"The Way We Laughed" "20 January 1958" "Arrivals" "Giovanni !" "I know you." "You're Gaetano's son, God rest him !" "Hey, listen... I got this here cousin." "He said outside the station, I go straight, then left..." "It's a bakery." "I'll take you." "Where you off to ?" "Don't worry for me, my brother Pietro's coming." "He's in Turin, he's meeting me." "See ya !" "Right, he's at school !" "Saro !" "Where are ya ?" "Carmelo !" "Wait here, be back." "Do you read ?" "Can you say what's written ?" "I forgot." "My brother, he's at school !" "Can't make it." "Mornings he's at school, he studies." "How's he live ?" "Eat books ?" "Pietro's gonna be a school teacher." "Got brains, he has." "Just like you, huh." "Smart like you !" "What's the name of the street ?" "I can't figure out athing here." "Who wrote this ?" "A guy from home who can read 'n write." "I've got no time to waste !" "If we find it right away, okay, if not you look for it yourselves." "You're right." "Vito !" "Hurry on up !" "Via Santa Chiara." "Pastry and Bake Shop." "Here it is !" "It's closed." "City of Turin." "Ordinance of Closure by Injunction..."" "It's shutdown !" "Folded." "What's that mean ?" "Nobody works here, it's closed." "Nobody ?" "Whadda ya mean nobody ?" "Someone's gotto be there !" "Knock." "Wanna be here all night?" "You want to work here ?" "No work here, it's all closed up, it is." "Do like me." "I'm staying just a few days." "And then... home !" "You've been really nice." "When ya come down our way, we'll take a walk down the main street." "This is Via della Consolata, 8." "If we go by this piece of paper, it could be "SconsoIata" "Immacolata","Desolata"..." ""Consolata" is fine." "You sure your relatives live here ?" "This is a museum !" "What does your cousin do here ?" "Clean the toilets ?" "No !" "He's in a restaurant..." "Does the dishes, cleans the floor, sets the tables." "You've just got this piece of paper ?" "Didn't he write you anything ?" "Oh, yeah..." "He sent a postcard." "There was a river on it." "He said his house was right by this river." "How can anybody be so dumb ?" "I had better things to do." "I've given you my time, now you're on your own !" "Wait !" "Work it out !" "By ourselves !" "Ignorant fools !" "Some building !" "Who lives here ?" "The Boss of Turin." "Here it is." "This is it." "2 and 0... 20." "You're here." "Good luck." "Don't forget SiciIy." "We won't forget... we'Il go back, but with money !" "Excuse me, do you know Tano ?" "Scordia Tano, the brick layer." "Last door on the Ieft." "You SiciIian too ?" "I'm from Favara, province of Agrigento." "I'm from Judica, province of Catania." "Do you know it ?" "Sure a long way from Sicily here !" "Lord keep you." "Who is it ?" "What do you want?" "Assuntina !" "It's me." "Me who ?" "Gimme your name." "Scordia Giovanni, Uncle Rosario and Aunty Filomena's son." "Open up ?" "You here alone ?" "Why did you come ?" "I'm here to visit, isn't that alright ?" "Pietro's in school ?" "Don't know, it was dark out when he Left." "Good girl." "You've grown up and you're pretty." "Beautiful." "Beautiful here too." "Is this Pietro's bed ?" "No, it's mine." "Pietro sleeps on the cot." "Only opens it at night." "Italian book..." "Math book..." "Geography book..." "Look what I found." "Look !" "Milan Cathedral." "Oh, it's you !" "Want some bread ?" "Have a little bread, a little cheese." "Don't they make caciotta cheese in Turin ?" "Ya don't like it?" "'Scuse me." "Nobody here can read." "Know what I was thinking ?" "I go back to the station." "Who knows, maybe tomorrow morning someone'll come from my town, and I'll tag along." "It's my fault." "No !" "I've seen lots of nice things here in Turin." "Where are you from ?" " Cerignola." "Province of Foggia." "I'm from Judica, province of Catania." "Last month, 15,000 lira that was in the sugarbowl disappeared." "It was Santo's, he wanted to buy a scooter." "What's Pietro gotto do with it ?" "Lately he's acting rich." "Even bought new shoes, shines them day and night." "Pietro goes to school, he has to dress good." "I told him he should learn a skill." "His uncle always says: "Come work with us, as a bricklayer." "Got arms like we do"." "Wouldn't be caught dead on his books." "He knew you were coming, and didn't even go pick you up." "Here's 5,000 lira, I'Il send the rest." "Think this a place you can study in peace ?" "This is a sty." "Not fit for people." "It's a pig sty." "Pietro's jacket..." "all the things..." "All his things I'lI take them." "I'Il take care of my brother." "Here, have some bread." "Ain't ya hungry ?" "Whattcha on here in Turin ?" "That anyway to talk ?" "What're ya doin' here in Turin ?" "Work at the FIAT ?" "I study." "I'm going to be a school teacher." "I