""WHAT TIME IS IT"" "So that's 120,000 lira." " Your bag." " 120,000 lira." "On my orders, forward!" "Platoon, halt!" "Right!" " Whoa!" " I know!" "Whoa!" "Here's the coffee." "Your grappa" "Do you have an herb grappa?" " Michele!" " Papa!" "Looking good!" "No complaints." "But the years are winning!" "You still look a young man." "Like three men, each 20 years old." "All that matters is they go well together." "You look really fit, though." "Made of marble, eh?" "Let me feel!" "Knock it off!" "Where shall we go this evening?" "Here's the gifts from your mom and Paoletta." " It weighs a ton!" "Take it." " I'll take it." "That Way?" "Where did you park the car?" "I came by taxi." "The train station is only a few blocks away." "64 miles away!" "You came from Rome by taxi?" "I was going to come by train, but on the way to the station," "I thought what with strikes, delays, or worse, a non-smoking seat..." "Predictable!" "So you took a taxi." "Goodness, you're not dressed very warmly." "It's not cold." "And Mom?" "She wanted to come with Paoletta." ""The Fenouillard family on Vacation"?" "I'd rather be alone." "I wanted to be alone with you a while to talk." "Why?" "Shouldn't I have?" "Of course not." "I'm delighted." "Glad you did." "It's been a long while since we saw each other." "Yes, not since my last furlough in Rome." "We don't talk often enough." "I know." "You only talk to your mother." "Now, don't you start on that." "I'll call her at home." "And, when I phone, you're never home." " Because you call when I'm out!" " What?" "You only want to talk to your little Neapolitan mama." "She's always home." "You, never." ""Is Dad home?" "No, Dad's not home."" "Dad's working." "Work less!" "Easy enough to say." "Each citizen has an ongoing lawsuit." "That's 50 million lawsuits!" "You have them all on your back?" "When they call, you say," ""There are too many of you!" "Try being better citizens."" "Which of the two Neapolitans told you to lecture me?" "Your mother or your sister, the pharmacist?" "Neither." "I can think for myself." "You figured it out!" "I understand." "You ordered a car for me." "A car?" "The car!" "Lancia's top of the line!" "The luxury model." "The catalogue's finest!" "I'd initially thought of a Mercedes 300 coupé." "But it's a car for squares." "Excuse my language." "Don't you have a Mercedes coupé?" "Exactly." "I'm a bit of a square." "Excuse my language." "Michele, I have a surprise for you again!" "Again?" "We said only one." "It's not really a surprise, a plan for a surprise." "Porta Pinciana!" "Villa Borghese on your left." "You head toward Largo Spinelli, what do you see?" "Largo Spinelli?" "A sea of cars." "Right!" "Top floor!" "An apartment!" "Perfect for you!" " A top floor flat?" " Right." "And the view from up there when you look out the window." "Dad, why buy a studio apartment for me?" "A nice space to entertain your clients." "Do I have any clients?" "I'm the literary sort." "Then it will be nice and quiet so you can read, write, work..." "If I'd had that back when I lived with my brother!" "Set up the bed!" "Take down the bed!" "This place is for you!" "A rare opportunity!" "Imagine it:" "Rome at your feet!" "And ocean of greenery!" "It'd be like having a country home a hop and a skip from Piazza del Popolo!" "We have an appointment to sign and close the deal." "As soon as you get back to Rome, we'll sign the papers." " Happy?" " Yes, I am." "I'm very happy." "Oh, I nearly forgot!" "It has a parking place." "A parking place, a car..." "I haven't got a driving license!" "We'll fix that." "You'll take the test." "I know Mr Bartoccini who runs the driving school." "And you made an appointment for me?" " I phoned." " Right." "You phoned..." "Do you like fog horns?" "It depends." "Sometimes they sound sad." "Sometimes they sound happy." "It depends on your mood." "What does that one sound like to you?" "Neutral." "Neither sad nor happy." "What about you?" "I don't particularly like horns." "They remind me of the war." "Alerts, bombs, curfews..." "When a siren wailed, you had to run to a shelter." "We kept a big bag in the hall by the front door." "It had pullovers, water, coffee, I mean barley coffee, marshmallows..." "My mother would yell, "My treasure box!"" "She kept it in the bag." "You know what the treasure was?" "Six silver spoons." "Nothing great." "We had to run to the shelter." "You have to stop me or we'll be here for hours!" "What a shame!" "Shame about what?" "It's a shame... that there was... the war, the Fascists, the Germans..." "Otherwise, it was a good era." "People knew how to live." "For example, having six silver spoons was important." "They were used only on special occasions with the coffee served in the good china." "On ordinary days, second-rate spoons were used." "The silver spoons knew it." "They knew their importance." "They knew they were special." "Grandmother wanted to save them from the bombs, like she wanted to save you and Uncle Umberto." "Nowadays, we always want more, what we have is worth less and less." "It wasn't a good era." "Things are better now." "Believe me!" "Don't you like the times we're in?" "The end of the 20th century?" "Do you think it's pretty?" "Pretty?" "It's the end of a century like any other end of a century." "What do you mean?" "What are they like?" "Oh, what do I know?" "I don't know." "You have to make do." "I know." "Michele!" "Michele!" "Go Sea Horses!" "Hurrah!" "We'll let the Whales score a big zero!" "Don't forget your cleats." "The ground's wet and slippery." " Friends of yours?" " Pals." "Is it true you freeze your catch out at sea, haul it in, thaw it out, then sell it as if it were fresh?" "He's my father." " See you, Michele!" " Bye!" "You play soccer!" "Good for you!" "At least you have some fun." "Tell me." "So you're the Horses." "Sea Horses." "And the Whales you're going to squash is the opposing team?" "The match is