A Year at 32 September Way Page 16
***
“Papa, there’s no need to be unpleasant. The DeFrancos were only expressing their happiness about your return to Venice.” Sofia chided her father gently as their neighbors walked away. Since their arrival in Venice, there’d been a steady stream of visitors coming to see Marcello and welcome him home. At first it was a compliment to know people were taking the time to come by to greet him and wish him well. Four days later, the constant procession was beginning to wear on Marcello, and it showed.
“I appreciate the thoughts of our sincere neighbors and friends,” he responded to his daughter’s admonishment. “But some of these people are only surfacing because they want to know what a man in a wheelchair looks like. And I’ve had enough of that!” Marcello turned his wheelchair and rolled himself out onto the balcony. Since leaving the rehabilitation center a few weeks earlier, it seemed as if he’d lost all purpose. Rolling around from room to room and making niceties over tea was not a fulfilling way to spend the day, and it grated on his nerves.
“I can see that something’s not okay,” his daughter said. “What’s going on, Papa? You’ve made such progress. Why are you so unhappy?”
“At the risk of sounding like a spoiled child, Sofia, I find there is nothing meaningful to fill my days now that I’m no longer a resident at the rehabilitation center. And the emptiness in my schedule gives me too much time to think and far too little activity to tend to. Something has got to change,” Marcello said, half answering his daughter and half thinking out loud.
“Perhaps it was too soon to come to Venice for a visit,” Sofia offered.
“No, no” her father dismissed quietly. “It’s not the location, darling. Lack of purpose is my problem. I’ve been productive my entire life. Why, I used to roam the halls of the hotels as a young boy, helping guests here and there.” A warm breeze swept up toward the stone balcony where he sat, surrounded by the greenery of potted palms and geraniums bursting with red blossoms. He’d always enjoyed seeing the geraniums come into bloom each spring as he walked to work in the morning.
“That’s it!” Marcello announced. “I’ve solved my own problem. It’s time for me to go back to work, my dear.” He looked up at Sofia with new purpose in his eyes. “I don’t know how I’m going to handle the same work load; I’m not as mobile as I once was. But that will simply become part of the challenge.”
“Are you’re certain you’re ready?” Sofia asked, hopeful that her father could transition back to the work that had always been an important part of his life.
“Yes, I’m ready to go back to work. I must. It’s time, don’t you think?”
***
Decorating was never his forte, but Charles looked forward to getting the apartment ready for Sofia to move in. As he shuffled clothing from one small dresser to another and made room for her in the giant wardrobe, he relished the calm feeling that enveloped him. It was the first time he would be living with a woman for longer than an occasional overnight or weekend. If he felt the slightest bit nervous, it would have been understandable. But Charles felt calm and peaceful in the knowledge that he would be able to spend more time with the woman he loved.
A quiet creaking noise rose from the old floorboards in the middle of the room, halfway between the sleeping area and the kitchen. “Hopefully, that won’t bother Sofia,” Charles thought. Once he’d grown used to the noise in the old floorboard, it became somewhat of a comfort to hear its creaky sound.
Standing in front of the opened cupboards, Charles had to admit they were a disorganized mess. An organized kitchen had never been his strong point, but he knew Sofia would take over in that area. In the meantime, he could hardly have her arrive to a kitchen in disarray. To the best of his ability, Charles organized the kitchen using a bank-like system of sorting cans, boxes and pouches by size. If it came in a small container or pouch, it went in the narrow cupboard closest to the window. From right to left, the pantry items were shelved by size, with the last ones filling the cupboard directly above the coffee machine. The kitchen suddenly looked better than it had the previous eight months.
“Only four months left,” Charles said to himself as he shook his head in disbelief. The time would fly, especially now that he and Sofia would be together more often. “Don’t let it go by too fast,” he said out loud to Father Time. A single knot of nervousness formed in his stomach. The couple hadn’t yet made plans about what they’d do when it was time for Charles to return to London. The thought of leaving Sofia behind in Verona and returning to monthly visits was unbearable, so Charles simply shut it out. Shortly after her return from Venice, Charles knew he’d have to talk with Sofia about their plans for the future. It was one very important loose end he wouldn’t and couldn’t leave untied for the entire summer.
***
Josh looked out the window as the livery turned the corner and passed the Porto Nuova train station as it entered the city of Verona. Throughout the drive and the entire week before it, he’d contemplated what he should do over the next four months. It didn’t make sense for him to remain in the Verona apartment when he spent the bulk of his time 350 kilometers away in Tuscany. Somehow, what should have been a simple decision had become exceedingly difficult.
“Thank you very much, Antonio,” he said to the driver as his weekly travel bag was lifted from the trunk, “I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning.”
Gravel crunched beneath the tires as the car slowly pulled out onto the street and drove away. Josh grabbed the handle of his bag and turned toward the front door of the apartment building only to discover Eva sitting out front with a glass of wine.
“Hi neighbor,” she greeted him, “we missed you at the dinner. You haven’t been around much lately.”
“I’ve been busy with work,” he managed to answer. It was true, they’d been busy catching up with outdoor scenes since the weather was dry and the days were longer. But that wasn’t why he’d stayed away from Verona. His wounds were still fresh, and they smarted from the memories that were stirred up each time he walked into the apartment.
