"DEAR MICHELE" "Dear Michele, I'm going to town today and if I make it in time, I'll drop by." "If I don't find you, I'll leave this note." "I bought some rabbits and they should be delivered tomorrow." "I'd like you to build a few cages as I don't know where to keep them and they can't stay in the utility room." "If you come, feel free to bring your laundry to wash." "Your aunt Matilde has definitely settled in here but we finally have a maid." "Her name's Cloti." "She's not nice and she doesn't feel like doing anything." "Where's Cloti?" " She hasn't come down yet." "What about the breakfast?" " I took care of it." "We don't have time to eat it here." "Bye, mom!" " At least drink your milk!" "Ready?" "I won't wait for you." " I'm coming!" "Cloti hasn't woken up yet?" "That one didn't come to serve but to get served!" "Going out?" " I'm going to town." "I'll come with you." "No, I prefer walking in this fine weather." "There's a cold, healthy air." "I'm off to Rome for the phone line." "One needs to go in the morning and if I don't go in person, we'll never get the line connected." "Without a nice recommendation, you won't solve anything." "Will you be back by 1pm?" " No, tonight." "Today is the first Thursday of the month." " Right." "The more I think about it, the more you two seem crazy." "What happens if you miss one Thursday?" "Nothing, but I always go." "So does he?" " So does he." "But if it's a torment for both of you what are you meeting for?" "It's a habit now." "Your brother is very methodical in his disorganization." "When we separated, he decided we had to meet once a month and sit at that small table from 5 to 7pm." "And we do that." "What's Cloti doing?" "When is she supposed to get up?" "I'll see about it." "Go cook these onions." "We'll make a soup when I get back." "What?" "These?" "But they're all rotten." "Wait." "Let's go over there." "Madam, your husband's valet has just called to inform you that your husband can't come today because he's ill." "You could call him or pay him a visit." "Good morning, madam." " Good morning." "Excuse me, who's that lady?" " The wife." "I haven't decided yet if I like more the flowered tile or the other." "And I'm not even sure if the layout of the baths is right." "I'm miles away because in a few days I need to have surgery." "Come in!" "I've just come." "I haven't spoken to him yet." "He's keeps on phoning, one call after the other." "He told me to come." " Same to me." "What about Michele?" " I think he told him to come too." "You're the architect, but I'm the one who calls the shots." "It is me who must go live in that house." "All year round." "Actually, for the rest of my life." "Alright, alright." "You need to have surgery?" "Yes, to get rid of that pain in my stomach." "I'm having that tower at the seaside renovated." "Mostly for Michele." "You only worry about him and you don't think about your daughters." "Besides, Michele dislikes the sea." "It was really a stroke of genius buying that tower." "Anyway, I often have these strokes of genius." "But, I don't like the fact that you went to live in the country." "I had my good reasons." " Yes, I know." "Filippo got married." "He got a wife and he already got her pregnant." "What a no-good man!" "I've never liked him!" "With those drooping shoulders, those little curls and that profile of a hawk." "Is it true you that took my sister in?" "She was depressed." "Penniless." "She made a wrong investment." "She'll give the twins some private lessons." "Don't let her come around here." "Neither Matilde nor the twins." "And I don't want the twins to go to the seaside tower." "I can't take a nap because of their portable radios." "I don't want Viola either." "She can go to her in-laws in the country, packed with flies." "How can you put up with a daughter who hasn't got a scrap of irony?" "You, Angelica, you're better." "On the other hand, you've a boring husband." "Much more boring than Viola's." "He speaks ill even of Cézanne!" "What a prick!" "I will go talk to your doctor." "You'd better go to the clinic at once." "I'll decide when to go to the clinic." "I wanted to phone Michele and tell him to come here." "Sure." "You can phone him." "Let's phone that friend of Michele." "What's his name?" "The one who has a bookshop." "He surely knows where Michele is." "He can drop him a note." "I got it." "Osvaldo." "Yes, Osvaldo." "I always forget his name." "Will you transfer the call over there, in the studio?" "I remember you always used to sing it while painting." "Listen, Dad." "That girl's waiting downstairs." "You know that girl you introduced me to once?" "We went together to buy her a jacket." "She wants to know if she can come up." "Anyway, mom doesn't care." " No, I don't want to see her." "She takes too many cabs." "Hello?" "Osvaldo?" "Sorry, it's Michele's mother." "Could you tell me...?" " Mind that Michele is not in Rome." "I'm sure of what I'm saying because I took him to the airport." "What?" "It's can't be!" " It is, madam, I'm telling you." "I'm not really allowed to tell you." "But, given the circumstances..." "Dear Michele, Osvaldo told me you'd gone out to London." "I was astonished and appalled." "You could've called me to a public phone in town to warn me." "Osvaldo says you intend to stay there through the winter but your father is very sick." "Another thing I want to tell you is this:" "I received a letter from a certain Mara Castorelli." "She says she met me last year at a party in your basement." "She's staying in a pension but it's too expensive for her." "She says she's had a baby and she'd like to come and show him to me." "I haven't replied to her yet." "I'd like you to tell me who that girl is." "Hi!" " I've been waiting for you for an hour, like an idiot!" "You came without the car?" " I had to park across because there's no space here." " See that curly-haired girl?" "She's my next-door neighbor." "She's very kind." "I owe her a lot." "Money, too." "Smile to her!" "My brother has come to pick me up." " Good morning." " I'm going home." "Here." "One..." "Here, like that." "And three." "I'll bring you back the thermos and everything tomorrow." "That's done." "I'm your brother?" " She's been very kind." "They like meeting other people's relatives." "You owe her a lot?" " A little." "Will you pay her back?" "I told her she'd get the money." "They'll never see me again here." "One day I'll send her a money order." " When?" " When I get a job." "What about the thermos?" " I think I won't give it back." "Anyway, she's got another one." "So..." "Hey, you aren't even watching him!" "How does he look to you?" "Who does he look like?" " Newborns are all alike." "Not true!" "Curly-head's baby is a totally different type." "My baby looked like Michele." "But not anymore." "When will you see him?" " Who?" " Michele!" "I went to see him in his basement." "During the last days of pregnancy." "I phoned to him." "He said he would come but he didn't." "I wrote to his mother too." "I know her!" "I saw her once." "Let's go." "Elisabetta is waiting in the car." "Who's Elisabetta?" " My daughter." "Hold back that beast and don't let him lick my baby!" "Got it, Elisabetta?" "How old is the baby?" " Don't you remember?" "A month and a half." "He looks older because he's plump." "I left the hospital 3 weeks ago." "It was the head nurse who