By Enrico Maso, translated into English by Ruth Stephens
Chapter 2 – Doubts
Riccardo has doubts about the idea of a trip to the mountains. “I’m not sure…” he says.
Mattia and Giulio look at him, puzzled.
“Well, I….” Riccardo tries to explain “I’m not all that fit….”
“What do you mean?” asks Mattia.
Ricccardo is struggling. “There’s the backpack… the equipment… I’m not sure I’ve got a winter jacket…”
“Don’t be a spoilsport!”* exclaims Mattia.
“Why do you say that?”
“If you don’t think it’s a good idea, just say so. Don’t make excuses.”
Riccardo is put out.” It’s always the same with you. You always decide everything!”
“I’m sorry if you want to do something more enjoyable,” says Mattia.
Giulio tries to calm the situation. He can see Riccardo has a problem and promises there’ll be plenty of time to arrange things. The idea of doing something that they did as children is appealing. In the end, Mattia promises to help Riccardo with prepare his backpack and to go with him to buy a winter jacket. Everything seems settled.
But the next morning, in the shop, Riccardo’s worries surface again. He’s concerned about the weight of his backpack and asks Mattia if he really needs to buy everything on the list.
Mattia is irritated. It’s one thing to be careful, to choose wisely and not to overload the backpack, but Riccardo is being ridiculous. Even the gloves are a problem!
“Do I really need these?” Riccardo asks.
“Look, Riccardo, if you’re thinking of coming to the mountains in winter without gloves, it would perhaps be better to stay at home.” With that, Mattia walks out of the shop.
Only a phone call from Giulio manages to save the situation. “Let’s forget all these arguments,” he says, “and go to the mountains tomorrow for the day. The weather’s good – it’s our one chance for a practice walk.”
* Don’t be a spoilsport = Non fare il guastafeste
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