Babi lunged at them in a rage. “Get out! Get out of here. Immediately!”
At the sound of that shouting, Dario and another guy came out of the kitchen with beers in hand. The Sicilian arrived, too, with a young woman. They were both red-faced. Step figured they must have just done what he and Babi hadn’t even attempted. Well, so much the better for them!
Babi started pushing them all out the door, one by one. “Get out of here, every last one of you…out!”
Amused, they allowed themselves to be herded out, making even more noise on their way. Step helped. “Come on, guys, out you go.”
Last of all, he shoved Pollo out the door. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“But all I did was call Hook. It’s his fault that he passed the word to all the others.”
“Shut up.” Step gave him a kick in the ass and sent him staggering out the door.
“Look, just look at what a mess those vandals made of the place.” Babi pointed out the broken lamp and the sofa stained with beer. Potato chips were scattered everywhere. Babi had tears in her eyes.
Step didn’t know what to say. He hugged her. “Forgive me. Come on, I’ll help you clean up.”
“No, thanks, I’d rather do it alone.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No, but you’d better get out of here. The parents will be back soon.”
At the door, Step turned around one last time. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help you?”
“Positive.”
They exchanged a hasty kiss. Then she shut the door.
Step went downstairs. He looked around but there was no one in sight. He got on his motorcycle and drove off.
Babi collected the shattered pieces of the broken lamp, threw them in the trash, and then mopped the floor and cleaned up the stains on the sofa. When she was done, she looked around. Well, it could have been worse. I’ll just say that the lamp fell over while I was playing with Giulio.
The little boy couldn’t contradict her story in any case. He was lying there, fast asleep, exhausted by all the excitement.
Chapter 32
The next morning, Step woke up and went to the gym. But he wasn’t going to train. He was looking for someone. And in the end, he found him. His name was Giorgio. He was a young kid, about fifteen, who had boundless admiration for Step. He wasn’t alone in that admiration. Giorgio’s friends also spoke of Step as a sort of god, a myth, an idol. They knew all the stories about him, everything that people said about him, and they did nothing but add even more to what had become a sort of urban legend by now.
That boy was a trusted accomplice. The only person Step could have asked a favor like this without running the risk of looking like an absolute fool. In part because, where admiration left off, sheer terror began.
After talking with Step, Giorgio was inside Falconieri High School. He walked along, shoulder brushing the hallway walls, and finally managed to sneak into Classroom 3B, Babi’s class. Signora Giacci was teaching a lesson, but strangely, she said nothing.
Babi was speechless. She looked at the enormous bouquet of red roses on her desk. Amused, she read the note: My friends are a bit of a disaster, but I promise that this evening, when we have dinner at my house, we’ll be all alone. From: Someone Who Had Nothing to Do with It.
The news soon made the rounds at school. When the principal learned about it, she flew into a complete rage. No one had ever done anything like it before.
After the school day was over, Babi descended the front steps of the school with that enormous bouquet of red roses in her arms, sweeping away any remaining doubts. Everyone was talking about her. Daniela was proud of her sister. Raffaella got even angrier, and Claudio, naturally, received another dressing-down.
That afternoon, Step was organizing a collection of drawings by Andrea Pazienza, when someone rang the doorbell.
It was Pallina. “Oh, first I was the cupid in this affair, and now I’m the mailman. Next time, what role am I going to have to play?”
Step laughed. Then he took the package from her hands and thanked her. He opened it. In it was a pink-flowered apron and a note. I accept, but only if you cook, and especially if you do it while wearing this little gift of mine. PS I’ll be there, but at eight thirty, no earlier, because that’s when my folks go out!
A short while later, Step was in his brother’s office.
“Paolo, I absolutely need the place to myself tonight.”
“But I already invited Manuela over.”
“Well, you’re just going to have to change that invitation to some other day. Come on, you can see Manuela whenever you want. Darn it, Babi can only come tonight.”
“Babi? The daughter of the guy who came to our house?”
“Yes, why?”
“That guy seemed pretty mad to me. Did you finally talk to him?”
“Of course I did. We went and played pool together, and we even got drunk.”
“You both got drunk?”
“Yes, or, well…actually, he got drunk all by himself.”
“Did you get him to drink?”
“What do you mean, did I get him to drink? He did the drinking all on his own. Come on! We’re agreed, right? Tonight, you go out. All clear?”
Then, without waiting for an answer, he hurried out of the office. He was so caught up in the things he had to do that he didn’t even notice the especially sunny smile that he got from Paolo’s secretary.
From his house, he phoned Pollo. He warned him not to come by, not to call on the phone, and especially not to start trouble of any kind. “Listen, your life depends on not screwing this up. Actually, it’s more serious than that. Our friendship depends on it, and I’m not kidding!”
Then he drew up a grocery list, went to the supermarket downstairs, and bought just about everything that came to hand, even a box of those English butter biscuits his brother liked so much. After all, Paolo deserved it. All things considered, he was a good brother.
By eight o’clock, everything was ready. Step had listened to the latest American hits on the radio. He hadn’t put on Babi’s apron, but to make up for that, he’d laid it out on a chair nearby, ready to lie brazenly when the time came.
