The Ball

«Okay, thanks, I’ll wait there» she replies, bringing my right thumb over my shoulder.

I turn and head to three brown armchairs placed against the wall, next to the mantrap at the entrance, taking a seat on the one on the far side. I place the folder on the glass table placed in front of the armchairs, cross my legs and unbutton the synthetic garment that is wrapped around me.

Surely Serena’s fur coat is really warm. Almost as warm as her hug, when she has one of her sudden outbursts of affection and she hugs or kisses me for no reason. She is just like that: always carefree and joyful. I smile and think about her legs. Yes, maybe it’s true, before I was staring at them, but I can’t help it: I do the same with everyone. Besides, hers are so sensual. I look at the bare portion of my calf, which comes out of my jeans, a little crumpled due my sitting posture. I bend towards the lower part of my leg and touch the uncovered portion of my calf with my almost frozen fingers of my right hand: a shiver runs through me and ends up down my back.

«Hello Lavinia, I’m Marco, nice to meet you.»

The words that come to my left take me by surprise. I get up and shake the man’s hand. «Good morning Marco.»

«Here are the checks, everything else is taken care of. However, at some stage, the gentlemen will have to come over here to sign for privacy and money laundering» he tells me, handing me a grey envelope.

«Perfect. Yes, I’ve already mentioned that to them.»

«Good» he replies, staring at me.

He is an attractive man: tall, a little sturdy, streaked with grey, presumably around fifty-five.

«Can I get you a cup of coffee?»

«Thank you Marco, but by midday I have to be in another...» I reply and then I stop a little abruptly. «In an office in Corso Garibaldi: so, I’m forced to refuse.»

«Okay, next time: please come and see us when you want, I was pleased to see you» he replies, stopping for a moment as if he wanted to specify, «to meet her, I am pleased to meet her.»

«My pleasure, Marco: I will definitely come back for other customers» I reply walking slowly to the exit.

I get to the mantrap, leaving Marco behind me and I press the button to open it, while I have a clear feeling that he is still watching me.

I take a look at my smartphone: it is 11:40 am; the last two branches should close at 1 pm, so I can take my time now.

2.2 LIFE - FIVE

I am back at the entrance of the building now: it is 12:45 and Mauro is back in his usual glass workplace.

«Hi Lavinia, have you done all your running around?»

«Hi Mauro: yes, I’m back.» And I am still wearing Serena’s fur coat: today he doesn’t really want to mind his own business.

I turn to the right and from a distance I see a person who is about to cross the threshold of the first lift following another man, of whom I can only see his back for a few minutes: he is Tom Sellek, I’m sure. I slow down a bit, and I wonder if he is coming back to us for some strange reason.

While I wait for the lift, I watch the numbers above the steel doors. Magnum P.I. stops on the eleventh floor.

While on my way, I wonder what’s there. A notary’s office, I think, and perhaps a psychologist’s office. Being with a partner, unless it is an improvised couple therapy, I go for the first option. After all, he is setting up a company: he must contact a notary.

When I get to the office, I am still speculating with my neurons dazzled by the memory of the phosphorescent green. He was going there too this morning. Anyway, as curious as I am to know where he was going, I don’t think the issue should be of interest to me. So, I focus on Serena, busy with another telephone conversation.

I leave her fur coat in the closet, after replacing the lip balm in the pocket and after taking my cards. I then go to my workstation.

Maddalena is no longer there: she usually leaves the office at 12:30 sharp, even when she arrives late due to her usual morning disasters.

The last task of my day is to scan the sixteen checks. Given that each A4-size scan can keep up to four bank checks, I take the maximum amount of checks to be scanned from the stack and place them on the glass. I repeat the whole process three more times. When I turn to go back to my desk, I see Teresa walking past the glass wall with a smile.

«Good morning Lavinia, have you collected them all?»

«Sure Teresa, look how beautiful they are» I answer showing her the checks.

She takes them off my hand and inspects them one by one and remains silent for a few seconds. «Really beautiful» she then says with a pleased expression. «Well done, Lavinia. I’m off for lunch, see you tomorrow.»

