Inspired by Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819-1891) – Banks sight in Paris (1868) – Black stone / Watercolour – 5,43 x 10,35 inch – SOLD

Alexia looks at herself in the bathroom’s mirror. She tries to put some makeup on but her left hand is shaking too much. Her mascara spreads everywhere, on the eyelid, the corner of the eye. To make things short, she looks like shit now. Her cell phone rings again. She won’t answer. What’s the point ? Her best friend Valentine pushed for setting up a party tonight for her 18-year-old birthday. One might say that these are the best days of our lives. For Alexia, it’s another kettle of fish.When she arrives at the bar Les Furieux near Bastille, it’s overcrowded. She couldn’t tell if they were all relatives. She doesn’t easily recall faces. Actually, it’s worse than it looks, she doesn’t give a damn shit. She goes straight to the bar and orders a Pirate Doll, made from rum, her favorite cocktail. Alexia is so thirsty. It will soothe her trembling. For sure.

She tastes a first long saving sip before recognising Valentine surrounded by two “Vieux beaux”, apparently regular customers. Valentine is awesome: long blond hair, emerald green eyes, athletic and slim silhouette, fancy tiny tattoo on her right shoulder, Tinker Bell with light green and silver magic wings. Hard for Alexia to compete. She’s only 5,24 feet tall, with unwanted fat exclusively settled in hips and thighs, acne on forehead and cheeks. Nothing to be attractive, but enough to get troubles!

Alexia joins her friend with a smile on her face, slightly strained. Valentine seems delighted to escape from her two sticky male. The two women move, arm in arm, towards the merry group at the back of the room, barely adults.

The party mood reaches boiling point. Alexia had a drink, then two, then three, then … she doesn’t remember. Now she is on a bridge of the Seine banks, the one with the padlocks, and she dreams of only one thing: falling overboard. The plunge, the true, the big, the one which no wanderer returns. The heroic plunge, the act of bravery. Alexia hangs up her silver heart pendant, birthday gift, on one of the padlocks and then, splash …