Belmont Street

In 1983, Amtrak's Montrealer still stopped in Northampton, albeit for about 10 seconds..it was October, it was cold, and waiting at the station was Carla, one of Basha's friends..she took one of my bags and we walked down Main Street towards Smith College..up the hill, past the big iron gates..the big clock atop one of the old buildings said 10.. I was a soccer player, I weighed 140, my senses were wide open..I saw girls walking hand in hand..it was liberating to see!..we walked past a row of expensive shops catering to Smithies and turned left..Belmont Street.. I could smell Carla's perfume..Basha had told me she wanted to be his girlfriend but her "soft breasts" put him off..it was a small building, 4 apartments. Carla took me to the top floor, opened the door, gave me the key and a hug, and she was gone..it was a one bedroom, the living room with a futon where I would sleep....there was no shower, only a bath-tub, with a hand held nozzle to spray water over the bather..something told me the water was going to be cold in the morning..well, it would wake me up..Basha's bedroom was impeccably decorated, with his sensuous, instinctive taste, even though he had left school when he was 12.. I could taste sounds and smell colors again here.. ...antiques and Kashmiri shawls and the hint of green teas.. a very expensive Persian carpet as the centerpiece.. and the scent of pretty women..