"Even though it's been just a year, it's already so difficult  to tell of that winter, of me  of all us Dauphins, which is the name they have bestowed upon us in this town." "It's an ancient town, the kind of which there are many in central Italy  where streets, buildings, the very walls  are imbued with stories, with traditions, with the past..." "Perhaps this is why here, everything ends with a softened blow  a feeling of suffocation." "It always seems as though nothing has happened at all." "And we end up believing that, too." "But this is exactly why I've started to write  to better understand myself, and how it was, that in that passing of a season  we found ourselves changed, different..." "Well?" "Are we going to the club?" " Yes, let's go to the club." " Boring!" "We'll go wherever you like, just as long as you hurry up!" "I'm freezing." " Let's go to Cherè's!" " I'm going in the same car as her." "To Cherè's!" "Everyone to Cherè's!" "Well, this is where the story starts  on that November evening." "Or was it still October?" "When Marina felt ill and Fedora wasn't yet one of us..." "Indeed." "She was one of the many girls who used to stand and watch  when we would leave noisily from the Café." "THE DAUPHINS" "Mother, why do you always have to make yourself squint like that?" "Oh, I wasn't even aware it was dark, how about that?" " Plus, the new lodger..." " Uses too much electricity, I know." "And we need to save money, of course." "Marina!" "Marina!" "Try to calm down." " She's really gone, hasn't she?" " Come on, calm down." " Leave it, I'll take care of her." " Marina!" "Marina!" " Just look at my brother..." " Go and get some water." " Got a light?" " Yes." " Nervous?" " Yes." "If this is how she takes a bottle of whisky..." "My father took 50 years before he had a fit." "Just that your father wasn't 15-years-old when he started." " Here's Alberto." " Finally  let's hope he found the doctor." "Excellent, that way we can all play doctors and nurses." "Tell me, will you be like this after we get married?" " This witty?" " No, this idiotic." " Good evening." " It's her." " How long has she been drinking?" " Around six years  including Sundays and the other holidays." "Indeed, but none of us thought it would come to this." "She was trying to impress us." "A bottle of scotch in a matter of minutes." " Who is that?" " I don't know, a new guy." "Martini wasn't there." "Oh boy!" "Could you give me a hand, please?" " I'd like to speak to the parents." " Whose?" " You're late, Doctor." " Meaning." "Separated and remarried." "The mother went to America, the father, to who knows where." " Marina grew up alone." " Thank heavens!" "She has an uncle, her guardian." "If it's something serious, you could speak to him." "Of course, to have a fit of this kind  it means that her nervous system was already rather worn out  it's not just the drinking." " So?" "I'll drop by tomorrow as well." "Of course, she will need a change of scenery, a specialised clinic." "Switzerland has the best, if you have the means." "She's a young maiden, without means, without shoes  without even a little hat to warm her little head during winter." "The poor thing!" "What should I tell her guardian?" "As I say, a change of scenery  a change of atmosphere." " Hey." "How much to we owe you, Doctor?" "Nothing, thank you." "I'm paid by the State." " Could somebody drive me, please?" " Yes, I'll drive you." "Stay here if you like, I'll be back soon." "Annina, my fur coat!" "Come on, Anselmo!" "Just a little trip to Switzerland, she'll be back soon." "Of course, of course..." "It's always so simple for you." "You're just like our mother." "Shall we dance?" " Should I drive you to the hospital?" " No, thank you." "I had already finished my shift, I was about to leave anyway." "Then I'll drive you home." "Where do you live?" "Oh, we haven't been properly introduced." "Margherita Cherè." "Margherita is too long, hence, they call me Cherè." " A pleasure to meet you." "Mario..." " No, don't tell me." "It's better this way." "What do you mean?" "Passport number, star sign, politics, wages..." " I'll know everything about you." " Oh, really?" " And who will tell you all this?" " Nobody." "The town, the walls..." "The tables of the Meletti Café." " Have you ever been there?" " No, I don't think so." "For me, all those places are the same." " Good evening, Countess." " Good evening." " Good evening." " Hello, Cherè!" " Good evening everyone!" " My respects, Countess." " Good evening, Tammaro." " Good evening." "Well, at least we managed to pass them unobserved." "Indeed." "The telegrams are already on their way..." ""Countess, sighted, new doctor, night..."" "But with me it's all in good taste." "They know that I don't mind." " Gino, a gin and tonic." "And you?" " A coffee, please." "Won't that stop you from sleeping?" "How I envy you!" "Tonight I must study." "I'm specialising in biology." "So you work in a laboratory?" "Not yet, but I've asked the Director for a transfer." " Asked who?" "Geminiani?" " Oh, you know him?" "You see, between us, we know everyone." "This is our temple, and over there is the window  where we show ourselves off for a few hours each day  with our label on our necks." "Yes, but of course, you don't know anybody at the moment." "Mr. and Mrs. Foschini, with a daughter to marry off  against her will, of course." "The Terenzi brothers, Vini and Affini." "They take that housekeeper of theirs wherever they go, because she speaks good English." "It's a shame we're so late." "The construction and plastic materials moguls aren't here  our most important industries." "But then you already met their children at my place, earlier." " And him?" " Oh, nothing, just the Mayor." "And you?" "What would you say about yourself?" ""You see that tall, pale, thin woman drinking a gin and tonic?"" ""She thinks that her ancestors established the town itself!"" " Good evening, Sir." " Good evening." " Good evening, Countess." " Good evening, Ridolfi." "Ridolfi, the business outlaw." "Loans, etc." "Everyone turns to him  but no one greets him." "He's quite the character." "Nothing but trouble if you ask me." "End of the first lesson!" "Good evening, everyone!" " Bye, Cherè!" " Good evening." "Was that the Countess Cherè?" "To what do I owe this honour?" "It's a landlady's duty!" "Did the Countess drive you home?" " How do you know that?" " I heard the sound of the car." " And you knew it was her from the sound of the car?" "!" " No!" "I only know the sound of Alberto De Matteis' car." "The Ferrari." "I was at the window and saw her get out." "Fedora?" "No, sorry, it's nothing." "What does a doctor do all day?" "Why are you laughing?" "Because just a moment ago I was thinking the same thing." "What does a girl like you do all day?" "Get bored." "Help out around the home, go shopping  and listen to my mother's preaching." "What do you expect me to do in a place like this?" "I need to get away from here, move to a big city." "And what would that change?" " Everything." " I'm not so sure." "That wouldn't help." "And besides, you can still find city characteristics in a place like this." "I read just the other day that a big theatre company is