The Impossibility of Love

Beware a hard heart, was the advice given by Giuseppe di Lampedusa to his adopted son. It was not something she had managed to avoid. The constant couplings and ruttings, the one-night stands, this was the modern way of love. As a result, her heart had been broken many times. Her heart turned in on itself and became so tight and twisted and gnarled, it had lost all feeling. It was now almost completely numb. When she thought about it, which was often, she imagined it to be cold, clammy, and hard like a leftover pork roast or a greasy chunk of honey-glazed ham in the fridge. Her heart had scarred over and it was now impossible for her to love.