Good Welcome, again.
Now that the funeral is over, we are all staying at the estate south of Chicago. Emilio is seeing to the upkeep of the estate. Francesca and Ramona introduced us to the novitiates, more than 20 men and women learning about the voluptuary teachings of Sybian. I described to them my vision of Sybian, my training of Felix, and read from my notes of my biography of Sybian. They, in turn, did a beautiful performance of some of Felix’s music.

Danny Pierce, ----- “Esperanza’s latest fuck”, as Maxine refers to him,----- has been driving me around Chicago. We visited the Metro School where Felix worked and was last seen; No one has seen him since. Then we spent an afternoon at the Admiral Theater where Maxine and Pedro both worked. A fascinating place, Danny and I drank beer and talked to many of Pedro’s friends.


We also visited Father Raynor at St. Joe’s Rectory. We asked to go into the convent, but Father refused, saying it was all boarded up and unsafe. We saw a light on inside, but Raynor said the janitor must have left it on. One of the altar girls from the funeral, Samantha, showed us out. She said to say hello to Ramona. I remember Ramona and Francesca talking to the girls at the cemetery.

I like Danny and I think Maxine does too, though she can’t bring herself to admit it, such is the fierce rivalry between Esperanza and her. He’s a bit lost and confused, and has no idea who –or what--- he’s gotten involved with. He’s smart, loves to write and is majoring in History at DePaul University. In fact, I know his Professoressa, Dr. Maddalena de Pazzi. She wrote her Doctoral thesis on the history of Sybaris, and for awhile was the assistant to Orville H. Bullit, author of “The Search for Sybaris”. Alas, Prof. Bullit was an atheist, and dismissed stories of St. Sybian as mere folk tales spread by witches.

Esperanza and I talk every morning down at the fieldstone grotto; we talk about Mia, the love of Felix’s life. She wants to know what she was like, how she wore her hair, how she danced. Just yesterday, she started crying. (“Is it possible to miss someone you’ve never known?”) She wants to go to Rosarno and visit Mia’s secret resting place. (Maxine has not revealed to her the name on the tomb.) “She and I have to talk”, Esperanza said. I believe Esperanza has a strange notion of uniting Mia, Maxine and Sybian in herself. We always end up in a flight of ecstasy, then lie exhausted in the dewy grass in the early morning sun.

Esperanza at the Estate




Maxine and I have decided to stay in Chicago one more week, and then return to Calabria. The Sybaris Institute needs us. We must decide the fate of the retrospective concert of Felix’s music, and find someone to write these computer notes so I can get back to my book.