“Sure, she has great fun doing it. I know I shouldn’t take advantage of her, but she has wonderful taste. This shirt for example, she bought it… not too bad, right?”
I was speechless, while he continued:
“If she buys my clothes, then she also knows how to wash and iron them. She always buys good quality.”
His mother not only bought his clothes, but she also washed and pressed them. I thought of killing myself with one of the cocktail olives!
“I’m amazed, Francesco. Your mother washing and ironing your clothes…”
“What’s wrong with it? She enjoys taking care of me. I am an only child, and besides my father, she doesn’t have much else to do since she retired.”
Ok, my blind date was with a mama’s boy, one of the worst species of the latin male.
“I guess she also cooks dinner for you…” I couldn’t hide the sarcasm in my voice, but he didn’t get it.
“Yes, she cooks for everybody. In the evening we eat all together…”
“All together?” At this point I was hoping for a quick death. “Are you living with your parents?”
“Yes! I renovated the attic and it has become a charming one-bedroom apartment. It’s very convenient: I’m close to them, but have my privacy.” Was I hearing something like a subtle hint?
Ok. So. My colleague had set me up with a man who worked in a bank, loved paragliding, lived in the attic at his parents’ house and let his mother be his personal shopper, maid and cook. Unbelievable. If I had decided to have sex with him, would he take me to his charming little bedroom and ask his mommy to make some fresh lemonade for us? I shivered just at the thought! I decided that my first blind date had come to an end.
I excused myself and went to the bathroom. I would have to launch Plan B that I had agreed upon with Emma. I called her.
“Am I disturbing you?” I heard lots of noise in the background. Probably she was at one of her social gatherings full of artists and architects.
“Are we already at Plan B?” she shouted to be heard.
“Yes, I’ll give you a short synopsis: he’s thirty-seven, works in a bank and lives with his parents. His mother buys his clothes.”
“Oh my god! Run!”
“Exactly. I’m afraid he might ask me to start ironing his underpants right away!” I laughed.
“Ok. Give me ten minutes.”
“Perfect!”
“Talk to you then.” She hung up.
I returned to the table. Francesco had finished his cocktail and ordered another one.
“My parents would love you,” he said, and I felt quite embarrassed. “Do your parents live in Venice?”
Rarely do I talk about my family. “My mother lives in Venice and my father remarried. He lives in Rome now. I don’t see him much…”
“It must be very difficult for you.” he said and his tone was sincerely full of grief. “I don’t know what I would do if my parents separated… Thank god, it won’t ever happen.”
I felt almost disgusted.
Finally, my phone rang. I excused myself from the table and answered it, mumbling and sounding a bit frantic. Then I came back to Francesco with a fake sorry face.
“I don’t know how to apologize, but there is an emergency – I must go.”
“Why? It’s Saturday evening… we were having fun!”
“I know! It’s terrible, but unfortunately a friend has had an accident and needs my help.”
“Gosh! I hope it’s nothing serious.”
“No, nothing really serious, but I definitively have to go. Thanks for the wine. It was nice to meet you.”
“Can I see you again?”
“Sure… although, you know, it’s very busy at work right now. I don’t go out that often. Let’s do this: I’ll call you when I have more free time…”
“I’ll count on it!”
He stood up, kissed me on the cheek and then he sat back down to drink his cocktail.
I stopped the first available taxi and asked the driver to take me to Porta Romana where I would meet Emma. I felt sorry for the poor guy that I had just abandoned, but my sense of guilt didn’t linger long. Francesco probably would have returned home to have dinner with mommy. We were too different and blind dates definitely weren’t for me. However, our Plan B worked very well. I was proud of it. I should get an Oscar for my performance!
I paid the taxi and I took Via Muratori. It’s a street full of lively cafés and pubs, always crowded, especially on Saturday evenings. While I was passing in front of Bottega, a small pub that has wonderful wine, I heard someone calling my name, “Coco, Coco!” I turned and saw Claudio sitting at one of the outdoor tables, surrounded by other young people who were standing around holding glasses of wine.
