The boy went on until he disappeared from their sight.
He returned after a few minutes. His face was beaded with sweat. In his mouth he was clutching a large super red rose: «This is for you! »
Jessica brought it to her face and became drunk with its perfume. Then, with the longest thorn she pricked her index finger, from which drops of blood fell.
«Now it's your turn, bring your fingers! »
Giuseppe moaned in pain, Sidney barely felt the sting.
Jessica, with her chin raised and in a flat tone, she uttered: «Today we make a blood pact. As soon as our fingers touch and our blood mixes, we'll be friends forever. » She raised her injured finger towards the sky and the other two friends did the same.
The three indexes touched, vibrating like the swords of the three musketeers.
«Friends Forever! » The girl shouted.
"Friends Forever!" Echoed the other two, in chorus.
A solemn silence, as if in prayer, fell down on the three friends. Light beams of a tired sun penetrated among the branches of the orange threes. The leaves of the trees rustled. The chirping of the sparrows and the chirp of crickets was silenced by the prolonged call of the hawk that echoed in the clear air, as powerful as the roar of a thunder.
«Love, it is time to come back inside. Dinner is almost ready» Cristina said softly, walking hurriedly towards her daughter.
Ms. Recosi was a very charming woman. The black long hair framed a face with features a bit melancholic, but with all the signs of beauty and intelligence.
She was wearing cotton pants and a wool cardigan that highlighted her voluptuous curves. «Boys you are coming for dinner too. I already called your houses. »
The two friends thanked her, but declined the invitation. They did not want to leave their moms to dine alone.
The sun slowly sank into the sea, with the last dim rays it managed to alight the poppies, while the sunflowers welcomed with open petals that last faint heat of the day, crushed by their own yellow splendor.
CHAPTER 6
Sidney stepped down from the cab to walk the few kilometers that separated him from Manhattan.
As he walked down on Park Avenue, he felt the warm sun warm his face and he felt good, at peace with the world. He breathed in the scent of begonias that gave color to the street and finally felt at home.
People seemed so happy and smiling!
Almost without realizing it, he began to hum: «How beautiful is my New York! How I've missed my little one! I love you, my sweet New York! »
He walked for a long time with his hands in his pockets and blissful smile on his face, at least until he came near his old home in Manhattan.
It was an elegant red-brick building, walked up the steps and in the doorbell he read the name "Mr. Oliver Watford."
He felt a sense of disgust, his house inhabited by strangers was causing him nausea.
He thought of his father browsing the pages of the New York Post, with his head leaning over the back of his favorite chair, the one with green felt at the corner of the living room; next to him, Nicoletta struggled to work on her articles, sitting in front of the mahogany desk with its rolling shutters that dated back to the eighteenth century.
He spat on the ground as if in this way he could expel the filth that he felt inside, and then he sat down on the last step of the entrance stairway.
He went up and down the steps of the building at least twenty times, before deciding to ring the bell.
He wanted to see the faces of the people who lived there, who played the walnut piano, what pictures adorned now the white wall above the sofa, who was watching the satellite TV that he and his father had chosen at Bloomingdale's.
The door opened. An elderly woman, with narrow mouth and wrinkled face, looked at him annoyed:
«What do you want, young man? » The words struggled to come out. Her lips could barely move. «If you are here to sell me something, know that I will not buy anything. »
Sidney took a glimpse inside the house, then swallowed and murmured:
«I'm sorry, I'm sorry for disturbing you. » He turned his back hunched and walked with his eyes down.
He had caught a glimpse of a fully transformed home that was dominated by pastel colors, the light pink walls, antique-style furniture, and the peach-colored sofa full of colorful cushions.
The piano was no longer there, the green felt chair, the mahogany desk, the elegant gray lamp that protruded like a magic snake on a large Persian rug. Only the fireplace had been kept, but it was turned on, his family, however, kept it always off. It was only an aesthetic decor.
"It's like they stole my childhood" Sidney was thinking as he walked casually down the street, instead of on the sidewalk. "I know they're only things, objects, but when you are disappointed by the people, then you get attached to things, you believe that they will not hurt you, that you are on control."
The sudden sound of a taxi’s horn awoke the man from his thoughts. «You idiot, look where you're standing! Do you want to get run over? If you really want to walk in the street, at least stay close to the sidewalk. »
Sidney stared at the man with the ugly face. He had a wide mouth like an oven and when he railed against him that mouth was moving all over the place, ridiculous, clumsy. Even when he stopped screaming, his lips stayed always a little half-open, like a wound that does not heal.
Suddenly he felt alone.
He stopped at a newsstand and bought a copy of the New York Post. He was not going to read it. He only wanted to smell the pages, that penetrating aroma of when the ink caresses the paper.
«Dad» she said softly, and he felt more and more alone.
He threw the paper in the trash and walked on sixty-Seventh Street, to the store "Dalva Brothers".
He walked between an inlaid side board from the late 1800s. He looked at a hand-painted Tuscan jewel case from the early 1900s. At the end, he arrived to a Venetian neoclassical desk from the second half of the 1700s.
