Someone to Love

by Lucy Scala

  Casper licked Martina’s face and she wriggled for the tickling.

  “Thank you,” she murmured, hugging him. “Now that I’ve seen him, I promise not to cry any more. Only, now I’m very tired…”

  Roberta came up to one of the machines placed near the bed and checked her heartbeat. “You’d better go now,” she apologized, pointing to Casper and I.

  “What’s happening?” asked Martina’s mother with a worried tone.

  “The doctor will come to visit soon,” said the nurse, regulating the flow of liquid in Martina’s drip. “I’ll walk you out, maybe it’s better.”

  I nodded and urged Casper to climb on the cart. When I asked him to get off the bed, he stared at me with eyes full of sadness.

  “Casper, I love you,” whispered Martina, turning to him.

  I left at once, almost running, without thinking of the possible consequences of what I had done for I had just broken the rules by bringing an animal into her room.

  I drove for hours in no particular direction and the annoying ring tone of the phone gave me no peace. I left it ringing in the hope that sooner or later the battery would run out. I pulled into a side street and concentrated on my breathing in a vain attempt to regain control. My eyes were burning and I had an upset stomach. What was I supposed to do? I just wanted to get an answer.

  “Granny!” I cried desperately, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Time had stopped and I was suspended in a dimension created in my mind, a slave to my emotions. An unexpected noise tore me from my trance-like state. I blinked my eyelids several times, unable to figure out where I was.

  I reached into the bag to retrieve my cell phone and put an end to its constant ringing. I took a breath and spoke.

  “Hello?” I asked, confused.

  First I heard some commotion, followed by her voice. “You were right, we did a miracle!” she exclaimed, full of enthusiasm.

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s coming,” she cried, euphoric. “Martina’s new heart is coming.”

  I let out a squeal of joy. The phone slipped from my hand and bounced on the seat, finishing on the mat. It was true, it had really happened, although I struggled to believe it. Life was always full of surprises, after all.

  I started the engine and accelerated towards the hospital.

  Chapter seventeen

  “Miss Mia!” squealed a familiar voice behind me. It was Patty. How could one forget the intrusive sweet scent which saturated the air, giving me the impression I was suffocating?

  From the day we met at the supermarket she hadn’t showed up at the clinic and I had hoped with all of my heart never to see her again.

  I turned, putting the papers that I was consulting back on the desk, and shook her hand firmly. “Good morning, Patty. White really suits you, it highlights your tan.”

  “Yes, my husband and I treated ourselves to a small trip to celebrate our anniversary,” she said, fingering her pearl necklace. “You are in good shape too,” she replied, raising her eyebrows.

  I looked at her nervously. “Thank you, work makes me happy.”

  She stood still for a moment watching me with her big eyes.

  “Work, you say?” she asked, using a suspicious tone.

  “For how long are you going to feel resentment towards me?” I asked, tired of this situation.

  She tilted her head. “You’ll never find another man like my son.”

  “How could you say otherwise, you’re his mother…” I finished, sighing.

  Patty pursed her lips. “No, it’s not that. You’re Roberto’s daughter or have you forgotten?”

  They were poisoned words. My father was a well-known man in the city. Patty knew that my family were wealthy. But I didn’t feel I belonged in that environment, I was different from them and had never embodied the prototype of the rich and stylish woman like Lucy or my mother.

  “I haven’t done anything wrong. Alberto is a wealthy doctor, charming and intelligent, he will certainly find a woman who loves him. But I’m not that woman.”

  “Remember that certain bonds are bonds of blood, everyone knows who you are,” she said sullenly. “People will talk and you can’t stop them. You’ll always have their eyes on you, they will finger you as the black sheep who has chosen to live with a cheap cop.”

  I let out a laugh, which I stifled with my hand. “I made my choice many years ago, yet you still come to my clinic. There are others nearby, if the matter bothers you.”

