Edouard Manet | Young Lady in 1866 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Postcard Story – Young Lady in 1866 – Edouard Manet – 1866 – The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fourth Sister – 01/06/25
…and at a certain age, one learns to be precise … or perhaps she thought, retreated into being more precise, a retreat from many of the things … the changes that come with age, that come with aging, that seem to come from nowhere, out of thin air, without reason or … warning, without … well, out of nothing that was known or familiar, nothing that one thought of or discussed over a solitary or shared morning cup of tea … at a time when the toast seemed to be drier, and harsh, against the teeth and lips, when silence was noticed more and more … and feared … though those thoughts were … just not followed … for there was no way to know where they would lead…
For … what Edouard never said … but after a while … years it seemed … it was already there – his absences, his times away from home … their home… How happy he seemed when he left, he kissed her goodbye when he left – welcomed while her eyes were closed, when opened, he was already on his way, his gloved hand upon the door handle.
And he was even happier when he returned, and he kissed her again… And she could never precisely name the … perfume, subtle and expensive, it seemed … achingly not knowing precisely its name, or source, or where it emanated from him – from his coat, clothes … or body … never knowing precisely … precisely … anything. But she did know precisely what color he loved, for he bought the dressing robe, which covered her thoroughly … but strangely never enough. For she retreated within it, completely and with precise hair – carefully controlled and tightly ribboned – and the locket with his photo around her neck … both … precisely … precise … and just so…
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