public displays of something something

maybe it's just because i once did a stint in france -- where park benches, cafés and the hallways of lycées are teeming with people sucking face -- but i'm a big fan of the PDA. there are limits, of course. public intercourse, for instance. obviously revolting (er, not to mention illegal). and the whole hands-in-eachother's-back-pockets thing is truly a trashy tradition. (what kind of contortionist couple can comfortably pull that off anyway?) but there's something liberating -- albeit perhaps also intimidating, at least at first -- about witnessing people act according to the way they feel. this is perhaps especially true for those of us who've sprung from the comparably prudish loins of canada (or the united states, for that matter), where self-righteously belting out get a room! at the mere sight of a handholding couple is a rite of passage. but, if ottawa coffee shops are any indication, we may soon see our park benches used for more than a wild love affair with the (degenerating) globe and mail.

shortly before christmas, i pop into my favourite locale for an evening of work. there's only one table left, and it's right beside an early-thirties couple who, evidence suggests, are basking in the first three months of their relationship (aka the sacred and edenic Land of La-La). not only does the guy give me the hairy eyeball for invading their very private space (which a more seasoned couple would never be so protective of) but they're engrossed in the act of reading a book together. that's right. and not just any book. a literary classic! namely, the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. so, basically they're playing out my (nerdy) romantic fantasy. *gush* (except mine involves a young Christopher Plummer...possibly toting his naval whistle.) at the end of each paragraph that he reads aloud, she chimes in to say something relevant about symbolism or irony. or how that part of the story makes her think of something from last night's newscast or a trend in pop culture. chuckling now and then, they chat about this for a while before he resumes. from time to time throughout, he rests his elbow on the table and takes hold of her hand. and, as the reading continues, their fingers get all tangled up and move slooowly around each other so you can hear the gentle sound of their gliding skin. between sentences, she kisses one of his knuckles. and the way they look at each other during conversations conjures up at least one of many (gloriously) corny eighties tunes. the whole episode is, somehow, endearing rather than pretentious or nauseating.

later that week, i'm visiting a different café. across the room, there's a slim, early-fifties couple perched at a small table. for some twenty minutes, they're leaning in towards each other, their behinds practically hovering over their seats, and only five millimetres separating their quivering nostrils and lips. (calling all altoids!) academic onlookers have little chance of being productive (blogs aside) when these two seem determined -- despite their age -- to be reproductive. suddenly, a shift in the (limited) air between them. then an indescribable, though very familiar, grin crosses each face. a split-second pause follows in which i seriously suspect they're gonna try for a quickie in the bathroom. however well-informed, this proves merely a pipe dream (for them, for me). instead -- already perfectly in synch and randier than a nineteen-year-old-guy/thirty-five-year-old-gal pairing -- they stand up, toss on their coats and jetset home. (presumably to rip everything off again.)

this week, things are a tad tamer. only two sightings of a new pair of love-sick gigglepusses. it's sweet enough, though nothing too distracting or endearing. but, perhaps particularly with valentine's just around the corner, i'm more optimistic than ever that affection and its various public displays are in the air. maybe for good. and that this unassuming country of ours just might have a fresh slogan coming its way. canada: where we ca-na-do it (right in front of you).

and now back to translating...