"Yeah," said Roberto disconsolate. He looked at his watch and saw that it was ten minutes to the sound of the bell. "Although at this point I might even leave them talking until the end of the lesson." The secretary, sitting in front of the computer screen, turned on him with an expression of reproach. Robert pretended not to notice.
"Please yourself," said Simon. "I'll see you tonight. Good job. I love you. "
"Thank you, good job to you too." He paused. "I love you too" he added. He noticed the shadow of a sneer on the lips of the secretary.
Robert hung up and turned around. The janitor was still there watching him. He seemed to have become a bodyguard, he was so serious and composed. The professor wanted to laugh in the face and shout of perhaps less importance because, as the children said, was and remained a sguracessi .
"Thanks," he said instead, while behind him the secretary affogandola out his cigarette in the ashtray full.
He left the office and came to wonder if it was worth back in class when there were just under ten minutes to the bell. Passing by the teachers' room his eye fell on the coffee machine and that was important to him to make the decision. He found thirty cents in my wallet and used them for a coffee. Those were his last moments of relaxation.
***
As soon as he hung up, Simon returned thoughtfully. He had tried not to let his voice as he spoke from trasparisse concern with Roberto. An effort that was not new and had to resort to which all the sad memories of times past, loomed into the mind, as relics of which would never be able to escape. But over the past five days, the situation had deteriorated and, if before its moments were due only to regret for never having told the truth to Robert, you were adding to the fear and frustration at discovering that she was not even aware of everything.
When the Friday before, his mother had brought to the attention of the entire history, the world had fallen on him and was caught by a sense of smallness in the face of a destiny that only the devil could have them reserved. She felt taken in a cage, forced to be a spectator to a nightmare that would hit Cristina, without the possibility of intervening to help. But he could not accept it, on what his mother was right, even before the threat of a cruel end. And so he was immediately thrown to the attack, determined to act with cunning, of psychology, to open the eyes of his daughter. She had not gone at all well, as she expected, and had done nothing but quarrel violently. The last resort was put before the truth, it cost what it cost.
He spent the time that separated it from the school of Mattia preparing a simple tomato sauce for lunch and getting a shower. When he opened the underwear drawer to get clean underpants, was seized by a terrible suspicion. He retrieved his notebook that he had placed just before and opened the pages he had written, there was still everything. For a moment he feared that the words had been erased, as if the story does not accept to be put in writing, but only to be handed down from mother to daughter, in accordance with the "rules" as he calls his mother. There was an absurd idea, not after the experiences he lived.
The bedside clock indicated the 12:32. Simon put aside his thoughts and got dressed quickly, then rushes into the kitchen to turn off the gas. He retrieved the car keys and wrote a short message to Roberto on the slate to the wall:
Clean a little 'salad for dinner. I love you. Hello.
He went into the garage using the door that connected the living room and began to move in haste. A minute later he was in the street, directly in elementary school. But there never came and I never really traveled a few hundred yards before he dies.
Why the "rules" were followed.
***
When Matthew came out of the gate of the school and in the crowd of parents did not notice either the mother or the father, began to worry. When, looking at cars parked on both sides of the road, he saw neither the focus of Robert, nor the stroke of Simon, his concern turned to despair. But when, ten minutes later, he found himself alone, standing still waiting for someone to pick him up, while all the others had gone for a while - even Simon, who was always the late comer in the morning and arrived five minutes later and his mother had said it was not a good habit, because the good people was also seen by the punctuality - the despair became a terror. And he began to cry silently.
It had never happened before, that's all. From the first day in first grade my mother or father had come for him and were always the first people who found out just outside the gate. It had been his mother to reassure him that first day, when he did not want to stay there with those new ones with children and older who wanted to teach him things, telling him he needed to become good at it and it was just a few hours and that eventually she or dad would be there are more than ready to take him home in the midst of mountains of games.
From that day Matthew was up nearly two years and had learned so many beautiful things and above all to read. It was not so reluctant when it was time to wake up to go back to school, because the "new kids" were his best friends ("You're my best friend's heart," he said one day to Raphael, because he had linked with more than all the others) and "old" had proved extremely nice and friendly, like many grandmothers ... with the difference that they lived on the letters and numbers instead of pasta with tomato sauce, juicy steaks and creamy cakes.
When he approached the end of the morning, however, there was no argument of class or chatting with the classmate, who obviously was Raphael, who distracted by the thought that soon no one would find a lot of her parents, came as of a fairy tales to bring him home. And the expectation was always rewarded, so that now the fact of finding Roberto Simona or at the gate of the school was a steadfast certainty, how to find the moon and the stars in the night sky every time you look up.
That day, however, things had gone differently, and ten minutes later were enough to give birth in Matthew a sense of betrayal. His mother had promised and not kept their word. Mom and Dad had forgotten about him. And it would have had to pass before finally they remembered? How long he would have to sit there and wait? Certainly could not set out alone, his mother had been clear on that point. There was too much danger in the street and should not dare to cross without her.
"Matthias? How is it still here? "The voice came from the driveway leading from the entrance gate of the school and was very familiar.