gave me the address of that pension but I couldn't stay there." "It was filthy!" "It made me sick putting my feet on that rubber mat." "You know what they are like?" " I do, I do." "They said I was ringing the bell too often." "I was ringing because I needed many things." "I'm doing mixed feeding." "Down!" "It's complicated." "I'd always forget the fork." "What fork?" " The one to shake the powdered milk." "Then, to weigh the baby, I was using curly-head's scale." "But, though very kindly, she told me not to go in her room at 2am." "Does your mom have one of those scales to weigh babies?" " Dunno." "I really need a scale." " You can rent one at the pharmacy." "What can I rent if I'm broke?" "Watch my baby." "Goodbye, eh." " Goodbye." "Bye, daddy!" "That's your wife?" "Ask her about the scale." "No, not now." "I'll ask her later." "Your daughter's nice." "She didn't utter a word." "She's shy." " Shy and rude!" "She didn't even notice the baby." "You took this flat without checking it first?" "I didn't take it at all." "They lent it to me." "A friend of mine." "I was staying with some friends on the Cassia then I had a row with them because I broke their camera." "After that, I moved away." "Actually, I'm going to phone." " Who?" " My friends on the Cassia." "They'd find me a job if I spoke English." "Do you speak English?" " No." "Listen..." "Here." "In the meantime, go over there and boil the water." "Everything's there." "At least, that's what they told me." "A cup, a bowl, a fork and a spoon." "I see no forks." " Dear God!" "I have no luck with forks." "I'll shake it with the spoon." "No spoons either, just knives." "Alright then, I'll shake it with the knife." "Should I go to the pharmacy and rent you a scale?" "You'll go later." "Don't move now." "I like having someone near me when I shake the powdered milk." "I'm always afraid that it might be lumpy..." "You've no luck with chairs, too." "I can't stay here forever." "I've got to see my wife." "You're separated." "Why do you need to go?" " To spend some time with the girl." "Why did you separate?" "We were too different to live together." "How different?" " Different." "She rich, me poor." "She active, me lazy." "She always with some kind of project, houses to tidy up, old aunts to accommodate, dogs to mate, garages to turn into art galleries." "Curly-head told me that I could go with them to Trapani." "Her husband is in Trapani, setting up a snack bar." "If things were going well, they'd hire me." "They need someone to keep accounts." "Can you do that?" "Almost everyone can keep accounts." "Go check if the water's boiling." " It's been boiling for a while." "Then, turn it off." "You know, I can even take Michele to court because I'm under-age." "If I did that, he'd have to marry me." "Come off it!" "Don't make me laugh." "I've always looked older than my age." "When I was 12..." "No way!" "You're 25." "I saw your identity card." " How could you do that?" "You gave it to me." "You wanted to show me how bad the photo was." "It's true." "I do remember now." "I often tell lies." "It seems to me that your lies are meaningless." " Not always so." "You get tired of people feeling sorry for you." "Or maybe you're feeling so down that you can only feel better by lying!" "You always told me that you don't know if that baby is Michele's." "I don't know for sure." "I think it's his." "But I was going to bed with lots of men." "Who knows what came over me." "When I realized I was pregnant, I thought I wanted the baby." "I've never been so sure of something." "I wrote to my sister and she sent me the money for an abortion." "I kept the money but I didn't feel like having an abortion." "She said that I was nuts." "And her husband wrote me that they were moving to Germany and told me to go to hell!" "He's an agronomist." "I've never met him!" "I see." "How strange..." "I've never made love with you!" "It never crossed my mind." "Neither yours." "I leave you cold?" "To tell the truth, you do." " Fuck off!" "You think it's nice to hear that?" "The baby's asleep." "He's done eating." "This baby is a pest." "Not at all." "He sleeps all the time." "He's a pest even when asleep." "I know I've got into real trouble." "I'm aware of that!" "Now you're going to cry?" "Go shake the milk." " I've never done that in my whole life." "Then read the instructions on the tin." "Help me!" "Mom, mom!" " Don't shout." "Your dad's sleeping." "The bell rang." "I answered the door." "Who's that?" "What are you looking for?" " Michele." "When did you see him?" "He says he's cold and hungry." "Shall I warm these up for him?" " Wait." "Dear Angelica, I left in a hurry because they phoned me at night to tell me that Anselmo got arrested." "I called you from the airport but you weren't home." "I'm giving this letter to a lad who will hand it to you." "His name is Ray." "I met him here." "He's from Ostend." "He's reliable." "Put him up if you have a bed." "He'll have to stay in Rome for a few days." "Can't you hear the phone?" "I won't answer." "I'm not in for anyone!" "If they're calling from the paper tell them to find someone else." "I've done 18 hours in a row and I can't kick the bucket." "I must sleep, do you understand or not?" "Yes." "It's a friend of Michele." "He's from London." "OK, you'll tell me later." "Now, answer the phone." "Enjoy your meal!" " He'll be staying here for a few days." "That too!" "What's with you?" "Dad has died." "Get back to sleep." " No." "What shall we do now?" "Nothing." "We've got plenty of time." "Please, get back to sleep." "He'll have to stay in Rome for a few days." "You must go to my place at once." "Get the keys from Osvaldo with an excuse." "Tell him you must look for a book or whatever you want." "I almost forgot to tell you you must take a bag or a pack." "Inside my stove there's a dismantled machine gun, wrapped up in a towel." "I totally forgot about it when I left." "It looks weird, but that's how it is." "So, take that machine gun and get rid of it somehow." "I'm giving this task not to Osvaldo, but to you." "I'd rather Osvaldo not find out about this." "What did you just throw out?" " Rotten oranges." "I'd also like a black scarf." "I'm leaving the basement keys." " All right, thank you." "Did you find it?" " I did, thanks." "You'd better keep the keys." "If Michele arrives, he might come right here." "He will certainly arrive." "It's a shame he didn't come at once." "He's the only person in the world dad would've liked to see." "Poor dad." "In one of his letters, Michele asked me to take care of a girl." "I don't know if you know her." " I took care of it." "She was staying in a ridiculous flat on via Prefetti." "Miss Perone has a very old mother and she needed a girl to do the housework in exchange for room and board." "It's a nice house, she'll be fine there." "I'm glad." "I think she deserves to get help." "Miss!" " What is it?" "Miss!" "What are you doing, mom?" " Nothing, looking for my slippers." "What do you say?" "It's not quite time, but he's been screaming a lot." "Good thing you're awake." "If he hears us talking, he'll fall asleep." "Should I give him milk now?" "How should I know?" "I was sleeping." "What time is it?" " 12.30." "When did we feed him last night?" "I don't remember." "When was it, mom?" "At 1 o'clock." " We'd better wait another half an hour but he might