Chapter 23 Part III Modigliani

Modigliani ate with one hand and drew with the other, drawing a few strokes every time he ate.He was always cursing, and he didn't know who he was cursing. He had three mistresses, none of which he could get rid of.The first one is a foreign female writer. She must have been a great beauty before, and she is still very charming now.She was good-looking and as athletic as a boy; she drank fiercely and had a charming accent.Her handbag was a little wicker basket, like the ones that children play with, with red cherries on it, and she never left it! His second mistress was also a very intelligent woman, and she was not very pretty.

She had just given birth to a fat son, and Modigliani treated her with indifference, as if she were not worth one of his old shirts! Her bag was also a basket, exactly like the first mistress's.The second mistress, tall, chestnut-haired, looked ill. She's like those people who grow in height too fast.Her tears and snot kept running down her face, and the funny thing was, she had a tiny handkerchief on her hand, no bigger than a walnut!She has been loved and pitied. This is a good girl, and she will not defend herself at all. The third mistress was very personable and very pretty, but too gentle and even dull!It looks exactly like a Modigliani painting: only the neck and face.

She tied her beautiful blond hair into two braids and coiled them above her ears. She had milk-like skin and gentle eyes. It was she who covered the other two.But this talented painter is very pitiful. The little money he earns is used to "moisten his throat". It is rare to see Modigliani's belly without wine!Because he never had enough money to drink...so he forgot to eat. One night, after he lay down, he couldn't get up again.His mistress loves him and does her best to nurse him.But without a single sou at home, it's useless to say anything!One morning he was carried to the Charity Hall, and in a few days it was over!

The mistress, who was seven months pregnant, did not seem to be distressed at the news of his death: "Death is nothing! I know he will be alive again to me soon!" She went to meet him soon... She jumped out of the window and landed on the brick floor in the yard.In one fall, Modigliani's last woman and last child were gone. - This is what love looks like - Another failure of the virginity project - Another failure of the virginity project I just caught the Spanish flu!Sitting listlessly in the Rotonda Cafe, I feel distressed, depressed, and alone!Only fifteen or twenty sous in my pocket!

Next to me sat a man and a woman, the man was a poor sculptor!Listening to the two of them talk, I realized there were others who were miserable too.I'm not the unluckiest one yet. The woman said: "Jean, I can't do it anymore, I'm so hungry! Ten sous would be all right! Then we'll have a thick soup that won't pour if a spoon is stuck in it!" I sat gently beside them, summoned up my courage and said: "You know, we often see each other, but we haven't had a close relationship yet. But, I think we can shake hands! I'm hungry too, and I have some money on me, enough to make the kind of soup you're talking about."

Without much hesitation, they glanced at each other and replied in unison: "Great!" Let's act now!Everyone is not walking, but running!When we got to their house, we were already friends.That pot of thick soup is more delicious than delicacies from mountains and seas in our mouths.After the soup, they let me stay overnight. They had a big studio and they slept in an attic above the studio.I just slept on the couch down there.The three of them barely survived, so they wouldn't starve to death!They have been so nice to me and I can't thank them enough! We had only a few sous on us one night, and the rent had to be paid the next day, or we would be kicked out.

Everyone didn't know what to do.At this moment, I suddenly remembered that there was an American soldier who fell in love with me very much, and he was waiting for me in Dome. He is an interpreter and speaks French well.Several times, he offered me money to sleep with him.However, I did not accept it.I find it disgusting to sleep with men for money.But my two new friends were such nice people that I decided to meet him.Since it's not just for me, things don't seem so dirty. So, I went to Dom to find my American, and we chatted.he told me: "Gigi, if you sleep with me, I'll give you two hundred francs."

In those days, two hundred francs was a lot of money, and it was far from enough to pay the rent! Of course, I didn't brag to him that I was still a virgin. Besides, he wouldn't believe it either.A wandering woman like me, people think I live a loose life. I promised to go with the Americans.The two of us went to the hotel where he was staying, on rue Delambre.We chatted for a while, and anyway, he's not a log!And, let's just say, he's a pretty boy, and I don't dislike him one bit. But, unfortunately, he was born with an astonishingly thick penis.He tried and tried to make me hurt, but it was in vain.

He looked at me suspiciously, and suddenly found that I was crying.He took me in his arms and said: "Gigi, are you still a virgin?" So, I explained to him that I had to help my friend, and that I was not indifferent to him!He couldn't believe it! "Cry, little girl! I'm so, so happy! Me! There's a virgin in my bed! Don't be afraid, well, I won't touch you, and I won't hurt you again!You are my patron saint in this war, you will definitely bring me good luck!Here, take the two hundred francs, and say no more! " Despite my deep friendship with him, I left him as if I had wings.

We have always been good friends.He knew I liked black stockings, and since then he has sent a large envelope from America to Dome every year, with black stockings inside, very elegant, the kind I like.