  Customers in the waiting room threw curious glances at us. Soon the news would spread, but I didn’t care. Let everyone talk about the vet who fell into the arms of the seductive southern Italian policeman. Diego had certainly not chosen me for my last name.

  Patty stiffened and chuckled. “I have no reason to change clinic. I have no problem admitting that yours is the best in the entire city. I just wanted you to know that my son is suffering… and I want you to think about my offer.”

  “To think about what, sorry?” I asked, puzzled.

  “To think about what I’m about to offer you,” she said, satisfied, pulling a green envelope out of her bag. “You should have received one yourself.”

  I had found a notice in the mailbox, but I was distracted by other commitments, so I hadn’t been to the post office to pick it up. I was really upset and didn’t know what to expect. What did she want?

  “Open it,” she ordered me, handing it over.

  I hesitated a moment, then curiosity got the upper hand.

  My hands trembled as I opened it. I read the first few lines and had to lean against the counter to keep my balance.

  “What does it mean?” I stammered, in a panic.

  Patty raised an eyebrow. “You have a few weeks to think about my proposal. That is a court summons. Your dog attacked me and I still carry the marks on my arm.” She raised her sleeve to show me the bandage. “And lately I’ve kept an eye on you in the hospital,” she added softly. “If you accept, it will remain between us and no one will know about it.”

  I shook my head and stepped back a pace.

  Fiamma made her entrance into the waiting area to call one of the clients and noticed my pale face immediately. “Can I do anything?” she asked, waving at Patty with a nod.

  “No, I’ll just go outside for a moment to settle this matter. I’ll be right back,” I whispered with a lump in my throat. I pointed at her to follow me, and led her to the parking lot at the back. “Now we are far from prying ears. What does this document mean?” I cried, waving the paper in front of her eyes.

  She took my hand and paralyzed me with a cold stare.

  “You know, Mia,” she began, “in my life I had the good fortune to meet many people and to get everything I wanted. I thought I’d live a life free of difficulties, but that wasn’t so. I have a cancer that is eating my body away, and I haven’t got much time,” she explained, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. “I’m very tired. The disease makes me weak and I would like to close the circle of life seeing Alberto happy. I want him to have everything and to give me a grandson. I need that baby, do you understand? I want to die in peace, knowing that I haven’t missed anything.”

  I didn’t know whether I felt pity or hatred for her almost insane behaviour.

  “I can’t help you, I’m sorry.”

  “You can do a lot, actually. See, because of my illness, I often visited the hospital and I heard of a red haired girl who leads dogs in the garden for pet therapy. I looked out of a window and saw you. You were beautiful and smiling while you played with those children, and from that moment I felt something grow inside me,” she revealed. “It will be a blow for them.”

  I was about to explode. “You’re so full of resentment towards life that you’d do anything to hurt others. Lying to frame me with a personal injury lawsuit will not save you. I’m sorry,” I shouted with annoyance.

  She shrugged. “Poor Mia. I have scratches from your dog and medical repo
rts that can confirm it, only I’ll say that you attacked me instead, so I ask you to think about the opportunity I’m giving you. Get back with Alberto and I promise you I’ll do everything to get you what you want, and you will not have any obstacles in your work and pet therapy. Many people who work in the hospital owe me favours.”

  “I can’t believe it…” I whispered. I hit the wall with my fist, hurting my knuckles. “It wouldn’t surprise me to imagine that you paid some doctor to collaborate with this charade. Stop playing the part of the victim because it doesn’t suit you. So, let’s hear it, what will you do if I don’t accept?”

  A satisfied smile grew on Patty’s face. “No, it’s not about paying someone, but knowing the right people. It amazes me that you just don’t get it, because I know that many doctors are against having your dogs in the hospital,” she explained, as if the matter was obvious. “If you don’t agree, you must stand in the court of justice and give your version of the facts, but I don’t know how easy that will be. My witnesses are ready to defend me and you know very well that you shouldn’t play with fire.”

