176 - Elsewhere

She woke up to Extremer’s chorus. The sun was setting and she was alone under the soft sheets smelling of lavender. Jim had left some hours ago to let her rest, since it was easy to tell she wouldn’t, having him around. So she had fell sound asleep, exhausted, and now she had the persistent feeling of being still dreaming. But she wasn’t, this was not the Black Rock but the Ashtray, and that music had to be a phone ringing. She found the song was coming from the other night side table and stretched out to reach it, as Extremer went on at a growing volume. By the night light she found and iphone with a small red ribbon, and laughed when she saw the one calling was “your personal J”.

“Hey, ya awake?”

“You just woke me up… what time is it?”

“Almost dinner time in this proper lands. Wanna stay home, just the two of us? Or feel like dinning out with the guys?”

“Out’s fine, if you want to… just let me take a shower and…”

“Ok, I’ll pick you up in 40, that’s enough?”

“Text me the address and I’ll meet you there.”

“What!?”

“I need to start moving around by myself, Jim.”

“C’mon, woman, don’t ya…”

“Promise to call you if I get lost.”

She heard him chewing grunts and objections, she held back a giggle.

“Ok, ya know the place. Take a cab, it’s some 15 minutes from your place. Can ya make it there in an hour?”

“Sure.”

“Fine, I’ll be there.”

“Ok, see you later, then.”

“Later, and call if ya…”

“Love you.”

She hung up, because she was no longer able to hold back her laughter, though she loved him being so attentive. It made her feel secure and taken care of, made her feel she could start venturing around because he was always there, like he had been since the very first day, to hold her up if she needed him to. It might sound contradictory, but it made her feel free.

She turned her netbook on before opening her suitcase, wondering which should be the first song she would play in the Ashtray. Her NØ Return’s folder looked tempting, but she wanted something quieter now; there would be time to torture her neighbors. She chose Sarah McLachlan’s Elsewhere and went to the bathroom singing it.


I love the time and in between
The calm inside me
In this place where I can breathe
I believe there is a distance I have wandered
To touch upon the years of
Reaching out, reaching in
Holding out, holding in

I believe this is heaven
To no-one else but me
And I’ll defend it for as long as I can be
Left here to linger in silence if I want to
Would you try to understand it?


I know this love is passing time
Passing through like liquid
And I am drunk in my desire
But I love the way you smile at me
I love the way your hands
Reach out and hold me near


Oh, the quiet child awaits
The day when she can break free
The mold that clings like desperation
Mother, can’t you see I have to live my life
The way I feel it’s right for me
Might not be right for you
But it’s right for me.


The place was Sean’s favorite Italian restaurant. Silvia entered in a hurry, since she was about to be late, and almost stumbled onto a stern old man in a spotless dark suit, who cut her way with a suspicious harsh look to ask her about her reservation. Only then she realized she might be in trouble: how many women would show up swearing they had an appointment with the Robinsons whenever they were there? She took in a deep breath.

“Good evening, I came to meet Mr. Robinson” she said, and her voice didn’t sound as firm as she would have liked. “Mr. Jim Robinson…”

The old man’s face lost his harsh look into a mocking billboard: “Sure, and I’m Lady Di”. She was about to turn towards the tables, trying to recall where the musicians used to sit, when the old man dropped all of his sarcasm for a suddenly respectful, docile look.

“It’s ok, Massimo, she’s with us” somebody said behind her.

She spun around recognizing Sean’s voice, he nodded hi at her to face again the man, almost frowning at him. “And mark her face, Massimo, cuz she’s with my brother” he added.

“Of course, Mr. Robinson” the man lowered his head at Silvia with an apologetic nod. “My apologies, ma’am, please be welcome.”

Then Sean signaled her to follow and led her towards the third table by the wall. Jo and Tom were smiling and waving at her, while Jim was flapping an empty bread box before the waiters’ faces, thundering the place with his: 

“C’MON!! GIMME SOME!!”

175 - Yours

It was a rough, urgent kiss, as their fingers numbly struggled to put away the clothes and find skin. They staggered together, fell onto the bed side by side and she pulled from him to get lost under his body.

There were no other hands to touch her, no other lips to drive her crazy, no other skin to slide by hers. She rounded his waist with one leg, pressing him against her, and arched her back with a moan when she felt him inside of her, that fire sweeping it all away. It was just like disappearing, losing track of everything but him, feeling him like an unstoppable explosion of pleasure and anxiety and anger.