«Excuse me Teresa» I interrupt her, as she is about to leave. «Just one thing: I found a leasing company you can register with as an intermediary to manage customer contracts. Can we register? I need to ask for a lease for a strange client who doesn’t want his wife...» I am trying to explain, while she interrupts me by replying: «Yes, sure, Lavinia, go ahead with that: sorry, but I have to dash because I’m late for lunch».

«Okay, then I’ll go ahead with that. See you tomorrow.»

I go back to my desk, while Teresa quickly disappears behind the glass wall, and I attach the pdf files of the scans to a new e-mail, addressed to the Ciapper administration department. After doing that, I take Marco’s plain grey envelope, which appears to me to be by far the one in the best condition, and I place all the cashier’s desk inside it.

Ettore FinExtreme has already sent me the draft for the requested loan: I am delighted with his reliability and save the amortization schedule, without even opening it, in the folder of the couple, deciding to view it and examine it in detail tomorrow. I look at the time in the lower right corner: 13:07 pm. My working day at Sbandofin is over. I reach for the power button on the keypad with my index finger, but the sound of the phone interrupts my gesture.

«Yup?» I say holding the receiver to my right ear: it’s Serena.

«Sorry Lavi, are you going? Mrs Pardoli is asking for you.»

«Yes, I am about to leave, no problem anyway» I reply a little puzzled. I then add: «Who is Mrs. Pardoli anyway?»

«What do you mean, who is that? Marisa, the nymphomaniac, the one who tries to touch anyone that passes by, when she comes here!»

«Right, I see. Can’t you call people by their own name?» I retort, grinning.

I hear Serena laughing, I look up and see her down there looking at me and her amused face. «Yes, sorry, it was a too formal announcement: can you put her through to you?»

«Of course, thanks.»

«Lavi, by the way, if you are not in a hurry to get home, would you like to have lunch with me down below? We haven’t had a nice chat for quite a while.»

«Yes, fine» I reply right away. «I’ll find out what she is looking for and I’ll be right there.»

«Okay» Serena says, hanging up.

«Good morning Marisa, how are you?»

«Hi Lavinia, all is fine. Sorry, but I’m in a hurry: I was calling you because I need to buy myself a little thing, nothing much, a thousand euros. Can I drop by to see what we can do about that?»

«Of course, Marisa, whenever you want.»

«I have to open the shop at 9:30, can I come in early tomorrow morning?»

«Sure, I’ll be here at eight» I say lingering a bit. «Are you looking for the usual consumer credit, right? Paying by instalments like we did a short while ago?»

«Yes, sure, something like that. I’ll be there around eight am, before I go to the shop.»

«Okay, see you tomorrow Marisa.»

«Thanks Lavinia, see you tomorrow.»

I hang up, picturing in my mind the nymphomaniac’s busty chest decorated with a coarse pendant full of synthetic stones.

2.3 USE YOUR ILLUSION

2.3 USE YOUR ILLUSION - ONE

The office is almost deserted: there are only the new girls having a meal in silence at their workstations, Serena and me. The four senior men slipped out of the office a few minutes ago, shortly after Teresa.

I press the power button on the keyboard, grab the grey envelope and walk down the room towards Serena, walking close to the glass wall.

«Girls, are you eating bean sprouts today too?» I inquire as I look at the four of them munching the yellowish worms away which overflow from four identical plastic tubs. They keep staring at their monitors while nodding their heads in agreement at the same time: this must really be a unanimous yes.

I walk a little further and I get to Serena who is busy writing an e-mail while talking on the phone. I show her the grey envelope and place it next to the keyboard.

Serena looks at me for a few minutes, she smiles and goes ahead with the call. «Yes, mom, the important thing is that he is well; I’ll pick him up at five pm from your place.»

I am leaning against the first window of the many and I watch Serena’s profile, sitting with her back against the armchair. The legs are crossed: the left one is firmly on the ground with the heel, forcing the end into a rather tilted position. Her right leg is crossed over her left one and her right foot balances out her high heel shoe with her toes, swinging it.

«So, I’ll see you later, mom... Okay mom... I’m going for my lunch now... Okay... Okay, bye... Bye, bye... Yes, bye.»

