Scandal

by Grace Kagni

  She turned on the television and watched a romantic film while she ate her take away; then throwing everything into the bin, she laid back and watched the rest of the film until it was late and went to bed.

  Alessia had a sleepless night, tossing and turning while she thought about Alessandro. The more she thought about him, the more she became frustrated and couldn't sleep. At 4:30 she got up to make a camomile tea and then sat on the sofa to watch another film until she dozed off.

  She awoke with the daylight streaming through the living room windows and felt the stiffness of her neck from sleeping on the sofa. She knew the stiffness would get worse during the day but she got up to make some coffee and breakfast before going to wash and get dressed.

  Within an hour she was dressed in her coat and boots, walking down the stairs of the apartment building on her way to Bolzano for the day. She'd packed a sandwich, a bottle of water and a couple of snacks in her backpack. She walked to the town centre to take the bus for Bolzano and while she waited for it to arrive, she looked at her phone and realized it was still turned off. As she turned it on, it chimed telling her she had a new message so she pulled it out of her pocket and looked at whom it was from. It was from Alessandro! She threw it back into her coat pocket, not wanting to read his message at that moment and looked around wondering when the bus would arrive. Just at that time, the older lady from the bus came out and greeted her. She said she was about to put a pot of coffee on and had just baked an apple pie, asking if she wanted to stop for a chat.

  Alessia smiled at her and agreed knowing she didn't really have any plans for the day and decided she could take the next bus to Bolzano, so she followed the older woman into her warm home and took off her coat before sitting at the table.

  They sat in the kitchen where there was an old wood burning stove and Alessia could smell the aroma of the apple pie that sat on the window sill to cool off. The older woman took the coffee machine and put it on the stove before taking the pie from the window.

  Alessia smiled as she watched and realized that she didn't know her name.

  "I'm sorry but we've never introduced ourselves. My name is Alessia," she said to the older woman.

  "Yes, you told me on the bus when I first met you. Perhaps you don't remember?" the older lady said as she cut two slices of pie.

  "Oh, I'm afraid I don't remember. I wasn't feeling very well and I'm sorry but I've forgotten your name," Alessia said feeling really dumb knowing she should have paid more attention the first day.

  "My name is Ariella and I'm really happy you're here for a chat," the older woman said. "My kids are busy at work during the day and I don't have much company, so it's nice to have someone visit."

  "Oh, yes. I can understand. I'm afraid I don't visit my father that often either but I know I should," Alessia said as she suddenly felt guilty for not having called the seniors' home lately. She decided she would call later to find out how her father was doing.

  Ariella put the piece of pie in front of Alessia and the delicious smell made her eyes widen with anticipation. "This smells really good!" Then Ariella poured them each a cup of coffee and joined Alessia at the table.

  They spent the next hour chatting about Ariella's family and her grandchildren until she asked Alessia where she lived and what she did for work. Alessia told her she lived in Rome and that she still had her father who lived in a seniors' home but when Alessia didn't mention anything about a husband, Ariella asked if there was someone special in her life.

  Alessia sat back a moment looking at her hands as they sat on her lap before she responded that she was in a relationship but she wasn't sure where it was going and that it was the reason she'd travelled to Bressanone - to have time to think about her future.

  Ariella put her old wrinkly hand over Alessia's that now sat on the table and looked deep into her eyes before she said, "If he is the right one - you will know it!"

  Somehow, how older woman's knowledge reassured Alessia and she looked up into the old woman's eyes, smiling in acknowledgement.

  Alessia thanked Ariella for the coffee and homemade apple pie, put on her coat and then left after promising to be back another morning for another chat.

  She went back to the bus stop and was happy to see the bus for Bolzano already waiting, so she got on and took a window seat toward the front. The heating was turned on high so she took off her coat and placed it on the seat beside her. The bus driver shut the door and started to pull away. Alessia was happy not to have anyone sitting beside her and so she put on her earphones and listened to music as she watched the beautiful scenery while the bus drove through the town to the autoroute. She closed her eyes a moment and thought about what Ariella had told her about love. She would know if he was the right one - she thought she knew but now she was so confused that she really didn't know if she could trust her own judgement.

  The bus drive was lovely as they drove past small towns, typical South-Tirol style with hanging baskets of flowers over wooden balconies. The flowers were reaching the end of their season, getting ready for winter but their colours were still beautiful in contrast to the dark wood of the balconies.

  As the bus pulled into Bolzano, Alessia felt a rush of excitement as she looked at the beauty of nature that surrounded it. After the bus stopped in centre town, she put on her coat and picked up her backpack before exiting the bus. The temperature seemed to be colder, so she pulled up her hood to protect her head and throat from the chill of the cold wind. Putting her hands in her pockets to keep them warm, she felt her phone buzz. She knew it would be Alessandro and she debated for a moment whether she should look at his message or not but after a few moments of hesitation, she pulled it out of her pocket and read his message.

  Darling, I know I promised not to contact you but I just need to know that you are ok? Are you ok? I miss you very much but I understand your need to have time to think things over.

