THE LETTER- FINALE

MUD, LUCK AND NEWS.

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

“Who’s dead?” Pascale inquired.

Leonardo shook his head without lifting his eyes from the page.

“Who’s pregnant? ” Pascale’s forthrightly asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as it was so unusual for someone in the village to receive a letter from another country. 

“No one? ” Leonardo muttered under his breath. 

 “Who’s getting married? ” Pascale pressed on for a response even though he could see Leonardo becoming annoyed.

“No-one” snapped Leonardo “Enough with the all the questions old man”. 

“Then why are you crying?” Pascale barked back.

“ Crying? ” said a baffled Leonardo. I’m not crying he thought whilst instinctively raising his hand to his cheek only to discover it was indeed tear soaked.

“Well, my boy are you going to tell me what’s so moving or just keep an old man in suspense,” urged Pascale.

“A job” Leonardo said quietly, somewhat taken aback by his own emotions.

“A what? Speak up!” demanded Pascale.

“It’s about a job, god dam it” stammered Leonardo.

“A job, that’s it,” A befuddled Pascale threw his hands in the air “ Madonna! Tears over a job, whatever next, you’re getting soft my boy” he said trundling back to the bar and resting his plump hands on his moon shaped head as he stared up to heavens in disbelief.

“Not just any job” Leonardo said raising himself from the chair, ” It’s a 45 pound a week job in Australia”. He placed a cigarette in his mouth as he followed Pascale to the bar. 

Pascale whistled at the prospect. “ Wow, 45 pounds now that’s worth crying over but Australia is such a long way away.”

Leonardo continued excitedly, the cigarette now waving up and down as he spoke, “It’s more than I can earn in a month, sometimes two and Maurizio said there is a job waiting for me” 

“Maurizio?” 

“My friend from the war” Leonardo said searching his pockets for a match.

“Oh, I see, the one you…” Pascale paused not wanting to say deserted.

“Yes, that one,” Leonardo interjected saving Pascale the embarrassment of saying the word.

“So what will you do?”  Pascale asked inquisitively wiping an already clean bar.

Leonardo paused, one hand pressed against his chest pocket mid search, the other holding the letter. 

“I have to go,” he said forthrightly.

Pascale continued to stare at the bar avoiding Leonardo’s gaze, the thought of another person leaving especially Leonardo was really too much to bear.

“It’s the best news I’ve had since, well since I don’t know when” he added resuming his search for a match.

Pascale steadied himself against the bar taking a long deep breath. Once he regained his composure he took a match from the drawer and ignited it on bar counter. The match hissed, sparked and flashed alight then he raised the orange flame up and offered it to Leonardo.  

“Yes my old friend I must go and explore this new land of opportunity” he declared leaning into the flame drawing the smoke into his lungs as the cigarette end glowed a bright orange. “What is left here for me, just hunger, war, sadness and you of course.”

“I’ll be sad to see you go.” said a maudlin Pascale “but more importantly good luck convincing the wife,” knowing all to well that Teresa would not be happy, so say the least.

 Shit, Leonardo thought, he hadn’t considered her or the boys in all the excitement.

“Shit, shit, shit…” he exclaimed out loud with an increasing sense of anxiety.

“Shit is right my boy remember how she reacted when my Nina left, cutting all her hair off. And then in a fit of anger shot the neighbors dog because it barked all night. That was her reaction when her best friend left, imagine what she’ll do when her husband leaves?” 

“I know,” concedes Leonardo taking another long drag of his cigarette. “ She will just have to understand, I’ll have to convince her that’s all,” lamented Leonardo. “Plus it won’t be forever, maybe a year then she can come meet me.”

“Aha, sure, you don’t have to persuade me.” Sighed Pascale.

Pascale blew out the match just before it burnt his fingertips and pondered the imminent departure of another friend. He watched the tiny wisp of smoke from the match dissipate into thin air, a strange silence fell between them. He stood perfectly still staring out of the rain-dappled window, looking right through Leonardo as if he wasn’t there, he pondered all those who had left either by ship or in box six feet under. 

Outside the tempest swirled madly and a lone shadowy figure came into view trudging with such determination across the square towards the café. 

All the while Leonardo lay slumped forward over the bar counter deflated like a child who had been told the fairground was about to close; neither of them said a word. They remained that way, silent, the rain drumming on the rooftops and windows until the stranger reached the café. Flinging open the door and with it sent a gush of frigid air whirling through the café jolting the despondent men back to reality.  

“I won, “ announced a mud-laden Giuseppe at he top of his voice looking like a madman who’d just returned from the trenches. Leonardo and Pascale were quite bemused by what stood before them. Giuseppe’s big news was lost on them, perturbed by their lack of enthusiasm he shouted even louder “ I WON, you deaf bastards, I WON !” 

“ We heard you the first time, now close the damn door,” snapped Pascale irked by Giuseppe’s sudden arrival. He never quite understood why he held such affection for one brother and not the other or how one could be so kind, gentle and generous and the other so gruff and uncouth. 

“ What did you win? A fight with a wild boar” Leonardo queried trying to suppress a grin but failing miserably. 

