AMONGST those who know, it is widely held that the three best knots to master are the Four-in-Hand, offering a modest, subtly skewed grace; the Half Windsor, a balanced, triangular bow befitting most days; and the Full Windsor, a grander, mirror-image clasp of elegance. Alex, ever discerning, selected the perfect tie for each affair.
After five splendid years at the finest school, his stellar grades — those shining “A” in all vital subjects — laid open countless paths. Yet, with a heart attuned to passions for language, literature, and history, he chose medicine — the noble path befitting a good first son.
Though hollow deep within, yet the Doctor shone as a lighthouse of solace for patients, kin, and staff at Bambert Hospital, where he offered kindness wrapped in courteous grace. Beyond his formal chores, Alex Kaponi, forever inquisitive and in tune with youthful passions, mingled with poets, journalists, and actors. So gentle and courteous was Alex that Fani, the nurse, who had never much cared for men, fancied herself enamoured of him. Four dinners, three breakfasts, and Alex found himself purchasing and presenting a ring inscribed with Fani’s name.
Character is essence and akin to smoke, elusive and free, impossible to confine within a room’s decree. Soon, Alex returned to books and maps’ embrace, forsaking bones and pain’s harsh trace; Fani, in turn, returned to seeing Alex and other men with only a bland stare and face.
As the days slipped by, ennui gripped the hearth, once a sanctuary where two spirits would gaze in quiet unity. Now, Alex found himself more at peace, justified and emboldened to turn away from books and maps, and instead pursue the allure of railways and airships. Along these winding, serpentine routes, he encountered Cassandra, the artist, whose deepest passion was none other than Alex’s own fervour. The thrill was sumptuous and the dance continuous.
Cassandra, however, bore a past that Alex must battle with, a burden he dislikes. Having tasted the thrill, he yearned for drums to beat ceaselessly for him and him alone; instead of fighting or lamenting, he sought other dancers, fiery and full of desire, to fill his hollow.
Cassandra’s cat had turned tiger, breaking her heart and astounding her mind. Packed suitcases and a change of addresses marked the end; the joyful chapter closed in tears and pain.
Alex stands at a crossroads, his choice to make — should he tie his cravat anew, or merely carry on with his dance, amid the evening’s gentle trance?
- Anthony Kila is a Jean Monnet Professor of Strategy and Development at the Commonwealth Institute for Advanced and Professional Studies.
* Alex’s Tie is a page from the soon-to-be-unveiled “Eko Tales” by Anthony Kila.