Pupae of Madam Papillon

Fortune Teller’’s Tales, Episode 4, Part 3 of 3: “Metamorphosis”

Pt 1 of 3: “A Real Madam Butterfly and Pinkerton”;

Pt 2 of 3: “Sweet Charity Meets Madam Butterfly in Yankee Stadium”

I arrived at her house like always, on a cool, foggy Monday night about 9pm. She invited me in, to the dining table to sit down, and get caught up to speed on the truth about the situation. Once seated, she slid her head and body toward me like a viper about to bite, and intimated that “it isn’t good” in a low, dramatic tone, like a courtroom lawyer telling their defendant the consequences of the court’s ruling. A serious legal fact intended to be fully absorbed and understood due to it’s gravity. “It’s getting close, and we have to prepare,” she added, as if it was a fait accompli. That stark reality finally hit me, hard, like a bad dream, where I thought someone was throwing me a lifesaver with a long rope, giving me more time to swim to safety, but it morphed into an anchor instead that was sinking me faster into the dark abyss of the unknown. My stomach started to rumble as my breathing became more labored.

Just like that fateful day, a Sunday, years ago. It was at our dining table, too, also in a neighboring small town. I was preparing to leave to attend U C Berkeley as a freshman, the following week. It was a big step, because I was going…