hear us and go back to sleep." "Who knows when he's going to wake up again!" "I'm going to prepare the milk." "He's all wet." " Of course!" "It's time to change him!" "This time I'll let you do it, but be careful!" "Where are you going?" " That's it!" "I'll talk to her." " You'll catch cold." "The cheese shouldn't be put in the fridge." "Unless you wrap it up in foil." "Listen, Miss..." " I'm always so hungry at night." "Hungry and thirsty." "It must be because of all that dried cod." "Why are you eating that so often?" "To save money?" "After two days of dried cod I have no milk left." " My daughter..." "Go over there." "If my sweetie hears you talk, he'll calm down." "I'll boil the water." " My daughter..." "Tell her she can change him now." "My daughter isn't good with kids." "Besides, she works all day and she needs sleep at night." "You are here to assist us." "Do you get my point?" "I know your daughter better than you." "She's crazy about kids!" "I smell something burning." "What happened?" "My coat!" "Oh, my!" "I was ironing my coat!" "My God!" "I'm screwed!" "Remember my wife?" " Of course I do." "Thanks for coming." "You are...?" "Ada, still the same wife, although we separated." "You're never as much united as when you're separated." "Mom, Angelica's coming with you." "Angelica, I've something to tell you." "I'm off to the newspaper." "See you at home." "I disagree with dad's will especially on that tower issue." "Why did he leave it to Michele?" "That's what he wanted." "It's a wreck, it's barely standing." "To make it liveable, you need to put a lot of money into it." "We could sell some of the plots of land." "If we can be of help." "You know, Michele is to me..." "I know." "Thanks for having phoned him." "He wrote me about that." "He was thinking of coming at least for the funeral but I don't know what stopped him." "I can't understand what might stop someone from returning when such a tragedy happens." "I really can't." "I wonder whether he'll come when I die, at least." "Let's go, mom." "It's freezing." "Michele talked to me about a girl." "Her name is..." "Mara Pastorelli or something like that." "You found her an accommodation, no?" " Yes, but it didn't work out." "Why?" " Because..." "Because with the baby..." "I think it's outrageous that Michele didn't show up." "Outrageous!" "He was afraid he might get arrested." "They arrested some members of his group." "It's outrageous, anyway." "And you agree with me because he could let himself be arrested in order to follow his father's corpse." "The corpse?" " Yes, the corpse." "What's so strange?" "Nothing." "I think that's an unusual word for you to say." "I think it's very common." "Why did it cross your mind to take that girl to the Peronis?" " I felt sorry for her with that baby." "Besides, the Peronis needed help with housework." "To my mind, that girl is completely stupid." "Not completely." " Yes, completely." "She's not stupid, just dazed." " I can't grasp the difference." "Does the baby look like Michele?" " He's got dark hair." "Michele's hair is reddish." " Hair doesn't matter." "He should've come here and give him his name." "He would've done so if he were honest but, obviously, he's not." "Just think how he treated his father." "I've never found your Michele particularly likeable." "He was kind, yes, but he was never that funny." "Why do you speak of Michele as if he were dead too?" "I think we'll never see him again." "He won't come back." "He'll end up in America or who knows where." "The world is full of such young people who wander aimlessly." "One can't imagine how they'll get old." "It's as if they'd be that way forever:" "no home, no family, no fixed job, nothing." "Just the few things that they own and that's it." "They've never been young." "Thus, how will they grow old?" "Even that girl with the baby." "How will she grow old?" "He's gonna get an herniated disc or he might choke." "Do you hear that too?" "He's been screaming for 2 hours and nobody's home." "Two hours?" "Much more than that!" "But that girl, the mother..." "She did come back but she's gone to fetch a locksmith to force the door open." "She locked herself out or she might've lost the keys." "I phoned Miss Peroni at her office." "She's on her way home." "Here I am!" "I'm coming, sweetie!" "Sweetie!" "Excuse me." "Your mom's coming, sweetie!" "There there, sweetie." "There there, sweetie." "We'll be with you right away." "Sweetie!" "What's that?" "Police?" " The fire brigade, maybe?" "Come on, hurry up!" "You should smash that window." "You can get into the house from there and then let me in." " We could try forcing the door open." "No, it takes too much time because of the security bolt." "I authorize you." "I'm the mother." "Okay, get the ladder." "Let's go." "Hurry up!" "Sweetie?" "There there, keep calm." "We are on our way." "The simplest solutions never come about at once!" "Did you see, Miss?" "What have you done, sweetie?" "Look how much water." "Everything flooded." "Did a pipe break?" "What's all this water?" " The shower tap was running." "Impossible!" "I wanted to take a shower and there wasn't a trickle of water." "The reservoir got filled up." "You left the tap running." "Miss!" " Why so early?" "Is there a strike?" "The doorman phoned me." "You forgot the keys." "Did you have to bother her too?" "The firemen are already here." "Listen." "I would be happy to keep you with us because it's also a good deed, but you have no common sense." "You're definitely of no help to us." "I'm sorry for you but I don't understand why you wanted this baby since bringing him up causes you such anguish." "No anguish at all!" " If it was up to me, we could get on with it but my mother is too old." "She gets frightened." "You'd better leave." "It stinks in here." "The flat has been empty for some time." "Let some fresh air in." " It smells of sewer and it's always been that way." "What with bleach and muriatic acid you've no idea how much money I spent." "But it's useless." "Some houses stink and this one does." "I also warn you that the roof leaks." "There." "I had a bricklayer look at it." "The drop ceiling should be redone." "What are you doing here?" " I couldn't live with those damn Peronis." "They aren't mean." "Actually, they're rather kind but they made my breasts dry out with all their dried cod dinners." "You must leave." "My friend has brought some merchandise and we're setting up a boutique." " Not a great idea." "With all those stairs to climb." "And this stench!" "Lovely!" "Listen, dear, I said you could stay here for a few days only." "Do you ladies live in this house?" " Just me and I'm not a lady." "I've got to talk to my friend now." "And then prepare the powdered milk." "Hold him a second." "Here." "Since you've got a lighter..." "Please, help me light the gas stove." "I warn you that it stinks too." "The electric one broke down." " What?" "It worked just fine!" "Not on your life!" "The coil burned out." " You must have burned it." "It leaks!" "Don't be scared, you're almost there." "Strike another match." "Thanks." "Well, don't get me wrong but there are too many of us in here." "Come back later, you'll see we'll find a solution." "When may I come back?" " Later." "If madam wishes to stay in this house" "I have nothing against it." "You could watch over the merchandise and open the