The Ball. Erik Pethersen
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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.
⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎
I look up and notice that Serena seems to be staring at me with a strange smile, then looking away from me to skewer another artichoke. «By the way: we didn’t finish off...» she tries to say.
«Finish your nice, lovely carpaccio» I interrupt her. «Actually, it’s true, we left that question unanswered, funny girl.»
«Now I’m just enjoying my carpaccio and I can’t speak» she replies, cutting a slice.
«Good. I could also take advantage of this situation» I add, grinning. I stretch my hands towards the knee of the crossed leg and interlace my fingers pulling it a little towards my torso. Serena raises her eyebrows to express indifference and keeps on eating.
«So, you go on online dating sites...»
She shakes her head.
«You go on online dating sites sometimes, looking for people to meet.»
She shakes her head again as her hair swings around her shoulders.
«You sometimes look at online dating sites out of curiosity, fantasizing about unlikely encounters with other people.»
Serena swings her right hand in which she holds the knife as if to confirm that some part of what I said is true and she begins to cut the last slice of