Upstairs, Downstairs Read online

  “Some of it. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I thought it would be more embarrassing for everybody for me to suddenly pop up… shitty night, right? An evening to forget…”

  “Not true. Not for me, and I’m sorry you feel that way. It was like finding you again…”

  “What are you saying, Daniel? We were two kids. It was a lifetime ago… but you haven’t changed, I see. Let me refresh your memory, you have a girlfriend waiting for you… although that didn’t stop you from hitting on me!”

  “Hitting on you? Please, don’t reduce everything to just a game. And what about you? You’re in a relationship with that Chinese guy…”

  “He’s Japanese.”

  “Whatever… but that didn’t stop you from kissing me.”

  “You took me by surprise!”

  “Fuck that… by surprise! We were two adults back there!”

  “Shh! Don’t raise your voice. You’ll wake up the whole building!”

  Anita and Daniel stare at each other, both furious.

  “You’ve got a nerve! It must be because of all these women at your feet…”

  “Anita, why are you so angry with me? It’s true we were kids, but we were in love. It was sweet to be together. Maybe, if you stopped being so resentful and lightened up a bit…”

  “Sure! Like at Gazometre!” Anita’s face is again flushed with anger – but thank god it’s dark enough not to be obvious. “Listen, what’s happened tonight won’t ever happen again! I had a scotch and I’m not used to it… I don’t like you. I never liked you: you were and still are just a rich, selfish, snobby guy!”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? Anita, I… I remember everything from back then… really. That song I played tonight was only for you; Alessandra had nothing to do with it. And don’t tell me you didn’t understand that.”

  Instinctively he grabs her hand.

  She pulls away. “Please, stop it! What we were is just a bad memory I need to forget, and what happened tonight was a mistake. You can go tell everybody about this too!”

  Daniel doesn’t understand and watches her walk away. Then, deep in thought, he returns to his apartment.

  *

  Pina was spying on them through the shutters of her kitchen window. “Ah! See the musician! He leaves one and takes another…” She whispers to herself, anticipating with excitement the gossip to come.

  *

  April 28, 2012 – 12:20 a.m.

  Daniel argued with his Russian girlfriend. Then, with some lame excuse, he left her to meet Anita, Giovanna’s daughter, who was waiting for him, hiding in the dark. They must have had an argument, because at some point she walked away when he tried to take her hand. I couldn’t hear what they said, but I knew there was something between those two. I knew it from seeing their first encounter!

  Pina puts her diary back in a box inside the drawer. She’s excited about the romantic affairs of the new tenant. She’d like to share the news with Carlo, but it’s late, he’s already asleep. He always goes to bed so early…

  12

  Commodilla!

  The complex is still immersed in sleep, when the first warm light of sunrise illuminates the ochre walls of the buildings. The deep silence is interrupted only by birdsong and the faraway noise of a few passing cars.

  The building is like a living thing, more than ever in the spring, and the tenants are like the living cells. The night allows them a deserved rest, but apparently not for everybody. Some of them try to organise their thoughts, to make sense of the daily events.

  *

  Anita had a very agitated night. She couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned in bed for hours, thinking of Mizuki with sadness and affection… but these last encounters with Daniel are haunting and torturing her. Anita is blinded by anger that prevents her from recognising the attraction she obviously feels for him; an attraction which has grown day by day. Finally sleep comes, bringing her some peace.

  *

  A dewdrop slips down along the veins of a lettuce leaf, bounces on a carrot, and falls on a black truffle. Commodilla stretches, sniffs the early morning air, and opens her eyes. She looks around trying to remember how she left the warmth of her comfortable basket to end up here, in the humidity of the vegetable garden. It isn’t unpleasant. Actually she loves this place, but usually she’s banished from it. Matteo Spina is the one who mostly gets upset when he sees her there. Yet she moves with delicacy and elegance amongst these plants. She respects them; she sees how much attention they get from those humans… but at times she can’t resist scratching her back against the tiny green leaves. This is her only weakness. Anita is her favourite human. She never chases her away. Commodilla loves to curl up in her lap and purr whenever Anita sits on the bench near the garden.

