Of cocks and hens

 

Strolling down the street on one of our most downtown boulevards in Bucharest, I was first surprised to notice three hens and one rooster busily picking at seeds on a balcony of old villa. It must be part of the New Eclectic, the style we fashion in this prime European city, I thought. And I immediately regretted leaving my camera behind at home. Quite a first hand documenting photo it would have been! Alas, I did have to move along empty handed, as no other images eluded the surrounding reality, or the realm of my visual imagination. In plain English, there was little around that could impress you. I mean apart from those aggressively parked cars, like frozen mad beasts stoned in the very moment of their attack against the passers-by, their coats and common sense. They do get on my nerve. The cars, that is.

Have I mentioned it was a warm spring like late afternoon? Well, it was, and I was game for a quick snack. In other times I might have been a hunter. Can you imagine the tedious heavy preparation and process?! Thanks God for fast food. Not far in the woods, I mean not far from the square my trophy awaited. The place was deserted and unappealing with no crowd and no marketing to hide the fading goods on display: hard boiled eggs, lukewarm hot dogs, sleazy pickles, oily counter, and a trail of breadcrumbs. Fast forward and I am on my way back, just in time to see, no! hear a car crash involving an ambulance in the very place where a couple of diplomatic cars are usually colliding with reckless and always guilty as charged taxis. The occasional human victim was luckily busy somewhere else. I know riding the ambulance is almost never a joyride, but take my word, you don't want to be riding one in Bucharest. Nor a taxi, for that matter. By now I was still hungry, it was getting dark and I was returning to work for some more or less heavy session. It was still Monday, a day that started with the call from the bank. They were announcing me I cannot cash the check because it is post-dated. Damn, I was really depending on the money to make it through this month. Somehow all this didn't make the Roman Square appear more joyous under the heavy traffic and dirty cheap fair. I have been and seen better.