told him not to knock himself out for this diploma." "But no, no way..." "My brother is pig-headed." "How can four elephants get into a FIAT ?" "Here, you can have it." "Trains arrive here from all over." "Not just from Sicily, but from Germany too." "Do you know where Germany is ?" "You don't ?" "You're too ignorant !" "Ya forgot them in the waiting room." "You'll see, somebody from your town will show up." "You're here !" "I knew I'd find you." "Are you alright?" "7 February 1959" ""Come on !" "Get it goin' !" "I'm knackered !" "I'm knackered !"" "What kind of talk is that?" "Never heard it." "Turin dialect !" "How did you learn it ?" "A girl from Turin that I fucked in Catanzaro." "She said :"Was it good ?"" "'Course it was good." "She was a bleached blonde with huge knockers..." "What was she doing in Catanzaro ?" "She was a hooker." "What else !" "In Catanzaro the hookers are all from the north, Turin, Milan..." "I used to fuck one from Bergamo." "Here in Turin how do you find a woman ?" "It was easier before, now it's tougher." "If you want," "I know a place you can getone." "Rosario !" "It's raining, come have a fag." "Know something ?" "For what they give us, I'm not getting pneumonia." "I don't give a damn about the work." "Come on !" "We have to finish !" "We don't finish, they don't pay us." "They don't pay anybody." "What about you guys !" "You scared ?" "What can water do to you ?" "You can't even buy medicine, with the money they give us." "You wanna soak up all this rain yourself?" "You're a fool !" "Maybe he wants to cool off." "Deceptions" "Leave it !" "Get out of the rain !" "You'll be in bed tomorrow." "Look at all the rubbish tonight." "You're a sucker !" "It's pouring !" "Wanna shovel all the trash in the whole city of Turin !" "You can't do it, even if you work three days and nights." "I was in the square, but I was alone, with a shovel..." "What could I do ?" "I don't give a damn." "Blame your friends, I'm not paying anybody." "With the drenching I got !" "At least you got washed." "I did my job, I did." "Was he talking to the wall ?" "You and your friends won't get any money tonight." "Get out, you're better off." "Enjoy it..." "Wait for me upstairs, we'll fix it." "Understand ?" "Let's do this." "Now we'll settle it." "Offer me a cigarette ?" "Cigarettes are no good..." "for your wallet." "Soap's no good too ?" "Keep saving up." "Hey, Napoli ?" "I'm no fool, I won't let them cheat me." "This is your money, this is mine." "They're paying the others now too." "How did you do it ?" "To be respected here, you have to speak their dialect." "Did you see the Boss ?" "He's got a guilty conscience !" "Have a coffee." "No, it's late." "Don't worry, it's on me." "No, really." "It's like I did tho'." "Another time." "If you ever need anything I'm here." "You still here ?" "What time did you get to sleep ?" "Did you study till late ?" "I told you, you have to go to bed early." "If you don't, how'll you wake up in the morning ?" "You gotta go to school." "You have to wake up !" "Gimme your lil' smile ?" "See ?" "You can do it." "Come on, you have to go to school." "I'll heat some milk." "You're lucky, it's stopped raining." "Want some bread ?" "When was the last time we bought bread ?" "This is still good, it's good." "I'll leave you something to eat when you get back from school." "If I'm not here, just warm it up." "There's some cheese too." "But you don't like cheese anyway." "Still studying ?" "That's enough." "You've studied all night, eat something now." "It's important to be healthy for school." "You know, it's right this way." "When parents talk to the teachers, the students shouIdn't be there." "That way, the teachers tell us the truth." "But I know the truth about you." "You're smart." "Oh, the long hand is on the mark." "It's late." "Move it." "Tie, jacket..." "This time I'm coming to talk to your teacher." "Don't you worry." "You won't be ashamed." "I'll dress up nice." "Wear one of your ties." "What's his name ?" "Ferraris ?" "Go on." "It's late." "Your coat, it's cold out." "He didn't eat a thing." "Your books !" "Your books !" "You forgot them." "Get going." "It's late." "What do you want?" "Nothing, I don't smoke." "Go to class." "I've got Religion class." "You need something ?" "A fake signature in my absences book, an ink eraser to erase the "F" in the class register." "I got no money." "Go back to the priest." "would you like to be a Professor instead of cleaning toilets ?" "I can make this miracle happen." "Today is Parents' Day." "The teachers meet the parents." "When they've all left, dress up nice, go into the teachers' room" "and be Ferraris." "Doctor of Letters." "My brother's coming to ask how I'm doing in school." "You have