Because that was exactly what he was feeling at that very moment. He had never missed her body, he had never needed her; and those last six weeks, the cold gap in his bed had nothing to do with physical desire. But there he was, just about to burst like a frigging teenager, feeling he was lacking enough hands, mouths, legs to take her as he needed to. Wanting to get to her deepest soul, going crazier at every groan he pushed from her lips, every move of her hips, every touch of her fingers, every caress of her tongue.

How could this be possible? Why was he feeling this way? Why nothing seemed to be enough? When had all of the bodies lost their charm because they were not hers? He needed to make her, feel her, know her only his. And nothing else mattered.

“Say ya love me…” he panted in her ear.

She held him tight and parted her lips, incapable of uttering a single word; until she found some air and voice. “I… am so yours…” she managed to gasp.

And he understood. Coming from her, those words meant a world more than any “I love you”. And for the first time he felt it was true. She had finally dared to open up and give herself into him, leaving in his hands all there was in that chest and that head of hers, he loved and feared just the same. And comprehension meant no victory for him, only more desire. Because he’d gotten it all and he’d gotten nothing. She was his woman and his companion, just like she was his rival and his judge. He had her under his thumb and was not interested in crushing her. She was his, only his, and she was the greatest challenge he had ever faced.

She fell undone on his chest, in his arms, one sweaty shaking body fighting to keep breathing.

Many times before she had felt surprised at Jim’s desire, and she had some times even wondered who was he thinking of to feed his pleasure. But now she had really felt, for the very first time, he didn’t need to recall exotic beauties to make love to her. And even so, what he was showing could not be compared to anything she had felt from him before, save maybe that first morning at the Black Rock. And just like back then, she was surprised and scared, but now she was also happy. She didn’t understand a thing and she knew understanding was the last thing to care about at that moment. Because this was what she had always dreamt and feared, this emotion like her chest was just about to burst in flames, this sensation of having her life depending on him, like hanging from a cliff and having his hand as her only hope to step on firm ground ever again.

He made her lie by his side, still holding her, and took her left hand to kiss it, as out of breath as she was. Then he saw his ring and smiled. That was the perfect place for it.

“Ya look good with nothin’ on but this” he said.

“Like to see me with your fancy leash on?”

“Fuckin’ love it.”

She stuck to his body with a chuckle, simply unable of coming up with a good answer. She sought shelter in his chest as she had already done so many times before, satisfaction sent a chill down her spine when his arms held her again. And felt absolutely certain about one thing: that was where she belonged, in his arms, by his chest, hearing his heartbeat. She belonged there. And there she was.

“Please don’t ever let me fall” she whispered.

He kissed her hair smiling. “Never” he said, closing his eyes. “Dido here, woman.”

She had never experienced something like that before: it was like his words triggered music inside her head, and it was Heart of the Storm.

“Holding on, holding up…” she muttered, surprised, all of sudden aware of what he meant with those words. “Each other…!”

“Exactly, glad ya got it.”

She heard him sigh and kissed his chest. His reaction was pressing against her hips. She looked up for his lips and found his neck. His hand slid down her back past her waist.

174 - The Ashtray

She exited the Customs Office still feeling stunned. After such a long last week in Bariloche, the long flight, the change of time zone, season, language, and the silly but inevitable anxiety squeezing her belly, she felt she was burning out her last rounds of energy before dropping faint right where she was.

And she almost did when, out of the blue, she found Jim before her, hands in his pockets and a mocking smile under the black cap. “Lookin’ for someone?”

He held her laughing, felt her shaking, noticed how pale she was. So he took care of her luggage and led her by the hand out to the parking lot, not expecting any fussy emotional reactions.

She followed silent, and didn’t even bother to ask where they were going. She was there, with him, at last. Nothing else mattered. The relief was so much and so sudden, she couldn’t think straight. She hardly noticed they were not heading for Santa Monica.

“Ya need to sleep” he said, when she flashed him a slightly questioning glance. “I’m takin’ ya to the ashtray.”

“Ashtray?”

“The apartment Jo chose for ya. That’s ‘bout the size.”

“Oh…”

He let out a chuckle shaking his head. “Woman, ya’r a fuckin’ mess.”

She nodded with a happy idiotic grin. “Am I not?”

They laughed together.