  Commodilla climbs up into the apricot tree to seduce it, but it doesn’t seem to appreciate her efforts. Crouching there she looks up at her home. The latest arrival, a new girl, kicked her out. Determined to re-conquer her realm, she climbs up to the gutter and walks along the second floor ledge. Alas! The window is closed, she can’t get in. The new owner is lying on the sofa. A few windows down Pina is sleeping with a smile of satisfaction on her face. She went to bed late. On the third floor, Paolo and Rodolfo are immersed in a peaceful slumber. Rudy rests his head on his partner’s chest and an arm is wrapped around his waist. He loves to sleep like this. Even Matteo Spina is sleeping, but Commodilla knows that soon he’ll be down in the vegetable garden. Then her feline gaze moves down to the ground floor where Giovanna is mumbling in her bed. Maybe she’s dreaming.

  *

  It seems a miracle that the tiny seeds, put in the soil such a short time ago, have already produced such beautiful and full fruits. In the brightness of the sun, almost infinite shades of green stand out amongst not many other colours. But in a few months the red of tomatoes, the purple of aubergines, and the yellow of courgette flowers will explode into the garden. In the air there is a strong smell of grass, wet soil and compost.

  *

  “Lazy Hazy April,” Matteo Spina thinks… “but we need to get going, roll up our sleeves and work hard if we want to get anything done. Plants feel spring before we do!” To be honest, he sensed spring at least twenty days ago. A light euphoria has suddenly sprouted within him. He still feels aroused when a beautiful woman passes by… “But let’s forget these thoughts, now on to more serious things! Lettuce needs to be picked as soon as possible.” He’s thinking of calling the other tenants when he sees Paolo coming with a bundle of newspapers under his arm.

  “Good morning, Matteo.”

  “Morning Paolo… how was last night?”

  “It was great! But why didn’t you come?”

  “You know… I don’t like clubs. Too much noise, you can’t talk to each other.

  I prefer the company of my books.” He puts his usual cigar butt back in his mouth. “I’m doing an investigation…”

  “A detective search?” Paolo jokes.

  “Even worse! Archaeological research… but I’ll tell you about it another time. I was looking at our vegetable garden and there’s a lot of stuff to harvest. What should we do?”

  Paolo looks at him, confused.

  “Ok! I understand. It seems that nobody wants to work around here!”

  The appearance of Pina, pushing her stroller, interrupts the awkward moment. “Paolo! How was the concert?” She asks, full of interest. “We would’ve loved to come… but, you know, with the little one we have to forget our social life for a while.”

  “Daniel is a real artist! And the group were amazing. They played beautiful pieces…”

  “Who went in the end?”

  “Olga, the Russian cellist, Anita and Alessandra, and later Mizuki joined us.”

  “Who?!”

  “Mi-zu-ki, a Japanese friend of Anita’s. A really interesting guy. Too bad he and Anita left early.”

  “But is Mizuki her friend or her boyfriend?” Pina insists.

  “I don’
t know… I wouldn’t say boyfriend… He’s more like a forty year old man.”

  Pina doesn’t give up. “And last night there was all that fuss! Didn’t you hear anything?”

  Matteo and Paolo look at each other. ,They didn’t hear anything.

  “There were people arguing in the yard…”

  “Who were they?” Asks Matteo.

  “Well, I’m not sure… but they sounded like Daniel and his Russian girlfriend.” Pina’s imagination is working hard right now. “The mystery thickens. Now a Japanese man pops out of a hat! A fascinating Japanese guy who’s maybe Anita’s boyfriend, Anita who may be having an affair with Daniel, who happens to have a Russian girlfriend… Jesus! This is better than a soap opera!”

  *

  When Pina leaves, Matteo Spina returns to the garden discussion. “So, what shall we do, Paolo?”

  “I’m sorry Matteo! Rudy’s at work, and I’ve already got other commitments today. Can we do it another time?”

