Nadya 170

The young lady turned her face away from her photographer and his camera. There was a long silence. Then she said

"May I ask you a personal question, Lord Lentilux?"

"Of course you can. I have no secrets whatsoever. Secrets make life more complicated and I even believe that they can shorten a person's life. But there is no scientific proof for that"

"Excuse me if this does not sound polite, let alone appreciative. You introduced yourself like a Lord and I can recognize some of that in your speech but not in your image. In my dictionary, you look like a tramp. And I have the impression that your image is not a matter of neglect but a deliberate choice. May I ask, what makes you tick?"

"Don't worry, Nadya, I am not insulted. Umpteen people mentioned the tramp image before you did"

"It's good to hear that. I feel rather ashamed but there was no other way to bring this up. And I am anxious to know what makes you tick. Remember I told you about what makes me tick"

"OK, I will explain it to you briefly. As a child, I grew up in a castle. Servants, winter holidays in St. Moritz with a chamber orchestra playing at our dinner table and all the rest of it. Even as a young child, I felt like living in a bubble. Then the whole thing collapsed and the castle was sold. We were poverty stricken. living on emergency food my parents bought during the Cuba crisis. The threat of a nuclear war. But my parents always kept up their appearance and they expected the same from their children. And that put me in a terrible dilemma. In short, I decided to keep as far away from money as possible. I had seen what it can do to people, even to sensible people. I went my own way, leaning on what I felt were my own assets. Creativity in the real sense and a fascination for all things beautiful by nature. I lived up to that ever since and without any doubt or regret"

Another long silence followed. Then the young lady said

"You are genuine, Lord Lentilux, really genuine. Somehow I felt that straightaway when you interrupted my thoughts at the Old Port. You are an inventor and your product is fascinating but not yet fit for the market. And you don't seem to care. It's so contrary to everything I was ever taught. Can you give me a bit of advice? What does it mean for my own ambitions?"

"Shall we start with your ambitions as a model? Please straighten your back, give me a fine pose and we will take it from there"