TRISTAN AND ISOLDE II
by
Louis Lopez
© 2023 by Louis Lopez.
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So here we are well past middle age. No, neither one of us ever died. I must say we pulled it off ingeniously. Had everybody fooled all these years.
I survived the wound that Melot gave me, but it gave my servant Kurvenal the idea that Isolde and I could fake our deaths if necessary as a way to get away from King Mark. After Isolde feigned her final collapse, Kurvenal arranged to take us away from our prepared grave sites and buried bundles of rags and dirt instead.
We decided to get well away from Scotland and not risk being discovered. We also definitely wanted to go south to a warmer climate. A travel agent gave us some options. We considered places like Monte Carlo or San Remo, Capri, a peaceful farm near Victoria Falls, but finally decided to settle on the island of Corfu. We've been farming all this time but in tough times I've had to go do construction work on the mainland mostly.
Isolde and I have been amused how our story has been built upon through the years with all kinds of different versions--all the way from Chretien de Troyes to poets like Swinburne, Tennyson, Hardy, and of course, Wagner. And I've been especially flattered to see how good I came out in so many endeavors--an expert linguist, great hunter, a fantastic seafarer, an excellent musician. We did own a sailboat a long time ago and I learned how to move it along pretty well and I'm not bad on the lyre, but I just wasn't born with any kind of a singing voice.
Our romance continued strong for a couple of years, but it was never the same without the love potion. We get along well most of the time, but the fire went away within a few years. One time Isolde filed for divorce but she dropped it. I think she realized it would be hard to find a way to support herself since she didn't know much except how to be a princess. She wanted the divorce because I was doing a lot of drinking. It made me realize it had gotten out of hand, sometimes I couldn't even remember what had happened the night before. Booze had been very good to me before, and I didn't see any of its harmful effects. After all if it hadn't been for liquor it wouldn't have been so easy for me to kill all those dragons or kill Isolde's uncle, which if you'll remember was the reason she and I eventually met. Booze also used to help make me more jovial and funny, and Isolde and other people used to love me for that so I don't know why they had to get so judgmental later. Luckily I was able to get my drinking under control.
I still like to drink but about the only problem it causes now is this huge gut I wish I could get rid of. I try to exercise. I've started different things--rowing machine, Nordic track, running, but it all gets boring pretty fast. Isolde calls me the "folk hero-turned-couch potato." It's true I should get away from the television more often. Sometimes I spend the whole weekend just watching the Sports Channel, but what else is there to do? Mow the lawn? Isolde also spends a lot of time watching her soap operas.
Don't think Isolde is still the sweet young princess from the story. She's gained a lot of weight with big stretch marks on her legs, and her breath can be pretty bad. Come to think of it she's had a breath problem almost as long as I've known her, but what's really amazing is how a young, beautiful woman like her could let out some of the foulest smelling farts you've ever experienced. That's another thing that's still the same. I remember she did it once or twice when we were having sex. Talk about taking the romance of out of sex. That's probably one reason we hardly ever do it anymore.
All in all, we get along fine. We like each other's company pretty well. Don't see anybody else we could probably get along with any better. We're good company for each other.
THE END