Le Colibri

ONE (Gabbi POV)

Avenue Foch, Paris. 1927.

"Wow, look at you... Gabbi you look stunning... Almost makes me want to turn to the dark side when I see you..."

"Let me know if you decide to do it, Julie... You won't find a better mentor than me." I smile and wink at her mischievously when I realize she's blushing before turning again to look at my reflection in the mirror, checking that my hair is perfectly sleeked back and my tuxedo pants fall properly on my shiny shoes. White waistcoat, white shirt, white bow tie... spotless, my dad's pocket watch chain sparkles blindly under the lamp light when I move my torso in order to grab my black jacket. My tuxedo fits my body perfectly like a glove, immaculate... Contrary to other women, I don't care if the lapels of my waistcoat enhance my breasts given that my narrow waist stands out this way.

Natalie Barney's birthday party is an event nobody wants to miss since she's wealthy and famous in this city, even if she's chosen a formal dinner at Maxim's instead of renting one of the infamous gay clubs in Montmartre, Pigalle or Sainte-Geneviève. The guest list includes names such as Jean Cocteau, Gertrude Stein and her partner Alice, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Peggy Guggenheim, dancer Isadora Duncan or Dolly Wilde, Oscar Wilde's niece and Barney's lover occasionally... along with some others. That woman is unable to remain faithful to anyone and has three lovers at the same time... I don't know how she manages to do it, honestly: I understand she wants to be free and enjoy her independence but, after almost two years loving and living in the bohemian and tolerant Paris, I'm curious about how would it feel having a partner finally, something serious and stable instead of this jumping from party to party and from bed to bed constantly. Maybe I'll find a good candidate tonight, although it seems to me that I know all the inverts living in this city already... and from other cities too. We're a small circle after all.

"Aren't you going to wear a monocle?" Julie asks baffled when she realizes I'm putting a white carnation in my lapel. I can't help rolling my eyes hard and snorting. "What's wrong?"

"Seriously, Julie, chérie... I'm a woman with a short haircut wearing a man's tuxedo, I go out every day and girls hold my arm and kiss me in the corners of gay clubs of Montmartre, I'm going to attend the birthday party of the most famous lesbian of this city tonight... I'm even wearing the white carnation but, do you really think I need to move a monocle with affectation in my hand to make clear that I'm a follower of Sappho?"

"Well, no... of course not... I mean, you're discreet usually but I can't say that you're hiding either, since your father died almost two years ago it was pretty clear for all your friends that you swing to that side... But it's just that all lesbians wearing a man's suit in Paris hold a monocle with great aplomb. In fact, the most famous club of the city where you all meet is called like that, The Monocle... isn't it? I've never been there, do you think we'll go after the dinner?"

"I don't think so, Edgar Quinet Avenue is on the other side of the river, a bit far from the restaurant... Anyway, I know the monocle is part of the 'lesbian uniform' but I don't like it. Julie, ma chère... for a person who's unconnected to the dark side, you seem to know a lot about Sappho's acolytes." I turn around to look at the brunette woman and she just shrugs behind me, pouting like a cute girl with her lips painted with rouge. I met her shortly after my dad's death when I attended a concert and I realized soon that she was extrovert and carefree, with a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, that could introduce me easily to the people that run famous night clubs. She makes a good living thanks to her grandmother's inheritance, a handful of good buildings in the richest areas of the city that provide her with a hefty allowance, complemented by some presents from men she dates. She loves expensive jewels but her income doesn't allow her to buy the best diamonds of Boucheron.