tomorrow?" "A pool B match." "What are the guys like?" "Are they nice?" "You're good friends?" "Do they play well?" "Fairly well." "Michele, excuse me, but..." "When it comes to chatting, small talk and silver spoons," "you don't tell me much." "I'd like to know what you do." "What you think." ""Yes, no, maybe, right"..." "Tell me something concrete." "Tell you what, Dad?" "We meet on Sundays and play a match." "That's it." "And if we're still friends..." "After your freezing-the-fish joke, we may no longer be friends." "What's Civitavecchia's best bar?" "There is none." "Let's go then." "I need to make a call." "For work?" "I have to make an appointment with a new client." "I can't seem to shake him off." "You told me one day I ought to tell people no." "I should have told my brother no!" "He introduced me to Antonazzi, a real crook." "What did he do?" "Bribery at the hospital." "The usual stuff." "I'd send him to jail." "He deserves it." "To jail?" "Then why are you defending him?" "Why, Why..." "Because my hand was forced." "You know my brother." ""Come on!" "He's a friend." "He's in trouble."" "Family!" "Always the same deal." "There's always someone messing things up." "The new regional law invalidated the 007 bill." "We had to return to 003." "The mayor asked us to draft a new proposal." "We did." "He gave us a month." "We did it in 3 days." "We acted swiftly." "Meanwhile, another regional law was passed allowing the previous proposal to be re-examined." "They should have taken it up." "But no, we had to file again." "How is it going with Grazia?" "Who's Grazia?" "Your girlfriend." "Gloria!" " What did I say?" " Grazia." "Grazia..." "Gloria..." "Nothing, really." "She and I..." "We broke up." "Before I went off to military service." "I had no idea." "But maybe you told Mom." "No, I didn't tell anyone." "You're the first one I've told." "It might be for the best." "A splintered family, separated parents..." "She wasn't right for you." "I'm glad you dumped her." "Actually..." "I didn't dump her." "She dumped me." "We broke up a hundred times." "We fought constantly." "She always started it, but..." "Besides, I can be fairly..." "I may not look like it, but I'm... a bit annoying, always so unsure of myself." "I never make up my mind." "Indecisive..." "No, you're not indecisive." "You think things over." "Not the same!" "Well, I thought things over too long for her taste." "She's too frenetic for me." "It's not even that." "I was fairly satisfied." "But the fact is that she left." "She went to Milan." ""The pace of life here suits me." She wrote that." "Maybe after all, it's better that way because she's with another guy." "She wasted no time." "You've barely separated and wham!" "She was already with him when we got together." "How did you find out?" "How did I find out?" "She told me herself." ""You know, I'm with someone else."" "I have to say she was really up-front." "Is Hertz nearby?" "Rent-a-car?" "You know, to rent an automobile?" "I don't know if there is one." "Let's have lunch at Porto San Stefano." "What do you say?" "Waiter, please?" "How much is that?" " 13." " Sorry?" "The file was submitted to regional authorities." "They replace the mayors." "Then the Housing Office..." "Here you go." "Keep the change." "Didn't you want to make a call?" "Not now." "I'll phone later." "Their speciality is stuffed peppers and arrabiata pasta." "But their finest is their home-made soup with noodles, beans, chick peas, sweet peas, lentils and mussels!" "That doesn't appeal to you?" "Then, we won't go there." "No, why not?" "They must have lighter fare." "Wait, it's an hour's drive." "It may be closed." "I'm hungry right now." "Don't go for me." "No, I really feel hungry." "Where do you usually eat?" "At the mess hall." "But the train station has an eatery." "Let's avoid the train station's eatery." "Don't worry, we'll find a place." "Have you ever noticed you only hear whistling in the country?" "Nobody in the big cities whistles anymore." "Whistling is a language." "Your Uncle Umberto and I are Romans but we whistle like farmers." "Then there's this one and the four-finger whistle." "I never could do it." "Good!" "Where did you learn that?" "I've always been able to." "The best was the soft whistle." "When a pretty girl walked by and you wanted her to notice you, you'd whistle very softly but high pitched." "Look over there!" "That officer." "Look!" "No!" "Over there!" "It's Captain Cocchia!" "You and your whistling!" "He turned round when you whistled." "Really?" "Think he's a bit fay?" "Of course not!" "Did he see us?" "Come on." "What fish have you got today?" "We have everything you could want!" "Fresh?" "Everything's top notch." "I'll handle everything!" "Nothing." "A little gift." "Another present?" "What's with the presents today?" "What is it?" "A surprise." "A surprise." "Right!" "A quartz radio alarm?" "Japanese technology?" "A liquid crystal mini TV screen." "I know you!" "Open it." "Rip it open." "And ruin the paper?" "Does it matter?" "Grandfather's watch with the locomotive on the back!" "What a splendid watch!" "Every two minutes, I'd ask him," ""Grandfather, what time is it?"" "I loved seeing him take it out of his pocket." "When you were ill, he'd lend it to you, you'd take your shots." "It opens up." "I recall now." "Inside, it's engraved in English." "Ah, in French." "Really beautiful." "I'm a bit reluctant to deprive you of something that belonged to your father." "You keep it, Dad." "Really, for me it's the same." "I want you to have it." "I swear the gesture is enough for me." "But I insist that you take it." " Really?" " Yes." "Then, I'll wear it." "See if it's working." "What time is it?" "Five past one." "Perfect." "It's not exactly a watch for blue jeans." "I don't care." "What time is it?" "The time?" "You kidding?" "You're asking me what time it is?" " 5 minutes and 32 seconds past 