THE LETTER-PART TWO

A PALE BLUE ENVELOPE

THIS STORY IS BASED ON REAL EVENTS. IN CERTAIN INCIDENTS CHARACTERS AND TIMELINES MAY HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR DRAMATIC PURPOSES.

Pascale waddled towards the door greeting Leonardo with a smile. 

“Buongiorno, my boy” Pascale shouted over the deafening deluge. “ Come, come, Leo quickly,” he continued waving him in. “Are you wet?” 

“No, no, not really” Leonardo said rubbing his hands together for warmth as the smell of fresh baked bread and ground coffee assaulted his nostrils instantly sending his stomach into grumbling somersaults.

“I didn’t see you yesterday, is everything ok with Teresa and the boys?” inquired Pascale as he made his way back behind the bar, taking his white apron from the hook and tying it around his ample middle.

“No, all is well. Why? Did you need my help?” Leonardo asked closing the door tightly on the tempest outside. 

Pascale smiled again, “I just missed you, that’s all” he said as he pulled the leaver on the coffee machine sending a powerful shot of steam into the air. 

“Looks like today will be a total washout” Leonard grumbled gazing out of the window mesmerized by the sleet dancing off the rooftops. 

 “At least I had some work yesterday “ he continued, “ You know the Casteluccio’s, the farming family who won the first land raffle, they employed me to check their new fields for unexploded grenades and mines. I made 500 lire, plus a box of veg and two bottles of milk, Teresa was so happy,” he said pleased with himself.

“ I wish you wouldn’t do that sort of work it’s way too dangerous. What if something happened then what, you’ve got to think of your family” Pascale scorned 

“I am thinking of them, you fool” Leonardo replied “ besides, I know what I’m doing they trained me for it back in my army days” 

“Can’t an old man worry?” Pascale retorted slicing off a large piece of bread from a huge freshly baked crusty loaf. All the while he was thinking, ‘Yes, they may have trained you to put yourself in harms way and potentially sacrifice your life for the good of the many, Not how to diffuse a mine for money”

Leonardo settled at the bar counter taking off his hat and coat and placing them on the stool beside him. 

“Enough with the worrying, lets eat old man” he said warmly.

Pascale met his gaze and looked at him intently studying his features, his handsome face was perfect with a strong jaw, full lips, an aquiline nose, kind hazel eyes and a cheeky grin that could lead the most stoic astray. 

As he considered Leonardo’s features and demeanour Pascale realized that his daughter was right although he hated to admit, that in fact Leonardo was most probably too handsome and strong-willed for her.

 “Do you think they’ll have the church bells fixed by Christmas?” Leonardo asked, snapping Pascale back to reality from his reverie.

Pascale shrugged his round shoulders and handed Leonardo a coffee ” They say so but they also said we’d have the roads fixed by June, the school by September and the post office by November and it’s now December and nothing, Niente.” Pascale scoffed dunking his bread into his coffee.

Leonardo dunked his bread while an agitated Pascale continued.

“What can you expect from this government, they’ve callously abandoned us at the roadside like an unwanted child” He said forthrightly shoveling coffee soaked bread into his large lipped moon face all the while turning a brighter shade of blush “ And now they’re trying to appease us with this damn raffle but what good is land if you have no money to buy crops or animals”

Pascale ranted on, “I agree, but at least the land is coming back to the people, ” Leonardo replied trying to remain composed as he watched the crumbs from his toast fall into his coffee and slowly disappear from the surface. 

Pascale suddenly remembered Giuseppe, Leonardo’s brother had also entered the raffle halting any further adversary comments he may have wished to add on the subject.

 “Speaking of which, any news from Giuseppe?” he asked in as light-hearted tone as he could muster whilst calming himself with a sip of warm coffee.

“Not yet,” sighed Leonardo. “But I think he should be back today.”  

A burst of sleeting rain caught their attention as it loudly drummed on the tiles of the portico outside, The piazza suddenly turned into an ice rink and the townsfolk who’d braved the earlier light rain struggled to stay upright as they slid across the square. 

Leonardo moved toward the window to watch the action just in time to catch Mr. Zaccone, the town’s rake-thin barber skate across the square on his bony behind as his shopping bag spilled out to reveal a treasure trove of 2 potatoes, 3 carrots and a highly prized pack of dry pasta which he was now scrabbling around to retrieve. Rumour had it he would cut off more than your hair for the right price.

“Hey old man, did you see Zaccone take a fall, shit it was funny” he chuckled. 

“No I missed that but wave him in” Pascale instructed,  “I have his mail,” 

 ‘Oh come to think of it,’ he continued ‘a letter also arrived for you last evening” 

“For me” Leonardo asked puzzled “are you sure?” he moved closer to the window tapping it hard to get Mr. Zaccone’s attention.  Despite his vigorous knocking Mr. Zaccone hurried away in the opposite direction clutching his bag to his chest. 

“Yes, yes of course for you” he said placing another cup of coffee on the bar. “It’s here somewhere”.

Pascale began to thumb through the pile of mail as Leonardo walked back to the bar desperately trying to think of who would have sent him a letter.

