by Giovanni Galavotti, translated into English by Ruth Stephens
Chapter 3 – The Mysterious Young Man
That evening, Marianna is sitting at the kitchen table with her roommates.
They’ve finished eating and Marianna is happily telling them how her purse was returned to her.
She begins to describe the young man she saw from the window: his dirty hair and clothes, and the rucksack with the coloured sticks….
“Coloured sticks?” asks Paola, one of the girls.
“Yes, why?” Marianna asks.
“Because he could be a juggler, one of those who gives shows in the streets and squares in the centre.”
Marianna smiles: “Of course! A juggler!”
“Lucia,” she asks another of the girls, “Can you lend me your bicycle tomorrow?”
“Gladly!” replies Lucia.
“What are you going to do, Marianna?” asks Eleonora, the third girl.
“I’ve seen that young man in a square in the centre. I want to find him and thank him.”
“Thank him? What for? It was probably him who stole your purse.”
“I don’t think so. Would a thief really give back what he has stolen?”
“Perhaps you’re right,” Eleonora agrees.
Marianna is happy. She can’t wait to go out on the bicycle and look for the young man.
She’ll start her search the next morning!
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