1." " Thanks!" "You're welcome!" "If anyone needs the time, my watch is great!" "The time?" "Of course!" "5 minutes and 53 second past 1." "If you need the time, I have a watch!" "Oh, my!" "I'm happy, you know." "This is a splendid gift, Dad." "Really!" "A watch makes you happier than a Lancia with a 16-valve engine." "I didn't say that." "Splendid!" "I'm really very happy!" "I'm happy, too." "Michele, people might think we're friends of Capt. Cocchia!" "Friends of Capt. Cocchia?" "Stop it!" "He's not like that!" "I just get the feeling." "He's just from the Ticino valley." "Well, even there..." "Thanks." "The chef has our order." "Wine list?" "A Prosecco." "I was so proud when I was a kid." "My grandfather drove trains!" "For me, it was..." "Remember when Mom was assigned to teach in Naples and I went to Gramps' and Granny's on her side?" "As soon as I got there, I'd tell all the kids." ""My gramps in Rome is a railway man!"" "I was proud." ""My gramps in Rome is a railway man!"" "My Naples grandfather would correct me." ""Not a railway worker!" "A functionary with the railways!"" "One night, we had a certain Prof Nardella visiting." "I was always proud to tell anyone." "Grandfather was there and I said," ""Professor, my Rome grandfather is a ra-..."" "I racked my brain, functionary or railway man?" ""My Rome grandfather's a functionary..."" ""on the locomotives!"" "I got it all mixed up." "Naples Grandfather glared at me." "He was like this." "I remember when..." "He was obsessed by his name." "De Fonseca." "He was a De Fonseca!" "He'd come to the school to talk to my teachers." "Every clay, he'd ask about me." "He had nothing else to do." "Every clay, "How's Michelino?"" "How is he?" "Just like yesterday." "As he left, he'd say, "Bye, Michelino!"" ""Don't forget you're a De Fonseca!"" "I could have killed him when he said that." "That's typical of Neapolitans with Spanish blood." "Not in front of all my friends, you know?" "Perfect." "They'd make fun of me at roll call when they heard my name." "My friends would tell the teacher, "Sir, he's a De Fonseca!"" "He was a good man but had odd ideas." "When your mother and I got engaged, he had a cop check my background and my family." " Cheers." " Cheers." "Do they serve wine on base?" "No." "I mean yes, on holidays and weekends." "We didn't even get any on Sundays." "In the mess hall, we'd line up, kit in hand." "Supper's ready!" "Supper time!" "Come eat!" "And what did they play for lights-out?" "No, that was for furlough." "If your shoes are shined, you're on furlough!" "How did lights-out go?" "You're not going to sing them all!" "Who cares?" "Oh, I get it." "When a guy's doing military service, he gets noticed everywhere, even out of uniform." "Especially if your father starts playing the bugle at table in front of everyone." "When I did my military service in Rome at the Macao base, our bugler was from Sardinia, a certain Gesuino Porcu." "He was short and dark." "Nobody understood a word he said." "But when he played the bugle, it was music!" "Of course it was music if it was a bugle." "Yes, music." "What I mean is, he put so much heart and tenderness into it..." "How is yours?" " Our what?" " Bugler." "No bugle and no bugler." " They don't have them?" " It's a cassette now." "When it's time, an officer plays a cassette for the whole base." "Like churches." "No one rings bells anymore." "Priests play a cassette." "It's amazing!" "Totally amazo!" "What?" "Nothing." "You said totally amazo." "I haven't heard you say that in a very long time." "There was a time when you'd say it often." "So I thought..." "What did you think?" "Nothing, I just thought... that you might be seeing... who?" "Who?" "The person who got you started... with that youthful, modern way you sometimes talk." "Come on, Dad." "You get my drift, don't you?" "No, I don't!" "Let's drop it, then." "So, there's no more bugles and..." "I don't get your drift." "Who would I have seen again?" "Who?" "I never have a spare minute to see anyone!" "To come here this morning, I had to cancel a dozen appointments!" "You shouldn't have cancelled them." "Yes, you're right!" "I shouldn't have!" "Always watching, spying, judging!" "Who's spying or judging, Dad?" "I say something this big and you turn it into mountain!" "A mountain out of a molehill." "If I didn't know you people!" "You're always analysing every word." ""You said totally amazo!" I admit I say it all the time." "All right." "Fine." "Shall we drop it, then?" "No, it's not fine!" "Totally amazo!" "I'll say it anytime and to anyone I want!" "Yes, it's totally amazo!" "Even you, waiter!" "You're totally amazo!" " Enjoy your meal." " You too." "Thanks." "All right, so I am seeing her again." "She's a lawyer now, too." "She'll be 40 soon." "She has three fine children." " And says totally amazo?" " I don't know." "See, semiology is useful." "A father's choice of words reveals the moment he experienced love at first sight and the moment he caught up again with that person." "Our paths sometimes cross in the courthouse." ""Hello, you're looking good." "You, too."" "She may no longer recall it." " But you remember it all!" " Who, me?" "I never remember anything!" "No one is more senile than me!" "That olive makes you look like a hamster!" "Come on, eat!" "Eat damn it!" "Sorry to be so crass." "Going back to the war, always an amusing topic..." "SS headquarters were on Via Tasso." "100 feet away from where we lived." "Political prisoners were tortured there." "From the balcony, Umberto and I watched trucks pull up." "There they'd unload the men they had rounded up." "One of them was an upholsterer who refurbished mattresses." "He was a little old man." "Sitting cross-legged on his stool carding the wool, he looked funny, like a kid on a rocking horse." "One evening, my brother and I saw a kid thrown out of a truck." "He was with political prisoners." "We couldn't see him