  Here it is, the truth. It burned while I tried to assimilate it.

  I closed my eyes and re-opened them, praying to wake up from this nightmare. But it was reality and it was ruthless. I watched Patty’s malignant expression.

  “How dare you…” was all I managed to say, before Antonio called me.

  “Mia, can you come? You’re needed.”

  I nodded, nauseous.

  “I’ll be right there,” I said quickly. Then I turned to Patty. “You’re wrong. I may be the black sheep of the family, but in my veins flows the same blood as my father and my mother,” I said before disappearing, leaving her alone in the deserted parking lot.

  I walked with clenched fists without taking my eyes off the ground, pushing my nails into the flesh.

  “What did she want?” asked Antonio, worried. “I could hear your voice from here.”

  “Patty is suing me for bodily injury,” I limited myself to, in reply.

  “Tell me it’s a very bad joke, because I can’t believe it’s true,” he muttered angrily. “Did you really attack her?”

  “Come on, Antonio. Of course not!” I reproached him, rather irritated. “It’s a long story that I thought was over, but I was wrong. Now I’m not in the mood to talk about it.”

  “Everything will be fine. Discuss it with Diego, and everything will work out. It can’t end like this—” he finished, his voice breaking.

  I frowned, unable to reciprocate.

  He gently took my cheeks in his hands. “ Fiamma and I will be by your side, we’ll think of a solution.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered, grabbing my hand bag and leaving quickly. The only thing I wanted to do was to run away, far away.

  *

  I pressed the intercom button and addressed the camera in front of me.

  “Mia, what are you doing here?” It was Lucy’s voice, as authoritarian and cold as ever.

  “Is Federico at home?” I asked, without hesitation.

  There was a moment of silence, as if she considered the possibility of not answering, then the gate opened. “Of course, come up.” There were three flights of stairs and I was still searching for the right words to justify my sudden appearance. It had been nearly two years since I last set foot in that house.

  When the doors opened, Lucy stood in front of me with a strange expression on her face.

  “Something’s happened, right?”

  “Hello, dear sister! Yes, but I need to talk to your husband first—”

  “No!” she whispered sharply and grabbed my hand to pull me into a corner of the room. “I think I deserve the truth. If Federico has done something wrong and has made a mistake, I would like to be the first to know.”

  I frowned and, although the situation was not ideal, I couldn’t help but laugh. “You mean, you thought that—” I tried to compose myself and went on. “Federico has no lover that I know of! Although I think it would cost him less than keeping you,” I added sharply.

  She breathed a sigh of relief and put her hand to her heart. “I lost ten years of my life. So if Federico has no lover, what do you want from him?”

  “I need a consultation and I want him to defend me as a lawyer.”

  There, I’d said it now.

  “Mia, you’re always good at getting into trouble,” she murmured, extending her arm and inviting me to enter. “You’ll find Federico in his office down the hall on the left.”

  Federico was sitting at his desk, his fingers rapidly hitting the keyboard of a computer with a bored expression on his face.

  I tried to put on an assured and friendly tone. “Federico, am I bothering you?”

  “Mia?” he replied, surprised. Then he stood up and walked over to shake my hand, and plant two kisses on my cheeks. “Please, be my guest,” he said, moving a chair and inviting me to take a seat.

  “Sorry if I showed up unannounced, but I need your help.” I took out a green envelope from my bag and placed it on a stack of papers. “What chance do I have of proving otherwise?”

  “If you rushed up here it must be something important,” he cleared his throat.

  His eyes ran quickly through the text. His smile disappeared and the wrinkle on his forehead made him look older than he was.

  “Wow! To be honest, I wasn’t expecting something like this,” he sighed. “You must tell me everything, right from the beginning. And I ask you to tell me the truth, I need every detail to be able to help, ok?”

