Diamond

by Nunzia Castaldo

  Chapter 3

  As the siren song

  On the morning of Christmas Eve I got up very early and I waited several committees and some appointments with major customers. I had decided that I would spend the whole day in jewelry store. I could not count on Victor who worked with great commitment and availability, but had health problems and was no longer the man before, so I insisted that at least on the eve remained in the family. I was alone.

  I was told not to expect Eleana for lunch; I would have worn something down quickly in the city. I was ready to leave the house and I looked in my mirror double entrance when she approached me, handing me the coat, and recommended: "Do not be late at least the evening of the dinner."

  "No worry" I said, and went out. "It will also Eriberto, I'm curious to know his girlfriend" she said. I smiled, surely there would have enlivened the evening playing on keyboards. I said: "Of course I grew up in a hurry" and I felt moved by the good that I wanted, like the child that we had. I took my bag collection of jewels and I was initiated to the driveway.

  Eleana had decorated a fir tree and saw the lights intermittently continued to impose a structure between sparse snowflakes. I was making considerations: some aspects of his young character immature began to annoy me, as unnecessary display lights all night and I knew that he had not forgetfulness, but to desire, was the feast of Christmas and her child back, "grow a good time! " I said irritated and I rode in the car. I returned, however, the good mood; the soft female voice from the navigator gave me a good morning.

  At seven p.m. I was still in jewelry with two clients. I was on the bench a wristwatch signed, and white gold bezel set with diamonds of excellent quality and a solid gold bracelet with emeralds, of my exclusive line, when I heard the ringing of the phone and I saw the number flash Eleana. I said I'd call back later; customers were undecided on the choice and asked me a hint. I had done well because they preferred the bracelet and I was more than satisfied.

  I accompanied them exit at the time to greet one told me: "Curious that stud" pointing between my other works of jewelry that I had in the window. I took it with soft hands, and I started to show it. I said "It's gold filigree with embossed decoration" and they asked me the reason for the rampant lion depicted in profile with his left paw high.

  I said: "The lion I dreamed shortly after the death of my grandfather, I felt it was a good omen" and I pointed my monogrammed SR, chiseled in the middle of the palm of the paw from his fingertips like a four-leaf clover. They congratulated me for the fineness of the eye of the lion realized that my little blue diamond with a flat drop.

  I could see the lights of the Christmas decorations in the arcades; reflected in the windows of the store and renewed my brand reverberated to flashing lights. I felt good for having sold my own creation and for having done more to recognize that experienced by the seller. Customers have made me their congratulations and best wishes.

  I came back, I was preparing to close the jewelry store and go home in time for dinner. I moved quickly, had in mind the thought of calling Eleana, she definitely tried to call me. I put away in the safe the clock unsold. I put it on the shelf and I was attracted by the precious case, as the song of the sirens, and I could not resist, I rested on the bench with extreme delicacy and blue velvet cloth, I pulled out the diamond. I whispered: "Ele" and I saw the rainbow emanate from the facets.

  Wrapped in his light, I am dazzled. I looked away, pointing to the glass wall; I looked blurry details of a photo: my arm around her waist Eleana, her head resting on my shoulder. I thought I heard a noise, and then I took it in a way as not to be alone, soon after, full of suspicion; it seemed to me that he heard a breath-hold. I close my eyes. I tried to hurry glasses, panting with excitement. Someone took me from behind and I felt a sharp pain.

  I screamed "Oh" and tried to turn around to see who had those big hands that gripped me, but I could not, I just pushed to the side. Now hand me choked a damp cloth, the smell of medicine that I knew that I had been ripped from the tonsils, and he pressed me on the face. I had time to press the button and the alarm siren started playing, I felt, and I felt far and I seemed to see Ele above me, her light, passed through the gem, dispersed in the wrong direction and died.

  I woke up lying on the floor of the jewelry with Eleana saying to me, "Silvio can you hear me?" And I saw it close with the tears streaming down her face. I said "Come on do not go overboard" but my temples beat intermittently to the rhythm of blue lights from the bottom of the windows, and she kept touching his face with trembling hands and lifted me up the head. I heard someone say "Drugged, gagged, thankfully is recovering; there are those who left us life."

  I said "Ele, Eleana!" And I wanted to lift me. The nurses helped me with a great effort I attacked me at the counter. I could see out of focus. I shouted: "Eleana, Ele?" I could not ask the question, I did not believe what I imagined and so much more confidence grew on me as much as she tried to calm down. She said, "I am with you dear, I'll pass" the more I despaired. Ele was not there and I think we're leaving too life. I passed out; I do not know exactly how long it remained.

  I woke up in bed clinic Verter and it was already the afternoon of Christmas Day. Two days later I quit on Verter and advised me to stay a time to rest, I was upset. I was not convinced that it would help me to remain inactive at home; I was not there used to.

