How long had they been walking? Did it matter? He had never seen—nor felt—the city so beautiful. The evening sky, the buildings, the lights, everything seemed to shine and vibrate. The clothes of the passers-by glimmered too, as if made of silk or other precious cloths.
Vita passed her arm under his. It was the first time they walked together outside. The air was full of an extraordinary perfume that blended with Vita’s but was ten thousand times more powerful. The cars passing by were all vintage models, some makes unknown to him, but nonetheless beautiful.
In the beginning, the music coming out of the cars’ stereos sounded horrible, a mishmash of commercials and repetitive notes and voices, but he managed to tune into other fabulous melodies. It felt like he was listening to the soundtrack of his own life, and it was amazing. He had never seen his life as a Cinemascope feature. Vita looked absolutely stunning, her skin changing nuances at they strolled in the near empty street.
The only dark spots in this colorful mosaic were the billboards, or the radiophonic commercials. The billboards were all empty and gray, the commercials pure static. He had never felt so, so . . . free?
Yes, you fucker. Free. Exactly. FREE.
Are you okay? she asked him.
Yes, absolutely, he answered.
He smiled as he realized they hadn’t used words.