el último beso abajo la luna llena

Before the moon took back the night sky, I stole a last kiss.

Yesterday in Palermo, I carried my books from café to café, ending the evening at el último beso.

For several hours, I sat in one of the interlinked rooms, the light of dusk soothing the cream walls. Each table was set with pink and white freesias and mismatched china. As the darkness grew, candles were lit and their flames reflected in the fountains. Friends and lovers gathered around the courtyard, walls overtaken by trailing vines, corners lit up by pots of red cyclamen and tender citrus trees.

The tea menu paid homage to 'the most acclaimed, anticipated and passionate kisses of the silver screen.' Maybe you can identify a few: '...a blend of white flowers like the cotton that grows in the southern States;' '...green tea, mint, and Fez rose petals..;' 'with red Rooibus tea leaves, of the same crimson colour as the locks of Rita.'

I selected Before Sunrise ('...perfumed with the scents of eternal love') having recently enjoyed rewatching it and it's sequel Before Sunset, but they were out of the blend, so I settled for You've Got Mail ('..blue petals like the ones in the garden in which they finally meet').

But do not despair, my critical faculties had not abandoned me! In the midst of all this romance and loveliness, I continued reading Rosemary Radford Ruether's feminist reassessment of Christian marriage. The perfect antidote!