boutique in the morning." "We'll discuss it later." "But I probably won't accept because, this lady here is the sister of a friend of mine who lives in London." "This friend has his own apartment which I believe I might use." "Am I right, Angelica?" "How dare you, you damn idiot!" "I'll make you take that back!" "You're a stupid revisionist!" "What did you say?" "I'll kill you!" " Oreste, stop it!" "Are you mad?" "Look!" "Go wash with cold water right now." "Cold water!" "I'd better take him to the pharmacy." "Take him wherever you want, but don't you dare bring him back here!" "Or else I might do something crazy!" "I don't want him in my house!" "Dear Michele, I saw Mara, the girl from Via Prefetti." "Osvaldo found her a job." "She works for Fabio Colarosa, a publisher." "I also saw the baby:" "He's cute but he's not yours." "He's got thick lips and long, black wisps." "The girl wants to stay in your basement but it's not possible now because Ray, the guy you sent here, and who stayed in my house for a week, lives in the basement with Sonia, that friend of mine." "I'm not sure if you met her." "Ray and Oreste did not get along." "Dear Michele..." ""Guilt"." "Always to be preferred to connivance." ""Purity." Ambiguous word used mostly by those who think in terms of dirtiness." ""Money."" "The shame lies in having it and not in spending it." "No, Miss." "It's not necessary that you come here." "When you hear the rattle press the button on the Dictaphone at your desk and write down what you hear me dictate." "Dear Michele, I give you the good news that I've found a job." "It was Ada, Osvaldo's wife, who found it for me." "I'm working for a publisher, Fabio Colarosa," "Ada's friend." "Osvaldo says they've been lovers for years." "I was watching you." "I'm not dictating." "I can see and hear it." "You can go back." "I'm ready." " Now, you switched it off." "You told me to press it if it was ringing." "Now it wasn't." "Hello, everyone." " Good morning." "Didn't you say you'd call first?" "I thought it was easier to just drop in." "I'm having lunch with Osvaldo." "What do you think of the girl?" "I warned you, she's a bit crazy." "I have nothing against crazy people." "I bring the baby to a lady who takes care of 8 more babies." "Again, it was Ada who found that lady for me." "Three slices of strawberry tart..." " You need to get the receipt." "Three strawberry tarts and a ginger ale." "1,500." "Would you like to go with me to a restaurant?" "Thanks, but I promised my baby I would come for him earlier." "Some other day, with pleasure." "The baby looks like you." "His hair's black and straight." "Yours is curly and reddish instead." "After all, babies hair changes in time." "His eyes are dark-grey." "Yours are green." "The colour of babies' eyes also changes over time." "I wish the baby were yours, but I'm not sure." "But I won't ask you to be his father when you come back." "I'd be crazy if I did that." "I'd be a bitch too since I'm not sure that you're the father." "Good-bye." " Good-bye." "They make me dizzy." "Who knows why he took up painting these monumental and mindless pictures." "Please, leave that portrait there." " Yes, madam." "As for the others, we'll seek advice." "I'll just take this portrait of mine." "He painted it at Pieve di Cadore, a few months before we separated." "Shortly afterwards, we came back to Rome." "It was the end of summer." "At that time we lived on Corso Trieste." "One morning I went away." "I left him forever." "I left with the twins." "Michele was six years old." "Here it is!" "I found it!" "You found what?" "My novel!" "It was the only corrected and typewritten copy." "I gave it to him to read 3 years ago." "He told me he had lost it in a café, at the train station." "Remember?" "Yes." "You told me that many times." ""Polenta and Poison"." "That's the title, right?" ""Polenta and Poison"." "I intend to have it published." "I'll tell Osvaldo." "His wife is friends with Colarosa." "It's just..." "I was just talking about you." "You know Colarosa very well, don't you?" "My wife." " Exactly!" "So, we'll ask your wife for a recommendation." "You'll cut a a fine figure, you'll see." "Let's hope so." "If nothing else so that she forgives me for another recommendation that I asked of her, which will probably bring about a lot of damage." "You're still hungry." "I thought you'd invite me out, so I skipped dinner." "Do Michele's parents look after the baby?" "I only know Angelica, his sister." "She's nice." "She promised that she'd get me a baby carriage." "It wears me out carrying him on my back." "I'll go to see his mother." "She says she's been quite depressed lately." "And I'm waiting." "When she'll be less so, I'll go see her." "I don't want anything from her." "I'm not even sure whether the baby is Michele's." "Even if it were, I don't want to marry him." "He's bad-tempered." "I don't want to marry him because I feel sorry for him." "I'd like to get married to a man who I'd never feel sorry for." "I already feel sorry for myself." "I'd like to get married to a man that I could envy." "We are late, aren't we?" " No, why?" "On Saturdays, we have a half day off." "So?" "So, if you allow me, I'll walk you home." "That way, you'll introduce me to your baby." " Of course!" "My baby's not at home." " Then, show me your place." "He's at the lady's who looks after him." "I don't own this place." "A Japanese man was supposed to live here but he didn't because of the stench." "He gave me this kimono when my coat got burned." "But if you like..." " I do." "I'd make you an instant coffee." "I've no patience with coffee." "It takes too much time to make." "Is that okay with you?" " Yes." "The hardest part is finding a cup." "I have only one." "I borrowed it from a friend who lives in a pension." "I should buy some household items but I'm always busy." "I'm always busy." "Besides, I don't like taking my baby to crowded places." "No sugar." "Do you mind?" "The teaspoon!" "Here you are." "We made it." "Bad smell, eh?" " No, I can't smell it." "I've a big nose but I have no sense of smell." " Lucky you!" "I do." "No, that one is cracked." "But..." "What a nice idea!" "What is he like?" "Pretty." "Really pretty." "No, wait!" "I must prepare the milk." "If you get up, you'll make noise!" "I didn't want to wake you up when I came for my sweetie." "I had to dash." "Besides, it made me happy to know that you were here." "I don't like being alone when I shake the powdered milk." "I should be used to it as I'm almost always alone." "But, I can't get used to it." "I'm making a sirloin for dinner." "We could split it." "Or you are busy?" "You must dine with Ada?" " No, I haven't phoned her today." "You look like a pelican!" "I thought that the first time I saw you." "You look like a pelican." "I know." "I've been told that before." "I don't remember who but someone did." "It was Ada." " No." "I don't think so." "I'm going to see if I really have that sirloin." "You mustn't be on first-name terms with me at work." "Sorry if I made you wait." "I was in the shower." "And this baby carriage?" "Don't tell me that..." " It's for that girlfriend of Michele's." "I hope Osvaldo will come to collect it and take it to her place." "Are you alone?" " Yes." "Oreste's gone to Orvieto for a rally." "And the girl is having a sleepover in Anzio." "Do you have any