Mauro Sirotić, the Motovun photographer, surprised me a few minutes ago with three photos of my beloved and me. Taken last summer, most likely during the film festival in late July, they came my way at the right time, for my beloved is far, far away. As is usually the case with Mauro’s photos, they were taken without our knowledge. Thus they look genuine. Nay, artless. And my beloved’s unmatched beauty shines right through. It is tangible, as it were. The photos almost brought me to tears, but I managed to control myself. In one of the pictures, I am laughing out loud. And Mauro penned the following words on the reverse: “What you would give to be in my place!” His signature follows. Funny enough, these words also apply to my own self under the circumstances. What I would give right now to grab hold of my beloved!