It had no rolling shutter, but otherwise it was very similar to his mother’s one.
Gently caressed the top shelf. He loved the slight feeling caused by the contact between the mahogany and his fingers. He thought back to when, as a child, he did it secretly. Her mother would beat him even if he had only approached her desk.
The employee approached him. He was a young man with broad and strong shoulders whose expensive suit could barely contain.
«Sir, are you interested in buying this article? » He asked in a polite voice, giving him a prefabricated smile.
«No, I just wanted to take a look. »
The man muttered annoyed and walked away.
Sidney felt increasingly alone.
Almost without realizing it, he arrived to the 49th of Broadway.
The Crowne Plaza loomed huge in the sky, in Midtown, between the bright lights of the Great White Way.
Sidney pulled out, from the pocket of his silk trousers, the note that the hostess had left him.
"So be it" he said entering the hotel.
Class and comfort were the elements that jumped to the eye from the scenic and immense lobby. Sidney sat on a comfortable blue felt armchair. He looked around but failed to locate the woman.
He stood up, decided to leave. But before, he made a visit to the lounge bar.
He sat on a stool with tall legs and said to the bartender:
«A Scotch. »
A hand caressed his shoulder and a voice whispered in his ear:
«I'll have one too. »
The uniform of the hostess did not do justice to her beauty. However the silky long black evening dress stuck to her body like a second skin, highlighting her two voluptuous breasts with a milky whiteness.
They left their glasses almost full and immediately went to the room, in the twenty-first floor.
The woman took a bottle of beer from the mini fridge and drank it in one gulp, eagerly. A trickle of beer slowly rolled down the throat, towards her V neckline
.
Sidney sank his face between her breasts, squeezed the slender hips and licked those drops of beer mixed with sweat and woman scent.
With expert hands, he slipped off the dress, discovering that the woman was not wearing any lingerie.
The man was at the height of excitement. He didn’t even undressed. He limited himself to open the button of his pants and lower them to the knees, and then he threw himself to the bed. The woman straddled on top of him and began the sex dance. Their wet and hot bodies writhed, slithered and twitched, always in search of pleasure, until they finally reached the perfect ecstasy.
The next day Sidney woke up at dawn. The rays of a warm winter sun filtered through the window, flooding the room with light and illuminating the body of the woman, who was sleeping peacefully in a face-down position. Her long blond hair was scattered over her bare shoulders, the curve of her back lowered gently, then he rose up again, forming two firm and perfect buttocks.
The woman slightly opened her eyes. She seemed to wake up and turned around, but immediately fell back asleep.
Sidney saw that the patch of hair in the between her legs turned red and he felt like fainting. That body was a work of art and he was having an attack of Stendhal Syndrome.
He got out of bed, took a quick shower and wrote a note: "You are as beautiful as a goddess, and as warm as a woman. Goodbye" and he left it on the pillow, being careful not to wake her.
Before leaving the room, he opened the closet and looked at the tag in the hostess’ jacket, Emma, "What a beautiful name" Sidney thought while he felt infinitely alone.
CHAPTER 7
The years of middle school passed quietly. Jessica, Giuseppe and Sidney were always together.
When you're young, friendship is a special and magical bond. When you finally encounter true friends, the time spent together is never enough.
To them, very little was enough to be happy. A walk, an ice cream, to sit on a bench, eating cherries directly from the branches, the water balloons in summer, tobogganing in winter.
Their friendship was a happy haven where to seek refuge, a dome against the adult world full of problems, always sad or angry.
Sometimes it happened that they were in silence for an hour. They stayed lying on the grass doing nothing, and they would still feel at ease. For them it was enough being together to feel good. There was no need to do anything fun or talk about interesting things.
Their love was pure, sincere, the kind of love that lasts forever. Even if life had separated them, that feeling would stay and would, like an invisible thread, keep them together wherever they have gone.
But childhood does not last forever. Suddenly you realize that instead of playing hide and seek with that person, you would rather kiss her, instead of sitting at home watching cartoons you would rather go out shopping and buying clothes that fit you well.
Girls mature earlier than boys, and Jessica was not an exception.
With adolescence she became even more beautiful, her body sprang, her breasts became prominent, and her warm voice was the beginning of the flowering of a beautiful woman.
The suitors in town increased greatly, but she had never felt any attraction for anyone, at least until she received a text message from Mario, considered one of the most handsome guys in town.
He practiced soccer with the students of the Reggina. He had lean physique, sculpted abs, blond hair, green eyes and delicate but strong features.
Mario, despite all the admirers, had chosen Jessica and, for the first time, Jessica had chosen a boy.
On November 14th. 1996, Jessica left home for her first date with a guy.
The meeting would take place in the Scalea district, near the Monument, where there was the so-called "bench of lovers", so named by many couples of adolescents because it was located in a secluded place and dimly lit.
Jessica left the house wearing a long coat, a black scarf and a pink wool hat. Her blue eyes and her smile were the only visible things.
