La Scala

A short excerpt frmo my tenth book "An irretrievable step".

He did not miss even one meeting with Vito all along the first week, and he became very sure of himself after the first morning in which he travelled from seven am on all over the city. Thus he had no trouble at all to reach on time any meeting site where Vito waited for him, be it in the center or the town's outskirts.

The last time he thought about Tami was during the flight; the moment he landed in Melpansa airport he forgot her existence. But whenever he saw on his way in the street or riding a bus or in one of the parks, which he visited a good looking woman he remembered her. But he was so busy thanks to Vito and their mutual daily tours that after a few seconds he would forget her completely again.  

The next week at April first was Easter, he visited the Basilica and participated as a viewer in the service, which bored him to death; and on Sunday night he bought a ticket to see Verdi's opera Nabuco at the La Scala Theatre. It was the first time in his young life that he bothered to see an opera. He liked it and was not bored at all, and at the first intermission he left his seat and went to the lobby to have a coffee or a glass of some drink. He hardly crossed the main hall's threshold when he saw a very familiar face near the long counter, at the lobby's far side. It was Tami in the company of a middle aged couple.

He turned back and went straight to his seat, and passed the intermission tensed with much impatience.

So it must be her parents, yeah I've identified the mother although I've seen her just once and from some distance…They took her to spend Passover with them in Italy, what a bizzar coincidence… But they will surely leave Milan and travel on… I don't have to worry, I don't believe that she' could recognize me with that beard growth of mine and my spectacles…

After twenty five minutes the audience was asked to return with a series of chimes, and soon as the lights were put off, Jeremy stood up and left his seat muttering 'mi scusi' while pushing his way along the crowded raw up to the aisle. He had enough for a first visit in this famous opera house, but above all he did not wish to meet Tami or even to be identified by her.

© Haim Kadman July the 17^th 2013 �" all rights reserved.

 

Author's Note

What isn't completely clear in this excerpt is the protagonist's need to reach the meetings with his operator without the least guidance as part of a training, to learn better the city and be able to claim if needed that he was born there or lived there several years according to his future cover story.