“This is it…” I whispered in a low voice.
“Excuse me?”
“I just wanted to say, is this the house for sale?”
“Yes, don’t you like it?”
“On the contrary…it’s amazing!” I said, placing my hand on the cold house wall.
“Have you seen the house before? You look like you have seen it before.”
“Yes. I’ve seen it! It’s the same house I was planning to live in with Eve someday… unbelievable.”
“Indeed! I am stunned. To have seen the same house is an incredible coincidence. I am the new owner. I bought it a few years back from an elderly man.”
“It’s not a coincidence. It’s destiny,” I replied, smiling and I kept on softly stroking the outside wall.
“Eve is the ex I presume,” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes, she’s the ex…” I answered with tears in my eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked, completely unaware.
“No… the truth is I’ve not been feeling very well lately, but I am still alive,” I said. “It’s hard for me to get used to it because she meant more to me than just a girlfriend,” I kept on saying, breathing heavily.
“I understand. I split up with my wife a long time ago and up until now I can’t get used to her absence.”
“Can I have a look at the interior of the house?” I replied, changing the subject on purpose.
“Of course. That’s why we’re here,” he exclaimed, having understood that I didn’t want to continue with our previous discussion.
Unlocking the huge entrance wooden door, I was confronted with the interior of the house, I stood still and was staring at it like I was hypnotized.
The immense entrance hall with the marble table was spread out in front of me like an illusion. On the left, there was a velvet sofa with big cushions and at the centre of the living room there were wooden stairs, which led to another floor, thus completing the impressive scene.
“I want it,” I said hastily.
“Won’t you go inside to have a look?”
“I don’t need to.”
“What do you mean? Have you seen the interior before?”
“It’s exactly what I was looking for.”
“Are you sure? Let’s go upstairs to have a look at it.”
“There’s no need to. I told you, I want it. When could you have the papers ready?” I asked, catching him off guard.
“Today if you want to, I could have them ready for you this afternoon. As far as the cost is concerned it’s…”
“Don’t worry about the money, I’ve got cash and it’s already in my bank account.”
“So, we have a deal,” Dominico said, offering me his hand for a handshake.
“Deal. I’ll come during the afternoon so we can sign the contracts,” I said and gave him my hand.
After we parted and had confirmed our meeting for the afternoon, I decided to go for a walk and wandered in the alleyways to take my mind off things.
As I was walking around aimlessly, I saw a girl with her back to me, who had the exact same hair and figure as Eve.
Without wasting any time, I ran towards her so I wouldn’t let her out of my sight and I softly touched her shoulder, as I was positive it was her.
The girl turned round frightened with a grim look and stared at me rather strangely. She thought I was mad! She was definitely not Eve, but a stranger who looked just like her.
“I’m sorry…” I murmured in a soft voice and I left.
I didn’t know what I was doing. Every minute that passed, I was thinking of her and I was worried in case I was starting to go mad, like Camellia had pointed out.
I was trying to repel the dreadful image I had constructed in my mind, having the same nightmare every night! My Eve making love with Thomas, whispering how much she loved him, while smiling! The nightmare, which made me get up in a haze from bed, came to me every night in my dreams.
I wanted to remember only our happy moments and not to imagine situations that caused me distress.
I continued walking, going from one place to another and waiting for the time to pass so I could become the new owner of the magnificent and unique house.
We arranged to meet at Saint Mark’s Square. I started walking towards our meeting point.
I spotted him from a distance. He was waving his hat at me so I could see him and I walked up to him.
“Good evening again,” I said.
“Good evening, Jacques, everything is ready. That’s the advantage of being a good lawyer,” Domenico said, jokingly as he’d mentioned he was one of the most prominent lawyers in Venice.
He read and explained the terms of the contract to me, which I knew but I wanted to be completely covered and in the end we both signed.
“Perfect. Here’s the cheque with the down payment and tomorrow I’ll give you the rest when you hand over the house as we agreed,” I said, giving him 50,000 euro as a down payment.
“Okay. Thank you and tomorrow we’ll meet so I can transfer the house to your name and give you the key.”
“Tomorrow?”
“That’s how it’s done. Do you mind?”
“Couldn’t I have the key today?”
“Usually it’s not allowed until it’s in your name but I can make an exception for you and I will give it you. Either way, you can’t escape from me. I know where you live!” he said smiling and gave me a key ring with the house keys on it.
And who wouldn’t smile, when in such difficult times he found a good buyer and a quick and easy one at that.
“Thank you again, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said and we exchanged a firm handshake.
I went to my hotel to collect my things and pack my suitcase and I departed for my new home.
The hotel staff greeted me with smiles since I had visited the place many times before and I was a familiar face to the employees and a very good customer.
When I arrived outside the grand house, I put my suitcase down and stood facing it. I looked at it reflectively, remembering my lost love and the unforgettable moments I shared with her, my one and only, at the flamboyant Venetian Carnival.