cookies?" " No, I don't." "But I have breadsticks, if you want." "Tea is almost ready." "Would you like me to pour?" "I think I'm pregnant." " Are you?" "I think I'm going to have a blood test tomorrow." "Michele wrote me that he's getting married." "When?" " In no time." "As soon as he gets the papers he asked for." "You must be kidding!" "He'll never get married." "He'll never have a family of his own." "He's gay." " What?" "Didn't you realize that he and Osvaldo are lovers?" "What are you saying?" "He has a girlfriend and a son who is most likely his." "Now he's even getting married." "Because he's bisexual." "Osvaldo has a wife and children." "To you, he's bisexual, too?" "Bisexual." " Come on!" "Is he marrying an old girlfriend?" " No, he says he met her there." "She's not all that young." "She's divorced, has two children, American." "He says she isn't pretty." "She wears glasses." "But she's very smart." "We could've taken this for granted." "He wrote nothing to me." "Does mom know?" "No." "He wants me to give her the news." "At any rate, he wrote to Osvaldo." "And Osvaldo?" "He was very nervous when I mentioned it." " See?" "They are lovers." "Nonsense!" "He was nervous because Ray, Michele's friend who I put up in the basement, takes a lot of strange people home." "Osvaldo is nervous because of Michele." "Say whatever you want but this relationship Michele-Osvaldo..." "Even if Michele were gay, or bisexual, that's his business!" "And why should we take the tower if dad's will was to leave it to him?" "I must take a thing on behalf of Michele." "He wrote me to come here." "Dear Osvaldo, in my basement there's a scarf in the back of a drawer." "It's a lovely scarf, 100% cashmere wool." "White with sky-blue stripes." "My father gave it to me." "I want you to take it and make it yours." "I'd be happy to know that you're wearing it when you leave your shop and you're strolling along the Tiber." "Dear Michele, the cashmere scarf is nowhere to be found." "But I bought myself a scarf." "Not made of cashmere wool and without the blue stripes." "When I wear it, I imagine that it's yours." "I'm know that it's a surrogate." "On the other hand, we all live on surrogates." "Bring in the rest." "Fabio!" "Fabio!" "I hope there's milk in the house because the baby has to eat." "Me, too, but the baby first." "Regular milk is all right too if you don't have any powdered milk." "Is there any milk?" "The young lady might have to dine." "No milk." "As for dinner..." " Go down to the café, please." "Buy some milk and a rotisserie chicken." "Don't forget my stuff!" "Where's your room?" "What an effort!" "I've had it." "I get along well with you." "We may as well live together." "Aren't you happy?" " Of course I am." "I like this bed." "It's soft." "Who painted it?" " Mafai." "Michele would like it." "You know he's getting married?" "He wrote me that from England." "He wrote he's getting married and he's sending 12 onesies for the baby." "They belonged to one of the kids of his fiancée, who is divorced." "We could send him this painting for his wedding." "What do you say?" "I got married on Wednesday." "Luckily, none of you came." "I do want to see you." "But we arranged the wedding hastily, without giving weight to it." "Had you come, you might've been disappointed." "Who are the other ones?" "Her parents, I guess, or close relations." "He could've sent us a better photo than this one." "You can't see anything at all." "Just a black raincoat." "Strange." "I was sure I took the letter." "Where the hell did I put it?" "Did he seem happy to you?" "His wife is a Communist who teaches in a university." "In the morning he has to take care of the house, the kids... and even do the dishes." "How old is his wife?" " 30." "Your brother needs an older woman." "He's always longed for motherly affection." "It's your dad's fault." "He took him from me when he was little." "Let's hope they come for Easter." "That way..." "We will meet the wife and children." "Speaking of children..." "Look there on the desk." "Filippo had a baby girl." "They named her Vanessa." "Idiots!" "Is that a good name for a girl?" "Dearest Adriana, Vanessa was born last week." "We're very happy to announce it to you first." "You miss Filippo a lot, don't you?" "Couldn't you two stay friends?" "I didn't want to." "I like it better this way." "I cherish wonderful memories of the years I spent with Filippo." "Listen." "I invited Colarosa, the publisher, to dinner next week." "Matilde has already annoyed him in every possible way." "She's been bothering him to get her novel published." "It's going to be at my expense." "Did you know he's going out now with Mara Castori?" "Castellari..." "What's her name?" "Michele's friend." "Only the kitchen light is on." " Seems like we got here too early." "May we come in?" " Why are you going this way?" "It's pitch dark on the side of the entrance." "I know why: you want to check the menu: rice timbale." "Vol-au-vent with mushrooms and béchamel sauce." "Zuccotto cake." "Everything round, like Adriana suggested." "Go with them." "I'll be right back." "Miss Castorelli." " Nice to meet you." "Mr Colarosa, the publisher." " No!" "Introductions in the living room." "This is where the cook takes a bow." "Please." "Come, come this way." "Mom?" "Why don't you get up?" "They're already here." "I won't serve dinner." "I'm feeling sick and I've resigned." "I just made an observation on the vol-au-vent." " You said it was runny." "Hello." " Hello, Osvaldo." "Mr Colarosa." " Pleased to meet you." "Miss Mara Castorelli." "This is Michele as a boy, right?" " Yes." "He resembles you so much." "He has your green eyes." "My baby looks like him too." "Even though he has dark eyes." "Too bad I don't have his picture on me." "But you'll meet him soon." "It would be my pleasure." "What would you have?" "Angelica, take care of our guests." "What would you have?" " Nothing, thanks." " Osvaldo?" " Me neither." "Silly me!" "I forgot where I found it." "You're not from Rome, are you?" " No, I'm from Novi Ligure." "Have you ever been there?" "It's a very pretty place." "Actually, it's not that pretty." "But my house is." "It's a very... beautiful villa and very big." "Many of us live in it." "Of my own relatives, my little brother is the only one I have left and my dear old nanny." "Now my cousins are living there since it was a pity to leave the villa empty." "Anyway, my cousins are like brothers to me." "They're all lawyers." "Just like my uncle was, and even my father." "All very, very famous lawyers." "I always said to Michele:" ""Should you ever need it, you or your parents, of course, there is no one better than them." I'd entrust myself to them, if need be." "They win every case." "They're bad news if you're against them." "Aunt Matilde said it's ready!" "Come and help me." " I'm coming." " I'm coming too." "There's no need, believe me." " I'm cold." "I want to fetch my fur coat." "Cold?" " Damn cold." " Is she really cold?" "It's boiling hot." "What an idea!" " It's not an idea." "If anything, it's a feeling." " Possibly a sensation." "Relief to the starving!" "Don't be silly." "It's hot." "Take it off!" " Are you afraid I might spoil it?" "Please, take a seat." "Please." "It was bought 5 days ago." "He didn't really order it for me, but I came at the right moment to inherit it." "I've