well in the dark." "But, the next morning, going past that little old upholsterer's shop, on Via Conteverde, we noticed the shop was shuttered." "There was a sign." ""Jewish shop." "Closed by order of the German command."" "We should change the subject." "And you claim your brain is going soft." "You have all your memory when you want to." "Only when talking about the Germans." "What's that?" "Is that noise you?" "My pills." "I never hear them." "I'm starting to go deaf." " Japanese?" " Yes, it is." "I also must take the ones I forgot this morning." "With your drink?" " To get them down." " Right." "You take medicine with water, Dad!" "There it is. 5,200 square feet." "It's not as big as the national library." "But it's respectable." "You never have to stand in line." "There's never anyone." "Do you come here often?" "In my spare time." "Your spare time here?" "This town is depressing, isn't it?" "Depressing?" "It's all right." "Tell me, Michele." "Are you always alone?" "NO, why?" "Aside from your Sunday matches with the Cormorants." "The Sea Horses." "Aside from them, do you ever see anyone?" "What do you think about once the sun goes down?" "I hope you're not depressed." "Depressed?" "Dad, I'm not suicidal because I'm in the army." "I come here and chat with the staff." "There's a girl and Mr Monaldi." "A retired schoolteacher." "What a character!" "That man is quite a show!" "He has a big nose with lots of warts." "He's tall and..." "And he has a nervous tic." "He goes like this." "It looks like he's saying, "Over there!" But it's just a tic." "But what a character!" "He and I have a little game going." "It's a memory game." "Famous lines spoken by fictional characters." "For example, I show up and ask point-blank," ""Have you eaten?" Who said that?" "And he replies," ""Clelia Conte to Fabrice del Dongo at the Farnese Tower."" ""The Charterhouse of Parma, Stendhal, 1839."" "How fun!" "Amazing!" "But difficult!" "You always win!" "Not always." "He's a formidable adversary." "Sometimes I win, sometimes he does." "Great competition!" "He works here!" "While I'm on duty, he's here boning up." "He knows everything!" "He uses his advantage." "He got me yesterday." "As soon as I arrived, he said," ""Brother, I am as pure as the day I was born."" "Who said that?" "Cepparello da Prato, a.k.a. Sir Ciappelletto, a cruel but great fisherman." "Beatified after a false confession on his deathbed." "The Decameron, Boccacio, 1350 or so?" "1350." "That's right." "Right on the money." "How do you do it?" "I reviewed everything in the taxi on the way here." "Michele, I've read The Decameron." "I have too, but I don't remember it as well as you do." ""Cepparello, Sir Ciappelletto, a cruel man." Every word!" "Not even Monaldi knows it as well." "Sometimes he hesitates." "You should be playing against him, not me!" "You'd beat him!" "With a memory like yours!" "Let's go." "I need to make that call." "Is there a phone nearby?" "Over there." "I can't, but having Mr Ajello will be fantastic for the defense and even better for this sort of trial." "Mr Antonazzi will be very pleased." "Call Ajello's office." "Tell them I sent you." "Antonazzi shouldn't call me at my office, as I'm never there." "My decision is final." "Sorry." "Goodbye, sir!" "You're not going to defend him?" " Good for you!" " Yes." "We'll see what Umberto says." "What can Umberto say?" "You did well." "I'm really happy." " So, case closed!" " Good job!" " Great!" "What did you tell him?" " My apologies but I'm fully booked." "Good job!" "Take it easy, you'll wear me out." "Dad, over here!" "This way!" "Get on!" "Come on!" "Let's do it!" "Each of us on a ride!" "Come on!" "You take this one." "How's that?" "Shall we?" "At my age, I look absurd!" "Nobody will recognize you!" "I love attraction park rides." "This fair is lovely, very pretty." "You should see Disneyland in the USA." "A huge Luna Park!" "Bigger than a city!" "Airplanes, helicopters, submarines!" "It's crazy!" "And the hotels!" "You have to spend 3 or 4 days there!" "I thought I'd go crazy!" "America is fabulous!" "Everything is grandiose, huge, oversized." "The country encourages initiatives." "They appreciate intelligence." "It's a young, modern country!" "For you, the aspiring writer, it's a dream!" "I want to become a writer?" "Not at all!" "When I wanted you to go to law school in Rome, your mother said," ""No, he'll study literature in Naples!"" "And you said, "Dad, I want to write!"" "I said that?" "You certainly did!" "Only because I didn't want to study law." "Sorry to insist, but your words this morning about the spoons were poetic and profound." "It's a beautiful subject, Michele." "You're intelligent." "You'll develop." "You'll go to the New York Institute of Journalism." "You'll take three months of classes." "You're so gifted." "Imagine!" "Think of the brilliant career you could have!" "You land at JFK." "It's already great!" "The crowds, the noise, the hubbub!" "My colleague, Mr Steiner, is there holding a sign with "Ridolfi"." "You speak English?" "No, I don't." "Yes, you do!" "I've heard you!" "Maybe Neapolitan but never English!" "All the better!" "You'll do a 3-month immersion course!" "Night and day." "Nonstop." "Nothing ever stops over there." "Everything's open at night:" "Theaters, cinemas, drugstores!" "Everyone runs!" "Races!" "So dynamic!" "So creative!" "Such magnetic energy!" "Put a key in a lock, it sets off sparks!" "It's like electricity in the air!" "It's hellacious!" "You'll love it!" "What do you think?" "About what?" "About that vacation?" "A vacation like that?" "No thanks!" " What's wrong?" " Your hair." "Take a look in the mirror!" "I hope they're good." "Here they come!" "Hold on, wait." "This one's funny." "Which ones do you want?" "I'll take this one." "Are you sure?" "No, this one." "You get the others." "I thought so." "You look like you passed out." "Michele, look how