  With all my love, Alessandro

  She hesitated a moment and then wrote back to him telling him she was fine then she pulled shut her hood tighter blocking off the coldness of the wind.

  She spent the day visiting what the city had to offer. She sat in the city's main square while she had her lunch and enjoyed watching other tourists do the same. Looking around at the people, she tried to guess where they were from. It was a game she'd played since she was small to pass time but right now, she looked around and noticing couples in love or families together, a sudden sadness fell over her wondering if she'd ever have someone to spend the rest of her life with.

  Luckily her melancholy sadness passed and she got up, deciding to continue her sightseeing. She couldn't feel the tip of her fingers and so she put her hands in her pockets, making her aware of her only connection to her life was in her pocket.

  She pulled out her phone and looked at Alessandro's messages again, reading every word and understanding that she loved him no matter what he was accused of doing because what she realized was that she needed to trust that he was innocent. She had always been a strong believer that the truth always came out and so she decided she would call him when she got back to the rented apartment to see how he was. Three days had passed since she'd left and the only connection she'd had were his text messages.

  As she walked by a newsstand, she saw the numerous newspapers on display and noticed the headlines still captured the "scandal" that Alessandro was being accused of having participated. Alessia pulled out her wallet and purchased one of the papers, wanting to read what the journalists were saying about what happened.

  She slipped it into her backpack and continued her sightseeing until daylight started to disappear, deciding it was time to leave so she walked to the bus stop and got back on the bus that took her back to Bressanone.

  Her legs were heavy as she walked up to the fourth floor and as soon as she entered the warmth of the rented apartment, she peeled off her coat and took off her boots.

  She made herself a warm tea and sat at the dining table to
read the newspaper. Her heart ached after reading the reporters account of what happened in the hotel. The paper talked about new witnesses that came forward to give new information, incriminating more people and proving the innocence of others but it didn't mention the names of those who could be innocent. The truth was finally coming out!

  After putting aside the paper, she looked at the time and noticed it was 20:00. Hoping that Alessandro would be at home at this time, she picked up her phone and sent him a text message.

  Are you at home? Can I call you?

  Alessia

  A few seconds later, her phone rang and she knew instantly it was Alessandro.

  "Alessia? Is everything ok?"

  "Yes, I just wanted to call you to say hi," she whispered into the phone. She wasn't sure why she was whispering but she suddenly felt her heart clench at the sound of his voice and she was nearly breathless from talking to him. Her hands started to feel clammy, like it was the first time she was calling him and after a few deep breaths, she seemed to calm down.

  "Hi!" Then there was a long moment of silence. "Alessia?

  "Yes, I'm here!"

  "Are you alright?" he said with worry in his tone.

  "Yes, I'm ok. I'm in Northern Italy where it's really cold and I just wanted to hear your voice."

  He smiled realizing that he hadn't lost her totally as he'd originally feared. "Are you keeping warm?"

  His voice was a soft caress in her ear and as she closed her eyes, she could almost feel him standing beside her.

  "Yes."

  "I miss you - I miss you more than you can ever imagine!"

  "I'll be home soon," she said as she opened her eyes and looked down at the paper that still sat on the dining table.

  "When?" he anxiously asked hoping it would be soon.

  "I don't know just yet but I'll call you again in a couple of days."

  "Ok. Take care of yourself."

  "Good night," she whispered into the phone.

  "Good night," he whispered back.

  She cut the connection and sat with the phone in her hand a while as she thought about what she really wanted. She wanted to know that he was innocent and that they could go on with their lives as they'd planned but even if he were innocent, how could they move forward after something like this tore them apart? She sat feeling more confused than before but with resolve, she put her phone down on the dining table and turned on the television, looking for a romantic film. She was in the mood for an old fashioned romantic girlie film and after flipping the channels a few times; she stopped as she found just what she needed.

  She went quickly to change into her pyjama and then still feeling the chill of the outdoors; she went into the kitchen to make herself a bowl of warm soup.

  Alessia sat on the sofa watching the film as the vegetable soup was cooking and when it was ready, she filled a mug with the delicious smelling soup and sat on the sofa while she continued to watch the film. Her mind wandered a couple of times to Alessandro's voice when they'd talked earlier and she felt butterflies fluttering in her belly when she thought about him. She missed him too - missed him terribly and being away wasn't giving her the clarity she needed. She decided she would stay the week and then go back to Rome to hear his side of the story. She owed him at least the possibility to tell her what happened.

  Her heart seemed to find peace after she'd decided to return to Rome within the next few days and as she'd been lost in her thoughts, she noticed the film finished so she turned off the television and went to bed.

  She wasn't very sleepy but she tried to think about the good things she'd shared with Alessandro, always bringing to mind his gentleness and attention from the moment he started falling in love with her.

  She dozed off sometime during the night but then awoke when it was early morning feeling cold and nauseated. She wondered if she was coming down with the flu. Turning over, she slumbered off to sleep.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alessia awoke feeling every bone in her body aching. As she turned over, she realized that she didn't have the strength to get up, as if a truck had hit her during the night, so she closed her eyes and felt her head spinning more. Suddenly feeling something coming up from her stomach, she put her hand over her mouth and crawled out of bed, running to the bathroom.