He shouted: “and your blind date? Is it already over?” He was shameless!
“I had to resort to Plan B.” I went over to him, not wanting everybody on the street to know about my blind date.
Claudio laughed and hugged me. Somehow, I was also finding my adventure to be quite funny.
“Why don’t you sit with us? I’m here with an old friend that I haven’t seen for a long time. His name is Cristian.” He pointed to a guy with curly hair, amber skin and eyes dark like the night sky. I introduced myself and shook his hand. He was very attractive.
“He’s a theatre actor from Bolivia. He’s touring Italy with his company for a couple of weeks, and finally we found a way to meet! We first met many years ago in Mexico. I was a volunteer for a government association and working with street kids. Cristian was one of our entertainers. Then he was hired by an important theatre company based in the Andes, and now he’s a globe-trotting artist.”
Cristian laughed: “It’s quite an honour to be described as an artist by a talented journalist like you!” They seemed to be very good friends.
I sat with them. Seduced by the luminous smile of this man who came from far away, I decided that Emma could wait.
“You speak Italian very well…” I said, while trying to call for a waiter’s attention to order a glass of wine.
“I worked a lot with Italians and I have many friends here.”
“Are you touring all of Italy?”
“We will be in Milan for two weeks, then we’ll be in Spain, Belgium, Germany and France.”
“Wow! It must be exciting travelling all around the world.” I said with enthusiasm.
“Very much.” He smiled, and looking at me added, “You have beautiful eyes.”
“Stop it, playboy!” Claudio interrupted him, laughing. “Rebecca is a dear friend and I forbid you to steal her heart with your wild charm…”
We all laughed. The evening was taking an interesting turn. I sent a text to Emma and decided to stay with them.
We spent a couple of hours drinking wine and eating focaccia, cheese and prosciutto. We laughed a lot listening to Cristian’s adventures and funny stories.
There was something enchanting about this guy. He was beautiful, well read, interesting, but most of all he had a natural ability to make everybody feel at ease with him. I liked him and couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Claudio sensed the feeling and whispered in my ear: “At last someone worthy of Mademoiselle’s attention!” I smiled and gave him a little pinch.
At some point Claudio saw two colleagues inside at the bar, and left to say hello to them.
Cristian and I remained at the table. “I would like to see you again.” He said with a definitely sexy South American accent.
I couldn’t believe that this handsome guy, with everything to be my ideal man, was asking me out. I also had learned, during our conversation, that he was even single! Beautiful, fascinating, and all for me, although for only two weeks. It sounded like a dream.
“I would like that too… What about tomorrow evening?” I felt very audacious!
“Unfortunately, tomorrow evening my show will end late… But we can meet tomorrow morning for breakfast, what do you think? I will st
ay at Claudio’s apartment tonight, and he told me you two live in the same building.”
I hated to get up early on Sunday mornings, but for a man like him I could set my alarm at sunrise!
“Ok! So, where do you want to meet?”
“Your home would be perfect!”
“Ah, breakfast all together. I like it!”
“Perfect! Claudio and I will go and buy the pastries and you’ll make coffee.”
“An impeccable plan!” I laughed.
Claudio returned to the table and we shared our plan with him.
“Tomorrow we have an invitation for breakfast across the hall!”
“Really? Are you telling me that Rebecca will be up that early in the morning, and open her royal quarters for us, her poor subjects?” Claudio asked.
“Idiot! I decided to make you my best coffee, only because your Bolivian friend promised to bring the best pastries in Milan.”
“I got it. Tomorrow morning a gigantic task will await us!”
Being able to find decent pastries in Milan on a Sunday morning wasn’t easy at all. But I knew Claudio would perform some kind of magic trick, and I would have my warm pastries.
