Under Paris Skies UnderParisSkies-inside-14-printer.indd 1 3/6/09 10:50:55 AM UnderParisSkies-inside-14-printer.indd 2 3/6/09 10:50:56 AM Under Paris Skies A novel based on a true story Enrique von Kiguel CLEARWATER | FL | USA UnderParisSkies-inside-14-printer.indd 3 3/6/09 10:50:56 AM U N D E R P A R I S S K I E S Copyright © 2009 by Enrique von Kiguel. All Rights Reserved. Published and printed in the United States of America by Kunati Inc. (USA) and simultaneously printed and published in Canada by Kunati Inc. (Canada) No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or used in any form or manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in reviews and critical articles. For information, contact Kunati Inc., Book Publishers in Canada. USA: 13575 58th Street North, Suite 200, Clearwater, FL 33760-3721 USA Canada: 75 First Street, Suite 128, Orangeville, ON L9W 5B6 CANADA. E-mail: [email protected]. F I R S T E D I T I O N Designed by Kam Wai Yu Persona Corp. | www.personaco.com ISBN 978-1-60164-171-7 EAN 9781601641717 Fiction Published by Kunati Inc. (USA) and Kunati Inc. (Canada). Provocative. Bold. Controversial.™ http://www.kunati.com TM—Kunati and Kunati Trailer are trademarks owned by Kunati Inc. Persona is a trademark owned by Persona Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All events described herein are imaginary, including settings and characters. Any similarity to real persons, entities, or companies is purely coincidental and not intended to represent real places or living persons. Real brand names, company names, names of public personalities or real people may be employed for credibility because they are part of our culture and everyday lives. Regardless of context, their use is meant neither as endorsement nor criticism: such names are used fictitiously without intent to describe their actual conduct or value. All other names, products or brands are inventions of the author’s imagination. Kunati Inc. and its directors, employees, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and assigns disclaims any liability or responsibility for the author’s statements, words, ideas, criticisms or observations. Kunati assumes no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Von Kiguel, Enrique. Under Paris skies : a novel based on a true story / Enrique von Kiguel. -- 1st ed. p. cm. Summary: “A young Chilean doctor, drawn to Paris by its promise of freedom, romance and culture in the 1950s, finds that life in the City of Light can be dark and dangerous, even tragic”--Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-60164-171-7 1. Gay men--Chile--Fiction. 2. Chileans--France--Paris--Fiction. 3. Paris (France)--Fiction. I. Title. PS3622.O655U63 2009 813’.6--dc22 2008050221 UnderParisSkies-inside-14-printer.indd 4 3/6/09 10:50:56 AM D E D I C A T I O N In memory of Arthur Lawrence Buchanan. He was my dearest friend, companion and confidant. You live forever in my heart. d Acknowledgments: Arthur Lawrence Buchanan (Larry) has been my hero ad infinitum. We met after I settled in the Unites States and lived together for forty-five wonderful years until his death in February, 2008. Without equal, Larry was the kindest, most giving and unique individual I have ever known. An unrelenting motivator, he encouraged me to put pen to paper in order to share my experiences published here in Under Paris Skies. I could not be more indebted to James McKinnon, editor in chief at Künati Books. His guidance and insight, not to mention patience, proved invaluable in bringing this book to fruition. I am especially grateful to Künati publisher, Derek Armstrong, for his enthusiasm after reading my manuscript. I will forever appreciate his willingness to give a first-time novelist the break he needed. Thank you for following your instincts. To Kenny Marotta, who was first to read my work and subsequently edited the first draft, I thank you for your positive evaluation and recognizing it as being definitely publishable. I want to convey my deep appreciation to Paul Williams for his unwavering support during this project. His tireless assistance, energy and perseverance throughout the complexities of the pre-publishing phases were immeasurable. UnderParisSkies-inside-14-printer.indd 5 3/6/09 10:50:56 AM The author in his native Chile before he left for Paris. 6 n ENRIQUE VON KIGUEL UnderParisSkies-inside-14-printer.indd 6 3/6/09 10:50:57 AM Chapter I Alvaro turned another page of his novel, one with an elegantly designed cover that disguised a tawdry story within, and peered with his wide brown eyes over the top of the book, looking at me as if I were a ghost. I felt Alvaro’s eyes wondering over me, as though his favorite pet had been exchanged for someone else’s, but he said nothing. He poured himself tea without a glance across the sunny room. Knowing Alvaro so well, I was attuned to his watchfulness, the machinations of my friend’s imagination. I already suspected that problems would arise during our planned trip to Lima, Perú, as fine as it had sounded when Alvaro casually suggested it. Now I was certain that the trip would be difficult in ways I could not even guess. Such was life with Alvaro. He loved luxury and money, but easy money, without effort—he loved to appear the rich boy. When one of Alvaro’s dubious dealings, usually outside the scope of his largely unprofitable antique business, produced a good amount of money, Alvaro’s generosity was genuine and extravagant. His clothing was always in good taste, tailored from the most expensive materials available, as suited a man whose business was located on one of the most exclusive avenues in Santiago. But today, in our small apartment crowded with rugs, paintings, furniture and objets d’art, Alvaro was quiet, almost eerily so. I knew that he was hatching another scheme. In a short time, it would be revealed. Meanwhile, I gazed out the window, down upon pairs of women—mothers, daughters, friends—strolling arm in arm on the avenue toward the flowers in the park, as they had for generations. So strong at times was my desire to do the same with UNDER PARIS SKIES n 7 UnderParisSkies-inside-14-printer.indd 7 3/6/09 10:50:57 AM