nice they are." "Lovely shoes." "What size?" "I'm a size 10%." "And for my son there..." "The same ones?" "What's your size?" "I don't need any." "No, I don't need any!" "You neither." "You have millions of shoes!" "I don't want any!" "Lift your foot." "Big help that will be to you!" "Get some for yourself." "Pretty, aren't they?" "The Richelieu model." "Very... yellow." "But, English yellow." "So chic." " Michele..." " What?" "This one!" "It's like yours!" "But yours is a metallic gray turbo." "Look!" "Exactly the same." "Big." "Oh yes, the big model." "I expected it to be smaller." "Like with Easter eggs." "No, but quite not so..." "I understand." "You don't like it." "I do!" "It's pretty, but..." "But what?" "How shall I put it?" "All these huge presents." "The apartment, the car." "All this with no warning." "If you'd told me before, we could have talked it over." "Sorry, but if I had, it wouldn't have been a surprise!" "Maybe surprises shouldn't ever be done." "Don't look so glum!" "I've nothing against your presents." "You're right." "I stupidly bought you this... this rotten car and an apartment in the ugliest part of Rome!" "And you wisely told me, "I couldn't care less."" "Dad, did I say that?" "No, I simply said..." "Sometimes you mean well, but it's your idea." "You put people in an embarrassing situation." "It's annoying sometimes." "If you're not ready for it, you may have other plans." "But if you have other plans, say so, doggone it!" "I didn't say I had other plans." "It was a manner of speaking." "A flat in Rome's nicest area!" "I'm fine living at home." "I don't want to move." "But no!" "I have to go to a pretty flat!" "If you want to keep living at home, nobody is running you off." "It's your home." "I'll be all the happier." "You can rent out the apartment." "Or sell it." "It's a good investment." "I was just thinking... you might want to build a life for yourself." "That's the right words, build a life for myself." "I don't need you building it for me!" "Since you've shown up, the stress has trebled!" "I'll be assailed once I get to the Rome train station, all those people coming for me." ""I'm the notary to close the apartment."" ""No, first a driving license!" "I'm Mr Bartoccini."" "No, the flight to New York now!" "Where's the sign marked Ridolfi?" "Steiner, "Come learn English, three months of immersion."" "Come put the key in the lock, electric shock!" "Everything open 24/7!" "Run, Michele!" "Run!" "I can't stay open 24 hours a day." "I need to close up sometimes." "If you worry about me, say so!" "You worry because you think I'm indecisive and not at all meditative." "I'm a soldier with a worthless diploma." "I'm worth less than my diploma!" "Go on, say it!" "OK, I say what I think." "Since I bought your sister a car and an apartment, it seemed logical to do likewise for you!" "Aren't I your father?" "I made a mistake." "Excuse me!" "Excuse me, everyone!" "Let's go see a move." "Good idea." "At least I'll get to sit down." "Good evening." "Oh, no!" "It's my treat." "A soldier and one adult." "No, look, one soldier and one senior." "6,000 lira." "Attack!" "Quiet!" " I love Tom Waits." " You know Tom Waits?" "Phil Collins, Keith Jarrett, Coltrane." "Fine." "But I'm fussy." "Same with cinema." "I have to." "I have no time." "I have no time for anything." " Nothing?" " The key things." "Do you know what key things are?" "Practically, yes." "I saw you on the telephone." "You were so bored by the day you spent with me." "As soon as you could, you ran off elsewhere." "I haven't seen you this happy since you were 8." "I thought you were alone in this city, when in fact..." "You have lots of friends." "Fishermen, librarians, and others." "You can go be with them." "I won't disturb you any further." "Goodbye." "Your father." "Moliere addressed a fundamental issue for the modern couple:" "A woman's independence." "Each of the two heroes..." "Die!" "I can't hear the movie!" "It's so damn annoying!" "He's coughing." "Speak more politely." "Go to a hospital, not a cinema!" "You're the one who's ripe for a hospital!" "You're coughing." "If you love me, accept me as I am." "I won't change." "Accept me as I am." "I'll accept you as you are." "Shall we go?" "Yes, let's go." "Finally!" "Relieved?" "The great film critic can now enjoy his movie!" "And concentrate very hard." "A search for love and personal growth yet nothing has changed." "It's as hard as in the 17th century to manage love and independence." "What's wrong?" "Dad?" "Nothing." "If you're supposed to see someone, I can make myself scarce." "There's a train once an hour." "I've no one to see." "Maybe you'd rather be alone, and I came how shall I put it - sticking my nose in your business." "What?" "If you need to go, fine." "I was planning to leave at midnight." "So what?" "Let's get this clear." "I saw you secretly phoning." "Secretly!" "Try some openness, damn it!" ""Sorry, Dad, but today I have to see a girl."" "You spied on me while I was phoning?" "No, I noticed you when I went to the bathroom." "I wasn't talking to a girl but a friend who owns a bar." "Fine, a bar." "But you were jolly!" "You were funny!" "Can't I joke with a guy who owns a bar?" "You looked like someone else." "What are you trying to tell me?" "That after one year, you don't have a girl?" "I'm not trying to tell you anything, Dad." "But so what?" "There is one!" "You see!" "There is one!" "It wasn't her, though." "Words have to be pulled out of your mouth." "You could have spent the day with her." "Why don't you go now?" "I'll hop on the first train and even manage to get to the office." "Dad, please!" "You go see her and I'll walk around." "We'll meet up later." "How's that?" "Why?" "I can see her tomorrow." "I'm with you now." "Yes, and after, I'll feel guilty." "What's her name?" "Loredana." "Lovely." "Intriguing." "I like the name." "I have a nice idea." "Let's drop in