I couldn’t forget the conversations that Eve and I had about how much we wanted to move to Venice together in an old traditional house, near the main canal and we would live with each other forever.
“Forever… an important word and not at all realistic,” I murmured, putting the key in the brass keyhole of the house. The key turned with difficulty because of the rust.
As I entered my new house I felt weird. I could have sworn that I had lived here before. The place seemed very familiar.
The shiny grey floor was entirely made of marble and decorated with different kinds of patterns that gave you a feeling of uniqueness and classic design.
I little further to the left, at the back, was a small kitchen fitted out in dark chestnut wood and separated from the living room with a large wooden door.
The house’s furniture was classic and most likely it contained some antique pieces. It was an imperative part of the deal that I made with the owner that he would give me the house with all the old furniture that came with it.
The bright sun came in from the large, long, narrow windows that were situated in the living room, giving a dull glow in the aristocratic house. I put my hand out and touched the engraved wooden staircase that led to the upper floor. I was contemplating different things. My thoughts and memories from the past didn’t leave me in peace.
I took a deep breath and the unforgettable and intense smell of the wood carried me away. On the upper floor, there were two large high ceiling bedrooms with wooden floors and a substantial marble bathroom at the end of the hallway. At the back of the living room and behind the staircase I discovered a door that led to an untidy cellar. My face changed as soon as I saw it and I hesitated to move on! I was scared! I was filled with horror that something strange was in the basement and I had goose bumps! I gathered all the courage that
I had and descended ten shaky steps that led to the dark room.
I pressed the switch that was on the wall and a yellowish light came on. Dust covered all surfaces; Spiders’ cobwebs hung everywhere. It was very untidy and in a terrible condition but with a little work I pictured it as a beautiful atelier…
I touched a long table, which was placed in the middle of the room, and I peered with my eyes wide open behind a gigantic wooden bookcase. I turned off the light and went back upstairs quickly.
After feeling melancholic for quite a while, I was relieved to go out and get some fresh air having got rid of all the tears that I had left over.
The weather changed quickly and I became aware of it when I looked at the reflection of the dark clouds on the surface of the Grand Canal. The first raindrops started to fall timidly and people ran underneath the stone arches to take cover from the rain.
Some people had happy faces, holding bags of well-known brands after having finished with their shopping and others had gloomy and downcast eyes, running and moaning about the weather.
I stood calm and didn’t mind the rain. I would say that I longed for it. It was raining hard and I was walking slowly towards the Bridge of Sighs. When I arrived at the end of the bridge, I leaned over and sat on a low wall facing the Venetian canal, with my legs only a few centimetres above the water.
The legend is that the Bridge of Sighs was named because prisoners were carried across to be tortured, with no hope of ever returning and everyone could hear their sighs and groans…
“Was I a prisoner with no hope?” I wondered as I was sitting under the heavy rain.
The view was remarkable! Magical Venice, with its traditional alleys and enchanting canals, was cooled by the downpour.
My clothes were soaking wet and my hair covered my tired eyes. A smile appeared on my face but it wasn’t from happiness but from mental confusion. I stretched my arms open wide and stood up, lifting my head up to the darkened sky.
Because of the overwhelming love I felt for her, I believed that I would meet her one day and I couldn’t admit that I would never see her beautiful eyes again. I knew that she’d loved me and that she still does! It was too late to think about all that. My only love was lost forever from my life and it took away my feelings…
The rain hadn’t stopped and I was the only one walking blithely on the Venetian roads.
Slowly, slowly I started taking the road back to the house, always with a slow pace, disregarding the cold and the weather conditions.
As soon as I went through the huge front door of the house, the grey marble floor of the living room started to get wet from the rainwater that was dripping from me. I immediately took my clothes off so I wouldn’t create a puddle inside the living room and I went in the bathroom to have a hot shower. It was exactly what I needed.
I was so tired that right after my satisfying shower, I placed a clean sheet on the mattress and I lay down on my double bed to go to sleep.
Eight months had passed since our break up and I still felt the same pain as the night she left the apartment and was gone from my life.
Every day that passed I sat alone on the bridge and I was thinking about her.
From the day we broke up, I started smoking again. A bad habit. Eve didn’t like seeing me smoke and if we were together she would take them off me and without a second thought, throw them away. She was always telling me to quit smoking and I had achieved it. But that’s something I can’t do now because I need it. Smoking is my companion.
I’m a relatively easy-going person and I had started adapting to the everyday life of Venice without a problem. The days were passing and I didn’t feel like a stranger any more.
Thankfully the house was fully furnished and therefore I didn’t need to go and buy electrical appliances and furniture. I only bought some clothes, sheets for the bed and food because I couldn’t eat out all the time. Besides, I was an excellent cook and I enjoyed cooking. I was creative. I used my imagination and didn’t use a cookbook.
One sunny morning, I was home reading my favourite book and I had a strong urge to phone my best friend in Paris. While I still remembered his phone number I dialled it on my mobile and I waited for him to answer.