Serena ends the call. «Lavi, this is the Ciapper envelope, right?» she then says in a softer voice. «Just one sec, I’ll send this e-mail.»

«Yes, Sere, that’s the envelope. Take your time: I’m done. I’m here looking at you and waiting for you.»

«You can avoid looking at me» Serena says, giggling as she speeds up her typing.

«Sorry, I didn’t mean to put you under pressure or be indiscreet. I look out the window then» I answer, turning to the glass. I look down at the street and see some people walking along the sidewalk. I think one of these is Teresa: she is crossing the street, heading towards the bank square.

«Here I am, Lavi» I hear Serena almost scream as she swoops over me from behind, hugging me by the sides.

«Are you crazy?» I say out loud.

«Sorry, it was a rush of affection» she replies, loosening her grip and moving to my left. She slides her right hand down my back until she moves completely away from my body.

«That’s Teresa» she says, looking out the window.

«Yes it’s her. She said she was late for lunch: she must be going to one of the restaurants near the bank.»

«It could be» my colleague replies, looking away from the window and staring at me. «Can I hug you again, Lavi?» I feel so loving today!»

«That’s enough: I wouldn’t want you to get in the habit of attacking me from behind.»

«Okay, then if it bothers you, I won’t do it again. You are in bad form today.»

«The four funny girls are looking at us badly» I whisper in Serena’s ear.

«Oops. Maybe we are using a tone of voice a little too loud?» she whispers in my left ear.

«Yours were certainly loud, mine was not as loud, apart from the words I said when you attacked me.»

«Attacked? It may be... And maybe we should leave the office.»

«Where do we go for lunch? I should be home by half past two.»

«I should be back to work at that time myself: I would suggest we go for a quick lunch at the bar opposite the office.»

«OK let’s go.»

«We go down for lunch, see you later girls: we leave the door open» says Serena, turning to the first two rows of desks.

The four heads nod five times.

«That’s a yes» I say softly, «it means they’ve grasped the idea.»

«Great, we can go then.»

I open the door and go to the lifts to press the call button. Serena takes her fur coat from the closet, closes the door behind her and joins me in the hall.

«What a nice fur coat you have: a little eccentric, perhaps, but it also looks very warm.»

«Yes, it’s really lovely» she replies, laughing. «Did you feel comfortable in it? Did you treat it well?»

«I think I brought it back to you the same way it was this morning» I reply. «Ah, you only had a lip balm in your pocket, right? I hope I didn’t lose anything on you without realizing it?»

Serena puts her hand in her right pocket and takes out the stick.

«Relax, Lavi, I never keep anything in my pocket, only this» she replies opening the lip balm and spreading it three times on her upper lips and the same amount of times on her lower lips. «I keep wearing it, otherwise all my lips will chap with the cold. It also tastes good, have you tried it?»

«No, I haven’t tried it. Do you think I steal your jacket and then I start using what I find inside too?»

«Look, you could have, I wouldn’t have felt offended. Do you want to try it now? Look, it’s really good.»

«No, thanks, I won’t.»

«Come on, Lavi» she replies. «Wait, I’ll put it on for you» she says placing a hand on my left shoulder and bringing the buttery thing to my mouth.

«If you really want to. Just once, please» I try to say but Serena has already started it regardless of my words.

«Yes, but if you don’t speak it will all be easier» she says, sliding the stick over my lips.

I hear the lift coming and the doors open: inside it, behind Serena playing with my lips, I see a man dressed in a grey suit.

«Here, you look all nice and buttered up» she says, screwing the cylinder back on, then putting it back in her pocket and turning around. We get into the lift.

«Good morning. Are you going to the ground floor too?»

«Hello, yes, thank you» I reply.

We both turn towards the door, with our backs to the other guy.

«It’s good, isn’t it?»

«Yes, very pleasant» I reply while I feel a hot flush rising up my face.

Serena holds back a laugh and her face turns really pink: she moves closer and hits me with the hip. Fifteen seconds of silence and the lift reaches the ground floor.

«Goodbye» we say almost with one voice, without turning around.

We get out of the lift and we walk along the corridor. The other man follows us and, at Mauro’s station, which is unattended, turns towards the door of the stairs leading to the car park; we keep going to the left towards the glass door and we get out of the building.