  Matteo shrugs, thinking, “I know how this will end. I’ll be the only one getting my hands dirty.” He’s just begun to pick the tender lettuce leaves when he sees Anita walking along with her head bowed. “Look at her gloomy mood on such a sunny day…” He calls out to her.

  Anita, who hadn’t noticed him, winces. “Good morning, Matteo. Sorry, I was distracted.”

  “Come over here, Anita. I want to show you something.”

  She doesn’t really want to talk about vegetables this morning, but doesn’t want to be rude either. So she enters the garden through the little gate.

  They walk along the ordered lines of vegetables that Matteo lists one by one. Then he puts his hands over her eyes.

  “Matteo! I’m not in the mood for games today!”

  “Wait, wait… now you can look!”

  Four red tulips proudly show themselves. “Here they are, those mysterious bulbs you gave me to plant…”

  The tulip bulbs that Mizuki had brought her from Japan have bloomed – blatant and cheeky, oblivious to the fact that they’re no longer together.

  “Japanese tulips!” thinks Anita, who expected something more exotic. “They look exactly like ordinary tulips, except that their petals are slightly ragged. And anyway, everybody knows that tulips don’t come from Japan or Holland, but from Persia…”

  Matteo observes her disappointment while she whispers, “Well, they don’t seem to be anything special.”

  Trying to lighten the mood, he jokes, “Maybe not in a salad, but they look beautiful to me.”

  Anita smiles, then unexpectedly she buries her face in his shoulder. He holds her. Matteo’s known her since she was a little girl. She feels safe with him. “Mizuki gave me those bulbs… you know… we broke up. Too many things have happened in the last few days…” she whispers, but her voice breaks and she begins to cry.

  Matteo doesn’t speak, he just waits, letting her cry her heart out.

  “I don’t know who he is any more! He should’ve given me more time to think about it… for him it’s easy to leave. He’s already left Japan. He asked me to go with him to London… did you know that?”

  “Well, honestly, it doesn’t seem like such a terrible proposal…”

  Anita, tears streaming down her face, turns and looks straight into his eyes. “Matteo, it’s not only that… last night at the concert we kissed.”

  “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

  “No! You don’t understand… I didn’t kiss Mizuki, I kissed Daniel!”

  “Daniel? Now I understand why you’re so upset.” He looks for the cigar in his pocket and lights it. After days of abstinence, he really needs it. He inhales and coughs. “Listen, now you have to explain what Daniel has to do with all this.”

  Anita dries her eyes with the back of her hand. “Daniel was my first love. In high school, Alessandra and I were seeing some snobbish rich boys. But Daniel seemed different. We used to walk hand in hand and I felt like I was in a dream. We both felt like we were from another planet compared to our classmates, all they wanted to do was get high and pick up girls or boys… I liked him so much. It was so easy for me to kiss him again last night.”

  Matteo is connecting the dots. The puzzle seems to be coming together: Anita’s strange reaction when she first met Daniel and her tension at the terrace party. He wonders why Anita didn’t tell him anything about Daniel. She talked to him about Mizuki. She always opened up to him and he was proud of it. “So, what’s happened with Daniel then?”

  “He wasn’t the person I thought he was. He went around bragging about our relationship to his friends, even telling them intimate details about me… he’s been an asshole! But that kiss last night turned me upside down. Matteo, I’m not sure about anything any more.” Anita looks helpless. “Do you think a person can really change?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question! I’m not sure… I think it’s difficult to change completely, I mean, to become another person. Sometimes change is only about the image we offer to other people. Think of our Alessandra… our little Allie. Who would’ve thought she’d become the person she is today?”

  When she was a child, everyone called her Allie. She was a chubby little girl who just wanted to be with Anita all the time. Matteo can almost hear her childish voice again calling, Aniiiitaaaa! “But you know, I’m not sure how much she’s changed really… it’s funny, I still remember you crying hysterically when she ruined your favourite doll!”

