CHAPTER 10“Wherever we are, what we hear is mostly noise. When we ignore it, it disturbs us. When we listen to it, we find it fascinating.”
-- John Cage, from The Future of Music: Credo
Hubert slept long, and the minute he got up, there was a whistle on his lips. He whistled his way through the shower, through the ritual of shaving, of selecting a shirt. He whistled at himself in the mirror and approved his appearance: a face that was vibrant with confidence and desire. He started with the tune of his favorite line in Carmen, “No woman/before you/has so deeply/stirred my heart,” and ended with one of the scenes of lovers' confusion in Don Giovanni just before he brushed his teeth. It was eleven o'clock, which left plenty of time for a hearty breakfast someplace outside Aan Zee, a stroll
