The Tannhauser Gate
Chapter 4
“Is this everything now, the quick delusions of flowers, and the down colors of the bright summer meadow? The soft blue spread of heaven, the bees’ song. Is this everything only a god’s groaning dream”, Hermann Hesse
We touched ground in Boston at dusk. The last surviving beams from the dying sunset cast their red and orange figments on the windowsill of the plane. Vic observed the swirling constellations dancing before him and tried to grasp them with his hand while rubbing the morning dew from his eyes with the other. Here and there, ice on the pavement of the runway witnessed the end of a frosty clear day and the coming of a blisteringly cold night.
We got hold of our suitcases, baby carrier, car seat for Vic, and a ton of other things that we brought and went into the airport lobby. Vic and Anne were tired from waking up in what felt like the middle of the night to us. I had built some momentum contemplating the journey ahead while watching the neverending sunset and sipping the wines that kept coming. I looked up at the arching ceiling above us, savoring the moment. Arriving at new places was unique — the crisp and unbiased experience of an atmosphere for the first time.
I took Vic to the restrooms to change his diaper while Anne got us coffee. When I came back, to my surprise, Anne was speaking to Josh. “Josh”…