«You are really silly!» I say laughing.

Serena bursts out laughing saying: «What a great impression we made.»

«Really great.»

«That thing you smeared on my lips is really greasy: I feel all furred.»

«Come on, it’s not true, it’s so good» Serena says still giggling.

We cross the street and head to the bar.

«But how many minutes can you be okay outside dressed like this?»

«I don’t know, now it’s almost hot: maybe I can resist for ten minutes without freezing to death.»

«Besides, I’m the stupid one... Come on, let’s go in right now, before you get frozen.»

Serena pushes the glass handle, I follow her and we find ourselves inside the room.

«Hi girls, is there just the two of you?» a boy in a black and white striped apron welcomes us, holding some menus in his hand.

«Yes» Serena replies, «where can we sit?»

«How about down there towards the glass window? Or would you rather sit more on the inside?»

«It’s fine there» I reply, looking at Serena for approval as she nods her head in agreement.

«Follow me, please» says the waiter, walking towards the back of the room.

«Good morning, guys, have a nice lunch» Serena says in front of me, turning to a table hidden from my view by some greenery. I go past it and discover the senior guys enjoying a seafood risotto.

«Morning» I say.

«Thanks for calling us boys» Umberto replies, laughing. «You too» the others reply, overlapping the voices.

We are heading for our table at the bottom of the room. The boy leaves the plastic menus he was holding on the square table. «Three minutes and I’ll be back to you, girls.»

«Thanks Gigi» replies Serena.

We sit down taking up two orange-glazed wooden chairs. I browse through the dishes and, considering that I will have to move all that stuff in the afternoon, I decide that not a quick but a rather nutritious lunch can be a happy thing. I rule out tagliatelle with stewed hare, which seem a little out of place to me, I also rule out Milanese-style risotto, and I nonchalantly scroll down the other dishes.

«Lavi, what are you having? I’ll go for a beef carpaccio with parmesan and artichokes.»

«I’ll go for hot octopus with potatoes and olives» I reply a little doubtfully.

«But why do you think they write hot? Can you also have a cold or freezing octopus option?»

«Maybe, if you ask politely, they can also do it flambéed» I suggest. «I don’t know, maybe they mean that it’s not that cold, like when you find it in salads, cut into slices.»

«Yes, it could be» she replies, somewhat perplexed.

Serena looks out of the window and I throw a glance myself out the bar window, in the opposite direction: on the sidewalk a short distance from us I see a man of about sixty, black suit, greenish tie, low gaze with a cigarette in his hand. He is about to cross paths with a girl dressed in an elegant grey suit that comes in the opposite direction: they go past each other and continue in their opposite directions. Behind the man there is another man, about forty-five years old: he takes his eyes off his smartphone and glances inside the bar as if he was looking for someone.

«Lavi, why do you think everyone is going around with such sad faces?» Serena suddenly asks.

«Why do you say sad?»

«I don’t know, but looking around they all seem angry, unhappy: sad... don’t you think so?»

«I don’t know, you’re a bit right though. There doesn’t seem to be much joy around or, in any case, Sere, not everyone has the energy and joy that you always have: you are in this mood every day. If I didn’t know you I would think you use some drugs.»

«How do you know if I don’t?»

«The problem is that you are really this way, without any additions» I reply, amused. «It’s not a problem: it’s a beautiful feature, actually.»

«You mean that I’m, how can I say, kind of frivolous?»

«No, why would you be frivolous?» I ask staring at her.

«I don’t know, it seemed you were saying so.»

«No, not at all: frivolous would be the last adjective that could come to my mind to describe you.»

«And if you were to describe me, what would the first adjective be?»

«But what is it, a game? Is it a lunch break for unlikely questions?»

«Sorry girls, what can I bring you then?» interrupts the striped boy.

«Octopus and carpaccio, a bottle of still water and then two coffees, please» Serena replies quickly.

«All right, girls: five minutes and I’ll drop everything over» he says. He turns around and goes off.

«Here, exactly.»

«Exactly what?»

«But why do you keep staring at me like that for?»

«Because I’m waiting for an answer» replies Serena smiling.