  The following days I was interrogated by the head of the investigation who asked me details and explanations and I was not able to give him. He told me that whereas nothing had been removed from the store, even my precious briefcase, the track most likely to be followed was that of a theft on commission. I kept saying that I had not noticed anything unusual nor would I have been able to indicate some of which are suspect. I also did a lot of questions came up as I was in possession of the precious. I tried to retrace its history, unfortunately the first part was related to my father and Vittorio was not even able to say much.

  I was desperate, I consoled because they have insurance. I could not sleep at night. I could not bear the idea that maybe Ele was already far away. I could not understand how I could raise Ele from the safe without taking any precaution. I repeated the scene dozens of times and I tried to consider every detail, but the reality is perhaps the mixing by and why I was not in charge of anything.

  For two weeks, I was wandering around the house or in the room, threw it on the bed to think. Eleana sometimes came looking for me, told me: "Come gather him, and then, if it does not happen, you know there are more important things in life, think about your health." I screamed: "It's so that you love me, keep my feelings" and pushed out of the room and then I heard her cry from behind the door. The screamed: "Would you stop?" And she walked away. Could not resist a long time and came back and I vented my anger even more about her.

  I would have preferred that he had hurled at me telling me that I was an idiot, that my carelessness would also endanger our future finances, which I had to get up and go to work to remedy the damage as much as possible. Instead she's not blaming me, he thought I was lucky and that's why I had to thank the good Lord and put his soul in peace. One day he told me: "I cannot live without you, you feel good" and that irritated me most, I took it as another constraint on my freedom.

  In late January, I was informed that the investigation had not led to nothing and that it was necessary to find new clues. The next morning I got up early, I got dressed and went back in jewelry. I had come to the conclusion that my despair would be beneficial to the discovery of Ele. I had to take the time to think back to every detail and I would have done better out of the house. For weeks every customer who appeared at the entrance made me wince, and was the subject of my most careful consideration and I got tired. I went back to work with professionalism and always felt that it helped me to improve my mood.

  Even Verter told me the afternoon of February that it had come to see. I was glad to see him and showed it a hug. I brought greetings from Stephanie and reminded me that she would have
happily spent an evening together. I assured him that I would talk to Eleana.

  He informed me that he was leaving. I knew that he would go to flea markets in search of gems specimens. I reminded him: "Do you know that with the level of perfection achieved by synthetic stones, just a bright light pointed in the right way of emeralds, rubies and diamonds, to make a mistake." I mentioned that recognize the false from the true gems is an art, as I warned him many times, but I knew that it was useless.

  He stood in front of me, in pinstripe suit that fit like a glove on the body a little weighed down by fifties, and thinning hair in the perfect cut, his crooked nose, under the weight of the lens thickened bony fingers and cutlery to the edge of the bench, and he hastened to say: "Eriberto is pleased with the university faculty choice?"

  Meanwhile, Victor came from the bench with a cuckoo just tweaked and told me that he wanted to hang on the wall. Holding it for the cash, I hung on the hook and I helped to launch the ringtone. It was a gesture of greeting; Verter reciprocated and said, "Victor then talked with my cardiologist?" "I'm fine, "he replied, and felt that the cuckoo had begun to play and Vittorio whistling and the screen of the phone to flash."It's Eleana"

  I said smiling and I was preparing to talk of the evening to organize. "Ele, it's there, all right?" I wondered. She said:" Not at all". "It's an hour I try to call, I received news "I apologized with Verter and I turned around to the back. Eleana spoke to me in a voice alarm and I was starting to worry. "Eriberto" She said, weeping.

  I looked at Victor who meanwhile had returned to his desk and held a post with the tips of the tweezers. She spoke quickly. She said: "Eriberto fainted; he was taken to the emergency room." She wanted me to leave everything and accompany her to him.

  Her father, meanwhile, had lifted for a moment his head toward me and staring at me from close monocle in his left eye. I could hear the labored breathing of my wife sobbing and fixed my gaze to his father, fearing that he could hear. I tried to reassure Eleana with a faint voice assuring her that I would have reached as soon as possible and was convinced to end the conversation.

  I was confused and unable to say anything. "What's?" Victor asked me. "Nothing, nothing, the clock is almost assembled, huh," I answered him, and I thought that I was not allowed to inform him. I brought in front, I did not know Verter hide my sudden change of mood and whisper, I told him.

  I was expecting him to reassure me and I immediately reported to my wife. Instead, he frowned and squinted in the lenses. I said: "You have to determine the cause." Meanwhile, the electric horn had sounded.

  A young man was interested in a silver pendant for his girlfriend. Verter said to me: "I feel sorry for him, a good guy who knows how to be loved." I told him: "You're right; I love him as a son." "I'm sorry I have to go, but look for me if you need it, anywhere, at any time" he said and went out making wishes.

  Finally came the customer at the mercy of anxiety and I was trying to hide, Victor was convinced to go to rest, that he did for me and how well she knew her daughter was apprehensive.

  I was focused on the habitual gestures. I kept the goods in a safe. I closed the jewelry store.

  ***