to make me look good." "tell him that I study, that I'm attentive and that I'll be promoted in June." "And the most important thing, that I'm top of my class." "Looks like a lawyer, smooth talker, gift of gab, the lot..." "And if he doesn't make Pietro look good ?" "He's from Barletta, but when he talks, they think he's from Turin." "You know what he'll say to the teacher?" ""Hi Sir, how's my brother catching' on ?" "Is he a good student?"" "Come on, I'll do the talking." "How much does he want for this ?" "Don't worry !" "We'll come to an agreement..." "Did you bring the money ?" "Everyone with me." "See what a refined person." "Doesn't just teach dancing." "He's an actor in films, in theater." "He doesn't even look like me." "Has Pietro's teacher ever seen you ?" "So what do you care ?" "Anyway, it's not true..." "he's got a moustache like you." "I'II talk to him." "What are you doing ?" "Is everything okay ?" "Yeah, okay." "Did you wash ?" "Yes." "You have to ask her if she washed." "You know how many people go with this girl ?" "Have you got a handkerchief?" "She's gotta wipe my nose ?" "I'll give you mine." "When I go in, she does everything." "How do you know that ?" "Who taught you ?" "Everyone knows." "Young man, let's go." "How'd it go ?" "She make you feel good ?" "It was like that for me too the first time." "I didn't even feel pleasure." "Was she pretty ?" "Do you remember Lucia, the shoemaker's daughter ?" "The one they said went to Turin to be a waitress ?" "She was in there." "She was the one." "You're wrong !" "You've confused her for someone else." "Did you go to talk to my teacher ?" "Of course, with Professor Ferraris..." "What did he tell you ?" "What do you think ?" "That you're studious, attentive, well-mannered." "AII things that I knew." "Did he tell you that I'II be promoted in June ?" "That the teachers think the world of me ?" "That I'm top of my class ?" "He told me something else." "That you're intelligent." "I said: "Sure, he's my brother."" "For the last time." "Then we'll see what you've written in your notebooks." "Come in, this is your home." "They don't want Southerners here in Turin." "Know what they put on their doors ?" "A piece of paper saying "For Rent"." "Then below that they put:" ""No Southerners"." "What are we supposed to do ?" "Sleep in the street like dogs ?" "This city's got no heart." "Home..." "Below ground." "Thank God I found it." "You know how much I pay ?" "You'd think it was a mansion !" "Don't be surprised if you see people in bed." "They have to get up to go to work." "That's our arrangement." "If you have a day job, you sleep at night." "If you work at night, what can you do ?" "Sleep during the day." "A bed is like bread." "You shouldn't waste it, it's a sin." "It's late." "Do you wanna get sacked ?" "We're all friends here." "We gotta help each other out." "You know if you sleep good, you work good." "The toilette is there." "There are lots of us, so we have to work it out." "If you've got problems among you, discuss them outside." "In here, everyone has to keep their place." "10 October 1960" "What do you give me ?" "Whatever your conscience says." "Whatever is right." "Vito ?" "Get the guy from Lecce, I gotta talk to him." "Money" "Yes, Sir." "I still haven't seen the money for lastweek." "I paid you Sunday, yesterday and the day before I didn't give anything." "That's why I slept on the floor." "If you don't come on time, do I leave a bed empty?" "I can give you half." "All of it..." "Gotta pay me all of it, like everybody else." "If you don't like the terms or it doesn't suit you, go sleep in the train station." "Like you did before." "Got it?" "Got it." "Here's what they gave me." "May I speak to Pietro ?" "Alessandra, a classmate." "Just a minute." "Young man, this time it's Alessandra on the phone." "How you doing ?" "Did you have your milk and coffee ?" "Did you eat?" "I'm calling about the money, today you have to pay the rent." "Are you still embarrassed to talk to her ?" "She knows we're Sicilians." "All she cares is that you pay her." "Me and the telephone don't get along." "It's not my thing, numbers..." "I haven't got the money now, but I'll have it this evening." "Tell the lady you're sorry." "Even tomorrow is okay." "Get to school now, or you'll be late." "What've you got today?" "I've got a test, an essay." "An essay..." "Is it hard ?" "They don't say if it's hard or easy." "What can you know?" "You know that one school book costs 1,200 lira ?" "What do you care ?" "You can't read or write." "1,200 lira !" "A family can buy bread for three days." "For my brother in school" "I bought one that cost 1,500 lira !" "It's called Atlas." "There are pictures, sometimes I Iook at them." "There is