He looked at the results of his hard work. Carpaccio with Parmesan cheese and arugula. A mixed salad with avocado and a fruit salad seasoned with maraschino liqueur. Memories surfaced. He’d eaten that fruit salad often when he was a boy…
He let the memories slip away. He was happy now. This was going to be his special evening, and he didn’t want anything to ruin it.
Pleased and satisfied, he checked the table, adjusting the placement of a napkin. He really was quite the chef.
He started wandering around the apartment, a little nervous now. He washed his hands. He sat down on the sofa. He smoked a cigarette, and then he turned on the television set. He brushed his teeth. A quarter after eight. Time didn’t seem to be passing at all.
In fifteen minutes, she’d be here, they’d eat dinner together, and they’d chat comfortably. They’d have the sofa to themselves without anyone to disturb them. Then they’d go into his bedroom and then…
No, Babi would never do it. It was too soon. Or maybe she would. There’s no such thing as too soon for certain things. They’d spend some time together, and then maybe it would happen.
He tried to remember the words of a song by Lucio Battisti. How did it go? “What a sensation of faint madness I feel coloring my soul, the record player, the lights down low, and then…iced champagne and the adventure can…” Damn it. That’s what I forgot! The champagne! It’s essential!
Step went quickly into the kitchen and pulled open all of the cabinets. No good. There was nothing but a pinot grigio. He put it in the freezer. Well, that’s still better than nothing.
At that very moment, the telephone rang. It was Babi. “I can’t come.” Her voice was cold and annoyed.
“Why not? I’ve prepared everything. I even put on the apron you gave me,” Step l
ied.
“Signora Mariani called. She’s missing a gold necklace with diamond settings. She blames me. Don’t ever call me again.” Babi hung up.
A short while later, Step was at Pollo’s house. “Who the fuck could it have been? Do you realize? Nice fucking friends I have.”
“Come on, Step, don’t talk like that! How many times have we all gone to someone’s house and stolen things? Practically at every party we’ve ever been to.”
“Yes, but never at one of our girlfriends’ houses!”
“Well, that wasn’t Babi’s house…”
“No, but she’s being held responsible for it. You need to help me make up a list of everyone who was there…”
Step pulled out a sheet of paper. Then he frantically hunted around for a pen.
“Oh, don’t you ever have anything to write with around here?”
“There’s no need. I know who took the necklace.”
“Who?”
Then Pollo said a name, the one name that Step really wished he hadn’t heard. It was the Sicilian who’d stolen it.
* * *
Step was riding his motorcycle in the night. He’d chosen not to ask Pollo to come with him. This was a matter between him and the Sicilian, and no one else.
Going to his house and demanding that necklace back was tantamount to calling him a thief. No one would be especially happy to be accused of such a thing, least of all the Sicilian. He was especially touchy about things like that.
When the Sicilian came downstairs, his smile promised nothing good.
“Ciao, Sicilian. Listen, I don’t want to fight with you.”
A fist hit Step right in the face. Step staggered backward. This was definitely not what he’d expected. He shook his head, trying to see clearly. The Sicilian came right at him but Step stopped him with a straight-on kick.
Then while he was catching his breath, Step thought about the dinner he’d prepared, the flowered apron, and how he had wanted everything to be different tonight. He wanted a relaxed evening at home with his girlfriend in his arms. But that’s not how it had turned out.
The Sicilian was there, in front of him, in position. He was gesturing with both hands, urging him to come forward. “Come on, then, let’s do this.”
Step shook his head and took a deep breath. Fuck, he thought, I don’t know why it is, but my dreams never seem to come true.
At that very moment, the Sicilian lunged forward. This time, Step was ready for him. He darted to one side and smashed his fist into the Sicilian’s face with a powerful, precise punch. He felt the Sicilian’s nose crumple as his fist dug in, the already soft, battered cartilage crunching again. The Sicilian’s eyebrows furrowed in pain. Then Step saw his face, that grimace, the lower lip as he tasted his own blood. He saw him smile, and, at that moment, realized how difficult this was all going to be.
* * *
Babi was sitting on the sofa. She was listlessly watching TV while sipping a rosehip herbal tea when someone rang the doorbell. She got up to answer the door.
“Who is it?”
“Me.”
Step was there in front of her. His hair was tousled, his shirt was torn, and his right eyebrow was still bleeding.
“What happened to you?”
“Nothing. But I found the necklace.” He raised his right hand. Signora Mariani’s gold choker was there, glittering in the dim light of the landing. “Now can you come out to dinner?”
Babi, after giving Signora Mariani her necklace back and inevitably losing her position as a babysitter, let Step take her to his house. But when they opened the door, they were faced with a terrible surprise. At the little table in the middle of the living room, illuminated by a romantic candle, sat Manuela. A moment later, Paolo came in from the kitchen. He was carrying the fruit salad that Step had prepared and, as if that weren’t bad enough, he was also wearing the flowered apron that Babi had given him.
Paolo looked at Step, who was standing, frozen in disbelief, at the door. “Ciao, Step. Sorry, eh…but I called, and there wasn’t any answer. So we came home, and we waited awhile but by then it was ten o’clock. So we said to ourselves, ‘They’re not coming, after all.’ So we started to eat. Isn’t that true?”