coming on Thursday." "They're performing "The Daughter of Iorio"." "Yes, I read that as well." "And... are you going?" "I think so." "With someone?" "I'm not seeing anyone, If that's what you want to know." "And I have no one to go with." " So?" " So, what?" " Aren't you going to invite me?" " You already invited yourself." "More importantly, how should we deal with your mother's preaching?" " Should I ask her?" " You don't have to ask her anything." "You'll see, she'll only see it as a chance of marriage  and will start telling me how I can ensure you won't run away." " Ah!" " Surprised?" "For my mother it's become a kind of obsession." "Ever since my father ran off with someone else." "Well, even without this  our parents are at times so different from us." "Yeah, one day or another, you find yourself in church  speaking to the first priest you can find." "Why are you talking like this, Fedora?" "You're young, beautiful, you can do anything you want." "You haven't been here long enough to understand how things are." "To aspire to be something more, there's a wall to climb over." "A wall?" "What wall?" "You don't see it, you'd never see it." "There's a wall, tall and invisible  a wall made of crystal." "And behind this wall there are the Dauphins." " The Dauphins?" " That's how they call them  just like the first-born sons of the old Kings of France." "Our Dauphins don't have a throne to inherit  but many other things." "After the Café, the De Matteis' mansion, belonging to the parents of Alberto  was by far the most illustrious institution in town." "Any official visit, any convention  any theatre company that just so happened to step foot  inside our walls  the De Matteis family would always and inexorably throw a party." "Even though their parties had less class than the rarer  but more refined parties that Cherè would throw at her house  these evenings were considered quite the event." "They would begin speaking about them a week beforehand  if only to know the names of the privileged few who had been invited." "Such a wonderful house!" "That evening, the party was in honour of a passing theatre company  who had delivered a passable rendition of "The Daughter of Iorio"  at the town theatre." " At Berne?" "Ah, yes, I remember that place!" " Yes, from outside it's very similar." "My God, I'm tired." "To do the show the same night that we arrive always destroys me!" " Come inside, darling." "Do you want to take a bath?" " Oh, thank you, but I'll be fine." "We're used to it by now, it's our life." "We're almost like gypsies, you see..." "Where are the kids?" "Elsa?" "Elsa!" "Come, come with me." "Elsa, this is Mr. Mattioli." "He's quite the character, comes from Rome, too." " This is my daughter." " Your daughter?" "!" "Surprised, are you darling?" "And this is the youngest one!" " Where is Anselmo?" " He's coming now." " Elsa!" "Elsa!" " A pleasure." "Excuse me." "Thank you, Countess, but I assure you that despite my 57 years  I can still be the one to help a lady." "You're helping me just by being here." " Okay?" " Thank you." "And the doctor?" "He hasn't arrived?" "Don't worry, he'll be here." "By the way, that girl he was with at the show wasn't at all bad." "Yes, I hear she's his landlady." "Who knows, perhaps she was included in the price of the room." "Do you know what I've always liked about you?" "The spiritual value of your thoughts." "Indeed, Cherè had invited her new friend the young doctor, and a girl, Fedora, who was with him  to bore them to death as well." "But perhaps it was only me who was bored, because Marina wasn't there." "My mother, for example, had already found someone nice for me to court  and my father was conversing with the young actress." "Just like my son." "He has these paintings in his room, I look at them  and I can't understand a damn thing!" "Come, I want to introduce you to someone." "This is our Mayor!" "And this is Mr Mattioli  who has come all the way from Rome for the new urban development plan." " Make yourself at home, please." " I was speaking to Ophelia  when I hear something behind me." "I turn around and Polonius had disappeared, right there in the middle of the show." "Gone!" "Luckily enough the young lady came out to ask me about Hamlet." "Poor Shakespeare!" "What did I tell you?" "Sometimes it seems like we've gone back to the age of horse and carriage." "Don't complain, Ma'am." "At least you lead an interesting life." "I've no idea why my mother even bothers with these kind of events." " Alberto!" " Let him speak  Alberto is made that way." "Father always says that we need to let him vent." "Well done!" "Well done!" "Top of the class  in sucking up to parents." "Tell me darling, why on earth would you want these people in your house?" "As if we weren't bored enough at the theatre." "We may as well just open a public restaurant here, every Friday!" " Don't you think so, Doctor?" " Perhaps you should ask your mother." "It might be a way to make your family even more popular." "And what do you say, Miss?" "Me?" "I think that you don't need it." "I mean, De Matteis family is so well-known here in the town..." " And then, Alberto..." " Alberto  is someone that people recognise from a distance." "From the sound of his car, I imagine." "Let's go, Cherè." "It's better if we choose the records." "Pardon." "They're simple souls, bless them." "I thought you were about to sock him one, as you kids say." "That doctor?" "Sure..." " I'll steal his girl." " If you can." "If I can?" "The doctor is a serious man, well-spoken, perhaps he plans to marry her." "How much do you want to bet that I'll take her away with me tonight?" " 10 bottles of Scotch." " 10 bottles if I lose." " But if I win, you give me 20." " Why more?" "It'll leave you the doctor free, without a girl." "All for you." "Attention, attention!" "The ladies would like to propose a game." " Be quiet for a moment." " Yes, let's play a game!" "Come on!" "No, the ladies wanted to recite a monologue  and I suggested a game." "He always embarrasses me!" "Why don't we play the game where we share our darkest secrets?" "Heaven forbid!" "That will just result in some indescribable indecencies!" "What's the name of that new game that's all the rage in England?" "It's called "In or Out", but it's so boring!" " Let's play "The Killer"." " In the dark?" "Don't be silly!" "And don't take off your jacket!" "What kind of host are you?" " In the dark?" "How do you play?" " Come here." "He will explain it to you, seeing as he always gets good grades in Italian." " You hand the cards around  whoever gets the ace of spades is the killer  and whoever gets the ace of hearts is the detective." " But we know it already." " I don't." "Let him speak." "The detective leaves the room and you turn off the lights." "The person with the killer's card has to then strangle someone." "The victim shouts out, the detective comes back in and starts the interrogations." "This won't be easy for the detective!" "Remember, we're actors who are always performing!" "A shame that they didn't perform at the theatre this evening, then." " Sir didn't like the show then, it seems?" " Not at all." "What a harsh critic!" "Did you hear that?" "We will