“Ya hungry?”

“Later.”

The apartment, which was to keep the name “Ashtray”, was at least as large as the Black Rock. It was fully equipped, and as far as she was able to notice, she liked the decoration. Jim didn’t bother in showing her around; he left her luggage on the large couch at the small living-room, hung the keys by the door and led her to the only bedroom.

“Here ya got” he said. “Now go to sleep, ya really need it.”

She pressed the bed’s corner, like trying the mattress, and nodded turning around. Stood there looking at him, those overwhelming eyes, that smile of his thin lips, that beautiful, ageless face, always expressive, always changing, she loved to watch; she could smell his fresh fragrance in the air, it was enough for her hands to recreate the touch of his body against them. She felt relief and confusion giving way to another sensation: desire.

He noticed her look had changed, her eyes were no longer blurry and distant, they were now intensely staring at him. And it was just like a spark setting his guts in fire. They looked at each other for a long moment, both of them heavily breathing, until she took the three steps keeping her away from him, to fall into his mouth, his arms, the heat that was burning them both.

173 - Linterna de los Afiebrados

He waited for her to hang up and lingered on the dark living-room, the hand still holding the iphone resting on his chest and the mocking smile still pursing his lips. He finally felt like standing up and fetched his laptop. He wanted to be done with the song before going to sleep. Alone. For the last time.

He went to bed with his laptop, lyrics already translated and read several times. Turned the light off to listen to it again, now he knew what it said.

The title was something like “The Lantern of the Feverish Ones”, and it was from a Brazilian band…

When it’s dark and nobody hears you

When night falls and you can cry

There’s a light in the tunnel of desperation

It’s a dead port you can arrive to

That’s the lantern of the feverish ones

I’m waiting for you, don’t you take long

One long night and one short life

But it doesn’t matter if I can help you

They’re heavy, so many scars, already a part of me

This is what I am now, you cannot change me

That’s the lantern of the feverish ones

I’m waiting for you, don’t you take long

    He relaxed with the last sweet, serene chord of this song she wanted him to know only hours before their reunion, at that very hard time of leaving behind so many things for the sake of that crazy dream they were willing to bet their lives on. He fell asleep still smiling, to dream she was already there with him. He dreamt knowing it was a dream, and that it would soon come true.

172 - Storm Alert

He was surprised to get the tweet at 1 am of the day Silvia was leaving Bariloche. He was even more surprised finding the picture of a sunrise at the lake and the link to Youtube. He saw Sean’s questioning glance.

“Everythin’ ok?”

“Yeah, just fine. Gotta go now, bro; night.”

He felt he would never get home, but he didn’t want to do anything until he was alone. Knowing her, he wasn’t about to wake her up taking some extra 30 minutes. While he was driving home, he played the song from Youtube, but it was in Spanish. He didn’t like it at all. The only times she had used Spanish with him were when she was trying to keep her distance. He really tried not to jump into conclusions, but called her when he was still struggling with the front door keys. She took the call right away.

“Tell me you love me” a stressed whisper, he knew she was crying.

“Hey… Of course I love ya…”

He clearly heard her suffocating a moan, and halted holding back his breath. Found himself again in the middle of the empty dark living-room, alone, watching somebody walking out of his life for good. A scene he’d seen over and over to nausea since Carla’s premier, 7 years ago. Then something inside of him said “enough”. And now he found himself counting hours and miles to know what was the fastest he could get to Patagonia.

“Jim…”

“Yeah?”

“You know I love you, don’t you?”

He closed his eyes clenching his teeth, then headed straight to the stairs. He would go knock down the Black Rock’s door if he had to. Deep down he had always known there was a chance that he might be forced to do so in order to have her back by his side. You don’t ask somebody to just leave it all behind for you if you’re not ready to put out some fires along the way.

“Jim?”

“Yeah, love, I’m here” he tried to sound cool while he opened his wardrobe.

“Isn’t it a gorgeous sunrise?”

“Yeah, just saw the pik ya sent” he took out a small bag, he wouldn’t need too many things. “Looks great, thanks for sharin’.”

“Yeah… this is all so beautiful… Did I ever tell you I always said I wanted to spend the rest of my life here?”

“Nop…” The thick jacket, there it was.

Her voice was a stressed thread. “Well, that’s just what I used to say, since I moved in here…”

“Didn’t know. Are ya still on the beach?” he asked to get some time, where the hell was his passport?

