The Ball. Erik Pethersen
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but they told me that they would like to run a dating site, I didn’t understand if physical or virtual.»
«And what kind of dates? To meet people with similar interests, I guess. Like someone who is looking for people to share his interest in water sports, he signs up and finds a new friend to go water skiing with...» replies Serena with a smile that seems a bit mischievous to me.
«Yes, that’s right. I got that too. Also passionate about hunting and fishing» I reply laughing.
«So, we’re talking about sex.»
«Yes, Sere, I really think it’s a dating site for adults, but I wouldn’t be sure about sex, because it could only be virtual encounters, like chatrooms with webcam.»
«I don’t think it’s such an original idea. I think there are now so many of them. But how is the site called?»
«I don’t know, but I’m not sure it’s already working. I think the company had a stupid name like New Dates, I didn’t understand.»
«Some of my friends told me crazy things about these sites.»
«Like what?» I ask.
«I don’t know if it’s all true, but these two stoners signed up to meet up with their potential partner. However, they did it just for fun: they put in all their personal info and preferences.»
«What kind of preferences?»
«Preferences of all kinds: appearance-related, but also their favourite sexual activity or sexual deviations.»
«Interesting. Then?»
«Nothing, then the portal selects people based on similarities and common interests.»
«And what did your friends choose?»
«But nothing in particular: they just selected that they were interested in flings and then they selected the physical features they were looking for in a man. The portal selected different individuals to my two friends, quite attractive and also from rather close areas. The same evening, they organized a date, each with the partner chosen from the dozens suggested by the portal. One went to a town in the province of Bergamo, on Lake Iseo, I don’t remember exactly which one; the other in a town towards Cremona. They agreed to meet up at the end of the evening to share their impressions.»
«Yes, maybe your friends are a little crazy. They could have been in danger...»
«That’s right. You never know who you’re going to meet. However, to make a long story short, one said that her date did not match the photo on the site: he looked like Yogi Bear but overweight and smelled of alcohol. The other friend got a boy of twenty, not the man of forty she was expecting.»
«So did they do anything in the end?»
«The girl who dated Yogi Bear ran away insulting him. From what I gather, he was saying that she had to end the date in a positive way anyway, because this is the community policy. At those words she started screaming in the bar where they met and she left. The other friend who went out with the young boy said that she felt sorry for him and felt compelled to do something, but I don’t know exactly what she meant...»
«Nice experience, though, Sere. I don’t know, I would never do it: I am against extramarital affairs as a principle, but even if I were free and looking for similar flings, I don’t think I would ever want to meet someone like that, just to have sex. I would look for something different.»
«Yes, Lavi, neither do I, I think. It could also be arousing, but if you meet similar individuals... so scary.»
«What do you mean by arousing?»
«Yes, it could be fun. I would never want to meet someone without my husband’s knowing, I would never do it, but I have been browsing around those sites there and there are also couples who are looking for other people: it sounds interesting... it’s just a thought...»
«Sorry, I don’t get it: would you like to meet another couple, together with your husband, to have sex?»
Serena brings an index finger to her mouth, nibbling at it, and she begins to move the tip of her right shoe up and down by leveraging her heel.
«Is that what you meant?» I keep at it.
«Yes, Lavi, more or less. Come on, I don’t know: it’s not a good idea to say things like that at 8:40 in the morning while I’m still asleep and anyway, no, I don’t think I’d like to have sex with my husband and another couple, or swap couples» she replies a little confused.
«Okay, Sere, I thought you said the opposite before.»
I look at her in a puzzled and amused way as if I am expecting a further explanation on the matter, but she continues to nibble her finger and fiddle with her shoe. Her slightly wavy hair falls on her shoulders and her hazel eyes release a bright light. Those tight jeans, and those ankles, tightened by nylon stockings, finish off what I am looking at, standing in front of the window; she doesn’t look forty-five at all: she looks like a sassy little girl, but well dressed.
And those legs of hers are really perfect.
She touches her thighs with her palms, rubbing her jeans. «But do I have a stain on my jeans, Lavi?» she asks. «Right, I must have got dirty with the icing sugar off the pastry earlier on.»
«No, there’s nothing wrong with your jeans, I don’t think, why?»
«I thought that you were staring at my legs.»
«No, I was just looking at you because I was amused by your mischievous girlish attitude.»
I hear the door open and the four new girls come in, the ones who arrived from the main office two months ago.
We greet them from the back of the room. The four of them say «hello» altogether and go to the first two rows of desks, settling down at their workstations.
«They seem very nice today too» Serena says in a low voice.
«Yes, they seem to have been so sociable for the last two months» I say in a whisper. «At least they keep at it.»
«I guess I have to start work: see you later at the coffee break.»
«Yes, good luck with your work, Sere. One moment...» I add in a low voice, «anyway the four nice girls spared you the explanation of the arousing thing.»
«If you wish, I’ll give you a proper explanation. Perhaps.»
She looks at her thighs, she takes two steps forward and, leaning her torso over the desk, whispers: «And you will have to explain to me why you keep staring at my legs.»
2.2 LIFE - THREE
I look up and notice that the front door opens: Giorgio, Umberto, Andrea and Tiziano are coming in together. They are Sbandofin longer standing employees, already at the agency when I started working here in 2007, at the age of thirty-two. I was starting off my third job, preceded by others which lasted for a rather short period. Here I put down some roots, considering that the job is not too depressing and the work environment is quite pleasant.
The four colleagues are now busy walking to their workstations as they do every day. They are all around fifty-five years old: they have good manners and they always go around in groups, rarely seem to be willing to talk to younger colleagues. They always behave in a somewhat detached and defensive manner, as if they want to protect their group and preserve their greater seniority, which is an unquestionable factor, in my opinion.
They meet every morning sharp at the bar in front of the office for breakfast. The same scene is repeated at their lunch break: always together, always united.
«Hello everyone» I say.
«Good morning Lavinia» they reply one after the other, but with the same pitch and with the same neutral tone.
Tiziano and Andrea sit in the row in front of mine in the large open space; on the other hand, Giorgio and Umberto sit in row