Matthias, still crying, he turned and found the teacher Anna stops next to him with a bag over his shoulder and a pile of papers under his arm. She was a woman of about forty, very pretty face and open and reassuring.
"Non .. There are still coming, "said the sobbing child. "They left me here." And she burst into tears true.
"No, Matthias! What do you say? "The teacher put the sheets on the wall that surrounded the courtyard of the school taken Mattia and his arms, holding him close. "They must have had a mishap. We called all of your mothers as a warning that came out of today we have heard before and even your mom, so now you'll see that coming. "It seemed that the baby calmed down slightly, but she was not sure.
Then he remembered the first day he saw Simon. "If a day were to happen that we do not take" had told her shortly before she left the interview "And may God avert it, because otherwise Matthias gives head down!" They both laughed. "However, if by chance we have a mishap and neither my husband nor I are able to come, not that she or some of her colleagues could accompany him to his grandmother?" Anna had consented willingly and Simon had explained how to get to the home of Gisella.
"Look," Mattia suggested that continued to cry, but it was obvious comfort from his embrace, "now that I think about it, your mom told me she could not come because he had much to do and asked me to accompany you to your grandmother. He lives near here, is not it? "The child had really calmed down and Anna felt less guilty about the lie she had just said. Even if it was just a lie, not quite.
"Yes," said Matthias with his shrill little voice, broken by sobs that were dying. "He lives on that street there," explained, pointing to a road that crossed the o
ne upon which overlooked the school.
"Oh, but then it's very close," said Anna. "We could get a jump!"
"No," said Matthew, with a seriousness that he brought the teacher a great desire to laugh and pick him up and fill it with kisses. How much would have liked to have a child! "With a leap not. But if you help me cross the street I can walk alone. "
"Of course I'll help! But first I want those tears disappear, right? I do not really like, no no! "
Matthias took the handkerchief from his right pocket of his shorts and wiped his eyes with rubbing strength. Then he pulled up the nose and swallowed what he had collected, which, you were a child of seven years, he infuriated Anna. "Here," he announced finally Mattia, completely oblivious of fear that had taken him when he thought that his parents had betrayed him and had decided to leave it to wait forever.
"Very well, let's go. And you know what? We'll not only help to cross, but I'll take you right up to grandma's house! "He gathered up his papers and walked, hand in hand with the child.
***
Gisella poured the pasta into the pot when Matthias was missing a quarter of an hour at one o'clock. They've been there, he and Simon, but did not see them even get out of the window. Patience. They would eat the pasta salad. He would also heated them but did not like to Mattia. He would take patience, too.
He sat at the table and began to nibble on a slice of bread. She was not the pasta, not that hot. She would have needed was a slice of watermelon and then a nice cafe. In the meantime turned on the television and tried some interesting program. He found a soap on Channel 5 and will be lost. The first slice of bread, two more followed and would continue at that pace, without even realizing it, if just before one had not rung the bell. "Finally," she thought as she stood up to answer it.
"Come, come," said the intercom by pressing the button that opened the gate outside.
"Grandma" called the voice of Matthias riponesse other side before the receiver. "I came with the teacher."
"With the teacher?" Said Gisela, still have no idea how many other questions that would follow.
"Yes, come on out. He said that should tell you something. "
Matthias seemed elated and Gisella thought for a moment that he was playing a joke. There was nothing funny, but you never know what strange ideas revolved for a baby's head.
"Hello, ma'am. I'm sorry to bother you, but I should tell you something. "
The voice of the teacher Gisella Anna convinced of the good faith of Matthias, but on the other hand, turned on the first alarm light. Where was Simon? He should be or ought to have her with Mattia advise if his plans had changed. But ...
Gisella put the handset of the intercom and opened the door. Mattia ran towards the gate and greeted her with her crystalline voice. She stroked his hair blond and laid a kiss on the forehead but was constantly distracted and turned his eyes on the woman standing in front of his house.
"Vai, vai to eat that would otherwise cool," said the nephew.
Not that the temperature of the dough was the center of his thoughts at that moment was now focused on other issues. He had a sort of presentiment that, contrary to what Simon would say, and Robert, his opinion was more than justified. When something was strange, deep down there was a tragedy. Size larger or smaller, but still a tragedy.
"Hello," he greeted the teacher. She wore a skirt that reached to his knees and a white blouse with short sleeves, but he was sweating profusely. Gisella did not read in his eyes but no alarm was not to be misled. "I beg your pardon again for your time and ..."
"Where is my daughter?" Interrupted the old lady with no regard. Did not interest all those bales of "excuse me" and "forgive me". He wanted to know.
Anna seemed lost for a moment, struck by this attitude rude. But that cute little grandmother! thought. Then he wondered if it was not the fault of concern for Simona and it seemed a possibility, but not the only one. That woman was clearly grumpy.
"I came for," he said. "I thought he said something but apparently not so. However, not coming to take Mattia and I found him crying in front of schools and ... Well, I thought I'd take it from her. "He spoke as if he feared that any moment Gisella would begin to cry out to scold her for something. He was clearly relieved when she had done without that happening. It had never happened to feel so in awe.
