Sunlight — No Filter Required, by Coleman Bigelow

Sunlight in a Cafeteria, by Edward Hopper (USA) 1958

Sunlight — No Filter Required 
 
Have you ever seen Hopper's painting Sunlight in a Cafeteria? No? Here, let me show you. 
 
The first thing you might wonder is, what the hell are these two even doing? I mean, if this painting was set in a fast-casual restaurant with a modern-day man and a modern-day woman, the woman would be for sure looking at her phone, because, really, who can sit alone with their thoughts for longer than five seconds without sneaking a glance at the glowing albatross to which we’ve all become so tethered? And yet, the scene is not modern. It’s the mid-last century, and the woman appears to be examining her nails. I checked and apparently manicures had only just become a thing so while it wasn’t common to have painted nails, and might even have been a bit racy, I’m guessing that didn’t stop this woman, who, for our purposes, I’m going to call Eve, because she’s clearly giving vibes. Just look at how she’s got the poor dope mesmerized. Now, if this were a modern painting, the dude would probably be sliding into her DMs, but since it’s old-timey he’s stuck leering like a creep and hoping to catch her eye, probably so he can tell her all about the pork belly commodities he's planning to offload that afternoon. And I’m guessing this fella doesn’t give a hoot if this gal’s not the take-home-to-Ma type. He’s just jonesing to take her home.
 
But, look here at the light… that wondrous New York light that brightens up this duo’s dining spot. Well, this is exactly how you can tell Hopper hails from a different age. In fact, who knows what Hopper would have made of our modern New York? He certainly wouldn’t have found those gorgeous sunbeams slanting down. The incessant construction would obscure them in our festering city as the rise of so many towering monstrosities blocks out all the light for anyone poor enough to live beneath the fiftieth floor. So, these sweet schmucks, the stars of this Hopper time capsule, don’t know how good they’ve got it. The world is just opening up for them. They can flirt in well-lit spaces without the distractions of social media and, if things go south, they can always find a different diner for dallying. 
 
Yeah, well anyway, I think it makes a good screensaver.

Coleman Bigelow

Coleman Bigelow's stories have appeared recently in Brilliant Flash Fiction, BULL, Cleaver, Ghost Parachute, Gooseberry Pie, and Your Impossible Voice. Find more at: ColemanBigelow.com or follow him on BlueSky: @cbigs.bsky.social