Sicily too." "You know it looks bigger than italy." "How's that possible ?" "Have you got the money today ?" "Only 2,000 lira." "What can I do with that ?" "You have to pay up, I need the money today." "I haven't got it." "If you wait a little, when I have it, I'll put something on top." "What ?" "At the end of the month now that I'm working, when I get paid, I'll add something extra." "You got a family?" "Children ?" "One." "Another is on the way in June." "Do you send money home ?" "At Christmas." "What you lent me." "At the end of the month, when you get your pay," "5,000 lira is mine." "Thanks." "If I gotta sign something, I will." "Not between us, no need." "Don't smoke." "Smoking is bad... for your wallet." "My wallet's been stolen !" "Get him !" "For me ?" "Thank you." "Do you read ?" "Sort of." "What's written here ?" "We have a fine selection of wines." "If you'd like an aromatic wine, I'd suggest the Grignolino." "Both the Barbera and the Dolcetto are more full-bodied." "The NebbioIo d'Alba of course, is excellent." "I'll order later." "I'm expecting someone." "As you wish." " I'm sorry, you can't come in." " I have to see someone..." " You can't come in." " Leave me alone !" "What are you doing here ?" "Get up." "I wanted to surprise you." "The food's good here." "Sit down." "Have you lost your mind ?" "Why here ?" "How can we pay ?" "I won the lottery." "We've got the money." "What money ?" "Are you kidding ?" "You know what it costs here ?" "Outside !" "We can always do the dishes or be waiters." "All the waiters here are customers who couldn't pay their bill." "Sit down, do it for me." "I said outside, get going !" "You forgot the most important thing." "It's my birthday." "I'm 16 today." "Oh, right..." "I'm sorry." "How come I didn't remember ?" "This head..." "Do this for me." "Let's have dinner together." "Right." "You're right." "It's your birthday..." "You should eat good." "Here's the money." "There's enough for one." "You go on and eat." "I'll wait for you outside." "Happy Birthday." "Why didn't you stay and eat ?" "We'll both go without." "Make you happy ?" "This is yours." "Tomorrow I'll give you the rest." "So you can pay the land lady." "Come on, I'll walk you home." "It's late !" "Why are you crying ?" "Is it my fault ?" "What did I do ?" "Don't think about me, today is your birthday." "You have to feel good, eat good." "What birthday..." "It's a week away." "You don't have to give me the money." "Tomorrow I'm coming to work with you." "School is over for me !" "Don't ever say that again, don't you dare." "Do you know what it means to work ?" "Work !" "Have a little wine." "It's good for you in this cold." "Remember when you got drunk ?" "It was the day Papa died." "We locked you in the kitchen, so you wouldn't see anything." "You drank a whole bottle." "Laughed all through the funeral." "You loved Papa." "He loved you too." "He'd always fight with Mama." "She said that he loved you more than me." "All the fibs you told him." "In front of the church ?" "Remember?" "When you fell and you told him it was me with a punch that had made your face so bloody." "What a beating I got !" "And the time I stole his money ?" "You said you did it." "He'd never do anything to you." "When you were little, you loved me too." "When we were left alone, you'd always come in my bed." "You'd wake up at night." "You were afraid that I'd die too." "I understand you don't want to study." "You say: "Why ?" "Why can't I earn my living like everybody else that goes to work ?"" "You're different from me." "I'm ignorant." "I can't even read the names of streets." "Not you." "You can go to school." "People say money is important." "It's true." "Money is important." "But I'll worry about the money." "Let's see here." "Did I hurt you ?" "There's no more ginger ale." "I'II get you another one." "Don't get anywetter." "I'm here." "My books." "7 April 1961" "Letters" "Just girls here ?" "What ?" "In here,just girls here ?" "I don't understand." "Where are the boys ?" "These classes are mixed." "In the boys' class." "Mixed..." "What's mixed ?" "Scordia Pietro." "What ?" "Where did ya classfriend sit ?" "What are you saying ?" "Where was his seat ?" "Up front." "The first desk." "So he'd be closer to the teachers and hear better." "Here." "The blackboard..." "He did his math here with chalk." "I know this." "Pietro said it's called geography map." "There's all of Italy." "Sicily !" "Turin should be here too." "Where's Turin ?" "What's that guy want ?" "You have to leave !" "I'm Pietro Scordia's brother." "To talk to the teachers..." "There are classes now." "Leave." "Why this attitude ?" "I'm not doing anything." "Just behave now, come along with me." "What are you doing ?" "I