need to be careful?" "These small town kids are very advanced." " Are you still hungry?" " Sorry?" "I saw that you were eating with a great appetite, if you're still hungry  you can ask the butler for more, I'm sure we have some food leftover." "Listen to this, how rude!" "So?" "Who will hand out the cards?" " Do you want to do the honours, Miss?" " Me?" "Yes, you." "Don't be afraid!" "Here you go." "So, Mattioli, you're going to have to kill me?" "My lady, I assure you it will be with the utmost delicacy." " Really?" " You don't believe me?" " Completely nude?" " They call it the "French Version"." "The gentleman is telling me the most incredible things about cinema." "He says that for many films, there's also a French version." "Yes, I know." "But considering we're in Italy  try to avoid broadcasting the "International Version" of your legs." "Excuse me." "Why do you always have to make such a bad impression?" " I can talk for two minutes with...?" " With a stranger?" "We already have someone in this house, someone who acts like a stranger." "Anselmo, why do you do this to yourself?" "You read too much." "You always say that you're against prejudice." "Ever since Marina left you've been unbearable." "Marina..." "Marina is the only one, the only one who understands me." "Here, Miss." " Well, does everyone have a card?" " I don't!" "Who's the detective?" "Is it you, Doctor?" "Then you must leave the room." "No, unfortunately I have to go." " It's me!" " Then the Mayor must leave the room!" "Excellent!" "The Mayor will make the perfect detective." " Of course..." " Why are you leaving?" " I'm sorry, but I have rounds at 6 in the morning." " Such a shame!" " Goodbye." " Goodbye." " So, we're leaving?" " I mentioned that I had to leave, didn't I?" "If you want to, you can stay." "Bye." "You could drive her home, later." "Hold on, I haven't decided yet." "Well, he decided for you." " So, can I leave the room?" " Yes, go ahead." "Switch off the electricity at the mains." "Attention!" "The first rule is to be silent!" "Everyone must move on the tips of their toes  only the victim is allowed to scream." "Stop, everyone!" "Don't move from where you are." "You, Cherè, tell me everything you did before the murder took place." "I'll tell you everything." "First I talked business with Mr. Foresi  then I walked around a bit, met a few people, whose names I can't remember  and then I was sitting by the window." "There, I met Anselmo Foresi  who was with me when the murder took place." "I can attest to that." "And you, Alberto De Matteis?" "Mario..." "I don't know, Mario..." "There are so many things I want to say  so that you can understand me..." " What is there to understand?" "You're climbing over the wall, no?" "Your mother will be very pleased." "No, it's not that simple." "I don't think there's anything simpler..." "and more ridiculous, at the same time." "Just know that I, well, I love you very much..." "Doctor, leave the door open, please." "So you're leaving?" "You've decided?" "Goodbye, Ma'am." "I've left you the money in the kitchen  including the money owed for the electricity." "Fedora, De Matteis called twice for you." "De Matteis, the son of the Marquis!" "He said that you should call him back when you're awake." "I can't quite believe it!" "Now, you must tell me everything." "Everything, you hear?" "When it rains, around here  it feels like the very sky is falling down." "Almost as if God Almighty has decided to erase the earth  the walls, all traces, even the echo of the few things that happen around here." "The town square ceases, then, in its role as the people's living room  to the great advantage of the cash registers at the Meletti Café . into which, on that Sunday morning, the important people  and we were important, the most important  were crammed, like a tin of sardines." "That morning, the topic of conversation  must have been the florist's delivery boy  who was making his deliveries up and down the town streets  despite the terrible weather." "There he goes!" "Every morning at 11, two dozen red roses for Miss Elsa." "They're very beautiful." "Don't expect me to send you any  I'm not the romantic sort." " Who sends them to you?" " Who knows?" " I was at the florist's just the other day." " Getting jealous, are we?" " No!" "Just out of curiosity." " Well?" " He won't tell, even under torture." "Ah, then we find ourselves up against quite the Annunzianan admirer." " What?" " Annunzianan." "The card says he's from Annunzio." "Haven't you heard of the place?" "I already spend enough of my time making those cards.... ... as if I'd want to read what people write on them." "There's one thing I don't understand  are you marrying Elsa to make cards with my father's plastic  or to make his plastic with your cards?" "Listen to these intellectuals, idealists  our marriage will be built on love, isn't that right Elsa?" " You don't love money?" " Money?" "Of course!" "But our marriage is one of love." "Exactly." " Darling, your Pernod." " Thank you." "Drink it slowly, It's only a little bit stronger than Anisette, you'll see." "Yes, just a little bit stronger." "It only killed  a couple of French painters in the last century." "They died of hunger, not Pernod!" "By the way, Anselmo, when am I going to see that 30,000 lire you owe me?" " Never." " Anselmo is a disaster." "I always lend him my car and I have to put petrol in it for him, too." "He has debts all over town." "I'm sorry, Anselmo, but is the family fortune not good enough for you, by any chance?" " I don't want my father's money." " Yet you want mine, do you?" "Listen, no one's asking you to understand me, don't tire yourself out!" "Let's give the artist the money he's owed." "Want to play for that 30,000 lire at dice?" "Of course!" "Fortune favours the bold." " Who wants chocolates?" " Me." "God, look how much it's raining!" "Oh, Doctor!" "You seem changed since the last time I saw you." "You, on the other hand, are exactly the same." "A coffee, please." "Perhaps it's just me, but you seem to have such an unhappy, depressed look about you  almost as if something had happened to you, some kind of great suffering." "Listen, why don't you come to my house one of these evenings?" "That way we can meet up as friends, play cards, dance..." "We're very sympathetic people, you know?" "Listen, Mr. De Matteis, could you do me a favour?" " Certainly." " When you see me, keep a wide berth." "Yes, keep a wide berth... very wide." "Why's that, Doctor, are you diseased?" "Because otherwise I might just have to rearrange your face." "And I don't want to give you the satisfaction." "Doctor, I'm afraid you won't be rearranging anyone's face  least of all mine." " And why's that?" " Because you're a De Matteis?" " No." "Because your father will have me sent away from the hospital?" "No, because I'll rearrange yours first." "Listen, I'm in no mood to play games today." "But if you fancy it another time, let me know." "I'm sure I can find a few free minutes." " Hello!" " What happened to you?" "It's the first time I've ever seen you around before midday." "There are days in which just about everything happens." "Don't look at me, I'm a monster." "I've just spent