Winter had arrived with arrogance to town: from the dark blanket of clouds, snow was swirling down, in small and graceful snowflakes, covering with its white coat the red autumn leaves. The chilly breeze swept through the deserted streets. From the chimneys, small smoke puffs rose into the dark sky.
But that night the snow had stopped falling and the clouds had thinned, letting the bright starry sky illuminate the pair of teenagers.
Jessica was very awkward; however Mario expressed confidence in every word and gesture.
The boy hugged her by the shoulders with his arm. He said in a stilted voice "relax" and tried to kiss her.
But as soon as their mouths touched Jessica drew back, she put her fingers to her lips and wiped them as if she wanted to erase the contact. Without saying a word, she ran away, leaving the boy surprised and confused.
She crossed the entire town and arrived in via Croce. She knocked so many times on the green door, until his friend opened.
«Easy, are you trying to break the door? » said Sidney jokingly, but immediately after becoming aware that his friend was crying, his voice sounded warm and trembling: «What happened to you? Are you ok? »
The girl wiped her tears with the back of her hands, sucked in her nose and she calmed down.
«Yes, everything is ok. »
Sidney made her sit in his room.
Jessica had been so many times in that room, the poster of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was stuck above the bed and a basketball autographed by Ginobili had been her presents.
In the window curtain there still was the burning that she had done. They had stolen a cigarette from Nicoletta and, even if it had only been to demonstrate bravado, they had tried to smoke it.
All three of them were at the window, Sidney took the first puff, then he passed it to Giuseppe and finally to her, but she was nervous, her hand was shaking, so the cigarette ended up on the curtain, burning a hole.
But that day, it was different. It was the first time that Jessica had been alone with Sidney.
They were sitting on the bed, the boy with gentle voice asked her, «What happened? Didn’t you have a date with Mario? »
«Yes, I went. » A new tear formed at the corner of her eye.
Sidney jumped up to stand.
«Don’t tell me that he treated you badly? I’ll go find him and ... »
Jessica tugged at the sleeve of his shirt, the boy sat down again, very close to her.
After a few minutes of silence, Jessica took courage and uncertainly confessed:
«When Mario came close to kiss me, I understood everything, my heart opened. I was with Mario, but I was thinking about someone else, and my stomach clenched. I had only seen him a few hours before, but I missed his face and his presence. »
Sidney held her hand tightly, the girl continued: «It became clear to me that what I feel about this guy goes beyond friendship. I thought I could control these feelings, but I can’t. I do not know what to do, because on one hand I don’t want to lose him as a friend, I do not want things to change between us, but on the other hand, I feel that instead I should accept these emotions, stop thinking and act on them. »
Sidney listened excited, a whirlwind of feelings burst into him. He thought a thousand words, but then he managed to say four of them: «You're so beautiful. »
Jessica leaned slowly towards him and closed her eyes waiting for the kiss. Her heart was pounding, her body was shaking.
The boy slowly approached her, until he could smell the rose scent of her skin. He kept his eyes open, fixed on those cherry red lips.
They kissed slowly, gently.
Sidney hugged her by the waist with one arm and held her firmly, as if to keep her from pulling off, as if he wanted to prolong this kiss forever.
Her thoughts were all over the place. "But is this really happening? Oh my God, my first kiss. "
Sidney’s mind, however, was free, only conquered by the beauty of the moment.
When tongues touched and the
flavors mingled, a shock ran through the hearts of the two lovers.
The mouths parted in unison, separating reluctantly, the two teenagers looked at each other amazed and dreamy, letting their sweet and passionate eyes to kiss, as if they were an extension of the lips.
The front door opened and Nicoletta shouted:
«Sidney, I’m home! »
Jessica looked at her watch and winced. «It's very late, I’m going home. »
Sidney helped her to put on her jacket and still with a dreamily tone, he whispered to her:
«See you tomorrow, my girlfriend! » and gave her a light kiss.
"So it is true? We're a couple” She said to herself, almost in disbelief.
Before leaving, Jessica warmly said goodbye to Mrs. Nicoletta, who was in the kitchen, intent on "brushing off" a stain of oregano on a rustic table with a checkered table cloth.
The woman did not return the farewell.
When the door closed, she approached her son and roared menacing.
«I do not want you to do dirty things in your bedroom. I do not want you to get that bitch pregnant. »
The boy gave her a hurtful look, fierce and furious, without answering.
She took her coat again. «I’m leaving. »
"But you just got back," airily protested her son.
Nicoletta replied with a cold and distant voice:
"I'll come back late at night, do not wait up. There are a couple of hot dogs in the fridge, heat them. "
Sidney clenched his fist so hard that he almost injured himself with his own their fingernails, and as soon as his mother left, he swung it with all his might against the door of his room, tearing and bloodying the wood.
Meanwhile, Jessica was walking on her way back home. She felt so happy that all of a sudden, even though there were people staring at her, she started to run with loose gait and dangling, bouncing and singing along a straight line, like she always did as a child when she was very happy.
As soon as she arrived, she called Giuseppe on the phone and told him what had happened, unaware that she was pushing a sharp knife into his chest, tearing and bloodying his loving heart.
The Eternal Moment Page 3