We left the pub and walked towards home. It was a chilly night and winter had arrived. Thank god wine kept our souls warm… We got to our building that was immersed in an unreal silence. We took the elevator without a word and parted in front of our respective doors. Before disappearing, Cristian kissed me on the check, “See you tomorrow morning.” His scent enveloped me and I felt a shiver down my spine.
Hadn’t Chanel said, happiness is nothing more than the perfume of our soul?
That night I went to sleep happy. I closed my eyes and began thinking of that wonderful man. It was so exciting to be able to desire someone who wasn’t Niccolò. It’s true what they say about the heart: until we free it from old stuff, there won’t be any space for new things.
Just that morning I had sworn to my friends that I would turn a page. The new page had dark hair and beautiful hands.
I fell asleep. That night I dreamed I was in Venice. It was summer and I was on a sail boat. The sun was warm with a light breeze. In the distance I could see San Marco’s steeple and the island of San Giorgio. Behind me a man was steering with confidence. I felt secure and serene.
8
The Night I Stumbled Into Those Incredible Dark Eyes
After only six hours of sleep, I opened my eyes feeling unexpectedly rested. I jumped into the shower, feeling the pleasure of the hot water on my back. I slipped into my jeans that I paired with a striped t-shirt and a light sweater. I applied only some mascara to my eyes, the eyes Cristian had complimented the night before.
I couldn’t stop singing silly songs. I felt cheerful and beautiful.
I had set the breakfast table with cups, fresh fruit, toast, butter and marmalade. I put the coffee pot on the burner. Thank god that week I had stopped at the grocery store, so my refrigerator wasn’t the usual empty, desolate place.
Precisely at ten the two guys rang my bell.
“Welcome, darlings! Sorry for the mess,” I added, to feel like a true Milanese.
“Good morning, Coco,” Claudio said kissing my forehead, “Actually, for the first time your apartment doesn’t look like a battle field!”
“Very kind!” I laughed. “Did you bring the treasure?”
“Pastries, just out of the oven!” Cristian handed me a warm paper bag fragrant with a sweet smell.
“Don’t worry, Coco, everything is low calorie!” Claudio winked at me.
“Coffee is ready. Please, sit down.”
“We met Mrs Leoncini downstairs. She’s quite an eccentric person,” Claudio said.
“She’s an intense woman.” I could say this since now I felt I knew her much better…
“She went out with a beautiful flower in her hair, but she forgot to put a skirt on over her slip.” Claudio bit into his first pastry and his moustache and beard became all white with powdered sugar.
“You look pretty odd yourself right now!” Cristian said, while Claudio tried to understand what was wrong with him. “You remind me of someone… ah, Santa Claus!”
“Please, pleeease, Santa, bring me lots of gifts this year. I’ve been such a good girl!” I couldn’t stop laughing.
Claudio stood up and looked at himself in the mirror, “you’re both too funny for this early in the morning…”
I handed him a napkin, trying hard to stay serious.
“Well, I can’t judge anybody. I’m so absent-minded too… A couple of days ago I started the washer without soap. So, at the end of the cycle, I had to start over, but I forgot to put the soap again!”
“You’re working too hard, Coco. You should have more fun.” Claudio said, while he cleaned sugar off of his face.
At this point it was like a mantra that everybody repeated to me, you must have more fun.
“I hope you’re not thinking of organizing another blind date for me!”
“No, no! I won’t be the one to put my best friend into the arms of some squalid dude. Promise.”
“Good, because I’m perfectly fine. I decided that I will go out again only when I meet the right person.”
I felt Cristian’s gaze and blushed. I was relieved that Claudio was too busy with his second pastry to notice my embarrassment.
“Remember, it can’t rain all the time,” he used one of his movie quotes.
“However, I’m also working too much.” Cristian said, pouring another cup of coffee for himself. I was happy he liked it. I’ve always been very good at making espresso.