an entire night in hell." " How are you?" " I'll be at the table with the others." "I'll see you soon, Doctor." "Hopefully when you're not in such a hurry." " What happened?" " Oh, nothing." "Nonsense." "How are you finding the hotel?" "For me, hotels are all the same, just like cafés." "You're rather pale, do you want a cognac?" "No, it's just been a bad day." "It'll pass." "Everything passes, no?" "Sooner or later." "Yes, sooner or later." "Listen, keep in touch." "Well, it's needless to say  in this town I'm sure we'll bump into each other again." " What's wrong, Cherè?" " Nothing, nothing, Why?" "Don't all look at me like that." "I feel so out of sorts, today." "Of course not, Cherè, you look beautiful." "Isn't that right?" "When you came in, I was wondering how it is that you're always so  neat and elegant, even when you haven't slept and it's raining." "Hey, why don't you marry Cherè, instead?" "What was all that about, before?" "Nothing." "The middle classes like to raise their voice, that's democracy for you." "By the way, you only sent me 10 bottles, Cherè." " Bottles?" "What bottles?" " A bet." "A stupid bet, on a stupid evening." "That's all." "Ridolfi!" " You lose." " Come on, let's start over." "Ridolfi, you've never given us the honour of gracing our table with your presence!" " Good day everyone." " Come on, I'll buy you a Campari." " Come and sit here with us." " Thank you." "Please, just a moment..." " Cherè, what are you thinking?" " Why?" "What's so terrible about him?" "It might be funny, you know?" "It's always us, just us and no one else." "Is it just me, or are Cherè's problems Ridolfi-related?" "What happened in the two months that followed?" "It's so difficult for me to remember  the images from the days before Marina returned  they appear so irreparably empty, out of focus." "Yes, a memory of Cherè..." "We came to know, sometime after, that during that period  around the middle of February, Cherè had a romantic liaison  with the young doctor that Fedora had abandoned." "But it was a brief thing, one of those that finish at dawn  with the first rays of sun filtering through the half-closed blinds." "When I was a child, I'd spend hours in this room." "My parents were always away." "Were you a sad or a happy child?" "Oh, I was as I am now, I think." "Sad or happy?" "It's late, almost 8 o'clock already, I need to get dressed  I have a business meeting." "Do you remember Ridolfi?" "The one you pointed out to me at the Meletti, right?" "Such an impression you made on me." "Ever since that evening, since the first time I saw you." "It was a strange evening, wasn't it?" "Indeed..." "Don't look at me." "If you look at me, I won't be able to do my make-up properly." "What's wrong, Cherè?" "What do you mean, what's wrong?" "There's something not right, isn't there?" "If that's what you mean, there are many things that aren't right." " You, for example." " What problems do I have?" "Me, for example." "No, that isn't it." "There's something else, I'm sure of it." "Certainly." "Problems never arise on their own, do they?" "That's something my family has had to come to terms with since the very beginning." "Mario..." "You're waiting for something, aren't you?" "It's not easy to forget her." "You've been very good to me, Cherè." "Oh, I assure you, it wasn't such a huge sacrifice." "So it was, the happiest person in our group at that time was Fedora." "Her love affair with Alberto continued  announced regularly by the rumble of his Ferrari." "By that time she was completely and entirely ours, almost suddenly drawing all eyes in the town towards her, in the role of "Aspiring Dauphine"." "Then, finally we got a telegram from Marina, announcing her arrival." "Elsa?" "Elsa!" "Elsa, what's wrong?" "Nothing." "I'm over it now." "Sometimes I get this way, where nothing makes sense..." "I feel as though everything is useless." "Come on, everything will be useless if we don't go and retrieve our survivor from Switzerland!" "Come on, up you get!" " You're happy, aren't you?" " Of course." "Will she be arriving at Ancona, your Marina?" " 2, 4, 6, 8..." " What time is it?" " 6 o'clock." " Oh God, 6 o'clock!" "I might start crying all over again." "Come on, don't take all day!" " What do you want me to wear?" " A deep-sea diving suit." " Elsa!" " What, never seen a nude woman before?" "You're not a woman, you're my sister!" "You can turn around, I'm dressed." "That'll be Alberto and Fedora." "Aren't they a little early?" "Those in love never sleep." "Lucky them." "Anselmo!" "I've never seen you up so early." "Where's the night-owl been?" "Who was she with?" "Mattioli?" "Anselmo, could it be that you're still upset by the actions of our mother?" "Elsa, get it into your head:" "I'm not like you!" "I didn't realise your car was as slow as that." " What platform is it?" " I don't know." "It's not here yet!" " Your attention, please!" " Quiet, I'm trying to hear..." "The express train coming from Lugano, Chiasso, Milan, Bologna  is delayed by 25 minutes." "What shall I do now?" "Listen, I'm going to sit down." "No, hold on!" "Where are you going?" "Let's go and see the sea." "Look out." "Watch out, here's where I trip over." " There's the sea." " I think I might go for a swim." " In March, are you crazy?" " It's sunny!" "Have you seen how they kiss each other?" "To me these things..." "You don't like to watch them?" "Well done!" "Encore!" "You're an idiot, Anselmo!" "An imbecile!" "How old are you, Elsa?" "Don't you realise how old you are?" "Always with your eye to the keyhole." "If you could, you would put sound recorders under people's beds  hidden video cameras!" " Leave her alone, Anselmo, come on." "Exactly, because you need Elsa as an audience." "Without an audience, I ask myself what you'd be doing with your life!" "What's wrong with him?" "Did your brother fall out the wrong side of the bed this morning?" " Here, have a smoke." " No, thanks." "Come on guys, let's do something... a game, I don't know, just to pass the time!" "Of course, what a wonderful idea!" "Do you know what we can do?" "Let's play the "Why?" game." "Why did we come here?" "Why are we waiting?" "Why do we see each other every damn day?" "Why are we always the same faces?" "Wasn't it your idea that we all come here to welcome back Marina?" "But of course!" "I'm here because I'm waiting for Marina  you guys are watching me wait, and us three are watching you two." "And what are two doing?" "Watching us, and so on." "I see, it looks like that time again." "His seasonal crisis has begun  have courage, Fedora." " Precisely." "If there's one thing that Fedora needs, it's courage." " What does that mean?" " Nothing, Fedora." "Just that yours is a dangerous game and that it requires courage." " And what would that be?" " Leave it." "I'm talking to Fedora, not you." "Why?" "Don't you think one requires courage to be seen going around with you  day and night, in this dirty town?" "Now you've done it." "Now you've done it!" " Don't touch my brother!" " Enough, come on, let's go." "Don't act like children." "No courage, Anselmo." "And I'm not playing any games." "Exactly, that's enough from you!" "Why are you getting involved?" "Even if