A Conversation at Les Deux Magot

Artist: UnEasy
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A Conversation at Les Deux Magot

He supposed it was inevitable, this conversation. He supposed every couple had it, sooner or later, if the relationship lasted as long as theirs had. This vivisection, or was it to be an autopsy. He marveled at her delivery, so reasoned, so balanced, dispassionate. He recalled last night’s post-game show, after his team, the Paris Saint-Germain FC had narrowly defeated Nice. This ticking off of plays executed well, the litany of errors which had, on so many occasions, raised the specter of defeat. But she hadn’t given the final score, not yet. She was building to it, calmly, deliberately, in no haste.

Yes, he’d been a good provider – to her and their children, now grown, moved away. And he thought to himself she’d been a good mother to them, had created a good and loving home, without complaint although, he thought to himself, with no real passion or joy. She’d been methodical and practical about it, not passionate. They’d acquired an enviable circle of friends, entertaining and occasionally useful friends. Their flat on Rue Mornay in the 4e was the envy of many, a quick commute from La Bourse where he played the market daily with other hysterics and which had been very kind to them. Certainly kind enough to allow her to indulge, without regret or worry, her passion for shopping at Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, and she was no stranger to the expensive boutiques on Rue Etienne Marcel and Place des Victoires. But he didn’t begrudge her these little luxuries. No more than she begrudged him his: the Porshe, his Cubans, business dinners at La Tour D’Argent.

He’d been a committed if not entirely faithful lover as well. He wondered if she’d had lovers. Must have done he thought to himself. He wondered how he stacked up against them, these phantoms in her closet. Favorably he hoped. But over the years lovemaking had become a routine, something they did to keep alive this pretense of a normal, healthy marriage. Hadn’t she put it that way? How long had it been since they’d made love? He struggled to remember, but could not.

Her hands seemed poised, as if to gently cup the final verdict. She was looking away, as one deep in thought does. Her words came to him now gently, unhurried, like music. Suddenly alert as he hadn’t been for years, he waited for what seemed an eternity.

“Jean Luc”, she said, not looking at him. “We…” but he was listening to sounds now, not words, was again remembering, again feeling, something he hadn’t done in a long long time. He braced himself.

*Les Deux Magots, a café in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris, once had a reputation as the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual élite of the city. This derived from the patronage of Surrealist artists, intellectuals such as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, and young writers, such as Ernest Hemingway. Other patrons included Albert Camus and Pablo Picasso.

The café’s name comes from the two wooden statues of Chinese commercial agents (magots) that adorn one of the pillars.

Wikipedia

Paris

A Conversation at Les Deux Magot belongs to the following groups:

! Inspired Art !, Everyday Life, ImageWriting (2/24), JPG Cast-Offs, Paris and Put Out! or Get Out!!!

A Conversation at Les Deux Magot by UnEasy

midzing

fantastic shot Kevin,,, love the concentration in his eyes,,, well done
UnEasy replied

Thanks Wendy :) The woman interests me. I’ve tried and tried to invent a conversation here, as I often do, yet have failed. Such exquisite subtlety in this. But I’m not giving up :D
Scott d'Almeida

wonderful work,
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much Scott :))) Cheers :)
Jack Grace

Wonderful expressions and concentration, my favorite kind of capture Kevin.
UnEasy replied

Mahalo nui loa Jack :)))
Dragan Petrovic

Love it! Fave!
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much my good friend :)))
sandra22

...I really like how the man is watching the face of the woman intently….(what’s he thinking, I wonder?)
Hello Kevin :)
UnEasy replied

Thanks sandra :))) Yes, I wonder as well. And I wonder what she’s saying to so fully capture his attention. The human drama, played out in these mini-series every second, mostly unnoticed.
rodeorose

Brilliant! I think they are both thinking something quite different from whatever they are speaking about! His eyes are intent but distant in his imagination ;)) Ooh-la-la!
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much Rosie :))) I’ve written that elusive, imaginary dialogue and updated the photo with it :D Best, Kevin :):):)
FailingMemory

Great work. Body language special by Uneasy.
UnEasy replied

Thank you very, very much Fred – greatly appreciated :)))
Denis Dalby

Wonderful shot Kevin. I feel her coming to end of a story. “And then…...”
UnEasy replied