been into Pascal lately too." "I was curious to know what was published in France in 1948." "Port-Royal, Sainte-Beuve..." "I have a lot of admiration for impulsive writers." "In these times of ecological thinking, just like we look for genuine food we should also favor more genuine writers." "Dear Michele, the other night I dined at your mother's place." "I don't know why I once wished so much to see her, and wanted her to like me." "Maybe because I hoped she'd help me marry you." "I've never really wanted to marry you or perhaps I was so desperate that I did, without knowing it." "It wasn't an enjoyable dinner." "I was wearing the mink coat that the pelican gave me 5 days earlier but then, at some point, I felt like a high-class whore and then I got very gloomy and I thought..." "What am I doing here?" "Where am I?" "What kind of people are these if they don't ask me anything?" "And when I speak, they seem not to listen." "They're intellectuals." "I was dying to shout to their faces that they're assholes!" "I'm handing you my manuscript." "My treasure, the only copy." "That'll do." "Best wishes to your "Polenta and Chestnuts"!" "The title of her book isn't "Polenta and Chestnuts" but "Polenta and Poison."" "I got confused because of that song that goes..." "Don't you know?" "My mom used to tell me" "Don't go to the mountains." "You'll be eating polenta and chestnuts and you'll get a heartburn." "If the Kra..." "if the Krauts don't kill us" "Krauts and clefts and the cold alpine wind when we get old we'll have something to tell." "I don't know what you have against me." "What did I do to you?" "You didn't talk to me, you didn't look at me once." "I've got a terrible headache." " God!" "Always headache!" "Always!" "He's teething, poor thing." "I have a right to get some sleep." "So?" "I too have a right to get some sleep and have some fun!" "You have a right to nothing!" "You're the mother." "Listen up!" "You'd better leave." "I'm sacking you!" "You've already sacked me many times but I won't leave." "Mr Colarosa has to tell me that." "Bitch!" "Don't think I can go on living like this." "We ought to hire a nanny." "A nanny?" "Yes, a nanny." "A nanny, a nanny!" "When I was living alone on via Prefetti, I could even let the baby cry." "But I can't do that here because you're always having headaches." "I don't think I feel like having a nanny here." "Then I'm leaving!" "I'm off!" "I'll put 500km between you and me." "I'm going back to my relatives!" "And don't treat me like a high-class whore only because you gave me a fur you'd bought for some other woman." "I'm pretty, young, kind." "I have an adorable baby." "I do you the honor of living here." "I spend money that you don't need." "What more do you want of me?" "You're nothing else but a shitbag!" "I don't even need you!" "I know where to go." "I've got a villa in Novi." "I come from a good family." "I have relatives." "And my nanny..." "Dear Michele, I told you that Colarosa and I would get married." "It was nonsense." "Pretend I never told you that." "He never dreamed of marrying me and maybe I don't want to marry him either." "Amelia!" " Who is it?" "Amelia, open up!" "It's me!" " Who might it be?" "Who are you?" "I'm Mara." " Mara?" "And that one?" " He's mine." "We haven't seen each other for so many years and I didn't even know that you got married." "In fact, I didn't get married." " So, you aren't married." "I had this baby with a guy who dumped me on the street." "What street?" " Well..." "It's a long story." "Listen, Amelia." "You have to take me in as I have no money and I'm dead tired." "I've spent an entire day on the road." "Where could I put you?" "Why don't you go to your cousins'?" "I'd rather not tell them I'm here." "They don't know about the baby." "Neither does my brother." "May I know why did you come here?" "I don't know." "I wasn't sure whether to come here or go to my friend's in Trapani." "It would've been better if I'd gone there but I've still got time." "Do you see my cousins?" "How are they doing?" "How could they be doing?" "Bad." "Is it yours?" " Of course it is!" "How lovely." "It must cost a lot of money." "Do you want to sell it?" "Why should I?" "Amelia said that you're broke and that you came here..." "I ask nothing from you." "I asked Amelia not to tell you that I'm here." "Yet, she told us, and all the other relatives as well." "Well, you know, we can't do anything for you." "We're already taking care of your brother." "But if you want to sell the fur..." "Hey, you!" "This one here is your nephew, you know." "Not even looking at him?" "Give him a warm welcome." "Think it over." "A nice fur." "I like having nice things." "I even have..." "I left my kimono at the pelican's place." "That screwball, Mara, called you from Novi." "She's asking you for a favor:" "that you go to the Mr Colarosa's and take a Japanese kimono which, in haste of departure, she forgot and to take it to her at the station when she passes through Rome on her way to Trapani." "She doesn't know when that'll be and she's not sure if she wants to go." "Dear Mara, Osvaldo came and took your Japanese kimono." "I'm deeply grateful to you for having gone away." "It was, in fact, my deepest wish and you figured it out also because, maybe, I acted in a way so that you could understand." "If you're still keeping alive, deep inside you an obscure, confused will of coming back one day you should know that it will never be a good idea." "I wish you all the best and I hope you're happy provided that happiness exists." "I don't believe it exists but others think it does so it's not impossible that they're right." "Who do we leave the girl to?" "That costs a lot, you know." "Mom can easily pay for my trip." "Why doesn't she go see Michele?" "I don't know why you get so upset." "What caused this state that you are in?" "His last letter." "Anyway, you read it too." " Exactly because I read it." "Did he get bored with his wife?" "Too bad for him." "Why did he marry her if he barely knew her?" "It's not that." "He's disappointed in himself." "He's in the middle of a crisis." "Does he miss you and his friends in Rome?" "He should come here and fulfill his need." "Why do you have to go see him?" "Longing for Mara..." "He wrote that or I'm wrong?" "Yes, but he says that because he's desperate." "His wife, despite all her cleverness, couldn't help and understand him." "He says he can only pour out his heart to a screwball like Mara." "That is, with nothingness." " You bring on imaginary problems." "He's always liked to pity himself." "To pretend to be misjudged." "But there's nothing to understand." "I told you:" ""Do what you want"." "The fact that I'm against it is of no importance." "All you have to do is put up the girl somewhere." "Because, next week, I'll be working on the night shift again, got it?" "Where were you looking for me?" " Weren't you going to Trapani?" "That's the train to Trapani." "Are you sure?" " Yes." " Oh, my!" "Hold him, madam." "Help me." "Two..." "And three." "I'm coming." "Thanks." "Where was I going to?" " I don't know." "I only know that..." "That's the train to Trapani." "What a wretched trip!" "Put it here." "Tell me why did you go to Novi?" "I went there because I wanted to run away." "I was head over heels in love with the pelican." "But he didn't give a damn about me." "As a