“Would you let your neighbor buy you a drink?” Eva asked with a smile as she lifted a nearly full wine bottle from a bag of ice sitting on the ground and then produced another glass from a shopping bag. “I was out shopping this evening,” she explained, nodding toward the extra glass and the bottle of wine. “Marcello’s in Venice for a while, and I sure could use a little chit-chat. What do you say?”
At that point, Josh had nothing to lose. The idea of rattling around the first-floor apartment alone was depressing, and he was far too tired to venture out into the city center to enjoy Verona’s nightlife. Enjoying a glass of wine or two with a friendly neighbor might be a nice change from the ruminating and depression that had filled recent weekends.
The two exchanged small talk and chatted about the latest in Siena and the recent happenings in Verona. During a pause in the conversation, Josh asked Eva how Marcello was doing.
“He’s doing better,” she began, “although the doctors say he won’t regain use of his legs. But he has gained enough strength and learned how to get around in his wheelchair, so they let him leave the rehab center a few weeks ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear about the paralysis,” Josh replied. “But I bet Marcello is beyond happy about being out of the rehabilitation center.” They both laughed, imagining him getting even crankier with the hospital staff the longer he remained there. “Where will he stay now that he’s not there?”
“That’s the part we’re working on now,” Eva explained. “He’ll be at his family’s home in Venice for the next couple weeks, but after that he wants Verona to be his home base. The problem is that it’s better for him not to live alone and he refuses to have a nurse or live-in help. To be honest, I’m not sure what’s going on with us right now. But if we stay together, it would be best if we could live in the same apartment. The only problem is that there’s no elevator in the building and no other way to get him up to the fourth
floor.”
The two sat quietly and thoughtfully for a couple minutes as they drank their wine. Josh thought about his current situation, considering the knot he felt in his stomach every time he walked into his apartment. He realized how the events of their lives had conspired together to create the perfect solution for Marcello’s needs. He explained to Eva how he’d been feeling lately about coming home and that he hadn’t been able to come up with the right solution.
“Perhaps the first-floor apartment would be the perfect place for you and Marcello. You could easily build a ramp up to the front door, and another ramp or a short lift could get him up the four steps to the apartment door,” Josh explained. “I’ve been thinking about staying in Siena; maybe this is a nudge in that direction.”
Eva considered what her neighbor said. The first-floor apartment would be an ideal solution for Marcello. They could be together, if that’s what she chose, and he would be able to navigate himself around the city as needed, giving him back some of the independence he craved and needed. But she hated to think of Josh leaving the apartment building for good, especially with four months left in his lease.
“Josh,” she said thoughtfully, “I know I can speak for the other neighbors as well as myself when I say that we would all be sad to see you leave the building. You may not be here often, but we’ve spent enough time with you to feel that you’re an important part of our little group of friends.”
Smiling at her words, Josh thought that it was nice to know he belonged. He’d had such high hopes for his life the first time he walked into the apartment at 32 September Way. Nicolette’s relapse into drug use and her choice to leave him had taken those hopes away. His neighbor’s kind words were a small but pleasant confirmation that there had been some good times for him in Verona.
Eva paused to take a sip of her wine before continuing, “I’ll talk to Marcello about your offer of the first-floor apartment, but only if you’ll consider something.”
“What would that be?” Josh asked curiously.
“I’d like you to consider an apartment swap, and I’m certain Marcello would agree. Together, we can create a win-win situation for all of us. Marcello would have a comfortable, accessible home base here in Verona and you would have a home to come to in Verona, when you choose, with friends who will be happy to see you and count you as part of their lives. What do you say, Josh?”
It was hard to know what the future would bring, but Josh knew that he wasn’t likely to make any earth-shattering changes in his life during the next four months. Even if he decided to stay in Siena each weekend, if he took Eva up on the apartment swap, then at least he’d have a quiet place to wind down and rest whenever he wanted to. The friends he’d made at 32 September Way would never pressure him to be here more than he wanted, and he would be free to come and go as he pleased.
“Okay. Talk to Marcello to see how he feels about the arrangement. If it works for him, then it works for me.”
Eva clapped her hands together, and then raised her glass to Josh in a toast. “To win-win situations,” she said as they clinked glasses and smiled. Josh downed the last sip of his wine and headed in for the night. Sitting beneath the starry sky, Eva realized that she’d come to a decision about her relationship with Marcello…one that surprised even her.
Chapter 18
“You know, it is just a large one-room apartment,” Charles jokingly chided Sofia as he eyed the boxes and containers stacked in the back of the rented van.
Sofia chuckled and waved him off. “Well, I had to at least bring the basics, you know.”
“The basics?” he questioned as he removed one particularly heavy box sitting near the door of the vehicle. “Good grief, I think you’ve got the basics all in this box and goodness knows what in the rest!”
Sofia lifted a lighter box, and the two made their first trip up the stairway leading to the second-floor apartment. They would have to do some rearranging to make it all fit, that was for sure. Luckily, anything they didn’t have room for could go upstairs in the attic or back to Sofia’s family home. Six or seven more trips up and down the stairs and a weekend’s worth of unpacking would help the couple figure out whether there was room in the apartment for everything.