As did I Denis :D And so I’ve updated this. Thanks so much for commenting :)))
Farras Abdelnour

an engaging capture, kevin. nicely done!
UnEasy replied

Thanks much Farras my friend :)))
banrai

she’s spilling her hardened heart.. about her hubby’s infidelities .. to a has been writer who begs and hopes to hear just one more way males have abused females…. an image of fine
conversational interest… great work! next time take a mike!!!
UnEasy replied

Thank you banrai :) No, no mikes for this “reporter” :D – T’would deprive me of the opportunity to invent, invariably a more rewarding exercise for me than listening in. どうもありがとう。 Dōmo arigatō.
Susan Bergstrom

Excellent,powerful, telling shot…makes you feel like you are sitting there waiting to put in your own 2 cents!!!
UnEasy replied

Thank you so much Susan, my good friend :)))
Lorena Maria

hahah once again wonderful capture Kevin look at the face of this man .. “Oh oh, she has discovered my infidelity !!!”
;o))
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much Lorena :))) These shots are really like Rorschach tests aren’t they? For me, I envisioned (imagined) something entirely different :D What fun, n’ ces’t pas cher?
toriyule

Great work Kevin, always look forward to your interpretations of the intimate scenes that you capture. Such emotion in your images.
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much tori :) Much appreciated :)))
anisja

Yes he is looking at her and through her somewhere maybe in the past or maybe even not ….. but she , she is watching something left ,or maybe is she searching a right world to say her thoughts …. who knows … anyway this is a beautiful photo , painted with such great tones ( love this green bottle ) . Great line that thakes together this story .
Excellent your imagination and description .
UnEasy replied

Thank you very much anisja :))) As always, your comments are deeply thoughtful and contemplative. I am now, as always, very very grateful. Cheers :)))
AnGeLLe

:) I love this.
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much AnGeLLe :))) Most kind :)
Linda Gregory

What a story, Kevin. It captures the photograph perfectly. Very well done.
UnEasy replied

So glad you liked my little story Linda :))) Means a lot to me. And thank you for your wonderful comment :)
Lee-Anne Raffe...

Wonderful PP and an outstanding image!
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much Lee-Anne :)))
T SOUL

OMG, SO intense!!!!

I think she’s telling him what it feels like to have a vasectomy….
UnEasy replied

Thanks TS :))) It’s an image which depends entirely on each viewer for dialogue, so one viewer’s take is no better or worse than any other’s take. Thanks so much for viewing it in that light :)))
T SOUL

Your story and image is masterful though, sorry…..should have mentioned that!!! I’ve been just sitting and staring..!!
UnEasy replied

Thanks TS – what a great comment :)))
Danica Radman ...

what a fantastic chick text you wrote for this great capture – I am fun
very french literature like – Paris at it’s best
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much tazzina :))) Your comment means a great deal to me :)))
diLuisa

love the capture, love the story….love it, love it, love it!! well done!! :)
UnEasy replied

Thank you so very much diLuisa – I really appreciate your taking the time to view it, and to leave a comment. :)))
rodeorose

Kevin- this is more wonderful with your story than it even was before!!!
UnEasy replied

Aw, thanks so much Rosie my friend :)))
KarenKSmith

Awesome story, great image, wonderful tones..brilliant as only KD can do:))))
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much Kare :))) You are always too too kind to me dear friend :)))
banrai

never read your narrative, based my comment on the image only and your reply to Midzing…
madworld

I love this Mr D. And as per usual, I adore your writing x
UnEasy replied

Heh Tracy – thanks so much my friend :):):) So good to see you about :)
Isa Rodriguez

aaaaah.. what is the ending here. ..kevein.. this is so good, in so many respecats.. but as a nvella it is breathtaking.. inan instant i am feeling so many things.. havent we all , it seems, whom have been married for ages it seems..

well worth my visit here, it has been a delight
UnEasy replied

Thanks so very much Isa :))) You’re the first to notice the story doesn’t really have an ending :D – a signature of mine. I like the viewer to furnish her/his own :) What a kind and thoughtful comment Isa, thank you again very much :)))
photoloi

I missed these, really great!
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much photoloi :)))
izzybeth

Dang, your writing is poetry… And the instant… photograph is lovely.
PQ Ribber

great shot! well done!
madvlad

far, mill lar,and close too,been there my self,but my lady is gone to conversations forever,other then at night alone in my bed,wonderful story,but europian,i never worried of,her,fidelity to me,as so?said this man,by your words in his head nice nice emotional photo
UnEasy replied

Wow madvlad, intense and beautiful poem your comment is, ripped from the heart, or was it the brain, there being a difference or is there?
John Linton

Sooo good. I miss not being able to check out your pics on JPG.
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much my old friend :) I follow yours here – just LOVED your Apple Staircase shot!!! Yes, made the move here to RB – just a better fit for me personally, though JPG has its own strengths and following :)))
x- pose Klaus ...

