For more than two decades now, a small icon with one of my compositions is with me wherever I go (“My New Travel Companion,” May 22, 1994). In line with the genre, most of it is covered with gold leaf. Recently I noticed that the Norwegian Pine had shrunk a bit over the years, and that the painted front protruded as much on one of the sides. I filed the paint down with fine sandpaper, which exposed the white base coat along one of the edges. It did not take me long to realize that the best way to fix the raw edge of the icon would be with a thin layer of gold nail polish. I was in Motovun at the time, and shops with cosmetics were not within my reach. As soon as I came to Zagreb a few days ago, I bought the requisite nail polish and immediately fixed the icon. Nearly full, the small bottle ended up in my closet in my beloved’s apartment. It just crossed my mind to show it to her and to offer an explanation of why it was there. “I’m not a transvestite,” I chuckled, “I swear!” She paid no attention to my inept attempt at humor, though. She was fascinated by the bottle itself. “Gosh,” she exclaimed, “I had no idea gold nail polish existed at all!” She occasionally uses only translucent nail polish on her fingernails and toenails. For better or worse, my old travel companion was quickly forgotten. To my joy, though, it looked like new.