He sought out Manuela’s confirmation, and she nodded and gave him a feeble smile.
Step looked at his plate. There were still bits of his fruit salad. “And you polished it off, too, I see. Well, how was the dinner, at least? Was it good?”
“Delicious.” Manuela seemed to mean what she said. Then she fell silent again. She’d realized that it was a question that wasn’t really asking for an answer.
“Okay, Paolo, just lend me your car then, and we’ll go out for something to eat.”
Paolo set the fruit salad down on the table. “Well, actually…”
“Actually what? Don’t you dare, okay? You ate everything I made for our dinner, and now you’re arguing?” Step stepped closer. “Come on. Out with the keys.”
Paolo decided that, all things considered, Step had a point. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and entrusted them to his brother’s hands with a timid “Take it easy, though, okay?”
Step headed for the door. “By the way, I bought you your butter biscuits. If you want dessert, they’re in the kitchen cabinet.”
Paolo gave him a faint smile, but by now his thoughts were focused entirely on his silver VW Golf and what was likely to become of it.
Step and Babi went to a small crêperie over near the Pyramid of Cestius. Then, even though they were giddy with the bubbles of the beer they’d drunk, they dismissed the idea of going back to his house. Babi didn’t want to because his brother was there.
At that point, Step, cursing Paolo and his girlfriend, turned left and headed up Gianicolo Hill. Spread out before them, the city lay sleeping. They parked at the fork in the road where the gardens were, surrounded by other cars whose windshields were already fogged up with lovemaking.
Step changed the radio to 92.7, the romantic station. He reached out to Babi and started kissing her. Despite the pain in his dislocated shoulder, his aching sternum, and his ribs still sore from the pounding the Sicilian had given them, desire erased all his bruises. Impassioned kisses overcame any physical difficulties.
But then the hand brake got in the way and the knob to lower the seat back stuck. Step smelled her soft, sweet-smelling skin and made another attempt to lower the seat back. Nothing doing, it was still stuck. And so, while he used his right hand to turn the knob, he braced his foot against the dashboard and pushed with all his strength. There was a crack, and the seat back went straight down and Babi went with it. Step went with Babi, and they both laughed.
Each of them grabbed the other’s jeans, madly unbuttoning as if it were a race. Then Babi slowed down, inexpert and embarrassed, shutting her eyes, and in the end, holding him tight.
When she realized that Step wanted to go further, she stopped him. “No, what are you doing?”
“Nothing.” Step smiled. “Just seeing what I could get away with.”
Babi pushed him away, annoyed now. “No, seriously, here in the car?” She looked dreamily out the car window. “My first time has to be something beautiful, in a romantic place with the perfume of fresh flowers and the moon.”
“The moon is out.” Step opened the sunroof a little. “You see? It’s a little cloudy, but there’s a moon. And also just take a whiff of that…” He inhaled. “There are lots of flowers around here. What more could you ask for? This location is romantic. Come on, we’re even tuned to Tele Radio Stereo. It’s perfect!”
Babi started laughing. “I had something else in mind.” She looked at her watch. “It’s really late. If my folks get home and I’m not there, they’ll ground me again. Let’s go.”
She pulled up her jeans. Step got dressed again, too, and then together they tried to fix Babi’s seat. Nothing doing. They drove back, laughing, with the seat back sagging. Every time the car accelerated, Babi wound up flat
on her back. They imagined all the possible excuses he could offer his brother.
Step shook his head thinking back over that evening’s events. With this finale, it had turned tragic.
He walked Babi to the door and said good night. Then he drove fast through the night.
Chapter 33
Babi was holding on tight to Step as she rode, head resting on his back and eyes half-shut. But even if they hadn’t been, she still wouldn’t have been able to see a thing. Step had blindfolded her. Suddenly it felt as if she were flying, a cool wind caressing her hair and the scent of broom plants redolent in the air.
She wondered where she was. How long had it been since they left? She tried to calculate in terms of the cassette tape she was listening to. The first part had just ended. Now she was on the B side. About a quarter of the way through. The best she could remember, it must be a C90 tape. So it had been a little over an hour since they’d left. Where were they heading?
She thought about when Step had come to pick her up. She’d been in Fregene, dining at Mastino with the rest of her class. They were celebrating the last hundred days of school. They’d only just finished eating and were taking a stroll on the beach. A few of her friends were playing capture the flag while she was sitting on a pedal boat chatting with Pallina.
Then she’d seen him. Step was walking toward her with that smile on his face, with those sunglasses and that jacket. Babi’s heart leaped to her throat.
Pallina noticed immediately. “Hey, don’t die on me, okay?”
Babi had given her a quick smile, and then she’d taken off at a dead run to meet Step. And she’d left with him without even asking him how he’d managed to track her down or where he was taking her now.
She’d waved goodbye to her classmates with a distracted “Ciao.” Some of them had stopped playing and had watched her go. Envious and dreamy, they wished they could take her place with their arms wrapped around Step, a solid A-Plus.
One Step to You Page 24