“Yes?” he said.
“Sebastian it’s me, Jacques.”
“Jacques! Where are you my friend? Are you still alive? What a relief,” he replied.
“I’m alive and I owe you an apology for not keeping in contact for so long!”
“You only say sorry? You nearly gave me a heart attack. We thought that something happened to you. Are you okay?”
“I can’t stand thinking of her, my friend, I want her back…”
“Get a grip on yourself, Jacques. I understand how you feel and I’m sorry about your break up. You know though that you spent hours on end talking about whether you should be together or not and finally it was you that decided to say the final, Goodbye!”
“I know, Sebastian. Am I not allowed to have regrets? I can’t live without Eve.”
“You are allowed to change your mind, my friend, but that won’t change anything. Her aunt drove her crazy and was brain-washing her every day! It was natural that Eve had started to have strange behaviour from what you said and it showed. She had become more distant, sadder and was in a bad mood. So, don’t think about her anymore and move on.”
“Maybe, but I know that she still loves me.”
“I don’t disagree with you, but now she’s with someone else and they are living together happily. Forget about her!” he said, wanting to bring me to my senses.
“You are right. I’ll try,” I replied.
“We’ve been calling you on your mobile but it kept on going to voicemail and we were very worried. What happened?” he asked.
“Yes… it broke,” I said with a tone that suggested that I wasn’t telling the truth.
“And all this time couldn’t you call me, Jacques? What kind of friend are you? So, I’ll come by your house tonight so we can talk.”
“You can’t do that.”
“What do you mean I can’t?” he asked puzzled.
“I mean you can’t…”
“Be more specific!”
“I mean that in order for you to come to my house you have to take an airplane,” I replied ironically.
“An airplane?”
“Yes, Sebastian. I don’t live in Paris anymore,” I said, wiping my eyes.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m telling you, my friend, I’ve left the city a few days ago.”
“Are you in your right mind? You left Paris?”
“I left and I can’t come back and not be with her.”
“I understand, my friend, you went through a lot but you must come back. You won’t achieve anything this way. Come back to see us, your life is here,” he said, revealing the true friendship that we had.
“From now on my life is in Venice,” I said sharply.
“In Venice?”
“Yes, in beautiful Venice. It was where Eve and I were planning to move to, remember?”
“Of course I remember, but it’s not logical to leave everything and go to live in another country.”
“I never said whether it was logical or not… definitely what I need right now is not logic.”
“What can I say, my friend, do whatever you want. You should know that I will always be here for you and you should try and calm down and relax. I know it will be hard, but time heals.”
“Thank you. I knew I could always count on you,” I replied and our conversation ended.
I felt strange. I was here all alone and the life I was used to for so many years was far away. My friends, my job, my routine, they were all there waiting for me. Life is so real and at the same time so tragic if you think that you drown in sorrow after a sad event occurs and the rest of the world keeps on going smoothly and happily like nothing has happened…
I lost what I prized the most and I was torturing myself
every day. The sadness and grief had surrounded me and my feelings were becoming a burden every time I met smiling faces and cheerful people. Happy and loving couples going on walks and young people holding hands, who were overflowing with love. It was so beautiful and so romantic but unfortunately I couldn’t see at it in that way. I didn’t envy them nor did I want to see miserable people around me, I just needed to feel that innocent passion and without me realizing I was becoming part of their happiness.
I observed their expressions and their romantic teasing and I always smiled when I put myself and Eve in their place.
As I was getting used to the rhythms of Venice, I realized that I had to work somewhere and not sit doing nothing and being lazy. Laziness has always been against my disposition.
I always hated people that didn’t work and I hated even more those people, who with little or barely any work felt tired and moaned about how insufferable their job was.
I couldn’t also just sit and not contribute anything. Besides, I had enough money to live decently for the rest of my life without working, as my father had taken care of it.
He was one of the most renowned collectors and estimators of valuable works of art. He possessed numerous houses and off-shore companies as well as cash in different banks in Europe. One of his companies was where I was working until recently, which now belongs to my past.
I had studied management. I never wanted to get involved with accounting or with finance so I decided to follow my father’s recipe, since it was my secret passion.
I knew several important secrets of the trade that concerned rare artefacts and how to repair and estimate them; I also knew perfectly the technical procedure of this job because since I was five years old my father used to take me with him to workshops and taught me the details of painting and valuable artefacts. That is how I got involved with the restoration of classical works of art and with a big return.
I had chosen that particular house not only because it was beautiful and aristocratic but also because I always had at the back of my mind that I would start my own business based on works of art and here in Venice and I did it!
Having worked for my former company, which had a very good reputation in that domain and because I knew four languages French, Italian, English and Greek, the local people and the foreign permanent residents of Venice kept on calling me so I could take care of their pieces of art, whether they were oil paintings or even small personal sculptures and other objects.
Did I Seduce You Mr Jacques Page 6