Time is a Thief

“As a writer, I am supposedly in control of my characters. But what if the majority are inspired by people I have known? Those close to me, women. Events both wonderful and heartbreaking they were at the centre of? Am I allowed to edit the past, make it right? Correct the mistakes that have littered my life, or would it be a form of betrayal?

Yes, I own a Tissot watch; no, there are no mysterious subterranean bookstores hidden away in Venice.

No, I have never sought out a deal with the devil; if only because I would have no clue where to locate him and, also, I have read too many books, am aware of the legends, and I know in advance he would mischievously trick me in some way.

Yes, I have been caught in the rain in the New Orleans summer; no, I have never witnessed women melt away in its embrace.

And no, again, I have never swum in rivers of fire.

I’ll let you puzzle out the real from the imagined in this personal hall of mirrors.

This is my story about love under siege, the tenderness of remembering, and the danger of wanting one more chance. If time is a thief, what would you trade to steal something back?”

Maxim Jakubowski

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