Alberto and Fedora end up getting married, that's their business." "The important thing is that they're good together, that they love each other." "Yes, and I suppose you're marrying Ridolfi out of love, are you?" "I knew it." "What did you think?" "That you could pass off inviting him to our table as if it was by chance?" "And how can you do such a thing?" "Such a vulgar man, and so old!" " Your attention, please!" " Let's go, Fedora." "The express train coming from Lugano, Chiasso, Milan, Bologna  is approaching platform 4." " All because of a 20 minute delay." "Porter!" "Well, how do I look?" "I've changed, haven't I?" "I don't think I've ever been so happy in my entire life  as I was on that afternoon by the seashore." "The indifference and anguish that took hold of me  especially in the last days of our separation  just disappeared as soon as I saw her step down from the train." "As soon as she was in my arms again." "With her I would finally find the strength to do  what it was I'd dreamed of doing for so long." "To leave." "Drop everything." "Go abroad forever." " Anselmo?" " Yes?" "Why aren't you saying anything?" " What day is it today?" " Monday." "No, I mean the date." "Monday, the 10th of March." "Why?" "The 10th of March, 1960." "My life begins again today, with you." "Anselmo, I love you." "So why did you say that you were so happy by yourself in Switzerland, eh?" "No, Anselmo!" "Is that why you didn't reply to my letters?" " Is that it?" "Tell me!" " No, let go of me!" "Who said that I was so happy?" "Switzerland is like some kind of Purgatory." "It was the first time I'd been on my own for so long." "I had the chance to think about lots of things." "It's so nice here!" "Do you know that my inheritance has finally gone through?" "There are places my family bought that look like this." "You've no idea how many things I now own, at just 20 years old." "2,000 hectares of land, A factory  and there's an estate, close to Modena, That stretches all the way down to the sea." ""Your silence stretches as far as the ocean" Who said that?" "Anselmo Foresi, Volume 1, juvenile poetry." "If a poet starts to cite himself, it's a sure sign that he's a failure." "Oh, stop that!" "You know that when we get home you'll need to do a lot of work?" " You'll have to help me out, too." " When we get home?" " When we get home, where?" " I was thinking Modena." "Oh, yes, but you still don't know yet." "I'm going to become a business woman." "I'm buying into your father's company at 30%." "We've already reached an agreement." "Sorry, Marina, but I don't understand." " My father, when did you see him?" " We wrote to each other." "See, Anselmo, it won't be as bad as you think, it'll be a lot of fun." "There are so many things to do." "We have to organise everything, to  to move house, travel, speak with workers, discuss things with the farmers..." "What are you saying?" "Anselmo, try to understand me." "What is there to understand?" "That you've gone crazy?" "That Switzerland has gone to your head?" "We've always dreamed of leaving this place forever  we've always hated this life!" "And now everything has changed?" "And who are you in business with?" "With my father!" " And without even telling me!" " Wait, you'll see!" "It's different..." "Yes!" "Different from what you've always been, different from who I thought you were  a woman who would never live like one of them  with a head full of nothing but bank notes!" "And do you think it's right to stay at home and do nothing all day?" "To do nothing but listen to gossip  when there's capital that can be doubled?" "Marina, we can throw your capital in the river  we can spit on it, burn it!" " But that's not right!" "It's money I earned, isn't it?" "And you don't have the right... you can't spend your entire life running around the world." "Without taking into account what it costs, and that there is property to maintain." "Anselmo, I..." "I love you." "I can't imagine my life without you." "Marina, Marina!" "Come back to me!" "The life that we've always dreamed of is something else, something different!" "To get out of here, away from these people and their problems  that we hardly even know, that we don't understand!" "With you by my side, I can start writing again, but  but we need to be strong, and to break free of all this  this mentality, this world!" "It's our one and only duty." "To be ourselves  change our lives, don't you see?" " And what I want doesn't involve change?" "What happened, Marina?" "Nothing." "Nothing, nothing!" "You talk as if we were still kids, as if we didn't have  responsibilities." "For everyone, even for money..." "And you just can't." "What a shame, Marina." "My God, what a shame." "You can go to Modena by yourself." "I..." "I just don't know..." " What's wrong?" " No, nothing, I was just thinking." "You're a thinker..." "I was thinking that you've never told me that you love me." " Why are you laughing?" "I love you, I dream about you, I can't live without you..." " Doesn't that make you laugh?" " No." "These are things that Anselmo would say, the other thinker." "And also, to tell you the truth  I still haven't decided which I love more, you or the Ferrari." "Calm down." "If you want, I can learn to say "I love you"." "Come in!" " Your cigarettes." " What are you waiting for?" "Throw them." " Bad throw, but it's okay." " Excuse me." "What's wrong?" "Are you afraid he'll recognise you and tell your mother?" " It's not that." " Then what is it?" "Nothing." "You too..." "Me too, what?" "The terrible humiliation, the shame, the scandal..." "To be discovered with a man in a hotel room." " Always the same story." " Are all your women like this, then?" " All of them." " First they're here  then they're trying to save face." " Exactly." " Just like me, then?" " What are you doing?" " Getting dressed." "Didn't you tell me that you could stay out until 8?" "There's a bus at quarter past 7." "You can stay here, if you want." "Okay." "I'll just have to tell the porter to send me up another." "This hotel is really well-furnished." "Alberto, why are people so different when you get to know them  as opposed to how they seemed from afar?" " You're different as well." "From afar you seemed less stupid." "What do you want to do?" "Will you tell me what you want to do?" "You know just as well as I do how things are around here." "Everyone has seen you with me: getting in the car, coming home late at night." "Who would ever have the courage to marry you now  to face up to the jokes of friends  the gossip at the Café?" "You would have everyone against you, you know." "Everyone." "You would have to put up with the muttering and contempt of the whole town." "If not you can ask your mother." "Ask her how much she cried over your father." "People don't forgive here." "What are you waiting for?" "You'll miss your bus." "Even when we came to know about it, later on  it didn't surprise me that Fedora had been deluded when she was with Alberto." "And that their relationship had been a mistake, I had always gotten that impression  but it didn't even surprise me that Fedora stayed with him for so long." "Though perhaps my lack of surprise  is just a product of