«I meant light-minded, not frivolous, is that alright?»

«As light as a feather?»

«Well, not quite like a feather» I reply, pushing my torso over the portion of table that separates us. «In short, you are light-minded in the sense that you do not let yourself be harmed by anything you don’t like or don’t care about. You overlook any negative situation and focus only on what really matters.»

«Okay, it is fine, it was enough light-minded, anyway, I got the meaning.»

«Just as well! So is the lunch break question time over?» I add, while she remains silent. «Good. Tonight as well I’ll have to bear with Amedeo’s usual questions, as it has been happening for the last few months, during every dinner. If I also have to put up with your delusional questions during my lunch break, I think I might not even get to finish the day in good mental health.»

«Sorry Lavi, I didn’t want to bother or annoy you. Sorry, sorry, sorry» she whispers as she reaches over the table to my hand and strokes it.

«Yes, Sere, you are excused» I reply laughing and pushing her hand away with my fingers.

«Why does Amedeo keep pissing you off? He didn’t even take it well after all the money you managed to put together for those losers of Banano rental estate?»

«I don’t know» I reply a little hesitant. «As for the Banano issue, he just said that it wasn’t that difficult to find money anyway. It has been like this for quite some time now: I think it is down to his job. Actually, he doesn’t do anything all day: he keeps saying that he has to sell all of it, but nobody wants it anyway.»

«So, he is not doing anything?» she asks a bit dazed, «does he spend the days waiting for customers who never come?»

«That’s right. I tried to suggest that the world doesn’t end there, that he might try to sell other properties too, but it’s like talking to the wall now: he doesn’t tell me anything, at the most he insults me and little else.»

«What do you mean he insults you?» Serena asks, opening her eyes wide.

«Sure, he’s got paranoia, he thinks I go around all day to meet other people. In my opinion he is going crazy, because this jealousy has come out of nowhere. I think it may be related to his job. Perhaps, having lost control over his job, he tries to have it on me.»

«You’re good at trying to psychoanalyze him» Serena remarks. «I guess you don’t see any other man, other people.»

«What are you saying, Sere? Of course not: you know what I am like and the way I think about the whole thing» I reply a little abruptly.

«Yes, I know, it was a rhetorical question, just to confirm it.»

The voices in the bar are quite low and the whole room is almost silent.

«Your octopus and your carpaccio, there you go» says the waiter, placing the two plates in front of us. «Here’s the water. When you are ready for coffee, give me a sign and I’ll bring them over.»

The octopus is really hot, as indicated on the menu: when I chew it, it seems a bit rubbery but its texture and taste are almost pleasant. The quantity of chopped pieces, lined with small suckers, is however rather scarce, as well as the boiled potato wedges, which I believe would not be able to make up half of a small potato. Between the slices of fish and the little yellow pieces of potato, I see four pitted and slightly sad olives. Also, the amount of food of the chosen dish is not enough to satisfy the hunger I had during the morning because of all the walking I did around the city: I finish the dish in a minute and a half and put the cutlery inside the white crockery.

«Was the octopus good, Lavi?» Serena asks amused.

«Yes, not too bad after all. Not plenty, though» I reply. «How is your carpaccio?»

«It looks quite edible, but I’m still on my first slice. When I finish the other four I’ll have a more precise idea.»

«What are you implying?» I reply with a grin. I grab the bottle and pour the water into my glass first and then into Serena’s. I move the chair away from the table and cross my legs, stretching them a little towards the window on my right. «This table is very uncomfortable: it’s low and you can’t move your legs; if you cross them, the wood underneath shears the thigh: in order to move them you would have to straighten your legs, hitting the person in front of you.»

«It’s my case» Serena suggests, biting into an artichoke. «I feel a bit stiff too.»

I glance under the table: Serena’s heels are perpendicular to the wooden boards and her knees are bent at ninety degrees. Her feet, arched in the unnatural posture forced by wearing high heels, force the lower leg muscles to stretch, stretching the fabric of the jeans: her calves look really sensual.

I keep staring while I can hear that the voices have lowered down in the room; now I also hear the music in the background which was covered by the sounds of the hall.

⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