on her!" "We'll both go and you'll introduce me." "I'd like that." "Ah, Dad." "Dropping in on her?" "It's weird." "Imagine it, "Dad, this is Loredana."" ""Loredana, this is my father."" "Nice to meet you." "Likewise." "Come in, please." "Have a seat." "I'll be right back." "See?" "She was in the shower." "This time of the day?" "Why?" "Is there a time for showering?" "Where are you going?" "That's her shoes." "Lovely view!" "The port." "You can see everything." "Having the place painted?" "No, just some things that she does." "Sometimes I help her." "Squirrels." "Hamsters." "Same thing." "Record, "Sciuscia"." "Pay Carmela?" "The cleaning woman." "She's cute." "A bit pale, though." "I hope she's in good health." "Pale?" "Of course, she's fine." "She's not pale." "That's her complexion." "Where are you going?" "Sit down." "You always want to sit when we're outside." "In here, you pace back and forth." "You've seen it all, because this is it." "Who's Lucio?" "She wrote, "Remind Lucio."" "That's her agenda!" "What are you doing, Dad?" ""Remind Lucio"." "It's hers, not yours!" "Sometimes a detail reveals a great deal." "Will you drop it, please?" "Sometimes a detail!" "What's this?" "An investigation into Lucio?" "Can't a father take an interest in who his son's girlfriend is?" "No, he can't!" "And that's all." "No, he can't." "Michelino, can you come here?" "Don't touch a thing!" "Please!" "Leave everything alone!" "What's got into you?" "Me?" "He insisted." ""I want to meet this Loredana."" "How could I resist being able to see you again?" "Oh, darling!" "I'm glad you did!" "Oh, yes!" "Don't stop." "What have you got on your feet?" "It's the shoes he bought me." "I'll tell you later." "You little scamp!" "She's still in the shower." "She's a photographer?" "No, I took these." "I took all these photos." "They're lovely." "I didn't know you..." "But Dad, I don't want to be a photographer." "All right?" "Is that her father?" "A fisherman." "They all are, except these two." "Yes, I see." "She's pretty, photogenic." "Did she steal that thing from a lobby?" "Oh, sure, she stole it." "Get real!" "Will you sit down?" "A little kiss?" "A kiss?" "She asked me to bring her some clothes." "She's taking a shower." "So she wants..." "Let's see... pants, shirt, pullover..." "Oh, she's changed her mind." "She prefers those." "I prefer these." "But that's cute, too." "What a pretty place." "Comfortable..." "It's kind of a mess." "Not at all." "It's really charming." "A chocolate truffle?" "At this hour?" "No, we need to leave." "Why not have a truffle?" "Nice girl!" "Oh, shit!" "Embarrassing..." "No more truffles!" "I ate them all last night." "Never mind, I'll head down to Mr Pietro's." "I'm fine with just a coffee." "No, I want some." "I have to go buy some." "Where's the other shoe?" "I was wearing it yesterday." "Gone." "Where could it be?" "Michele, you go!" "You can see she can't find her shoe." "Me?" "Loredana, I'll go." "Hold on." "Wait a second." "I'm going to buy some." "Take your keys and give this back to Mr Pietro." "Here's the money." "It's my treat." "And be quick!" "Why insist?" "A coffee would have been fine." "The first name Loredana is myst..." "Venetian?" "I thought so." "How did you two meet?" "At the library." "Are you an avid reader, too?" "More like avid employee." "I work there." "Of course, he told me so." "And there's also that man named..." "Monaldo..." "Oh, sorry." "Let me take that." "Tell me, please, how old are you?" "Thirty-one." "And your parents?" "How old are they?" "No, how are they?" "Ah!" "Fine." "I mean one's dead and the other is all right." "I also have a brother." "No police record!" "You're right, I'm being silly." "When parents want to take care of their children... once in a blue moon... they're pathetic." "They want to find out what they've missed for years." "Make up for lost time." "Like some students who goof off all year, then, bone up a week before exams." "You're right to show me how silly I am." "I'm not taking the piss." "Embarrassing..." "Quite the contrary." "It proves that you love your son and he loves his father." "He often talks about you." "At least he speaks to you." "Yes, a little, I guess..." "He talks." "And laughs." "I saw him phone you." "My phone hasn't been installed yet." "So who was he phoning?" "I don't know." "He knows lots of people." "Maybe Mr Pietro, a friend or a girl." "Excuse me, wouldn't that make you jealous?" "Jealous?" "Not me." "Are you?" "Aren't you in love?" "Yes, I suppose so." "Sometimes I feel like I am, sometimes I don't." "What does it depend on?" "My mood, I guess." "His." "Mine." "Get ready for my next question." "It will make you laugh." "Michele, otherwise..." "What's he like?" "Otherwise?" "I mean..." "Everything fine?" "Any complaints?" "Complain about what?" "I mean what is Michele like?" "At the crucial moment?" "You want to know if..." "Yes, I want to know!" "You score a big zero for discretion!" "I asked you a question." "What's my son like in bed?" "Ah, the truffles." "What did you tell her?" "Me?" "Say?