I have long noticed that quite a few people in Motovun are unusually fond of my beloved. Wonderful as she happens to be, their fondness sometimes strikes me as a dash excessive. A dash unwarranted, that is. And it has taken me quite a few years to understand these emotions. First of all, I am considered to be too old for her. Next, I am perceived as not rich enough to justify the palpable age difference. Perhaps the only surprise in all this is that it has taken me so many years to understand my beloved’s special place in the eyes of people who know the two of us well. Which is why I, too, am starting to feel excessive fondness for my beloved. Chances are that my own emotions are not very different from those I have noticed among many people in the hilltown. Indeed, there is a dash of something akin to pity in my own feelings. Live and learn, as the common expression goes. Come to think of it, perhaps this is the only benefit of old age minus breathtaking riches.