Giuseppe did as he was told and slammed the door closed with a defiant bang. His already boxy shape accentuated by the layer of sludge made him look almost square. As he awkwardly walked towards the bar his legs wide apart and stiff like a cowboy who just got of a horse he left a trail of perfect muddy footprints on Pascale’s shiny floor. 

“Oh shit,” he said sniggering catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, “ I look a fucking fright,” 

“Yep, that you do brother,” agreed an amused Leonardo.

“And you’ve made a mess of my clean floor, you buffoon!” Pascale quipped tossing a cloth to Giuseppe “Now clean it up”

“So what happened, why are you such a mess?” inquired Leonardo.

“That wreck of a town bus hit a pot hole the size of a Rome and got stuck. It was the idiot driver’s fault, what’s his name again?”   

“Stefano” Leonardo and Pascale announced simultaneously.

“Stefano, that’s it, anyway, as you know he is as blind as a bat on a good day, he was caught off guard when the rain suddenly came down hard and bam the bus plunged into a huge pothole and was swallowed up in pool of mud. So me and the other men got out and tried to push it free. We couldn’t budge it and we ended up covered in muck ” he said attempting to wipe the mud from his face with the cloth. “I decided to walk back to the town. I thought the rain would’ve washed this shit off but I guess not” 

“ That cloth’s for my floor, not your face, you ass!” hissed Pascale.

Giuseppe halted wiping his face leaving only the area around his eyes unclean making him look like a raccoon, annoyed he reluctantly crouched on all fours and began to wipe away his footprints.

“Satisfied old man” he said glaring up at Pascale.

Pascale responded with a gratified nod while Giuseppe held out his hand out for his brother’s help to stand.

“You walked all that way in this weather, you will catch your death” Leonardo said pulling Giuseppe upright.

“After the news I had it could have been a hurricane for all I cared” He said as the look of joy returned to his face.” I won brother, I never win but this time I won“ He reached inside his mud-incrusted jacket and retrieved a scroll of pristine white paper, a miracle in itself from the sludgy state he was in. He unfurled it placing it on the table. “Come see,” he said. “ You too old man and bring the Grappa this calls for a celebration” 

Pascale took three glasses from the top shelf leaving three perfect rings in the dust and a bottle of his premium grappa from under the bar. While the brothers were preoccupied with the map he picked up Leonardo’s discarded letter from the bar counter and slipped it into his pocket. He joined the brothers at the table placing the grappa and glasses down beside them.

What lay before them was a map of Borgia, the town was outlined in black, all the streets stretching outward from the center like veins until they hit the town wall.  

Outside the walls of the Centro storico the land was broken up into fields and it was there that an area had been shaded in red.

“That’s mine” Giuseppe said proudly, pointing to the shaded area. “ I now own that” 

Leonardo knew that piece of land and he also knew it would be at least five years before it would yield crops of any value.

“It’s about 10 acres with a small dwelling and a stable, it’s not liveable and needs a lot of work but we can do it, right Leo!” he said looking at his brother for reassurance.

Leonardo’s eyes remained fixed on the map, not able to look at his brother or even summon an answer. Giuseppe stared at Leonardo staring at the map and waited for a response. Pascale tried to be inconspicuous and nervously taped his foot; he could feel Giuseppe getting agitated.

“Stop that incessant tapping old man” snapped Giuseppe all the while staring at his brother “ Is there a problem Leo?”

Leonardo remained silent, still looking intently at the map his breath shallow almost non-existent. “ What, you can’t be happy for me, what is this shit?” Giuseppe said bringing his fist down hard on the table with a thud.

“I am happy for you but…” said Leonardo looking up, but not looking at him.

“Oh” said Pascale suddenly interjecting trying to calm an already tense moment “Leonardo has news too” 

“You do, Well what is it, I hope Teresa isn’t pregnant again or someone else” Giuseppe taunted half-joking.

“God, I hope not” Leonardo replied still unable to make eye contact with his brother. “Where did I put the letter, Pascale?” 

Pascale retrieved the letter from his pocket and handed it to Leonardo. 

“No, no, give it to Giuseppe.” Instructed Leonardo

Giuseppe took the letter and began to read, Leonardo nervously lit another cigarette while Pascale returned to tapping his foot.

“ What are you going to do?” said an earnest Giuseppe handing the letter back to Leonardo.

” I think I have to go,” Leonardo replied finally looking his brother in the eye. “ I’m really happy for you Giuseppe this is an amazing opportunity for you. I sincerely wish I could stay here to help but I feel I must go ”

 “Yes, yes you must, you’d be crazy not to go but good luck telling the wife” Giuseppe said with a sly grin.

“Funny, that’s exactly what I said.” added Pascale poking Leonardo in the side making him squirm and wiggle.

They all laughed. 

Giuseppe rolled up his map and placed it safely back inside his coat pocket. 

“In all seriousness, what am I going to say to Teresa?” pleaded Leonardo as he exhaled a dragon-like stream of smoke through his nostrils.

“Not to worry brother, we have all afternoon to figure that out but first we drink” 

They raised their glasses in unison” to good news.” proposed Pascale.

“Good news” they chirped back clinking their glasses with gusto.

They knocked back the grappa and Giuseppe poured another generous shot. Outside the sleet had turned to a light snow dusting the piazza in white. Pascale fought back his tears at the thought losing his friend while Leonardo wondered how many miles it was to Australia.