have to speak to the teachers." "They have to tell me why they hurt my brother." " Don't make me mad..." "Get away from me !" "I'll sit here and wait for him." "This was Pietro's place." "Now it's my place." "What did I do to you ?" "Why are you getting involved ?" "You should arrest the teachers of this school." "Those teachers are the delinquents." "It's them you should arrest !" "Where are the books ?" "My brother's books, did you get them ?" "Where did you put them ?" "Did you leave them at the school ?" "Go back !" "You should never lose books !" "My brother's books !" "Let go of me !" "The books !" "Scordia Giovanni, born on October 3," "1931." "Judica, province of Catania." "The small house... with a garden." "I twas in back of the church." "Simone ?" "I'm a Carabiniere here." "I've been in Turin three months." "You ?" "What did you do ?" "Threats resisting a public official, insults..." "It's a good thing I talked to the warrant officer." "I told him you're a nice guy." "Someone from my town..." "How are you getting on here ?" "All right ?" "All right." "Your brother?" "AII these months he's disappeared, haven't you reported it?" "I'm not reporting anybody." "You call that reasoning ?" "That's an offence too, your brother is a minor." "Even as a kid he was heading for trouble." "A guy like Pietro needs a good beating, not school." "Everything all right?" "Can I go ?" "Yes, everything's all right." "It's like it didn't happen." "I bet Pietro is in Sicily." "That's where we'll have to look." "It's none of your business." "Did I ask you any favors ?" "Leave me alone." "Giovanni to who ?" "Who said we were friends ?" "I don't know you." "Before you talk about my brother wash your mouth out." "You gonna open this door ?" "Dear Pietro," "brother of mine." "I haven't seen you for so long." "Where are you ?" "What are you doing ?" "How are you ?" "Eating ?" "I've looked so hard for you." "I even thought that I did something wrong." "I don't know." "Maybe..." "Maybe I did do something wrong." "I didn't mean to, I didn't understand." "I know, studying is difficult, but in this world" "everything is difficult." "Here we're not back home." "So many people step on you if you're not careful." "If you're not working..." "Pietro..." "Don't be ashamed if you did something wrong." "Don't be afraid of me." "I'm your brother." "When you come back" "I won't ask you anything." "I'll just say what you want to hear." "Say it the way you want, correct..." "Pietro I love you." "Mr. Scordia ?" "Can I offer you something ?" "Do you feel alright ?" "You can sit down." "Thank you." "Some days never seem to pass." "There was a strike today too." "What have you got to do with a strike ?" "Don't you have a job ?" "I used to." "A good one." "I lost it." "Happens these days." "That's not true." "There's work around." "But you have to know the right people." "If you find me a job, I'II be grateful my whole life." "I swear it on my children." "Leave children out of this." "How many children have you got ?" "Four." "Boys ?" "Last one's a girl, two months old, but the other three, how they play !" "How they eat !" "Be quiet." "You think your children are your own, then they learn to walk" "and they leave you." "Know what they say back home ?" ""Raise hogs, 'cause then you can eat them."" "This is for you." "Who gave it to you ?" "It's been here a long time." "A long time ?" "They like to joke around here." "They're wasting their stamps." "Maybe this time it really is your brother." "Pietro won't write me." "He knows that I can't read." ""I hate you, I don't love you anymore, you see, I don't love you !" "Remember that day, my feet took me far, my heart dreamed of return." "So I came back." "You weren't there." "The house was an echo of the past, of a long time of promise." "And that echo was all I took away with me of you, forever."" "Good, that's enough." "Where did you study ?" "In a seminary ?" "With a tutor." "I'd already failed twice." "Now I've done three years in one." "I could see you preaching from a pulpit." "Thank you." "Let's continue on Pascoli ?" "What exactly does the poetic style ofthe "little child" mean ?" "The poetry that Pascoli wrote as a young boy?" "All right..." "Let's hear "The Little Dapple-gray Mare"." ""Already silence hung heavy in the tower." "The poplars by the stream were murmuring." "The Norman horses..."" "When he came to me, he seemed hopeless." "Now they can't get a word in, he's doing all the talking." "School is like a machine." "Teachers teach, students study." "Even parents have to do their part." "May I ?" "Professor Ernesto Rosini, Cavour Institute make-up classes." "Three years in one." "May I ?" ""I am the lamp that burns gently, in the loneliest hours, in