this town, this world of ours." "In those days, I was going through a particularly intense period myself." "I had decided to leave anyway, even without Marina  even without money, without any idea where I was going." "In the meantime, Cherè had offered me a room, and I would eventually leave from her place." "The important thing was to get out of that house, to not see my father again..." "After his agreement with Marina, I felt the strongest sense of loathing towards him." "Well?" " Have you forgotten anything?" " Yes, I've left a letter on the table  explaining everything, or at least what needs to be explained." "Let me pass, please." "Let's not make a big deal out of this." "I won't let you leave." "Once again, you don't know what you're doing." "I've never been so sure, I swear to you." "What is it?" "You don't believe in tough education anymore?" "Anselmo, we've never understood one another." " Anselmo, listen." "Listen to me..." " Change the record, Father." " Bye." " Anselmo!" "What do you want from me?" "Ever since I was born, you've wanted me to think, live  to work like you." "Money, only money." "It's all you knew to offer me." "But I don't want your money!" "Do you understand, or should I make it clearer?" "I won't allow it, Anselmo!" "I won't allow you to talk to me this way!" "I worked for 15 years to make my business what it is today." "15 years of sweat, of strain, of hard work!" "And you don't even know what the word "work" means!" " Nor the word "steal"." " What did you say?" " Say it again!" " I said "steal"." "Why, what did you think?" "Did you think that people don't talk?" "That my schoolmates and friends didn't know, didn't say anything?" "Tell me, Father, what if he had made it back from Germany too, instead of just his wife  that Jewish friend of yours who entrusted you with everything, what would you be today?" "I don't know what they told you, Anselmo." "I just know that..." "Let it go, Father." "I'm starting to feel nauseous  the same nausea I've always felt  from being stuck in this house." "Elsa would be left on her own." "That was the only regret I had about leaving." "She wouldn't have anyone to whom she could talk anymore  to whom she could vent, with her subtle dissatisfaction  that bitterness of hers that so many found difficult to understand." "I would imagine her waking up in the morning, or enduring long and empty afternoons  or in the evening, on the town streets." "What I didn't imagine, however, was that around this time she would come to know  the name of the secret admirer that had been sending her roses every morning." " Good evening." " Good evening, Miss." "So, you go to church as well?" " And you?" "Where are you going?" " I'm the one who asked the question." " Yes, I go to church." " And to pray for who?" "For her soul?" "Or perhaps for the souls of those people you take money from?" "That was two questions, and it's your turn to answer first." "Very well." "Home, I'm going home." "Good evening." "Perhaps I can drive you." "I have my car just around the corner." "That way, tomorrow everyone will know about it!" "I'll wait at the corner, okay?" "What makes you think I'll accept?" "Why did you stop to talk to me, then?" "A case of sudden curiosity." "Won't that do?" " Very well." "Excuse me, good evening." " Listen..." "It's not like I said "no"." "Wait!" "Where are you going?" "I didn't even say "yes"!" "And Marina?" "You don't even want to try again, to stop by her house?" "By now, Marina will be in Modena." "She didn't waste any time, left again right away." "Between leave and double, she chose double... her money." "Thank you." "Anselmo, we don't need this." "Not you  and not me." "Did you ever see him again?" "You haven't forgotten him, of course." "Anselmo, listen." "Listen to me..." "You need to leave." "If you stay here, even with me, you'll never leave." "Isn't that why you gave up on Marina?" "What are you doing here?" "What are you waiting for?" "Yes, what am I waiting for?" "That's the problem." "Why did I stop here at your house?" "Why didn't I leave with her before she went to Switzerland?" "It's not that simple, Cherè." "There are things one carries with him since the day he was born." "Born into a certain family, a certain town  into a certain social standing." "It's like a mark, Cherè." "An actual brand from a factory." "The worst thing is that I can't connect with those on the other side..." "They see the mark, and even if you..." "And they defend you." "That way you lose this contact." "No, Cherè, the truth is that you need to be stronger, more courageous." "Everything else is just excuses, banal excuses." "Indeed, like those I have now." "To not be able to leave because I don't have enough money." "Poor excuse, Anselmo." "If you need money, I can give you some." "How much do you need?" "No, don't worry, Cherè." "You're an angel, as I always tell you." "You'll see, one of these mornings you'll walk in here  and find the room empty." "Prince Hamlet will have made up his mind  will have left Elsinore Castle behind." "Really?" "Promise?" " I promise." " And the money?" "I'll ask to borrow them from Ridolfi." "Didn't you have financial problems with him?" "Yes, of course." "And you also know in what elegant manner I've chosen to resolve them." " Have you decided?" " More or less." "I will give him my hand, my position, my charm." "A modern conclusion, we'll call it, for a noble old lady." "We'll eat in my room, how does that sound?" "Annina!" "By the way..." "Do you want to hear a funny story?" "Come on, let's hear it!" "Do you want to hear the name of the person who was sending flowers to your sister?" "It was him, Mr. Ridolfi." " My future husband." " I don't believe it!" "He's crazy about her!" "I finally realised that  one of the reasons he wanted to marry me  was because he would gain access to our world, to her..." "Does Elsa know that?" "Yes, we laughed about it for an entire afternoon." "At the start she wouldn't even believe it  and then, well, you know what Elsa is like." "This kind of things make her mad." "Actually, I saw her a while ago  in front of the church." "She had bumped into him by chance." "I'm sure you can imagine how much fun she's having!" "Anselmo, what's wrong?" "What are you doing, going somewhere?" "You don't know Elsa, she's capable anything." "Just like my mother." "What's wrong?" "Feeling guilty?" "How much did all those flowers cost you?" "Why?" "Two dozen roses for two months." "Almost half a million." "When are you marrying her?" " Who?" " Margherita Cherè." "No, Elsa." "You can sleep well tonight." "Nothing sacrilegious will happen between us." " I'll tell her tomorrow anyway, your friend." " Why?" "Never mind, Elsa." "I don't believe you would ever be able to understand me." "Yes, your secrets." "You live on secrets." "You've made an industry out of it." "It's not me that likes secrets." "It's this town." "Such recklessness!" "He was leaning across to wave to me  must have turned too much and lost control of the car." "Thank God nobody is seriously hurt!" "Anselmo!" "Anselmo, you're okay, aren't you?" "I knew right there and then, on Mazzini Street  that this was the end of my escape, and my rebellion  