“Yeah… just can’t bring myself to go… Wish you could see it, the sun, the golden light on the water… it’s just so…”

“It’s the beach right down the square, isn’t it? Downtown…” Downstairs, it was downstairs. Two shirts, socks, underwear…

“Yeah, you met me there once.”

“I remember. Some sunset at that time.”

“Yeah, it was.”

Trekking shoes. Ready. He didn’t need anything else from there. He headed for the stairs again, now carrying his bag still open.

“It’s so good talking to you” she sighed, and he thought she sounded easier.

“Dido, woman. Ya alone? Left the thugs behind?”

“Yeah, drunk and still drinking, those lovely bastards…” she let out something that tried to sound like a giggle. “I’m so gonna miss them…”

He halted at the last step, didn’t risk to make any reckless statement.

“Thanks for calling me, Jay… It was getting so damned hard, saying so many good-byes all by myself…”

He dropped the bag and sat down on the stairs.

“Ya did just right tweeting me. No need to do it all alone.”

“God! I’m such a loser!” now she sounded almost amused. “But the bare sound of your voice makes me feel better, stronger…”

“Change the tune, woman, I ain’t fuckin’ ya over the phone.”

“You biggest jerk!”

Hearing her chuckle allowed him to call the red alert sign to yellow. He slowly stood up and went to lie down on the large couch in the living-room as they kept chatting.

“Got it all set to take off?”

“Yeap. I’m gonna be like a damned zombie, haven’t slept for almost 3 days now.”

“Well, ya better rest on the plane, cuz ya ain’t gettin’ much sleep here either, once I lay hands on ya.”

“Why do I miss you so much? I’ve been dreaming of you the whole week!”

“D’ya? Never mentioned it…”

“Wouldn’t wanna feed that dreadful ego of yours.”

“Oh, well, look who’s talkin’!”

“Hey, dude, cool it. I need you to be gentle here, you know?”

“Gentle… gentle… sorry, guess that word fell off my dictionary.”

“May I ask you one last favor?”

Her voice was stressed again all of a sudden, he forced himself not to run and grab back his bag until he knew what she was talking about.

“Shoot.”

“The song I sent you, it’s very important for me. I will tell you why some other time. I know it’s in Spanish, and I have no time to translate it for you, but I would really like you to listen to it now, so could you please…?”

“I’ll do it, promise.”

“Well, then. Guess it’s time to go home” she sighed. “Actually, go home to leave home to go home… or something like that…”

“Yeah, kinda messy yet.”

“I’ll tweet you my arrival time, just in case you can make it, ok?”

“I’ll be there, don’t worry.”

“Ok…”

“Ok…”

He heard her taking in a deep breath; his lips pursed in a mocking smile, mocking himself. “Say, woman, may I repeat myself without ya tellin’ my brother?”

“Be my guest.”

“I do love ya, ya know?”

“And I love you.”

“So…”

“So it’s see you tomorrow, love.”

“Yeah, see ya tomorrow.”

171 - One Last Sunrise

Sunrise over Nahuel Huapi Lake, Bariloche, Argentina

She left before the others registered it. One moment they were all toasting to her, the umpteenth mocking touchy toast; next moment she was hugging every one of them, telling them how much she loved them; next she was gone with her son, special guest that night despite being underage.

She left her son at his father’s place and walked down to the beach all alone, admiring the colors in those minutes before the sunrise. She sat down near the shore, well protected in her thick jacket, lighted a cigarette and turned her music on. She had brought old songs, she had listened to for more than 20 years, like Duran Duran’s Matter of Feeling, and Don Henley’s Boys of Summer. It was her last sunrise of the life she knew. The last sunrise with her lake and her mountains.

She watched the sun showing up behind the mountains out in the steppe, listening to a song she had first listened right there, during her first vacations in Bariloche… having breakfast with who had been her best friend since they were 16, now gone. Even though that sunrise her memory came down to keep her company, as she used to do.

She knew she would cry and it was okay. You don’t leave behind the most important part of your life without feeling at least a bit sad.

170 - New Year

Without pausing to give it a second thought, they had naturally resumed their habit of staying in touch from the distance. She was uploading things to the Hey, Jay! again, pictures, songs, writings. And he was glad to enjoy again her posts and comments to what he uploaded. Just like the year before, during the Asian tour, he felt again she was by his side at every situation, every place. And just like she was following him again, she was taking him along throughout those last days at her home, with her friends, in that place she had never thought she would leave.