“But you have a great job… That’s not fair!” I told him, while finishing my almond pastry.
“It’s true, I’m lucky. I do what I love and I feel privileged. Yet, it’s also hard: we have rehearsals, lots of travel, sometimes we are in a different city every night in impersonal hotel rooms.”
“Sure, but don’t forget your audience, the applause, the gratification…” I continued.
“Are you telling me that nobody applauds you, when you do your job well?” Claudio seemed especially positive this morning. Being with his friend was good for him.
“Of course! Every time I pick up the right wedding dress everyone bursts into applause and they throw bouquets of flowers at me!”
“Be careful not to catch one, otherwise you’ll have to organize your own wedding!”
We kept laughing and drinking coffee. The sky was grey and the sun had hidden behind the clouds. A gust of wind blew through the open window. I went to close it. Cristian took this chance to stand up and bring the cups to the sink. This was such a nice gesture that I smiled sweetly at him.
“Don’t worry. I can do it later.” I said.
“No worries, it’s a pleasure!” His smile was so endearing. He wasn’t only handsome; he was a gentleman too. Did this guy have any faults?
Claudio also began to help, bringing plates and the coffee pot to the kitchen counter. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered, he said, “Sorry guys, but I really must go. Late this afternoon my movie club will show El Topo. It’s the first film of the Jodorowsky series, and I need to help with it. Coco, if you are free tonight, stop by.”
“Thank you, but I think I’ll stay home and go to bed early.”
“Ok! I run. Cristian, you can stay. You have my house key…”
“Yes, I think I’ll stay a little bit longer.” He looked at me with his deep, dark eyes, and I looked down.
As soon as Claudio left, there was an embarrassing silence between us. I was putting plates and cups into the dishwasher, while Cristian looked at my books on the shelves. Then he came close to me and asked: “Would you like to take a walk? I’m free until four, and I want to see a place in Milan where I used to go years ago.”
I would have gone to the moon with this guy, so I enthusiastically accepted.
“I’ll put a pair of shoes on, and I’m ready!”
“Hey! Comfortable shoes… we will have
to walk a little bit.”
I put my Converse on. Then I took a tweed jacket, a hat and my key. I looked at the sky, even greyer, but I wanted to be optimistic, it can’t rain all the time, I thought.
Cristian knew Milan’s subway system really well. He must have spent long periods here, since he went around as if it were his home. We took the yellow line, then changed at Stazione Centrale and took the green line. We got out at Cimiano, started to walk in Viale Palmanova and then we turned onto a side street. I had no idea where he was leading me, but trustingly I kept following. I liked being with Cristian. While we were walking, he told me about the show he was touring, about the other actors and his relationship with them.
We turned into another small street, went down a few steps and found ourselves in front of a little stream in a park. It was a pedestrian area with a nearby bike path. Several people were jogging, couples were kissing on the benches, and other people sat on the lawn reading or eating.
“Where are we?” I asked, curious about this green space in the city that I’d never seen before.
“We are on one of Milan’s canals, Naviglio of Martesana, the smallest one. You’ve never been here?”
“No, I didn’t know it.” I was discovering hidden parts of Milan thanks to a guy who came from the other side of the world!
It had been a mild fall and the trees still had their leaves. Small houses along the canal had lush gardens and the stream was still full of ducks and funny otters. I also could hear the frogs’ persistent concert.
“It’s beautiful here.” I said, looking around and still surprised.
“Yes, it’s a magical place. And you would never know we are only a few steps from Via Padova, one of the most populated and dangerous areas in the city.”
“It’s true! How do you know it?” I was impressed by Cristian’s knowledge of Milan.
“Years ago I had a girlfriend who lived in this area.”
I felt a little jealous of that lucky Milanese girl…
“I’ve never been to South America. What’s it like?”
“Bolivia is wonderful, but very poor.”
“Is your family living there?”
Coco Chanel Saved My Life Page 10