my desperate act was immediately transformed into a convincing accident..." "My father would hush everything up, and I would return home..." "Once again, nothing had happened..." "I would take long walks alone or spend entire days  by myself in bed, drinking or staring at the ceiling." "From Marina, in Modena, there was no news." "Instead, the one person who left forever was Cherè." "She appeared suddenly to tell me as much on one afternoon in April.." "She invited all of us to a farewell celebration." "But in those days nothing and nobody interested me." "I barely even remember the day Elsa gave me the big news  in secret, that Fedora was expecting Alberto's child." " What time is Alberto picking you up?" " At half past 11." "She's always been an odd one, that Countess Cherè!" "A party at midnight!" " Do you want a coffee?" " No, Mother." "Fedora, what's wrong?" "You'll see, everything will turn out fine." "I'm sure that Alberto will marry you." " That's not it, Mother." " Then what is it?" " It's not working, I don't love him anymore." " Fedora, are you crazy?" "You have to be crazy to not love a person anymore?" "Fedora, but in your situation..." "You don't know what you're saying!" "Why?" "Because of all the material things I would lose?" "The Ferrari?" "The mansion?" "The butler?" "Or is it because of the scandal?" "What the people would think..." "You don't care about me!" "It doesn't matter to you whether I'm happy or not!" "But love isn't everything, Fedora!" "What do you think, that your father didn't love me before he left?" "Exactly, because now I've turned into your sick revenge fantasy." "Your daughter can marry the richest, the most powerful, the most desirable." "You can make the entire town jealous  all those who mocked and scorned you  when he left us!" "Look, it's useless." "Besides, Alberto won't marry me and I..." "But instead of waiting for him to ask, why don't you ask him?" "Mother..." "Mother, why won't you help me?" "Do you think it would be easy..." "easy to surrender to that life  now that I've been with them, that I've lived it myself?" "It's the misery, the indifference of people..." "Do you think that we haven't suffered enough, in this house?" "My darling, then what..." "Then there must be something else in life, no?" "You won't help me, Mother." "You don't know how to." "You don't even know what you're talking about." "Anyway, it's over with Alberto." "I'll tell him this evening." "Mother, we're in the sixties!" "People are going to the Moon!" "And you think that the same thing wouldn't happen on the Moon?" "If there was a town like ours, it would happen for sure." " Offer her some money." " No, Alberto." " How can you be so sure that..." " Tests." "Her mother had a bag full of papers." "Mother, there are many ways to avoid having a child, aren't there?" "Alberto, I wasn't born yesterday, and neither was  the girl's mother." "You know, a scandal right now  with the new contract, the dispute that we're having with those left wingers  your father..." "you understand, don't you?" "There's nothing else to do, Alberto." "At this point, you must marry her." "Yes, I'll marry her." "Of course." "That way we don't risk losing the contract." "And then?" "Then I'll sell the Ferrari, change my ways, become serious." "And I'll be careful not to have too many lovers, to avoid any scandals." "That's all it is, isn't it?" "Everything to be a young businessman." " Hi." " Congratulations." " For what?" " You've done it, haven't you?" "Done what?" "Blackmail from the mouth, tears on the handkerchief." "Your mother will be pleased, she'll have everything she's ever dreamed of." "A resounding success." " My mother?" "What are you saying?" " Yes, you don't know anything." "Your mother didn't know anything." "Nobody knows anything." "Everything has happened thanks to the work and grace of the Holy Spirit." "Only that, if we're going to be together  you could have quite easily told me about the baby..." "Not kept it hidden, like some kind of secret weapon." "Come in, guys!" "Make yourselves at home." " Hi!" " You look wonderful!" "Thank you!" "You look good!" "I've never seen you like this." "Then look while you still can, it'll be the last time." "Thank you for coming." "Hello, Cherè." "Excellent!" "This is enough drink for the entire town!" "And the servant?" "You've sent her away?" "Yes, she left for the country this morning." "It's better this way, much more intimate." " And you?" "Tomorrow?" " Yes, tomorrow morning at 7." " I won't even bother sleeping." " You've decided on England?" "No, Mexico." "A long trip to Mexico." "These days, with the new jet planes, you can get there from Rome in 11 hours." "Mexico... that sounds wonderful, Cherè!" "Marina!" "I didn't expect you to come." " Thank you." " You came to welcome me back  when I came home, I'm coming to say farewell as you're leaving." "They're beautiful." "Right, I'll put them in water right away." " Hi, Anselmo." " Well?" "You've already abandoned your proletariat life with the farmers?" "Just for a while." "Enough time to say goodbye to our runaway." " Elsa!" " Marina, darling!" " See?" "I came." " Oh, of course!" "You don't remember the doctor, your saviour  we all remember his slap!" " The famous doctor!" "You've no idea how thankful I am." "I looked for you, after I came home." " You seem to have recovered well." " Perfectly." "Have you seen those "before and after" adverts?" "Marina is a walking advert." "That's right." "She's recovered so well that you can't even recognise her anymore." "That depends on the memory of who's looking." "Or on the size of the fortune that's inherited." "Cured or not, Marina looks beautiful this evening." "Now, tell us what it's like in Modena." "Nothing special." "Just a bit bigger than this town." "Oh, excuse me!" " So, you've changed town?" " Yes." " Hi, Cherè." " Hi." " Guglielmo is here, too!" " I wouldn't miss it for the world." "Looks like the doctor is here, too." "Well, cat got your tongue?" " Hi, Elsa." " Hi." "You're Fedora?" "Hi, I'm Marina." " Marina?" " Is something wrong?" "I'm sorry, Marina." "I've heard a lot about you." " Even though we've never met." " Hi, Fedora." " You know my wife?" " Your wife?" "!" "It's the big news of the evening, I plan on marrying her very soon." " Come on, show them!" "That's it!" " Alberto, stop it!" "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Marchioness De Matteis!" " Well, nobody has anything to say?" " The Marquis is dead  long live the Marchioness!" " That's wonderful news!" " Congratulations!" " More like: the award for bravery." "Then the first present is for Fedora." "Come on." " What do you mean, the first present?" " Happy?" " Yes." " What presents, Cherè?" "I couldn't leave just like that, could I?" "There are farewell presents." ""Farewell, my darling, farewell..."" " You're such an idiot!" " And idiot, yes, but a patriotic one." "Cherè always has the most wonderful ideas, doesn't she?" " More like: the power of tradition." " Santini, Fedora!" "Here you are." " Enough, that's your third glass." " Thank you." " Foresi, Anselmo!" " Yes." "Foresi, Elsa!" " Bodoni, Guglielmo!" " Here I am." "Well, Anselmo?" " Nothing." "You're