NØ Return was completely focused in getting the new songs ready, playing at important venues and producing a couple of videos they meant to release at the same time. End of the World was on top of every chart and the band was at its best moment of the last 5 or 6 years.

And each of them at their end of the world, 20 thousand miles away and never minding the GPS, they were living together on their own fashion the last days of the year. She was once more the first to congratulate him on his birthday. Christmas went by with family dinners and parties with friends. He called her again on her birthday.

They considered sharing New Year’s Eve by the internet, but the different time zones made them drop the plan, so they just saluted each other twice: when the Old Year fled from Patagonia up the Andes towards the Northern Pacific, and when it was cast out of LA as well.

Meanwhile, Silvia was getting ready to leave the Black Rock. She kept books and papers, kept the dishes, said goodbye to so many wonderful moments she lived there. The owner had agreed to let her keep paying the rent, since she couldn’t bring herself to let go of that house she felt her home. She wouldn’t want to live anywhere else if she ever came back.

December 31st she went to the office for a couple of hours and then visited Paola. While they were having some mate, she let out a sigh and her friend turned to her with a questioning look.

— May this be my last New Year’s Eve away from him? —she muttered.

At the very same time, a world away, Jim accepted the beer his brother was handing him, both of them at the deck with Jo, who asked if he didn’t miss Silvia on that special date. He shook his head smiling.

“Nah, cuz this is our last New Year’s Eve apart.”

“Meanin’ they’re gonna slice each other’s throat within next year” Sean translated.

169 - December

Nahuel Huapi Lake, Bariloche

Not an hour later her friends started arriving, and she found out they had decided to throw a welcome party for her at her house. There were Miyén with firewood, Leandro with the itinerant grill she shared with Claudia, Javier with a dozen beers… By midnight there were a dozen people around the fire, in the dinning-room, the kitchen, her bedroom. As usual, as nothing special was going on. So she officially announced her plan of moving to LA for two or three months, and was surprised to see nobody was surprised at her words. They considered her plan “logic”, congratulated her and focused at once in organizing her farewell party.

Her boss wasn’t surprised either when she gave him due notice a month before quitting. He asked how long would she be away and told her that if she ever came back and needed a job, she shouldn’t hesitate in calling him.

That night she tweeted Jim:

“Damned bastards, looks like they all wanna get rid of me ¬¬”

And he answered, as soon as he was done with a radio interview:

“death threats do work :) – kiddin!”

December was passing easily by, with a nice weather promising one of those gorgeous summers in Patagonia. She allowed herself to go back to her routines and pretend a little that nothing special was going on. Nevertheless, she felt the anguish prick at a particularly beautiful sunset, or when her son stayed up late with her, now that he was in his summer break from school.

Jim told her he wouldn’t celebrate his birthday that year: he would wait for her to celebrate his 40 together and with a proper party. And since she had stated crystal clear she wouldn’t move in with him, he volunteered to find her a home. He sent her pictures every two days from the houses and apartments he had liked for her. It soon became the moment of fun for free for her friends, and they wouldn’t miss it for the world, as they asked her to show them those pictures just to watch her face.

She was finally able to make him understand she didn’t want a mansion at Hollywood Hills, and that she didn’t need a condo with a swimming pool in one of the balconies, dance floor and sauna. And then she started bringing down the size and the luxury level of the places, while her friends were rolling on the floor, laughing their hearts out.

“how bout this one?”

— The whole Black Rock fits in that bathroom! —Paola would cry, and the others started laughing again.

“smaller, please?”

“this IS smaller”

— He’s getting to it, your house is no longer smaller than the bathroom, it’s the about the size of one of the bedrooms —Karim would point out, always conciliatory.

— Sure! The smallest of the four bedrooms! —cried Miyén, and there they went laughing again.

— You gotta be more specific, tell him exactly what you want —Leandro said, once he was able to breathe again.

She knew he had a point, so she did as her foster brother said.

“Ask Jo how much she’s gonna pay me and find something for half that number”

“what? u nuts? would b a fuckin shoes box!”