  After a long while, the waves of nausea subsided and then started again as soon as she tried to get up to go back to bed, so she spent most of the morning on the bathroom floor until she had enough strength to go to the kitchen to make a warm tea with lemon, hoping it would settle her stomach.

  She crawled back into bed with the hot tea, feeling a little better but then as soon as she took a sip of tea, the bouts of nausea came back but she sipped her tea while she went back and forth from the bed to the bathroom. After a while she noticed the nausea stopped and her stomach welcomed the tea, which had now become cold. She was suddenly overcome by sleepiness, so a moment after closing her eyes, she fell asleep.

  She slept most of the day and awoke in late afternoon feeling a little better. Her legs were still weak but she got up and went to make herself another hot tea with lemon since she didn't think she could eat anything solid.

  When the tea was ready, she went back to bed and after propping up the pillows to sit up, she turned on the television not wanting to sleep more. While she flipped through the channels, she saw Alessandro's name pop up on a breaking news report and so she turned up the volume on the television.

  The reporters were in front of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Rome and the banner on the bottom read that Alessandro was brought in to the Hospital earlier with the Ambulance. They didn't know more than that but that they would be reporting back later when they had more information.

  Alessia's heart suddenly groped at her throat and the first thing she thought of was to call Valentina. Picking up her phone, she dialled Valentina's number. She responded on the second ring.

  "Pronto?"

  "Valentina? This is Alessia. Is Alessandro ok?" Alessia whispered barely having the strength to raise her voice.

  "We don't know just yet."

  "What happened?" Alessia had to know.

  "We think he had a heart attach. The surgeon is operating him as we speak," Valentina's voice was weak as she spoke.

  Tears started to fall down Alessia's face as she thought of losing Alessandro.

  "Alessia? Are you there?"

  "Yes, I'm here."

  "I don't know if you've heard but Alessandro's been proven innocent and all the charges are being dropped. It would be really nice to have you here with us," Valentina said, hoping it would be enough to convince Alessia to return.

  After letting out a long breath she didn't know she was holding in, Alessia said, "Of course - I'll be there as soon as I can."

  "Thank you," Valentina whispered before hanging up.

  Alessia sat on the bed watching the images on the television as they showed the reporters outside the hospital. She knew immediately that she needed to go to Alessandro. He needed her and she couldn't let him down as a friend. She didn't know if they still had a future together but right now, all she knew was that she had to go to him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Alessia anxiously looked out the window as the train sped by the various towns. Her stomach was in knots. What if she didn't get there in time? What if she didn't have a chance to tell him how much she still cared? What if she was too late? She shook her head to clear those thoughts away, hoping to make it in time to tell him how sorry she was for having doubted him.

  The train finally pulled into the Termini train station in Rome and as soon as she managed to pull her bag off the train, she went directly to the taxi area to catch a taxi. Within minutes she was sitting in the back of a taxi driving through Rome centre towards the Isola Tiberina to the Fatebenefratelli Hospital.

  The taxi wove through the busy streets until if finally made its way to the Lungotevere until it stopped at Ponte Fabricio. Alessia paid the taxi fa
re and then walked over the bridge to the entrance of the hospital but as she stepped inside, she realized she didn't know where to go so she looked at the large chart indicating the different wards and when she saw the Cardiology ward was on the second floor of the B stairs, she walked toward the elevator and stepped inside.

  When the elevator doors opened on the second floor, she was surprised to see the area was swarming with reporters. Guards held back reporters and as soon as she stepped off the elevator, she too was pushed into the crowd of journalists.

  "Hey, I'm not a reporter!" she shouted but her voice was barely heard over the chatter of the reporters.

  Alessia took out her phone and sent a quick message to Valentina to tell her that she was there but that the guards wouldn't let her pass. A few minutes later, one of Alessandro's guards, recognizing her, pulled her out of the crowd and escorted her down the corridor to Alessandro's room.

  She was shown to a room where she needed to put on a surgical gown, cap, gloves, shoe covers and mask before she could go into Alessandro's room. He was in a sterile room and visitors were allowed in only if they put on sterile garments. While Alessia was putting on the sterile garments, the severity of it suddenly hit her. He must be really sick if he was in a sterile room.

  Moments later, as she glanced at her reflection in the windowpane while she walked toward his room, a strong feeling of insecurity overwhelmed her. What was she to say to him? What if he didn't want to speak to her? What if he wouldn't forgive her for leaving?

  She took a deep breath and walked into his room but as soon as she stepped in, she stopped as she saw his beautiful body full of tubes. His eyes were closed but she could see deep dark circles under his eyes, making her anxiety and guilt come to the surface. Valentina sat beside him on the chair and as soon as Alessia took another step, she turned to look up. Valentina got up and went to pull her into a hug, an affectionate hug that Alessia didn't think she deserved.