here?" " Evidently." "Castelfranco, Marina!" "I give to you my bracelet." "I didn't think you would come." "Yes." "Thank you, it's very beautiful." "Corsi, Mario!" "De Matteis, Alberto!" "Thank you." " This is yours." " And now it's yours." " No, I don't want it." " Why?" "I don't want it..." "Cherè, 20 volumes?" "You shouldn't have!" "There are lots of volumes missing." "You can find the rest if you go to Paris." "A table clock, just what I always wanted!" "It's a classic gift for a young businessman." "I heard that you're going to work for a firm, with your father." "With my father, with my mother, with my brother  and with my wife." "Just what I've always dreamed of, no?" "Half a medal?" "Have you never read any fairytales?" "I have the other half, that way, one day  we can be reunited on a deserted island  or in an enchanted castle." "With our fates written in the heavens..." "Hold on a moment." "This way we have more room." "Isn't he a darling?" "He thinks of everything, doesn't he?" "What are you doing, dancing on your own?" "Shall we dance?" "Come on, let's dance..." "Listen, Mario..." "Can you stick around later?" "I need to talk to someone." "With you." "There are things that I couldn't say to anyone else." "Ah, I see we've become quite the dashing young man..." "Amateur ballerina, professional businessman." "You don't speak often, but when you do..." "What's wrong with you?" "Stop it!" "Enough!" "Enough!" " Enough, Alberto!" "Get away from me!" " Now you don't want to, eh?" "Now you don't want to?" "!" "Doctor Corsi!" "Kiss her!" "You have my permission, go on!" "My God, how disgusting!" "Don't you realise how disgusting you are?" "See that?" "The Countess is still running after him." "I'd say that Fedora's kiss must have made him lose his head." "Must be a middle class thing." " Where's Fedora gone, has she left?" " Fedora will be back, don't worry." "What are these for?" "What is there to say, Cherè?" "Let's leave it at half-medals." "Guys, look at this!" "It's empty!" "Cherè, you don't have any furniture, what have you done?" "I can explain everything, let's just go back to the lounge." " Guys, it's empty through here as well!" " The only thing left to sell is the wallpaper." " Come on, quick!" " Just a moment!" "What are you doing?" "Please, wait, why don't you go back to the lounge?" "Who do you think you are?" "Let go of me!" "Quick, Guglielmo, come on!" "Hey, this must be the family Chapel!" " Wow, it's not bad!" " Elsa!" "Elsa, where are you?" " Where are the others?" " It seems they're on a treasure hunt!" "Quick, come with me." "No, this way!" "Hey, everyone this way!" ""Ecce domus Veneris!"" "This looks like the end of the world!" "Only the bed hasn't been sold!" " Marina, what are those?" " They're all bills to pay!" "Creme Rubinstein, Christian Dior..." "Christian Dior, hairdresser, whisky... more whisky!" "Even the car wasn't hers, do you know whose it was?" "... Ridolfi's." " Guys, the party's over!" " Look at this." " "Margherita Cherè, foreclosed."" "Ridolfi's name is here as well." "So that's why you wanted to marry him, eh?" "Cherè, how could you do such a thing?" "Why not just move out and rent the place..." "Actually, I like it." "You don't understand anything." "Well done, very well done!" "She wanted to live the life for a day." "Countess Cherè, we will dedicate a monument to your memory." "You fooled us all." "You were poor  without a penny, in the hands of the loan sharks!" "And we loved your class, envied your trips to Mexico!" "Come on, Cherè!" "Come on!" "Now, I'll give you some money  and my father will sort out the rest." "Happy?" "Isn't that right, guys, what is it that's written in the Bible  that we must feed the hungry?" "Out." "Out!" " These are no manners for a Countess, you know." " Out, I said." "We're going, we're going." "Well done." "Let's go, guys." "Leave the presents behind." "They might be useful in Mexico." "Only the lounge was maintained!" "For the farewell celebration!" "Anselmo?" "Anselmo!" "Go on." "What are you waiting for?" " I need to let some air in here." " Anselmo, let's go!" "Hurry up!" "Do you remember when you told me about the Dauphins, that first night?" "Perhaps that's why I was afraid when you started seeing him." "It wasn't just jealousy." "I was afraid that you..." "I don't know..." "That you would change." "Change inside, I mean." "Do you see?" "It seemed impossible that I would ever see you again as you were before." "What's wrong?" "Everything you're saying is so beautiful, so right..." "Then what is it, Fedora?" "Nothing, Mario." "I'm not the same as I was before." "It's like I don't have the strength anymore, that I don't know the difference  between right and wrong!" " What are you saying, Fedora?" "You love me, don't you?" "You know that you love me." "Of course, Mario." "Of course." "Then look at me." "We have our whole lives ahead of us." "You and I. And this time nothing and no one can stop us." "Yes, Mario." "Yes." "I want to scream it from the rooftops." "In fact, want me to start now?" "Fedora and I are getting married!" "Fedora and I are..." "Now, go and get some sleep, you're so tired." "We'll meet up later on, at midday, at the Meletti." "Yes, at the Meletti." "In front of the whole town." "There's no need to hide ourselves." "We can go in with our heads raised high." "Understand?" "Yes, Mario." "See you at midday, then." "Mother, what are you doing there?" "Nothing, Fedora." "Nothing, I'm ill." "I've been thinking all night." "I've done everything wrong, even with you." "And I just won't survive another scandal!" "Mother, please..." "Don't cry." "Hi, Fedora." "Well, you're not going to offer me a drink?" "Sure." " What would you like?" " One Pernod." "Hey, a Pernod!" "For the honeymoon we'll go and visit our paper mill first  and then on to Salsomaggiore, for the ping-pong championships." "Sounds like a wonderful plan..." "Did you hear that, Ridolfi?" "The world is yours." "Well done, Marina, cure my Anselmo." "You'll realise what a difficult character he is, when you're together again." "Anselmo, did you hear what your mother just said?" "Anselmo?" "I speaking to Marina about your nature." "You can be hard work, sometimes." "Yes, yes..." "Here we are." "Winter is over." "Everything is settled." "By the window at the Meletti, we've lost Cherè and gained Fedora." "People go about their Sunday walks." "Everything goes on as it was before, as it's supposed to." "What is left of that winter?" "In all these sleepless nights  I've forced myself to relive that time in order to understand what happened inside us  how it changed us." "And now that it's over, I don't know  everything seems so far away, so difficult to recall." "Perhaps my father is right  we were children, and now we've grown up." "... or perhaps, in some way or another, we were alive before  and now we're not, we've surrendered." "A week from now I shall marry Marina  and her land, which stretches as far as the eye can see." "The ceremony will be celebrated with the usual feast  in the Cathedral on the main square, where my sister got married  as well as Alberto and Fedora." "... and now I must go, it's late." "I have to be at work by 8 in the morning."