Lesson 2: Activating the Senses

PART 1
1. Raindrops slapped against the roof of the cab as they crawled through traffic from Laguardia airport to the townhouse in Murray Hill.

2. Leah Delacroix lived in a studio on the third floor of a four-story walk-up on East 35th Street.

3. After adding a lavish tip to the fare, she dashed from the yellow taxi to the front door dragging her upright suitcase behind her.

4. Once upstairs, Leah wiggled out of her dripping trench coat, dropped her drenched bags on the floor and poured a generous helping of Chianti.

5. Then she plopped down on her leather sofa to sift through two weeks worth of mail.

6. She read and reread the acceptance letter before another envelope caught her eye.

7. Not another wedding, she thought as she held the heavy cream stationery.

8. She tossed the invitation onto the pile of circulars, perfume samples and other junk mail.

PART 2
One manila envelope caught Leah’s attention. Congratulations, your submission to the Rhode Island Film Festival has been accepted. Leah let out a woop and laughed. She had worked hard on the documentary about the disappearing Alaskan glaciers. She read and reread the acceptance letter before another envelope caught her eye. Leah tore open the flap and read an invitation to her 20th high school reunion. Twenty years seemed to have past as one long day. How had so many years already gone by? She tossed the invitation onto the pile of circulars, perfume samples and other junk mail. As she reached for the glossy cover of Vanity Fair, an unwanted image of her younger self burst forth… running track, photographing classmates for the newspaper or yearbook, her humiliating rejection by the drama club. How she had struggled with those auditions, her stomach twisted in knots, followed by the letdown and hot tears each time she failed to make the cast again and again.

Part 3 Senses in “A Little Cloud”

SMELL He took the greatest care of his fair silken hair and moustache, and used perfume discreetly on his handkerchief.

TASTE He knew that people went there after the theatre to eat oysters and drink liqueurs; and he had heard that the waiters there spoke French and German.

TOUCH Ignatius Gallaher took off his hat and displayed a large closely-cropped head.

The adventure of meeting Gallaher after eight years (TIME), of finding himself with Gallaher in Corless’s (PLACE) surrounded by lights (SIGHT) and noise (SOUND), of listening to Gallaher’s stories and of sharing for a brief space Gallaher’s vagrant and triumphant life, upset the equipoise of his sensitive nature.(UNKNOWN)

Be Sociable, Share!

•