the darkest hours, in the saddest, the most somber, the sweetest of shadows, oh, my brother."" ""Beggar Boy" fourth part." ""It was then I sensed in my heart, the voice that still lingers there." "I don't want it, don't want it Sir, I don't want your compassion to fade."" ""Little Bird in the Cold" third part." ""In your song trills tweet tweet, with little crackles and bursts, the secret creaking ofthat pile of logs." "A creaking you thought you heard when you were hunting for worms, trtrteritterit."" "It's not even in the program." "Why do you Iike Pascoli so much ?" "This school is called Pascoli, they always ask for his poems." "And also..." "Pascoli lost his father when he was small like me." "Professor !" "Left them speechless !" "They told me I talk like a priest." "Know what they asked me ?" "Equations, the third War of Independence and Pascoli." "Just´what you taught me !" "I'm off to tell my brother." "Let's go together." "You stay here." "The professors might want to congratulate you." "29 June 1962" "Blood" "Excuse me, I'm looking for Scordia." "Do you know Scordia ?" "He's out there." "Look who !" "What are you doing here ?" "Got the wrong Scordia." "I'm looking for my brother, not my cousin." "Where's Giovanni ?" "None of you never cared about family." "When Giovanni worked here, we'd just say hello, that's all." "Like two strangers." "What happened to him ?" "Did they fire him ?" "Fire him ?" "He quit !" "Hasn't worked here for months, he wasn't cut out for the factory." "Know what he said around ?" "That here, they even count the time you spend peeing." "Something happened to him ?" "Know what he does now ?" "Giovanni's free to do as he likes." "'Course he is." "Since you're a student, give me pen and paper and I'll write down where you can find him." "I won't tell you aloud, there are too many envious people." "Excuse me." "I'm not looking forwork, I'm looking for my brother." "Just a minute." "Vibo Valentia, province of Catanzaro." "How old are you ?" "26." "Got a wife and kid, they haven't eaten for days." "Been on a train all night to look for a bit of work here." "What can you do ?" " Laborer." "Whatever." "You don't find work lying around in the streets here, it costs." "I know." "Costs pain and sacrifice." "Costs something else too." "Excuse me." "I'm looking for Scordia Giovanni, my brother." "Pietro, the Professor !" "I'm not a professor." "Sure !" "Giovanni told us everything." "Come on over." "Sit down." "Some wine for a toast." "Giovanni's so pleased, what a great satifaction !" "Professor." "But really..." "Is it true the professors thanked you and even applauded ?" "Does my brother work here ?" "He's the president of this co-operative." "Where's he now ?" "He's around, working." "Every day people arrive here." "We work something out for them." "I'm in the way." "In the way?" "You ?" "If you don't care forwine, I'll get you a coffee." "I'll see Giovanni at home." "My thanks to you, Professor !" "Congratulations !" "Professor !" "I know where your brother is." "Where you'll find him." "Are you a friend of his ?" "I wish !" "I'm here looking for work." "If he wanted..." "could you put in a good word ?" "Where is he ?" "If you help me, I'll tell you." "Giovanni ?" "I'm putting the baby to bed." "Your meal's on the table." "I thought you'd be back sooner." "Must be cold by now..." "Excuse me." "The door was open so I came in." "I always leave it open." "I get tired of doing the stairs." "Your brothe rwas supposed to come." "Please, come in." " Do you know me ?" " I saw you once in a photograph." "In Giovanni's wallet." "Did he tell you to come here ?" "Yes, but I don't want to be any trouble." "trouble ?" "please sit down, make your self at home." "Did he write these things ?" "I'm teaching him to read and write." "He's learned to write his name." "And yours." "Can he write your name ?" "I haven't taught him yet." "Teach him right away." "Lucia is a pretty name." "Does he talk about me sometimes ?" "AII the time." "He's loved you since you were small, back home." "Me too, then they sent me away." "To be a waitress." "Yes." "Turin is big, but we met up just the same." "It was fate." "What's the baby's name ?" "Giuseppe." "Your brother loves him like his own." "Giovanni is far too good." "He loves everybody." "Do you love him ?" "Yes." "Then don't tell him I was here." "Professor !" "What an honor." "I'll call your brother." "Is he here ?" "Mimmo, go call the president." "It's a little get-together, just some friends." "It's an engagement party." "They got in trouble, now they have to get married." "Nicola, come here." "This is Giovanni's brother, thank him too." "For what?" "Your brother found him a good job." "Take some sugared almonds