  I nodded. “You remember Alberto? The man who my mother invited to one of our Friday dinners?” I began. “We dated for a short time, until the day I found out that he actually had another woman, and I decided to end the relationship. What I didn’t know is that Patricia, who has always called herself Patty, is his mother.”

  “Worse than The Bold and the Beautiful…” remarked Federico.

  “I know, I’m putting you in an awkward position, but I don’t want any lawyer. I want you!” I said, with too much emphasis. “I prefer to be defended by someone I know, and you’re the best in your field. I’m in good hands with you.”

  “Do you want a glass of water? You’re too anxious.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. I was saying…” I caught my breath. “I met Patty and Alberto at the supermarket, and he tried to convince me to get back together with him. To cut it short, to give our relationship a second chance.” I looked at Federico, waiting for some questions that never came. “My ‘no’ was categorical and he, faced with my refusal, informed me that Patty was ill and wanted a grandson before her illness killed her. Do you understand? After this revelation, I went to collect Bubu from the information desk and he jumped on Patty to grab a chocolate from her hand,” I snapped, almost out of control. “Now she’s using that episode to accuse me of personal injury! She came to visit me at the clinic to warn me about this lawsuit and to tell me that all I had to do was to go back with her son and she would let it drop.” I got up from the chair and walked to the window. I laid my hands on the sill and lowered my head.

  Federico looked at me for a long time, as if to consider whether or not I was telling the truth. “Does Alberto know about this blackmail?” he asked.

  “I have no idea, but I sincerely believe that he’s a man willing to do anything to please his mother.”

  “Even in agreeing to this accusation? Mia, it’s not bullshit and above all, it can cause you problems with the pet therapy work if we don’t win. I don’t know if the children’s parents will be willing to leave you alone with them after this.”

  “I know,” I said bitterly. “That’s why I’m here. I need you to defend me and I have to find witnesses and evidence to prove my innocence.”

  Federico was good at his job and would have done his best not to disappoint Lucy and my parents.

  “So, the picture of the situation is this: we have a court summons for the crime of ‘minor’ bodily injuries with a pr
ognosis of less than twenty days. Based on what you’ve told me, I want to be confident and I’m sure we’ll be able to negotiate between the parties, without having to go to trial.”

  “And if not? How many chances do I have to prove my innocence without there being any consequences for my work?” I asked breathlessly.

  “Mia, I know that we’ve never been best friends and, very often, we’ve had some disagreements, but I can recognize a liar and you… you’re just not capable,” he smiled, winking.

  I didn’t know what to expect exactly, but I felt I had done the right thing.

  *

  We made love until morning, as if it was the first time. Eventually, exhausted, I cuddled up beside him and slipped my cold feet between his legs, now a natural gesture.

  I moaned with pleasure and arched my back, as his hand slid over my skin drawing straight and circular lines. Diego looked me straight in the eye. “I think I’m in love with a woman,” he whispered as his fingers moved, tickling me.

  I stopped him, returning his gaze intensely. “Really? And does she know? I might be jealous…” I whispered excitedly.

  “Yes, but I don’t know her answer yet,” he murmured, biting my lip.

  “Too bad, because she told me,” I said.

  His chest vibrated with laughter, then he squeezed me tight, pulling me towards him. “And you can’t tell me?” he asked, with a strange gleam in his eye.

  I smiled and tried to break free from his grip, but his fingers tickled me mercilessly, preventing me from moving. “Ok, I give up.” I had stomach cramps. “She says she’s sorry but she has another man on her mind.”

  “What bad news you’ve just given me. Oh well! What should I do in this case?” he challenged. “One adopts a naughty kitten to have some company and not feel alone.”

  I brought my head back and laughed, amused, while his lips kissed my neck greedily.

  “Then you’ll have to spoil her,” I exulted before the sheets enveloped us once again.

  I got up and opened the window to breathe in the scent of summer. A waft of fresh air ruffled my hair. The sky was already beginning to lighten and the town was about to open its eyes to a new day. I put a T-shirt on and went downstairs.