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" "Did you hear me?" "Since I'm asking, that means..." "Nothing, we talked a little about you and her." "We chatted." "I even made her laugh." "She's an intelligent girl." "I know." "Fantastic!" "Great choice." "Thanks." "Don't mention it." "Oh, holy shit!" "What language!" "Vulgar." "Drop it and worry about the words that you use." "When you talk." "And you complain about Grandfather who had the carabiniers spy on you!" "You're like him just 50 years later." "I apologize." "No apologies." "Mind your own business!" "Embarrassing..." "I'd never have told my father to mind his own business." "Probably because he did." "And if he didn't, you should have told him." "I had to know if things were good between you." "It's my way of being nice." "Spare me your nice side." "And I'd rather..." ""I'd rather not do it." Who said that?" "Do you or don't you know?" "You don't know." "Bartleby, Herman Melville, 1851." "Moby Dick is 1851, Bartleby must be 1853." "I'll trust you on that one." "Pietro's." "The harbor bar." "I get it!" "The phone call to Pietro." "Pietro's truffles." "Let's meet this legendary Pietro." " Drop it!" " No, I want to meet him." "Is that your father?" "Yes, indeed!" "Do you want to play my hand?" "The king's in and the ace is out." " Ah, you noticed!" " Of course I did!" "Michele, come see my hand." "Excuse me, Dad." "You still up?" "What a nice surprise!" "He's so good looking." "He's my son." "But he can be mean." "What a pleasure to meet you, sir!" "I asked your Michele to bring you over tonight." "And I told him again on the phone." "He said you wouldn't be able to." " Are you Mr Pietro?" " Yes!" "My son is very fond of you." "Your son is a sweet boy." "So sensitive." "I do envy you." "I have two sons." "But they took off to make it big in Rome." "Malika!" "She's never there." "Excuse me a minute." "Hello?" "Who's speaking?" "Yes, speaking." "That's a grunch." "That's the name of that fish." "An odd fish." "That fisherman over there caught it." "The man in the scarf by the stove." "Many years ago." "People say that since that clay, he's never spoken." "He hasn't spoken since he caught it." "Strange, beautiful, mysterious story." "My guess is he couldn't speak long before." "That's the story." "Let me get you a coffee." "No cake, I've had too much already!" "Hold on and I'll check the notebook." "Michele, make me a coffee, too!" "One coffee coming up!" "Friends of mine." "I like doing this." "Making coffee, running this machine, and stuff like that." "Watch." "The coffee drops into the grinder." "You take it out here." "You heat the cups here and wash them here." "There's this!" "Be right with you!" "You want a coffee?" "Right away, sir!" "People aren't manual anymore." "It's a shame." "You could try it, too." "Excuse me for leaving you on your own." "I didn't even ask you what you want to drink." " Coffee's ready!" " Don't serve it neat." "Herb grappa, your favorite." "Michele told me." "Now, that's all we serve." "No, a small glass, please." "Great!" "That's how I like it!" "No, only a drop for you, Mr Pietro." "Watching out for me." "What?" "We're drinking to my father's visit?" "Don't get him drinking, Dad." "Piping hot coffee!" "Look out, sea clogs!" "Coming through!" "Make room!" "Sugar, stirred, the works!" "Ready for you to drink!" "It's nice here." "You know, we're all friends." "And your son is like family." "I see." "Each time he can, he pops over." "You ought to come on a Friday." "It's soccer lottery betting night." "We buy the sports papers." "We check who's playing and who's not." "We argue." "We cuss." "Michele enters all the stats into the army's computer." "He's in computer science?" "Yes, didn't you know he's assigned to the database?" "Really?" "Yes, right, of course." "He's working on an unbeatable system for winning big." "He'll figure it out." "I'm sure." "He's already helped us." "We've pocketed 3,500,000 lira." "True, we split it up for 20 men." "That's 175,000 lira each, but still..." "One day, we might win billions!" "Look over there, sir." "Look at that man." "The one with the pipe." "He could buy a trawler!" "And his wife could finally stop waiting tables." "Everyone gets his turn." "See the guy by the stove?" "He can't talk and he's uprooted." "He'll have a fine house and someone to care for him." "Everyone has a plan." "It's all in the notebook." "I'd get my eviction waived, and buy this bar." "And your son could take off for Iceland." "Iceland?" "Yes, that's always been his dream." "When he was little, you'd buy him lots of books about it." "You know, sir, we don't totally believe in the big win, but since your son is here, it's like... there's more trust, more friendship." "I have to concentrate now." "Ready?" " Straight in!" " Hold on." "Let me rack them up." "I knew I'd get it!" "Hat's off!" "Excuse me." "Where's the bathroom?" "That way." "Go ahead." "The glass door." "Sorry it's not very clean." "I thought your father would be totally different." "A fine lawyer like him!" "Just a simple ordinary man." "He's so reserved." "Shy even." "Shy?" "I wouldn't go that far." "And he was furious!" "Not at all shy." "I'll be going now." "I have a train to take." "Thanks for the grappa and the coffee." "Thank you, sir." "No, Michele." "You don't need to accompany me." "The train station isn't far." " I stay here?" " I'll call you." "Good night, all!" "It was an honor meeting you!" "He had a... tiring day with a busy morning." "Lots happened." "He's worn out." "Go catch up with him." "Stay with him." "Don't be a bad son!" "Now he's sulking." "Why are you sulking!" "Nobody's sulking." "Yes, you are." "You left the bar like..." "Like a lout?" "You were too ashamed of me?" "I didn't say that." "You should be used to it as I've embarrassed you all day." "I can't do anything right for you." "I don't understand you." "Really?" "But I understand you!" "I doubt it." "You'll be out of the army in a month but still have no plans." "The problem is you don't know!" "No, I know exactly what I'll do." "I know at least that... for a while... for a moment, I guess, in Rome..." "I don't want to go back." "You don't?" "I get it." "You want to go to Iceland if you win big." "That's where you should go!" "You can't get lost in the Reykjavik airport." "I only said Reykjavik for bar talk." "Everyone had a wish." "I had to come up with one." "You see?" "Iceland just popped into my head." "That explains it all." "Yes, son, that totally reassures me." "You're not going to Rome, and not going to Iceland." "Care to tell me where you're going?" "I don't know." "I guess..." "I'll stay here for a while." "What?" "Here in Civitavecchia?" "Are you crazy?" "What on earth for?" "I don't know." "I'll