
a man approached Vincenzo and handed him his card. He was a dealer from
a famous art gallery in Manhattan, New York. He was fascinated by
Vincenzo's paintings, the endless playgrounds filled with curvy,
voluptuous women. He liked Vincenzo's style, it was quite unique,
something he had never seen before. It was seductive and humorous. He
told Vincenzo that he wanted to show his paintings in his art gallery.
Vincenzo only knew a few phrases in English, which he was embarrassed to
pronounce, so he asked his friend Rosario for help. Rosario was a
University graduate and spoke English fluently, so he became the
go-between for Vincenzo and the Art Dealer. Vincenzo could not believe
his ears. Finally, his dream to go to America and become a famous artist
was coming true. Vincenzo joyfully hugged his friend Rosario, thanking
him for his help, saying:
"Lo sapevo, lo sapevo."
(I knew it, I knew it.)
He kissed the business card and began to whistle as they packed up the beach exhibit and headed home.
Vincenzo's face was beaming as he turned to his friend, and said:
"Sì, è stata una bella giornata al mare. Non pensi così Rosario?"
(Yes indeed, it was a beautiful day by the sea. Don't you think so Rosario?)
Rosario happily responded:
"Hai ragione Vincenzo, finalmente dopo tutti questi anni di duro lavoro, il tuo sogno si è avverato."
(You are right, Vincenzo, finally, after so many years of hard work, your dream has come true.)
Please leave your comments, I would like to hear what you have to say.
Courtesy of Bob Maida-Photographer
How to find a more peaceful existence. Read my articles.