On their way out the front door to unload the last two boxes from the rental van, Charles and Sofia ran into Josh, who was just returning from a few morning errands. “How is the move going?” he asked.
“Thankfully,” responded Charles, “these are the last two boxes. I think Sofia thought she was moving into a much larger apartment.” He teased his sweetheart again, and she gave him a playful swat in return.
“Don’t listen to this man!” Sofia exclaimed, a twinkle in her eye. “How is your move going, Josh?”
“Well, I’m waiting for a call back from Eva. We’re moving simultaneously and, to be honest, I don’t know how we’re going to pull it all off.”
It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday late in May, and the gentle breeze ushered in memories of their move-in day nine months earlier. On September 1st they’d all arrived, one by one, and had slowly filled the apartment building from the bottom up. Nearly nine months later, it was moving day again. One person had since left 32 September Way, two new people were arriving and three of the four apartments were in a state of transition. A major upheaval was taking place at the tall stone apartment building and, for the most part, the hustle and bustle was positive. Only one apartment and one person weren’t going through any changes that day.
“Hey, what’s all the commotion around here?” Carlisle jokingly called out from her third-floor window. “Can’t a person get any peace around here?”
“I’m afraid not, neighbor,” Charles called up to her with a smile, “we may need your help in a while.”
“Count me in!” she responded. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
Josh and Charles stood talking together in the courtyard, leaving the last two of Sofia’s boxes stacked near the door. “What do you gentlemen say we all take a coffee break? I’ll bring up one box and put on a large pot of coffee,” offered Sofia.
“I’d say that sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all morning,” responded Charles enthusiastically, and Josh agreed.
The two men sat along the front of the building with their legs stretched out before them when Carlisle came out the door. “Whoa, look at you two. You look exhausted already, and it’s barely noon!”
“Not so much physical exhaustion; just mental exhaustion trying to figure out how to swap two households,” explained Josh.
“Well, you can count on my help, for what it’s worth,” Carlisle promised.
Josh’s cellphone rang, interrupting the conversation. As the others sat quietly sipping their coffee, it became clear he was discussing the move with Marcello. “That sounds logical,” he responded after listening for a few minutes. “I’m sitting out front with the others right now, so we’ll all see you two shortly.”
He slid the phone back into his pocket and turned back to his three friends who awaited news about the move. They were all interested and willing to help, having gotten the last two boxes into Charles and Sofia’s apartment after the couple said they were happy to delay unpacking until the next day. “We’re going to keep most of the major furnishings in place and move personal belongings and the like,” explained Josh. “It shouldn’t be that difficult, but any help would certainly be appreciated.”
Marcello and Eva arrived in the newly converted car he’d purchased that allowed him to do all the driving with his hands. Together, the neighbors set to work on helping Josh move to the fourth-floor apartment and Eva and Marcello to the first floor. Many hands made the work lighter, and by three o’clock in the afternoon, they had moved the last of the personal belongings.
“It would be easier for Josh to walk through the attic room to the main stairway,” decided Marcello. “I can’t shuffle the boxes and crates around myself, but I think a general organizing and cleaning would create a s
ufficient passageway from the apartment to the stairway.”
“All the extra work isn’t necessary,” responded Josh, who didn’t want to inconvenience his neighbors any further that day.
“No”, insisted Marcello, “it’s necessary that whoever lives on the fourth floor feel like a member of the building. I made a mistake once; I won’t make it a second time.” Eva glanced toward Marcello; she knew this was his way of apologizing for trying to keep her hidden away like a fair maiden in a medieval tower.
“All right then,” said Josh. “If you insist on creating a passageway, I insist on helping.”
Marcello remained in the first-floor apartment to begin unpacking and putting things away. He’d given the others clear instructions on where to move all the boxes to create ample space for a passage through the room. Windows would be cleaned to allow sunlight in, and cobwebs and dust would be swept away to get rid of the room’s haunted appearance.
Eva and Carlisle were moving some boxes when Carlisle whispered to Eva, reminding her of their adventure in the hidden room. “What are you two whispering about?” Sofia asked playfully.
Reluctantly, they told the story of snooping in the room. Eva hoped Sofia wouldn’t be angry; after all, it was Carlotta’s family that had stored the boxes and crates in the hidden room. But instead of becoming angry, Sofia felt more familiar with the details as they were revealed to her.
“This might sound strange,” she began to think out loud, “but this all sounds a bit familiar. Not from any recent discussions, but from discussions I overheard years ago and probably wasn’t supposed to.” Sofia had caught everyone’s attention, and they listened intently. “My brothers and I used to hide in the rafters of our grandfather’s meeting room. Most of the time, it was boring. But there were definitely times when we wished we hadn’t been there.” She didn’t say anything more but drifted back in her memories to the times she’d seen her grandfather and older uncles roughing up other men, including her father. Sofia gave the situation a little more thought before turning to Eva and Carlisle. “Don’t worry; I’m not angry. Do you remember where those papers were? I’d like to see them.”