Photography and Text by Ted Kawalerski, Copyright 2022
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I Haven’t Gone Blind Yet
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I was standing at the bar with a friend of mine. We were there because he was in the middle of a divorce and he wanted to get away from our usual spots in New York. He needed a fresh environment where he could lament the hand that he was dealt. Of course, that wasn’t quite true – he fucked up and he knew it. My role was confessor for the evening.
So, here we were in Westport, CT at 11:00 PM with our backs to the entrance and totally engrossed in a bullshit conversation. I happened to turn my head and glance at the door when one of the most beautiful women that I had ever seen in the flesh walked in and raced around to the back where I assumed she was making a restroom stop. She finally came around to the bar and joined her friend. That was the turning point of the evening.
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I felt like a fifteen year old kid that went to a high school dance with a friend and saw the girl of his dreams. There was no question in my mind – I was going to connect with this woman. My friend became totally invisible. I removed my priest’s cassock and went into Don Juan mode. As juvenile as this sounds, I never had this kind of experience before. Throughout my lifetime, I had been attracted to and met a variety of women. THIS WAS MUCH DIFFERENT !!
Dana Montemurno was originally from Prague, Czechoslovakia but she escaped the Soviet run government when she was eighteen years old. She had planned this for quite awhile by securing papers that allowed her to leave on a holiday. While boarding a plane, the police arrived at her home to arrest her. Someone informed the police that Dana was not going to return but they were too late. She was headed for Switzerland and not coming back. Of course, that is an amazing story but what she has done with her life since is equally so.
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When she arrived in Switzerland she only spoke Czech. She had to learn German and eventually English as well. While living in Zurich, she met her ex husband who was an American banker. They lived in various places overseas, raised two daughters, and ultimately moved to the US and settled in Westport, CT.
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Ms. Montemurno embraced the entrepreneur spirit and opened a medical spa, PRIMA, in Westport. She has been operating a very successful business for over twenty years.
We now return to the bar. The conversation went on until the place closed. This was not just about physical lust. The woman has a persona that is electrifying. To use an old expression, I didn’t know whether to shit or go blind.
That meeting happened seventeen years ago and I haven’t gone blind yet.
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About The Author:
Ted Kawalerski is a New York based photographer and filmmaker who has been shooting for more than 40 years for corporations, graphic design studios, and advertising agencies.
He has done assignments worldwide for AIG, Bank of America, Chevron, Dominican Resources Services, Ernst & Young, Harris Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, Liberty Mutual, MasterCard, Medica, Pitney Bowes, Praxair, United Technologies Corporation and The Hartford.
Ted Lives on the Hudson River in Sleepy Hollow, NY and is involved in an ongoing project to photograph landscapes and portraits of its inhabitants along the entire length of the river. This work has been exhibited in one man shows in New York City and MV Gallery and a The Beacon Institute in Beacon, NY. Another project, “Windows”, has been exhibited in New York City and Connecticut.
With two partners, Matt Stanton and Gene Mayer, Ted launched Cork Factory Films, a full service film/video production company. For assignment queries contact Ted at 914-545-5600.
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To access additional articles by Ted Kawalerski, click here:https://tonywarderotica.com/ted-kawalerski-webster-hall/