“ I’m baffled” he exclaimed. ” I really don’t know who it could be from because everyone I know lives in this town or is dead and you certainly don’t get letters from the dead.” He laughed,

Missing the joke Pascale pulled a letter from the pile” I’ve got it” he declared as he ambled back toward Leonardo, handing him a pale blue envelope with air mail stamped on it. 

“See” he said pointing at the name written in perfect script “that’s you isn’t it?”  

Sure enough it was his name, he took the envelope in hand and slowly turned it over and in the same careful script was a name he hadn’t thought of in years, Maurizio Falcone.  His mind drifted backward to a time he wished he could forget. Maurizio was a war buddy; they fought in the same company and together with Luca Mercurio and Paolo Zambini had deserted, for lack of a better word. It was late February 1943 somewhere up near the border of Austria and Germany they were waist deep in snow, hadn’t eaten in days and had lost all contact with headquarters. Together they wandered aimlessly for days, lost and afraid until they came upon a small town. The town was mostly deserted except for a few elderly women who took pity upon the hapless men and gave them shelter in a disused barn and some scraps of left over food.  

After a few days the women decided that they could trust the men and moved them into the main house where they were introduced to a young Italian girl.  Her name was Rosa, she was about 15 years old, frail, sparrow like and had a number tattooed on her arm. Rosa spoke of her capture, her torture, her escape and the terrifying atrocities she had witnessed including the murder of her parents. This horrific news persuaded the already disillusioned men to give up the fight. This was not the war they signed up for instead they decided, thanks to this shadow of a girl that it would best for them to try to make it home. 

For the next several months they travelled only in the dark of night, sneaking from from town to town usually aided by women and children until they reached the border of Italy. Tragically Luca and Paolo didn’t make it that far, Luca met his end by a stray bullet while taking a pee and Paolo got caught defending a Jewish child and was presumed killed. By the time Leonardo and Maurizio travelled down through the country to the south, Italy had surrendered to the allied forces, Mussolini had been deposed and the country declared war on its former ally Germany.   

“Are you going to open it or just stare at it” Pascale quipped his hand jammed against the widest part of body, his foot tapping impatiently. 

At the sound of Pascale’s voice Leonardo was jolted from his trance like state, To his alarm he saw his cigarette had burnt down to his fingers, he pressed the butt hard into his coffee saucer. Pascale looked at him disapprovingly as he slid an ashtray toward Leonardo, but he didn’t seem to notice instead he continued to stare blankly at the envelope.

“It’s not going to magically open itself,” Pascale barked.

“I know old man,” snapped Leonardo anxiously.

He could feel his sweaty hands staining the pale blue envelope; he had no idea why he felt so nervous. Finally he plucked up the courage to open it, he tore a small hole along one edge, poked his finger through and ripped it open, the sound was gratifying to both of the men. 

Leonardo slipped the letter out of its resting place, unfolded it and to his surprise a ten-pound note tucked inside. His mouth fell open in a silent gasp as a million thoughts ran through his head. He placed the money and the letter neatly in front of him on the bar, took a cigarette from the pack and rolled it idly between his thumb and forefinger while he stared at what was more than a week’s wages laying before him.  Pascale came round from the bar and took a seat at his side as Leonardo smoked the cigarette down to the filter and readied himself to read. 

                                                                                                            June 30, 1951

                                                                                                            Sydney, Australia

Dear friend, 

 I hope this finds you well. 

I owe you this (referring to the money), remember when you said we would make it back to Calabria by the time the war was over and I disagreed with you, I thought we wouldn’t make it at all, especially after we lost Luca and Paolo. But you were adamant that nothing could stop us so we made a bet on it and the rest is history. 

But I write to you in all seriousness, my sister tells me that Calabria is struggling as she is in Abruzzo, she has decided to come to Australia since our parents who she was caring for both passed away this year. Plus the lack of food, regular work and shelter made her mind up for her. I also heard from a cousin you got married and have three boys. Congratulations my friend.

 I know this letter may come as a surprise to you because of my absence since the war, but I couldn’t face any reminders of what had been or what was, not even my own town or my family or even you could ease my anxiety. So I took the first boat out of Italy and found myself literally on the other side of the world. I needed a complete change; a fresh start and I have found it here. Everything in Australia is new and different, from the air to the light to the animals, especially the animals, crazy creatures, like bears that live in trees and hopping mice as big as you or I. 

But mostly there are opportunities, a real chance to make a life for you and your family. This is why I write to you old friend here in Australia there is plenty of work and you can earn 45 pounds a week. However, I won’t lie to you, it’s not easy, the language is a bitch, some of the people are prejudice, it’s boiling hot yet the sea is freezing cold and most of the insects and spiders will try to kill you but other than that it’s great. I will leave you with this proposition, take this 10 pounds buy a ticket and come see Australia. I have a place for you stay and work for you in Sydney. 

Please let me know, I look forward to hearing from you. 

Kind regards,

Your indebted friend,

Maurizio Falcone

Serendipity arrived that day in a pale blue envelope, the letter had suddenly given Leonardo hope, a hope he never imagined he’d have again.