find something." "A cafe." "Mr Pietro's cafe!" "Serving coffee to sailors with faces etched by sea salt." "In that bar, the fog, the smoke, the pipes, the embalmed freaks." "Atmosphere!" "Is that your future?" "Poor little old you!" "My future?" "Did I mention my future?" "Talking with you is of no use." "Hurry or you'll miss your train." "You're always the same." "You get upset then run off." "You were like this as a child." "You'd push against me, run away from me." "If we were alone, you'd race off, claiming you had things to do." "You'd make up all kinds of excuses to be elsewhere." "In Naples, too, you wanted to stay there." "What?" "Oh, that's a good one!" "That's just great." "You've understood me since I was a little boy." "You want to know why I always ran away from you?" "Because you intimidated me." "My own father." "I wasn't at ease with you." "And when I was alone," "I'd try to copy you, be like you, because I thought..." "But then, nothing." "When I was near you, I felt like a total failure." "Right..." "I never could put you at ease." "Not even today." "Not even for a few hours." "Don't exaggerate." "There's been quite a few." "Actually," "talking to strangers is easier." "Talking to your own father is hard." "Who says fathers and sons need to talk?" "No, talking is good, Michele!" "You have to say things." "How could I guess my son wants to be a small-town guru if he doesn't say so, if he clams up?" "We talked today, though." "Yes, we poured out a flood of words but told each other nothing." "I blathered on about the Germans, you about Stendhal." "We talked about everything to talk about nothing." "You say you'll stay here." "I'd understand if you said," ""Loredana and I are madly in love."" "But neither of you care about the other." "Who told you that?" "All your grilling aside, I'm happy with Loredana." "I believe you." "You have a non-committal relationship." "Of course you feel good with her." "But the other one, Gloria or Grazia, the one who went to Milan with another man, you loved her and lost her." ""You loved her and lost her."" "What do you know?" "You can't even remember her name!" "You still love her." "You're with the other to forget her, even if I can't recall her name!" "Don't forget, Michele, behind every change, every conversion, every schism, there's always been a woman!" "Profound thought." "We'll put it in fortune cookies." "The big city suffocates you." "Too much pollution and consumerism." "Quality of life and the human scale are undeniably precious." "In Rome, you had the ideal woman!" "But you lost her because you lacked the courage to take any decisions or shoulder any responsibilities." "Oh, right!" "Everybody should be like you, Dad." "They ought to think logically!" "Bingo!" "Right?" "You always know what's best for you and others." "Bully for you!" "I don't know how to choose." "I can't choose a restaurant, much less wine!" "That may be why I don't drink." "I don't know how to make decisions." "I don't know how to choose." "I can't do anything, Dad!" "Nothing, you hear!" "Especially when my father is around!" "So for heaven's sake, leave me alone!" "Stop playing the victim." "Stop feeling judged." "If anyone is judging it's you!" "You judge my choices, my way of life." "You judge everything since you're nobler, superior!" "What do you care about working, settling down, making a home?" "Believe me, you're very presumptuous!" "Oh, I'm presumptuous but you're concerned about our family, is that it?" "All your life all you ever thought about was you!" "If the decisions were yours alone, you'd have lost your family long ago!" "Wrong!" "This June, your mother and I will celebrate our 35th anniversary." "That may be, but it's no thanks to you!" "Your poor mother gets all the credit!" "Bull shit!" "Who said poor mom?" "I didn't even bring her up." "You always play the victim." "You?" "Your pills!" "I hear it." "I'm not taking them." "You Neapolitans, you're always targeting folks." "Do you think your mother's blameless?" "Do you remember Prof Nardella who would often come visit at your grandparents' in Naples?" "Your mother certainly let Nardella have his way with her." "No need to look at me like that." "You children knew something was afoot." "She told me about it herself!" "Love and passion aren't eternal between husband and wife." "Unfortunately." "As for your mother, that's how it went." "What are you driving at?" "You talk and talk!" "You're pitiful!" "Dredging up the past is petty." "Look at the shape you're in!" "You're old and fat!" "You smoke and drink and never stop." "You sleep a couple of hours a night!" "Two years after a heart attack!" "Two years!" "And you think it's all over!" "He's immortal." "Always on the edge." "Why?" "Better to die joyous than to whine every day." "Then, go die elsewhere with your joy." "I never want to see you again!" "I've got better things to do." "I'll go back to Rome." "Fine!" "Go to Rome!" "You bet I'm going!" "You stay here!" "You bet I'll stay!" "I brought your old shoes." "What time is lights-out?" "Sometimes the bell doesn't ring." "Go or else you'll be late." "I have time." "What time is it?" "3 minutes and 10 seconds past 10." "Exactly." "May I, sir?" "Please, go ahead." "3 minutes and 22 seconds past 10." "Thanks." "It's an extremely accurate watch." "Ideal for telling time in a train." "A train worker's watch." "It was my grandfather's." "An old watch." "My father gave it to me." "Pretty." "More than pretty, splendid!" "It tells time." "Shall I..." "Please do." "3 minutes and 45 seconds past 10." "If you ever need to know, just ask me." "What time is it?" "3 minutes and 52 seconds past 10." "Thanks." "This watch will never let you down." "You can rely on it any moment of the day." "You're tired?" "Aren't you?" "A little." "You feel all right?" "WHAT TIME IS IT" "English adaptation:" "David Cox Subtitles:" "Eclair Video" " Paris"