Mona: Part 1
by
Chuck McCarthy
Liz stood very still at first, but then started to slowly shift her weight back and forth, from left to right in time with music only she was hearing. Her eyes moved back and forth, slowly scanning, recording, remembering this image she had seen, that we have all seen a million times and in hundreds of reincarnations. So familiar.
Was it as impressive in real life? Not really, but people crowded around as usual. There was actually a slightly larger crowd today, including some hack journalists there to cover some new protective glass that the Louvre had hyped up, supposedly thinner and less reflective. How the photographers there from the press planned on capturing what was being touted as approaching nothing, invisibility, was something their editors had no doubt overlooked. They would, no doubt, simply end up with another photo of the Mona Lisa with a crowd gathered around it, ready to be buried deep in the arts and culture section of whatever newspaper or magazine they were from.
Mary leaned over and whispered, “This is making me thirsty… vino… vino.”
“Yeah, I think I have had enough too. I’d rather go back to the Titian exhibit. I just had to see this so my mom wouldn’t freak out.”
“Elizabeth Henry! I paid all that money to send you to Paris, France, and all you did was talk to boys and drink wine? Did you at least see the Mona Lisa?!” Mary knowingly mimicked in a southern accent.
The girls giggled a little too loudly before stifling their laughter, drawing looks of consternation from every nation that seemed to be represented in this sea of observers.
Liz conceded, “Let’s go.”
They turned away from the painting, trying to conceal their smirking indifference and desires to laugh out loud. Thus, making their way through the crowd, thinking nothing of it, they passed several of the photographers there to capture this “momentous” event in Louvre history.
“No pictures please,” Mary joked, holding her hands up over her face like a celebrity being attacked by paparazzi.
Liz giggled, and they skipped away without a second thought.
