Emanuele Stefanori & Michela Guida, translated into English by Ruth Stephens
Chapter 8 – The Ghost Of The Upper Floor
The two lovers are silent for a while as they contemplate the extraordinary beauty of the place.
“How was the journey, darling?” enquires Valentina, finally.
“Not bad. It was a tiring day, though. I would much rather have left with you, but you know how it is with my job…..”
Of course, I know. Don’t worry. We’re together now and that’s all that matters!”
Giorgio and Valentina kiss again, then they sit down at a small table to better appreciate the moment and that magical sunset.
“Well, did you miss me?” he asks her.
“Like mad!”
“So what did you do while I wasn’t here?”
“As I said, it was late when I arrived last night, nearly half past eleven,” Valentina tells him.
“I went into the kitchen but I didn’t feel like eating. I was shattered and just needed to relax. I locked the door and came up here to this room. I stayed out on the balcony for a while, then unpacked, put my clothes away in the wardrobe and the suitcase under the bed. It was after midnight when I went to sleep.”
Giorgio smiles and lights a cigarette.
“I slept deeply, and this morning got up early, “continues Valentina
“I went down to the kitchen to have some breakfast but there wasn’t very much there to eat. All I could find was a packet of biscuits and a pot of jam. I took a teaspoon out of a drawer and looked in all the cupboards for a tray but no luck. In the end I took a plate and came back up and had breakfast on the terrace. It was fine!”
“But couldn’t you have gone out to a bar?”
“I did go out a little later, around ten o’clock. I went for a walk, had some lunch, did a bit of shopping and bought something for dinner. When I got back I had a little rest: you won’t believe how soft that bed is. The mattress is very old and when you get up you leave your body shape on it for a while…..like on sand! When I woke up I came out here again to enjoy the magnificent view.”
“From what you tell me you’ve had a very relaxing day. You’ve enjoyed yourself.”
“I’d say yes, it was almost perfect.”
“Why almost? Were there any problems?”
“The only problem, my love, is the bathroom,” explains Valentina.
“I had the worst shower I’ve ever had in my life! The light doesn’t come on and the shower doesn’t work properly. We really must tell the owner of the house that there’s no hot water. In fact, to start with there was hardly any water at all. Then suddenly it gushed out in a powerful, freezing jet. I yelled at the top of my voice and, trying to get out of the shower quickly, got tangled up in the curtain!”
“The curtain?”
“Yes, there’s an old, plastic curtain around the shower, attached by a small metal chain. To protect myself from the cold water and so as not to suffocate, I covered myself in that white curtain!”
Listening to his girlfriend’s extraordinary adventure, Giorgio starts to laugh.
“Hey! It’s not funny! I was in danger of my life!” Valentina chides him, though smiling herself.
“My hair was all down over my eyes and with that sheet of wet plastic over my face I could hardly breathe! I tried to free myself with my hands while the freezing water was coming down on my back… It was awful! And then, just as I was getting into my bathrobe, you arrived!”
The two lovers looked at each other in silence, then got up and went inside.
“And the rest of the house? What’s that like?” asks Giorgio, starting to undress.
“I don’t know. Apart from the kitchen I haven’t seen much of the ground floor,” she replies, going towards the bed. She slips out of her bathrobe, letting it fall to the floor.
“One thing’s for sure, anyway. Tomorrow I want to go to the beach to get a bit of a suntan.”
She puts her arms around his neck and pulls him to her, adding:
“I’m as white as a ghost, don’t you think?”