for good luck." "Thank you, best wishes." "What a nice song." "Can my brother hear it?" "Sure can !" "He's down there." "Do me a favor." "A young man, never seen him before." "If he wants work, he has to come to the co-operative during the day." "I don't think he's looking forwork." "He's well-dressed." "If it's important he can come and talk to me." "Or you take care ofit." "Go on !" "Carmelo ?" "Keep going." "I know what you're like." "When everything's all right you're quiet, you don't talk." "If someone sees you who doesn't know you, he might think you're sad." "But I know you're content." "You ?" "Are you content ?" "Yes." "You told me once that a head isn't like a sack." "The more you put in a sack the heavier it gets." "You can put everything you want into your head." ""Little mare, little dapple-gray mare..."" "I learned that poem too." "while I listened to you study." "Because you're intelligent !" "If you had come too, to study with the professor, we'd have taken the exams together." "Maybe you'd have been more promoted than me." "Who knows ?" "Anything's possible." "Maybe ten years from now I'II be a schoolteacher too." "You're tired, aren't you ?" "AII these people..." "I didn't know you had so many friends." "They're good people, they're nice." "I don't have any friends." "Why should I ?" "I've got you." "You don't need to tell to me anything." "I love you." "That's it." "There are certain things you can't even tell a brother." "That's the way it should be." "You know how many times I didn't tell you my own things ?" "Secrets should be kept inside." "If not, what secrets are they ?" "Gimme your lil' smile !" "Won't you give me your smile ?" "Gimme your lil' smile !" "It's chilly." "Aren't you sleepy ?" "I'm not." "I don't even want to go home." "School's over, eh !" "You've got nothing to do tomorrow, so we walk..." "But you have to go to work." "Know what I'll do one of these days ?" "I'll grab you." "We'll leave, I'll take you someplace." "So you can rest a little." "We'll take the train just the two of us." "We can do what we want." "Go on home." "I've got to do something." "I'll wait for you." "I said no." "Go back home." "I have to take care of something." "Sunday 5 July 1964" "Families" "Close it, he'll catch cold." "Breath of mine !" "Who mad'ya so pretty ?" "Gave ya these lil' hands, lil' eyes !" "Who mad'ya like this ?" "How are you talking ?" "You mustn't speak to him in dialect." "Look !" "Acar's coming." "Who can it be ?" "No one !" "They're your cousins." "What do you care ?" "Know who's coming today ?" "Someone who loves you is coming." "Someone who's got a nose and eyes like yours." "Someone who's called like you." "His name's Pietro, like you." "It's your uncle." "Move along." "You're here !" "How you doing ?" "Let me look at you." "This long hair." "Beard..." "How are you ?" "You look good." "Which side is the Po on ?" "We passed over it." "You can see it from the house." "Tommorrow morning, when you wake up, open the window and you'll see water." "It's not the sea, but..." "My maternal grandparents were from these parts." "How do you like it here ?" "Justfine." "Here's the gift for your nephew, little Pietro." "You have to give it to him when we leave the church." "That's the custom." "Does your wife know how things are ?" "You kidding ?" "They're sure to ask some questions." "You tell them you're collegues." "Anyway, aren't you a teacher?" "An educator." "Educator, teacher !" "What's the difference ?" "The difference... ..is that teachers teach in schools." "Are you glad to be here ?" "It was a miracle they let him out." "Wasn't the money enough ?" "It's never enough." "For three days !" "No one'll even notice." "Were up to me, I'd leave him here, but we've gota train later." "This time, if I don't bring him back on time, I'll lose my job." "My brother's here now." "He'll leave when I say so." "Are you uncle Pietro ?" "I've got no children, Iet alone nieces and nephews !" "We're here." "Put your tie on." "Now the Arch bishop will ask you lots of things." ""Do you believe in God ?", "I do"." ""Do you renounce Satan ?", "I do"." "You know how to do it." "My brother Pietro, the teacher." "We've been waiting all this time for a long-hair ?" "Your nephew." "Take him." "Once the dough is rolled out you put Ligurian herbs picked on the spot." ""Brebuggiun", artichokes, ricotta, eggs and you let it bake." "You know what the characteristic of the Eastercake is ?" "It has to be cut in thirty-three pieces." "Why ?" "Those are the years of Christ !" "Why did you go to work in Sicily?" "I wonder that myself." "I was among the top in the lists." "But we're in italy... someone with more connections showed up so they shoved me off to Barcellona." "In