Temporary Bench
(Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France)
Yesterday, from the direction of the (closed for the season) simulacrum café, Le Cabanon, shouting was heard
(numerous times in fact, and all in the span of an hour) that the seaside bench “is gone!” Perhaps stolen in fact?
After calming the suddenly agitated village dog, it was however quickly realized that this panicked scream emanated solely
from a tourist (or at best, perhaps a newcomer to the area) who aimed to disguise himself as an established local. And yet,
as noted by a convergence of area residents, the screaming man wasn’t even aware that the bench—in actuality just a standard
wooden plank, balanced upon, and supported by, the low cobbled wall’s sudden u-turn—was simply removed at the end of each day
by the object’s owner, the retired communal bookkeeper.
The bookkeeper’s quiet ritual—thought of as a necessity to guard against elemental fatigue of the wood’s structure—was a
well-known daily occurrence existing since at least the early-to-mid 1990s.
Of secondary note as well, it should be pointed out that all conditions remain the same for the easternmost shower (Shower #3),
found adjacent to the incongruous, poured-concrete ramp.
It continues to be out-of-service, with no new nozzle replacement yet implemented.