My beloved is very sensitive to cold. Very. Most of the year, she wears quite a bit for fear of a chill. She can rarely be seen without three or four layers of clothing, including the obligatory turtleneck. Everyone who knows her is aware of her sensitivity. It has thus been a huge surprise in Motovun when she appeared in shorts a few days ago. Day after day, she appears in a new pair, as well. “We’ve been together for seventeen years,” I keep telling everyone, “but this is a first for me!” Whenever the current heatwave comes up in conversation, my beloved’s shorts are taken as a sure sign that something is truly amiss with the climate. “If she is hot,” I tell everyone, “we’re up shit creek!” And our friends laugh and laugh. Her shorts are a dead giveaway, indeed. That is how sensitive to cold my beloved actually is, as well as how draining the heatwave has been so far. As far as stories go, this comes very close to the proverbial two birds with one stone.