Spain ?" "Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, province of Messina." "At least you've got the sea." "Don't know how to explain it." "It's a question of incommunicability." "You speak to them in Italian and they don't understand." "You know what's crazy ?" "This will give you a laugh !" "When I get back home they say:" ""Are you talking African ?"" "We speak the way we know." "I don't understand them either when I'm with them." "As far as I'm concerned all Southerners are people like us." "The fact I let my daughter marry him, proves that." "Where's your brother?" "Does he feel all right ?" "That's the way he is, he likes to be alone." "And he's young, shy..." "Doesn't know anyone here." "Is he like that at school too ?" "No !" "School is his job." "No one can touch him there." "Mister PeIaia, tell us, you're a collegue of his." "If I'd had a teacher like him, maybe I'd have a degree now." "With that hair, they let him teach ?" "No one says anything ?" "It may seem strange, but the children love him for his hair." "I think he's allergic to water." "Is every one vaccinated for tubercolosis in your schools ?" "Dessert..." "Have some, for good luck." "Take off your jacket and tie, it's hot." "Want to be with your nephew ?" "Should I get him ?" "Did you see, when you were holding him in church, he smiled at you." "Ada wanted to call him Battista, Iike her father." "I said: "No." "We call him like my brother."" "Since when he was born, I talk to him and think of you." "And you, how are you ?" "I'm fine !" "Why shouldn't I be ?" "It's completely different now." "Last month we bought another truck." "Now we have four." "I passed the fifth grade exam." "If not, I couldn't get my licence." "They asked me a lot of things about Math and Geography." "I did a good job." "You pulled strings." "No strings !" "I studied." "The way you studied." "I can't do any better than the fifth grade." "When everything's fixed for you, if you want to go to University you can." "Not to find work, there's as much as you want right here." "Here everyone's a laborer." "We need someone with a good head." "At Christmas, are we together?" "Of course we are." "Know what we'll do at Christmas ?" "We'll take your nephew to Sicily." "We'll show him our town." "Who knows what the house looks like ?" "We'll fix it up, we'll spend the whole summer just the two of us." "I'm gonna leave with you." "I'll take the train." "It's a long trip, there's time." "We can talk." "I have lots to tell you and you do too." "I'll tell them I'm taking you to the train, but instead we'll leave together." "The two of us." "He can't sleep at night." "He leaves almost all hisfood." "Pietro is a child, sleeps and eats when he wants, got his own rhythm." "I should be closer to him." "I'll take the train with you, he asked me to." "He said: "Let's at least make the trip together."" "What do you think the trip will change ?" "You'll come back, Pietro will stay." "If I could, I'd go to Sicily everyday." "It's far away." "I put him there because it's easier to fix things up." "I work from morning till night so he has what he needs." "Why don't you bring him more often ?" "Once a month, but not for two hours or half a day." "Don't you realize there's no time left ?" "They won't keep him in the reformatory any longer." "Of course." "He's good, he's behaving himself, he'II be out soon." "That's not how things are." "When he's ofage, they put him in prison." "Who you trying to scare ?" "Trying to scare me ?" "Need more money?" "Tell me !" "You just don't understand." "I feel sorry for Pietro." "I look at him and think..." "What ?" "How's it possible that Pietro could have killed a person ?" "How's it possible that he picked up a knife ?" "You don't know what it means to love." "Pietro did it for me." "Pietro would have done anything for me." "For his brother..." "Can you get me a gingerale ?" "A gingerale." "A cold one, please." "13 across." "The most famous Valli." "What do you say ?" "Gardena..." "No, Gardena... one, two, three..." "Five spaces" "Alida !" "See ?" "There's a trick." "Do you know Alida Valli ?" ""The interrogation."" "What did Alessandro Spina invent?" "A: ice cream." "B: candied fruit." "C: glasses." "I think it's glasses." "In what opera is the aria : "Silent was the Calm Night" ?" "A:" "Trovatore." "B:" "Falstaff." "C:" "Rigoletto." "Rigoletto." "Listen to this." "Two friends meet." "One says to the other:" ""Is it true that you work for the television ?"" "And the other says: "Two more payments and it's mine !"" "This is an intelligent question." "How can four elephants get into a FIAT ?" "How can four elephants get into a FIAT ?" "Come on !" "Try it." "How can four elephants get into a FIAT 600?"