Gisella was a moment to reflect, eyeing the teacher. "No, he did not say anything," he confirmed. "Something happened," he added.
"But no, maybe ..." began Anna but could not continue.
"But yes," Gisella stopped her. He was visibly shaken, but the teacher, as was increasing the aversion felt for this woman, he could not say with certainty whether it was more out of concern for the daughter or the news for the trouble he had caused. "Thanks for bringing me Mattia. Now I try to call my son. "
Anna could not help but notice the grammatical error, but it was not appropriate to make the fussy. Indeed, judging from the words of Gisella had come for her time to remove the trouble.
"Okay, then I'm going. Good lunch and ... " And that will solve everything for the better he wanted to add, but again chose to stay. He turned and walked back to the elementary schools. Beautiful gratitude, he said. I had even brought home a stray dog with rabies!
Meanwhile Gisella had already forgotten her. He returned home, while the bastard worm of doubt, that she was already a well-founded confidence, the penetrated deeper and deeper into the mind. Simon thought that he had an accident. It was the most logical solution: he saw that expression always absent, as if he had his head somewhere else. In those last days, then, it seemed that his brain had moved at all. A few hours earlier, at his home, had seen that same expression on the person too busy to listen to those who had something else before. Likely to be playing on a tangent as he drove off the road and was over.
She reached the phone in the living room and took the little book beside it. Looked up the number of high school Torvinaia, written under Roberto Work write-rounded Simona, and called. A woman answered the deep voice as big as a trucker and put on hold while they went to look for her son. He spent a few moments where Gisella heard nothing - but if his hearing had been to a time would perceive the sound of the keys to beating the secretary wrote to the computer - and then he heard the voice of Robert.
"Hello?"
"Roberto? It's me. Simona's not going to take Matthias. Vai and see if you find her? "Do not betray any emotion in his voice. He gave the news as if he had said I broke the washing machine. Call the technician .
"What?" Said Roberto, who had understood but that because of the tone of the voice of his mother did not know whether to believe her or not. "Have you tried to call home?"
Gisella realized only then that this was the first solution to try. It was too much to think about some of his premonition. In any case, all she could do: he had prepared a meal for Matthias and accepted him, so she was asked. That would take some responsibility too Robert! "No, because I think what has happened ..." This time it was her turn could not finish the sentence.
"But you should not talk! What do you think happened? "Roberto, who will spend years and Simon had received some optimism, could not accept the conjecture of perennially bad mother. It was not the first time I called him in the middle of one of his lectures sure that Matthias had been kidnapped or that their house had been overrun by thieves, when in reality it was just a plug in the phone disconnected. "Never mind, now I come home and watch me. Maybe it's asleep. "But even a child would understand that even he believed that hypothesis.
"Whatever" said Gisella and hung up without saying goodbye. Meanwhile in the kitchen Matthias was finishing his plate of pasta, peaceful and safe again that her parents would not never ever abandoned.
***
Roberto hung still quiet but well aware that at any moment the situation could escalate. Simona had learned to always see the bright side of things, to consider the glass half full. "The misfortunes happen relatively rarely," he said. "The news I hear
twenty a day, it is true, but the news about all of Italy, if not worldwide. What are a few rare cases of sixty million people? And then, "he added," if you have to live with the fear that you can always happen something bad - you or your - then you might as well not get out the house anymore. But is' watch out, because someday the house could crollarti him! "
Roberto had laughed and had assimilated the concept and, over time, he had done his and tried to pass it on to his children, though perhaps for Matthias was still work to do. It was found that life was better, much better.
Now he was, perhaps for the first time, to have to force you to remember the words of Simon. Yeah, because before that day had never actually had to deal with a real possibility as well: his wife had to go to school, but there was not only gone, but had not informed nor her mother, neither he nor his son, especially . And who knows how long it had been badly Matthias!
He took his wallet from his hip pocket and rummaged among the many papers in search of the package he needed. Roberto had never loved the phones, let alone those they called the "last generation" and that seemed made for everything except make calls. He had never even tried to figure out how to use one, stating firmly that as he had needed for forty years, it might well have done without for the rest of his days. Simon was not that alert - let alone Cristina, but she was nineteen years old - and had bought a Nokia latest model with a giant screen and more features than she could ever have and use. "I want to see if someday you're not forced to call on the phone and then you realize that it is useful," he had said when he had expressed his doubts about that purchase and immediately after he took a picture of a sharp awesome.
Roberto finally found the crumpled paper and in poor condition between two slips of months and months ago. On it he had written the ten digit telephone number by Simona. The secretary gave him another look that seemed to him that his criticism for spending all that time on the phone. If she only knew the headmaster! said those stern eyes. And you will know very soon! seemed to imply. Then she turned away and lit another cigarette.
Roberto took up the phone and dialed the number. Oh, but luckily you were sure she was asleep! heard his mother say almost, or perhaps it was the previous Roberto, what you do not understand how much better life was positive thinking. So safe that instead try to call home right on your mobile. By the way, she was right: you have to admit that the phone is very useful .