  When Anita was eight, her parents had given her a beautiful doll for Christmas. It had long blonde hair and a white lace dress. Anita adored her. But then Alessandra had cut the doll’s hair and painted the dress with coloured marker pens. “She looks better like this!” Allie had said. The memory brings back a strange feeling of unease in Anita.

  *

  It’s noon. Olga and Daniel have been lying in bed, back to back, for over an hour. Their bodies touch and it’s a pleasant feeling. They stay like this in silence, since Daniel has moved from the sofa to the bed. They both have so much to do, but they don’t have any desire to get up.

  Olga opens her eyes and pronounces a series of incomprehensible words, but they still sound very sweet. She doesn’t even know if Daniel is awake when she says, ‘ya lyublyu tebya’. In the twilight, the walls of the room are the colour of sand. The twisting rays of sun filter through the shutters, emphasising the thin dust in the air. Muffled voices come from outside.

  “It means, I really like you.” Olga adds.

  “I’m like you too, Olga.”

  “So, why do we argue like this?”

  “Come here.” Daniel turns towards her.

  Olga puts her head on his chest. She wants to hold him. In a low whisper she says how childish they were last night to argue about such silly things…

  “No, it’s my fault. I’ve been an asshole.” Daniel slips a hand under her t-shirt.

  “You’re so sweet when you want to be. I’m so lucky to have met you.”

  Daniel doesn’t answer. He kisses her neck, while his fingers move down to stroke her belly.

  They look deeply into each other’s eyes. Their caresses mingle and glide over their perfect bodies. He sweetly kisses her cheeks, her neck, and behind her ears. Soft kisses that come closer and closer to her lips, waiting. His hand touches her between the legs. Her body arches in pleasure. Daniel’s insistent tongue slips between her lips, and finally tastes her. He moves on top of her. Olga opens herself to him. She caresses his back and buttocks, pulling him inside her. The movements become faster and faster. They pant. “Don’t stop…” A wave of pleasure slowly swells until it overwhelms her and she loses herself in a series of moans.

  Now they’re looking at the white ceiling, at the chandelier from the seventies, and a long shadow is cast across the wall.

  Daniel gets up in silence and walks to the bathroom.

  “That was wonderful, love.” Olga hopes to have chased away the drama of the night before.

  He turns on the shower and en
joys the feeling of the hot water running over him.

  She watches him through the open door: his pecs, his firm buttocks and his long legs; she can’t resist and moves towards the bathroom. She watches when he comes out of the shower, still steaming. He takes a towel and wipes the vapour from the foggy mirror – he meets the reflection of her clear eyes.

  Two yellow cat’s eyes explode suddenly in his mind. “COMMODILLA!”

  He puts on the only one of his slippers he can find and Diego’s silly bathrobe with Italian Stallion written on the back. Still wet, he hops on one foot.

  “I put her out last night…”

  “Olga! What did you say?”

  “I was furious and that cat was in my way. I put her out on the landing…”

  “Are you crazy? I’m responsible for that cat!”

  “Don’t worry. Cats always find their way home.”

  “Maybe Russian cats! That kitten isn’t used to going out alone…”

  “Come on, don’t make a scene, Daniel…”

  “You’re a bitch!” And he rushes downstairs, leaving Olga still naked and appalled.

  Matteo Spina and Anita, still standing near the vegetable garden, see a mess of male fury running towards them wearing just one slipper and a funny bathrobe. The male fury stops in front of them yelling, “Commodilla!!” without even noticing that Anita’s eyes are puffy and red from crying.

  13

  All’s Well That Ends Well

  “Commodilla?” Now Anita is forced to focus on what’s happening Her eyes show surprise, but tears are still there. Daniel notices this, and for a moment his priorities become confused.

  Matteo keeps his cool asking, “Well, Commodilla what?”

  “Last night Olga kicked her out without telling me!” Daniel looks around and then begins to walk across the yard. After a few steps he stops. “Fuck!” He realises about the bathrobe and the solitary slipper he’s wearing. He runs home to change.

  Anita and Matteo exchange glances, then she darts towards her building. “Mum! Mummm!” She yells, opening the door.