I love this work!!! First of all it´s a fantastic shot! Secondly, it´s inspiring.. what´s going on??... She´s talking… I wonder what! And what´s going on in his mind? Is he listening to her’? Definitely not!!! He doesn´t give a shit!!! She´s talking with her whole body, which means she needs to work with her whole body to hide that she has nothing to say.. He…. is studying her…. Her gestures, her poses… No eye contact… He´s seeking for it, she´s avoiding it!!! They aren´t a couple… He pretends to be interested… She pretends to have something to say! Could you imagine the same situation vise versa??? I never experienced it…
Ok, this is my interpretation without reading your description, just my spontaneous reaction!!! Apparently this photo fascinated me ;-))
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much Klaus for your wonderful comment :) Although I had a very different reaction, I like that about shots like this – we are each of us invited in to interpret what we see in a unique way. I found your take very interesting :) Thanks again for taking the time to post such an insightful comment .
Charuhas Images

great shot,
UnEasy replied

Very much appreciated Charuhas :)))
walela

You are incredible with your photos and writings. Now I want to know how this ends. I guess I’ll have to take up where you left off and imagine. Your purpose all along.
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much walela :))) I don’t know how it ends either :D Perhaps in future I’ll return to this image, and be inspired to write my imagined ending :)))
Antanas

great job
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much my friend :)
Andrew Jones

brilliant street shot, beautifully illustrated by the text. nice work.
UnEasy replied

Thank you very, very much Andrew :)
Joanne Bradley

Brillaint capture and shot! This image just explodes with meaning and backstory, so it was so easy to follow your storyline!
UnEasy replied

Thank you old friend :))) You are so kind Joanne, I really appreciate your comments. They mean a lot to me. Best, Kevin :)
TheBlindHog

One of the best pairings of image and thought in the entire Bubbleverse. I would have thought it impossible to eclipse the emotional content of the image, but that was before I read the text. A thousand times a thousand….
UnEasy replied

Wow. I can’t adequately express my gratitude for such a humbling and extraordinary comment here BlindHog, but I do want you to know how very, very much your words mean. A truly exceptional if not wholly deserved accolade, but one which I cherish.
Kenton Elliott

Wow! Fantastic work in all respects.
UnEasy replied

Thank you again Kenton :) As you know, this means a great deal to me :)
Shelly Hiebert

Oh Kevin…..you are a master at capturing a story with your images but when I see you have written something to go along with your image I get very excited and make sure I am comfortable and readily dive in :) I know I have said it before but I love how you SEE your subjects and the world around them and you. This is a favourite, favourite :)
UnEasy replied

Ah Shelly, you make me blush. You are really too, too kind :) I’m especially pleased that you always take the time to read my modest writing sidebars. Your comments are always greatly appreciated.
Ted Byrne

No sexual attraction, no family left for cement, no power-friendship, only the money. And thanks to courts, that tie is easily dissolved. Time for her to find another roommate? Time for her to turn to the reality of the friendships she’s built with other women since this couple’s use for one another is gone. Pity we live so long now… plenty of time to grow through the key relationship of our lives. We live in an age when “retirement” no longer applies principally, or even importantly, to ending a career… unless that career was – spouse.
UnEasy replied

What a thought provoking and insightful comment. And a perceptive one as well. But to pay Diabolus Advocutus for the more optimistic among us, let us imagine that at the end of the day, the getting and spending, the sex, the utility of a comfortable married life did not, after all, constitute the most important element of their relationship. That once these had been stripped away something else emerged, something more important, something which would resist the vagaries of whim and time. Let us imagine that this something revealed itself to both of them in an instant, and in that moment they each realized they would be together till the end, and were suddenly happy.
micklyn

Oh my, incredible description, great shot. Thought provoking indeed.
UnEasy replied