“That’s exactly what I want”

“woman, really… ¬¬”

“Humor me :)”

“u r helpless”

“I love you too”

168 - Children

Children: Mika + Manuel

It had been six months since she had last seen Mika. They spent the afternoon together, seeking shelter from the heat for a while at the Japanese Park, enjoying the fragrant shadow, the mate, so much small talk to catch up. At night they met with Mika’s boyfriend, Guadalupe and some more to assist to La Joven Guarrior show. Next midday, she held her foster daughter very tight, actually wanting to abduct her and take her to Bariloche, and boarded the last plane to fly the last thousand miles keeping her away from her Black Rock.

She picked up her son and they went home together. That evening she told him about her plans for the summer. Manuel listened to her in complete silence, looking down at his glass. He only looked up at her when she lighted a cigarette and remained silent.

— Are you gonna stay there? —he asked then.

She knew it made no sense trying to beat around the bushes with him.

— There’s a chance —she softly answered.

Her son nodded and didn’t ask any further, but she could see the clockwork spinning inside his head, beneath the black cap Jim had given him.

— Would you like to come?

He slowly shook his head.

— Nah… You’re gonna be working and I hardly speak any English, plus I don’t know the place or the people. It’d be frigging boring. I rather stay and go camping with dad. He and my uncle already got planned two or three excursions to go camping with my cousins and myself; don’t know where but don’t care either, it’s gonna be a lotta fun.

She was forced to stomach he was right. Allowed the new pause to get longer. There was one question left. One she didn’t actually need to ask right now, one that didn’t need an urgent answer, but she just had to ask it.

— And after that? If I get the chance to stay… would you come to live with me there?

She faced her son’s blue eyes. They were not green-blue as hers, not that pale, liquid blue as Jim’s. They were deep and steady blue. Her father’s eyes, dead 25 years ago. Unfathomable, observant eyes, that seemed to climb mountains and sail oceans and read hearts. She saw those gorgeous dark blue eyes getting blurry to display a mental image, and move to watch it all over.

— Hum…

— Just think about it, you don’t have to answer right away. It’s far in miling, but a plane takes the same time to get you there than taking a bus from here to Buenos Aires. It’s another country, another language, another uses. But it’s nothing you and I didn’t go through in Mexico. And it’s gonna be kinda easier than that for us. Believe me, I’m coming from there.

Manuel raised his eyebrows at the comparison. Those 3 years they lived in Mexico hadn’t been easy for them, spotted by so many subtle and insurmountable cultural differences. But she knew him, and she knew that the price of that ring on her finger might be seeing her son only every 3 or 4 months for the next few years. At least until he finished high school. And he was right. She couldn’t just drag him away from home, family and friends yet again just because.

She saw herself telling Jim one night in LA: “Of course I’m coming back.”

She saw herself asking, begging him with eyes full of tears: “Please don’t let me falter…”

She looked away lighting another cigarette, accepting the knot squeezing her throat and the burnt in her chest. What was the fair price for a chance to be happy? Didn’t she have any reason to be satisfied or happy other than Jim? How much was she willing to sacrifice for this hope? Her son’s low voice startled her out of her gloomy pondering.

— I don’t want you to break up with Jim —he said, very seriously—. I like the two of you together. Your eyes shine when you’re with him, and you laugh all the time. And I like him, he’s really cool. And here you’ll never find somebody like him, just as crazy as you.

She tried to frown, but couldn’t help laughing out loud. Manuel smiled and his voice was happier.

— And I can go visit you on vacations, can’t I? Winter and summer breaks… It would be great, vacations over there… And you’re coming every time you get a chance, so it’s not like we’re never gonna meet again. And when I finish high school… who knows? You go, don’t even think ‘bout stayin’ because of me! You know I’m gonna be just fine with dad. And I wanna go to the States! Vacations at my mom’s rockstar boyfriend! How cool is that?

They laughed together now, and she wiped her tears away.

167 - One Picture

The tweet got him about to go to bed. He followed the link to the Hey, Jay! refraining his curiosity. Sure she had uploaded a picture or a song, and he knew this very first post from the distance would tell him how she was really felling.

A picture.

Dinner at some apartment with a few friends. She was raising her glass at the camera with an ironic smile.

“One to rule them all and in the darkness bind them”

It took him a long minute to get the reference to the Lord of the Rings, until he zoomed the picture in and saw his ring shining from the hand holding up the glass. He laughed out loud at noticing it was the left hand. He tweeted her back still laughing out of pure relief.

“dark lord fkn pleased ;)”