Something New - PT. 2
I felt lighter, weirdly excited. Kind of uneasy, too.
This was all very new to me.
In my kitchen, sorting out my lunch, I was fully aware that I could contact Ìspirah at any moment.
Or, she could contact me.
If she wanted to.
Oh, gosh.
Well, if she did want to contact me, she would. I needed to focus on something else, anything else. For now, it would be a matter of food. Then, I’d think up another distraction.
Draining my tortellini, I contemplated how Giovanni Rana never failed to be a good lunch choice. I added a bit of olive oil, sprinkled some Parmigiano, and grabbed a small loaf of bread I’d bought at the panetteria across from Marilyn’s.
As I sat at my table in the living room, I counted the cracks in my walls. Then, I tried counting the tiles of my floor - a lot of them were covered by furniture, but I could try calculating approximately how many were laid out in total. Once I’d settled on a likely final number, I counted the squares on my tablecloth, again, calculating how many there could be out of my sight, beyond the edges.
By then, I had finished my tortellini, so I broke my bread into a scarpetta and cleaned off the plate.
The bell tower informed the town that it was half past two. I concentrated on washing up and tidying the kitchen. I mean, it was already tidy, but I had nothing better to do. It wasn’t as though I would have been able to focus on work - not when polishing the kitchen wall tiles was suddenly such an engaging activity.
I didn’t know how much time went by, but someone knocking at my door made me jump. As I took off my plastic gloves, setting them aside, I realised I’d already finished deep cleaning every single tile.
The knocking became more insistent.
I’d bet it to be Nonna Rosi, and it was - cigarette dangling from her lips and golden cross around her neck.
“Ciao, Rosi” I smiled.
“Imma ‘bout to go in centro, you need anything?”
The bell tower went off again. Three dongs and two dings - wow, it was already three thirty.
“I’m good Rosi, thank you. The shops are going to be closed for at least another half hour, though”
“Imma stop at Beppe’s place first! Gotta do the cleanin’!” she breathed in her nicotine “Either way, suit yourself! Ti voglio bene!”
“Ti voglio bene anch’io, Rosi”
She got on her bike, which had been waiting for her on the wall, and pedalled her way to the gate.
My phone buzzed.
It was her.
All the panic I had been successfully ignoring, snuck its way into my chest again.
“Hello Michael,
I hope you are doing ok.
It was nice running into
you earlier.
Are you still available to
hang out today?
Best,
Ìspirah”
Huh… I was so used to Jeff and Lillian’s texts, that Ìspirah’s came across as almost too formal.
“Yeah, sorry for not
getting back to you
sooner.”
I sent it before realising how uninterested that sounded. As I started to frantically put together another message, more polite than the last, she got back to me.
“Hello Michael,
That’s wonderful! I can come
by yours in a few minutes.
I just bought this Torta
Paradiso I wanted to try.
Maybe we could share it
before heading out?
I believe that would be
considered a ‘merenda’, right?
Best,
Ìspirah”
Ok, that was a lot.
There were no bad intentions, but she was so fast to bond. Even earlier in the park, asking all those questions. But, it probably wasn’t that odd… I probably just wasn’t used to it. It might’ve even simply been a common custom back in her home country, you know, to invite oneself to someone else’s home, at the last minute-
I didn’t know what to think, exactly.
Either way, there could be no harm in it.
“Sure, I’ll make some tea
to go with the cake :)
See you soon.”
In one of the smallest pots I owned, I put some water to boil, then sorted out dishes and cutlery on the table-
She buzzed at the gate.
I let her in and waited for her, nervously leaning on my door frame.
“Heya, Michael~!” she waved, as she came closer.
Dark blue bateau cut, grey skinny jeans, and leather high-heeled boots, all somehow gave her a cozy air, while her purse lazily rested on her hip and a cake dangled in a bag from her hold. She wasn’t wearing much jewellery - just some black pearl earrings and a long stringed necklace, which she kept hidden under her shirt.
She’d wear that necklace at all times, even during her shifts.
“Hello, Ìspirah” stay calm, Baston, natural “Glad you could still find the place”
The historical centre of Corbetta was a bit of a maze. You had to live here for a while to really know your way through the alleys.
“Of course, how could I forget?” she leaned in close to me, unsure of what to do “Uh, do you do the whole ‘kisses on cheeks’ thing I see people do here, or is that uncomfortable to you?”
She was most likely referring to how I had flinched earlier.
“Yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry” I smiled and leaned in, politely making cheek-to-cheek contact - it was a norm I was used to, after all “Come on in”
She looked around, almost in awe.
“Wow, it’s so cold in here compared to outside!”
That made me giggle.
“The perks of living in a potentially three-hundred year old house, I suppose. It stays really warm in here during winters, too - the trick is to keep the windows and shutters shut during the peak hours of the day”
“I see-” she sat down on my couch, continuing to scan the room.
I headed towards the kitchen - the water was boiling.
“-And, how long have you been living here?”
“A little over two years, now” I turned off the stove “I have Earl Grey and herbals”
“Earl Grey is fine, thanks. Where should I put the cake?”
“You can set it up on the table, if you want”
She nodded, as I poured our teas, and we both took our seats.
“Do you live here by yourself?”
“Yeah” I started mixing sugar into my mug.
She lifted a finger to her mouth, as though trying to figure something out.
“Considering the current real estate crisis and the fact that you’ve been a freelance author all this time, how did you afford this place?”
Again, quite straightforward.
“It was selling for really cheap, and I had been saving up”
“Why for so cheap?” she sipped her tea “That’s unlikely”
“Well, it looks big, but the local humidity is killing the walls and the upstairs is actually uninhabitable. It needs rebuilding and, to do that, when living in a historical centre, means much more bureaucracy and paperwork anyone’s willing to deal with. It’s not a problem for me. Just outside the kitchen, there’s my studio and a small bathroom. It’s fine, really”
“So, where do you sleep?”
“I sleep on the couch - it’s a divanoletto, I just have to open it up at night”
She contemplated this whilst she unpacked the cake.
“So, how do I eat this? Can I dip it into the tea? Or, do I eat it separately?”
“You can eat it however you want” I softly laughed “I won’t judge. Here, let me cut you a slice”
“Ok, but why slices?”
I had grabbed the knife, but paused, baffled by her questions.
“…I don’t know, it’s just what I do”
“Is it something you do specifically? Or, is it a local thing? Or, specific to this cake?”
I cut her a piece. She really was odd, but I had accepted that by now.
“I’m not too sure to be honest. I know Françoise has a habit of cutting cakes into a cross, which usually causes a fuss, because all the bits turn out uneven. Some teachers I had would cut cakes into squares to make more pieces for everyone. But generally, yeah, a lot of people go for slices when it comes to cakes”
She held the slice I gave her, scrutinising it “I see” and took a bite “Oh wow, this is really good! I wouldn’t call it a ‘paradise’ cake, but hey, it has potential”
Letting out a lighthearted chuckle, I proceeded to use a fork instead.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, with the upmost sincerity.
Without thinking, I said exactly what was on my mind.
“It’s nothing, I just think you’re really cute”
My stomach dropped and my face set itself on fire. I refused to take my eyes off the food in front of me. I didn’t want to see her reaction.
“I, uh, I-! Uhm, I meant that-, that, by ‘cute’ I meant, uh-, ‘endearing’! Yeah-” and cue unnecessary awkward laughter at the end.
I could not believe what I was babbling.
Before I could cause anymore damage, I shoved a piece of cake in my mouth.
“Well, in that case,” she’d started giggling “I think you’re cute, too!”
Comfort easing back into me, I looked up at her and smiled.
“Thanks”