Thanks micklyn for your kind comment :)
J.K. York

i think the narrative is a wonderful synthesis combined with the image. love these dramatic street shots. the man does have that displaced attentiveness look. very nicely done.
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much James. “Displaced attentiveness look” – outstanding way to describe it – I had that reaction, but the words to describe it eluded me – Thank you so much :)
JudyBJ

exelent shot and i love the tones
UnEasy replied

Thanks so much Judy – greatly appreciated :)
JudyBJ

BTW “les deux magot” used to be my favorit caffe
UnEasy replied 27 days ago

Thanks Judy :) Yes, an awesome caffe :)))
Vida 28 days ago

Brilliant work !
UnEasy replied 27 days ago

Thanks so very much Vida :)))
~ Ademac 26 days ago

Marvelous….........................well done.
UnEasy replied 23 days ago

Thanks so much Ademac :):):)
crackedpot 26 days ago

Gosh, an intelligent man who not only takes wonderful photos but writes as well!
UnEasy replied 23 days ago

Thank you very much crackedpot :) Love your work and your sense of humor :)))
Mojca Savicki 25 days ago

Hmmmm, what i see…..i see a man and a woman who are not related, they are maybe just good friends…she is obviously upset about something and she just needed someone to speak to, so, cause she knew him very well and she knew also he was a good listener (maybe she likes him too :)), she decided to open up and share a problem that was bothering her with him….maybe there is something about her husband or someone who is close to her ;-)....
UnEasy replied 23 days ago

Thanks so much Mojca :))) Great thing about these street conversations seen but not heard – one can only imagine :) I like your take on it M :)))
Jean M. Laffitau 23 days ago

Only one, no, two words…Love it!!
UnEasy replied 23 days ago

Thanks so much Jean :) I follow your work and love your portfolio, so this means an awful lot to me.
Alex Mokrzycki 21 days ago

great capture
UnEasy replied 19 days ago

Thanks very much Alex :)
Von McKnelly 9 days ago

Bringing the real to a still…kudos!
UnEasy replied 9 days ago

Thanks again Von! I just love your work, and really appreciate your comments. They’re truly appreciated!
wendyL 7 days ago

Nothing I can say that hasn’t been said already! I am utterly speechless!
UnEasy replied 7 days ago

Gosh wendy, what a wonderful comment :) Thanks so much :)))
GraceNotes 5 days ago

Hi, Kevin, thank you, first, for adding Holland Tunnel to your favorites. I am glad you like it. On to your photo – it is absolutely wonderful – their eyes are so interesting – not locked onto each other but hers, searching in time and space for the right words; his, gazing almost appraisingly at her with an unformed expectation..perhaps wondering how their conversation/situation will end. His hands are to his mouth almost forcing himself to wait his turn to speak, yielding to her and the time she needs to express her emotions – fears, desires..we do not know. And the treatment you have given the photograph focuses us on these two subjects as opposites within the whole…even the yin and yang lines of the wall behind them reiterates this, as well as the contrast in their lighting, she, dark-haired and darkly attired, sits in the shadows, and may well be in the dark figuratively too; he sitting more comfortably in the lighter area of the scene….all of it enhanced wonderfully by your “conversation” for them! Great piece!
UnEasy replied 4 days ago

Thank you so very much for such an incredibly thoughtful and insightful comment GraceNotes :) It’s rare for me, or anyone I imagine, to receive such a carefully thought out, in-depth critique. I confess the duality you point out in the photo escaped me until you pointed it out, which amazes me. And your comment is so wonderfully literate – “she, dark-haired and darkly attired, sits in the shadows,” Truly amazing. I can’t adequately express to you how much this meant to me here, so suffice it to say I am profoundly grateful :)))
Nedim Bosnic 4 days ago

Great life photo. . . . . . . . photo and whole that story makes wonderful atmosphere.
UnEasy replied 4 days ago

Thank you so much Nedim for this and all your wonderful comments. You came to my attention while I was looking at the faves of a friend – Mojca S – and I’ve been hooked on your work since. Your portfolio is outstanding, and I’m honored that came by mine and were so generous with your comments. Thank you very, very much :)
marcwellman2000 3 days ago

nothing more to add; except wonderful
UnEasy replied 3 days ago

Thank you so much my world traveling and multi-talented friend :)))