September 19, 2014 /

“…looking as out of place as a John Singer Sargent painting hung on a graffitied wall…” a snapshot from It’s in His Kiss by Vickie Lester

richard-avedon-dovima-sunny-harnet-avedon-image

Anne walked out into the police station’s reception area and was heading for the door when she spied Becky Nelson bedecked in a Chanel suit, looking as out of place as a John Singer Sargent painting hung on a graffitied wall, shoving a smartphone at one underling and her purse at another. The harried-looking studio boss spotted Anne and raised a finger in a commanding “halt, please” gesture. Anne sputtered to a stop. Becky waved her over impatiently. “Did you see Detective Vasquez?” she asked, pushing back the cuff of her jacket with a perfectly manicured hand to look at her wristwatch. “Because, I have, like, three minutes I can give him.” Anne heard this but her mind flashed to tales of the eighties told to her by her uncle and read about in a rash of “been there, snorted that” memoirs by some notable Hollywood has-beens—tales of years whited out by avalanches of cocaine. Uncle Manny said that Becky’s crew had been coked to the gills. She wondered if Becky had, herself, snorted (or delicately smeared blow on her gums) or if she had merely supplied the stuff to others—not that she had any reason to believe that. But still.

It’s in His Kiss by Vickie Lester

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Tags#itsinhiskiss been there Chanel Dovima It's in His Kiss by Vickie Lester John Singer Sargent looking as out of place as a John Singer Sargent painting hung on a graffitied wall Richard Avedon snorted that Sunny Harnett

6 Comments

  1. George Kaplan
    September 19, 2014

    I love the John Singer Sargent reference, the rose on a garbage pail analogy. Of course, I also love his work. 🙂 “(B)een there, snorted that…”, c’est amusant, Madame Vickie!

    • Vickie Lester
      September 19, 2014

      I thought you might like that bit! xox, V

  2. Heather in Arles
    September 19, 2014

    Love the photo (!), love the terse language, love the contrasts, love the characters tiniest and telling details.

    • Vickie Lester
      September 19, 2014

      These comments today are like bonbons, I’m just gobbling them up! Thank you!

Comments are closed.