result of saying I had a beautiful house, relatives..." "Hold him a second, please." "As a result of telling everyone I had a beautiful house, nice and fond relatives and friends," "I ended up believing it." "Well done!" "Instead, it's not true at all." "I might've gone to Trapani at once." "At least, I had a job there." " A job?" "Who do you think you are?" "You'll be working as a servant." " Okay, but little by little..." "Later on I might find a place like that one I had at Colarosa's before the pelican took me to live in his attic." "Actually, he didn't take you." "You went there yourself." "But do they know that you are coming?" "Curly-head." "No." "How could I?" "They might not take you in." " They will, they will." "She's so kind." "It's leaving." "Bye." "I brought you something to eat." "Now and then, I think it's a real pity that Michele left and that he got married." "Not because I wanted to marry him." "Besides, I'm pretty sure the baby's not his." "But, I had a good time with Michele." "Instead, I ended up falling in love with a man, not even handsome with a big nose." "A pelican." "It is true you can fall in love with anybody even with the funniest, strangest person," "the saddest." "Hey, won't you give the baby a kiss?" "How do you like it?" "Hi, Viola." " Hi, mom." "Oh, my God!" "The Van Gogh painting would have been better as suggested by your publisher." "If nothing else to give him a little satisfaction, poor thing." "This looks to me like a leaflet of the Socialist Party." " Nonsense!" "It's much better than Van Gogh's." "And it's my own, just like the book." "Well, if it pleases you." "How come you're here?" "No reason." "Angelica sends you this." "What's that?" "The money you'd given her for the trip." "She's not going to England." "Why not?" "She'll explain it better." "She's coming tomorrow." "You must know something too." "An Italian guy who got a scholarship to Leeds and who knows Michele phoned Angelica saying that Michele had dumped his wife and no-one knows where he is." "He said he wanted to go to Bruges but he might not be there." "Michele's wife, according to this guy says that Michele is £300 in debt and he wants you to pay it off." "When did all that happen?" " I don't know." "But I think it'd be absurd for you to pay such a big sum." "In my opinion, no-one should pay." "If those are Michele's debts..." " That's what the wife says." "Alright then." "He'll tell us." "What might he be doing in Bruges or Holland?" "I think he'll come back here soon." "Excuse me." "Excuse me!" "I've got to see Miss Lidia." "She lives here, right?" " She's my wife." "I just asked you if she lives here." " Go upstairs." "Stairway on the left." "I can't take all this stuff upstairs." "You'll do that, at your convenience." "You invited me and I'm here." " What's going on here?" "It's Mara, my friend from Rome." "I told you about her." "No." " Yes, I did." "She's visiting us." "You haven't brought my luggage?" "Hold him." "I'll fetch it." "Besides, it's time to change him." "Who's this lunatic?" "What's she doing here?" "This damn bed!" "She's in a fix." "She asked me if she could stay with us." "She'll help us with the housework and the baby, right?" "This morning in Bruges, during a student protest the police intervention caused a vicious reaction that led to violent riots." "In order to crash the protest, armed units of the Belgian police had recourse to the use of tear gas and hydrants." "The students, after having wrecked the cobblestones, went on with throwing Molotov cocktails." "Hello?" "Oh, God." "German." "Please, wait a moment." " What?" "A moment." " Sorry?" " Eine Moment." " Alright." "There's someone on the phone and I can't understand him." "He speaks German only." "He's saying something about Michele." "Hello?" " Hallo?" " Hallo?" "You're Michele Vivanti's relative?" " Yes, I'm his brother-in-law." "We inform you that Michele passed away." " What?" "Yes, he died." " When?" "Yesterday, during a student protest." "Do you wish to take a note?" "The body is at the Bruges Central Hospital." "Central Hospital." "And?" " That would be all." "Thank you very much." " You're welcome." "What did he say?" "What happened?" "Michele..." "If I must work as a servant, then, it's different." "You'll have to pay me!" "Being 'au pair' is something else!" "I can take the kids to the playground, bathe them." "Instead..." "I have to get up at 7 o'clock, bring you coffee in bed, make the beds, clean up the room." "You can forget it!" "What were you doing before I came?" "If my husband notices that you do nothing, he'll kick you out!" "Besides, the doctor said I have a nervous breakdown." "I must rest." "As if I had an easy life here." "I don't like this town!" "The snack bar is not going well at all." "A pile of bills to pay." "And which of us is worse off?" "What should I say then?" "I'm all alone." "They've always treated me badly." "Everywhere!" "Reduced to working as a servant..." "I don't like working as a servant." "I don't think anybody does." "Why don't you sell me the fur I like so much?" "Are you nuts?" " Why?" " Why should I sell it to you?" "It's my fur." "You're broke." "It's a keepsake and I'll keep it." "You think I can't pay you?" " What can you pay?" "What can you possibly pay?" "You are so broke!" "You invited me but you want to take advantage of me." "What's going on, holy cow?" "What's going on?" "Give it to me." "Nothing's going on." "Still at this stage?" "You haven't even set the table." "The guests will be here any moment now." "Did you hear that?" "Go set the table." "Go!" "My sweetie..." "Why are you crying?" "What's up?" "Why is my cute nephew crying?" "This one is hers." "Yours is the other one, you idiot!" "Why don't you get moving?" "I put the good dishes on the cart." "Snap it up!" "Oh, my!" "It's our best set of china!" "The cart collapsed." " What?" "You'll pay for each and every one of these!" "The cart collapsed, I'm telling you." "Our family ends with him." "Has it ever occurred to you?" "If only he had recognized the son of that Castelli, Castorelli..." "We need to inform her, send her some money." "Michele always asked us to help her." "I was thinking about the last time I saw Michele." "He came here to fumble in the wardrobe searching for some Sardinian rug." "He wanted it to cover a wall in his basement." "I remember it because it's connected to the last time I saw him, I spoke to him." "Who would have thought?" "Only now I realize it was a happy day." "We usually don't recognize happy days while we're living them but only later, when they're just a memory." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Trapani 7231?" "Yes." " I'd like to speak to Miss Castorelli." "You can talk to me." "Mara's looking after the kids." "It's urgent." "I want to tell her some bad news regarding Michele." "Michele?" "Who's that Michele?" "Dear Filippo, this morning, while browsing through some old photos" "I suddenly remembered when we went to Courmayeur in your car, to see Michele." "You bought him a green hat with a suede tail." "He must've been 12." "He was happy." "He burst out singing in the car." "He knows it too!" "His father used to sing that song." "Usually, it annoyed me because it reminded me of his dad with who I wasn't getting along." "But that day I was happy." "I wrote this letter to thank you for having sung with Michele that day." "I'd like to ask you a favor:" "if you know the lyrics, transcribe them for me and send them by mail." "One seems to cling to the smallest wishes when there's nothing left to wish for." "I'm worried about leaving the baby to her." "What about taking him along?" "Are you nuts?" "That wouldn't be a holiday." "Anyway, the baby gets car sickness." "I'll talk to her." "Mara, don't do that." "I'll call my sister and she'll give you a shot." "It'll be good for you." "My doctor prescribed these." "Tomorrow, I'll have her give you one more." "And while we're away for the next 3 days, you can relax." "Amuse yourself with the kids and stay out with them all day long." "Whatever." "Let's hope for the best." "Who's that?" "Who's meowing?" "Who gave you the keys?" " I've always had them." "Do it again, you made me laugh." "I heard you were crying a lot." " I did nothing but that." "Have you already eaten?" " They're sleeping!" "Let's make spaghetti." " I don't feel like cooking." "You have this, if you want." "I'm fed up with lasagne." "It's all I see night and day." "I've had it!" "It makes me sick!" "Come on, make some spaghetti." "Come on!" "If you're hungry, you can eat the lasagne that your brother made." "Did the father of your baby die?" " He wasn't his father." "At least, I don't think so, because he doesn't resemble him." "He looks more like a friend of his, Oliviero." "And..." "You were going to bed with both." " Well, going to bed..." "We had sex maybe 3 or 4 times but I didn't even enjoy it." "Why did you, then?" "Why don't you mind your own business?" "Wait." "You want to go to bed with me?" "No!" "If you're hungry, eat the lasagne." "I'm off to bed." "Why won't you try with me?" "You're gonna like it." "Such an uncomfortable bed." "It's too small for the two of us." ""We won't fit"?" " No, look." " Get down." "Let it go, stop it!" "Here." "How can you sleep in such an uncomfortable bed, poor thing?" "Now that the owners are away, you could sleep in their big bed." "What a nice idea!" "The garage is closed." "I'll pick it up tomorrow, to have it burned!" "Cars are no longer what they used to be." "Damn it!" "Slut!" "Look what this bitch is up to!" "Come and see what this whore does when nobody's home." "Come!" "In our bed, with your brother!" "What are you doing, you slut?" "Get out of here!" " Unless he leaves, I won't get out of the bed." "Get up, you slut." "Go away!" "Go away!" "Why are you standing there like an idiot?" "Get moving!" "Noticed how he was watching me?" "What a fuss!" "I'm leaving." "You think it's fun here?" "I had an awful time here and I wouldn't come back for anything." "Fancy that!" "How could you do such a thing?" "I know you're young, but..." "And on top of that, in our bed." "Next to those innocent souls!" "My husband will never forgive you!" " I don't give a damn." "Where will you go now?" " Rome." "Where can I go?" "I'm rich, you know." "I sold my fur coat!" "There!" "Who to?" "To the baker!" "You wanted to pay it in instalments." "And she, snip-snap!" "I'll take some of your milk." "Stores are closed today." "I must take the thermos." "You're crazy." "I lent it to you and you never gave it back." "I lost it." " Sort it out yourself." "I won't give you this one." "You must pay me for the plates." "Don't be ridiculous." "I broke them but it could've happened to anyone." "I won't give you this one." " Know what?" "Take it!" "I want to humiliate you!" "I'm gonna throw the money in your face." "Where are you off to?" "Look..." "I'm throwing the money in your face!" "Of course, you owe me." "You're really picking it up!" "You filthy cheapskate!" "Dear Angelica, I tracked down Ermanno Giustiniani, Michele's friend." "Hetoldme thatAileenwent back toUSA and he doesn't have her address." "He told me that she was really a woman of great intelligence, but an alcoholic." "Michele had married her planning to make her quit." "Of course, he didn't succeed." "This must've been Aileen's." "This is Michele's." "The label says "Anticoli", it's a shop on Via della Vite." "I can't find out much about Michele from this guy as they rarely met and he hardly remembers him." "Today's youth has no memory." "Above all, they don't value it." "Michele was like that too." "You, your mother and I, are maybe the only one left to value memories." "You by temperament." "Me, and maybe your mother, also by temperament and because in our present life there's nothing that's worth as much as the places and the moments in our past." "See how nice it is, travelling by cab with your mom?" "What d'ya say?" "Look." "Don't get used to it." "You won't always get the chance." "Look how nice!" "At least once in your lifetime." "You'll have a memory of it." "Miss!" "Miss!" "What?" " The baby's crying." " And you left him alone?" "Sing him a song." "You'll see he'll get back to sleep." "No, Mr Osvaldo is not in." " Where can I find him?" "It's urgent." "He's out of town." "I don't know when he'll be back." "I'll explain." "Listen carefully." "I'm coming to Rome." " Now?" "But, on second thought, I'd rather go elsewhere." "It'd be better because Mr Osvaldo..." "Yes." "I remembered that Mr Osvaldo once mentioned an old cousin of his who lives in a villa..." "I forgot where." "That cousin was looking for someone who would keep up his villa and keep him company." "In Varese, I think." " Varese!" "Yes, it's Varese!" "Could you inform that cousin that I'm coming?" "No, listen, I can't wait." "I'm on the road with my baby." "I'll call you in an hour to confirm." "I'll call you back in an hour." "Varese!" "We're off to Varese!" "I forgot the name." "Varese?" "At the top of Italy?" "You know how much a round trip costs?" "I have to count up kilometres." "Don't you worry." "Count up and let's go." "The baby will have to eat in an hour." "And I must make a phone call." "Pull up in a decent place." "Jeez!" "I must know where to go!" "I'm travelling by cab." "I'm on a budget." "The baby is with me." "The driver too has to stop, eat, sleep..." "He can't drive non-stop!" "Do you hear me?" "Yes, Miss Mara." "The money I got for the fur won't be enough." "I paid for the plates." "I won't make it with all these expenses." "I had to buy a tarpaulin." "It's raining cats and dogs." "The baby carriage was getting ruined." "He isn't in Rome and I don't think he'll return this week." "When will he be back?" "First, he tells me to go to Varese..." "I don't know what to tell you." "I know he went to a conference but I don't know where and for how long." "Miss, don't you see the meter?" "Do you realize that?" "I told how much I can spend." "Not a lira more!" "So, not a metre more." "The meter..." "We calculated it together." "Sorry, I don't know where I'm going." " I do." "I want to go back to Sicily." "Go back, then!" "Pull up here now." "I'm not enjoying your company." "With a job like yours, you ought to be more polite." "Pull up, you're making my baby nervous." "Pull up!" "Why did you pull up?" "You bastard!" "See?" "You just can't be nice." "Take my stuff out." "And this one?" " Coming." "Damn it!" "Won't you give me a hand?" "Here, here!" "Just a moment." "I have to check." " That's all there is." "Watch where you walk, they'll run you over." "They'll pay attention, no?" "They can see there's a baby." "English subtitles by:" "marooned2  CosmoVitelli, TIK"