A bloody headache

A short excerpt of my 10th book "An irretrieable step".

Ray did not have any problem renting a room at the central room boarding house, it was the end of the tourist season and he was given the best room they had. His meeting with Joe on that very night was to take place at the 'La Fatta Ignorante' restaurant at the district of Testaccio at ten pm as usual.

This peculiar restaurant name suits so well my disconcerted feelings… He thought amused.

The afternoon hours he dedicated to a preliminary tour to know how to get there.  

'It's a bloody headache,' Joe muttered thoughtfully after hearing Ray's detailed report on his last two weekends in Florence. 'You're assuming the situation from your own point of view, without considering her parents' point of view…'

'Don't you think that her parents may wish to get rid of her?' Ray insisted stubbornly, after all it was him alone who experienced it, while Joe's assumption is based on what he has told him.

'Those well to do families in the periphery have marital ties agreed upon, and maybe the family with the intended fiance' had some other thoughts, so you've been exploited to force that other family to make the right move.' He made a short pause while watching Ray's face, whether he has any reservations, but Ray had sense enough to keep his mouth shut.

'I can't be sure of course of what I've said to you right now.' Joe went on trying to find the right solution to Ray's problem. 'To sum it up you did well over there and your two last weekends' experience will be useful to you, as for their daughter, well the Japanese you've dated in Milan would have been a better choice; but both cases are too complicated and are out of the question, so don't phone that Florentine wench and don't write to her. If she'll run away and find you here in Rome, we might refer to it seriously… Every plan is a basis for changes, but between us I don't believe it will happen.

'I may serve as a married man too, it's a possibility then?'

'Well it's a possibility and I'll get you an answer in our next meeting I guess. In any case if the answer would be positive, one of our pros will accompany you.' He cleared his throat and added right away: 'If sharing part of your life with someone you hardly know, and you wouldn't have thought of in other circumstances suits you. Well, enough with it, have you met any adherent of your faith in Florence?'

'No I haven't and I didn't find any such church there, I've visited the Duomo many a time during the weekends mostly.'

'Except the two last weekends, when you messed around with seniorina Bianca Conti.' Joe remarked with a short laugh, watching Ray's smiling and embarrassed face.

'I did attend a service at the Duomo with her entire family.'

'As I've already said these two last weekends in Florence were a very useful experience, but you'll have to visit both their churches here regularly, and get in touch with your mutual faith adherents.'

© Haim Kadman July 2013 " all rights reserved.