Crystal Masks. Terry Salvini

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СКАЧАТЬ apart for so long," she defended herself pulling away. "Where would you like to go?"

      "It's a lovely sunny day, we could walk for a while."

      "Okay!"

      Loreley adjusted her bag on her shoulder and took him by the hand, but after a few steps she stopped him. "Don’t dare put your hand near your wallet," she said, raising her index finger at him. "I'll take care of it today, okay?"

      "Well, what an effort for someone like you!"

      "What would you be implying?" she asked, hands on hips. "I'm waiting."

      "Your family’s... well, they do alright."

      "They’re wealthy, you can say it. But this has nothing to do with me."

      "I know, Loreley, don't get angry, I was just kidding."

      "Let's not talk about that and relax a bit. Whatever you want to do is fine with me."

      David had nothing particular in mind. They left the car and walked to Corona Park. It was quiet that autumn day, immersed in a light blanket of silence and a thin veil of fog. There were carpets of multicoloured leaves underneath the almost-bare trees, accentuating the languid nostalgic charm of autumn, despite the flowers which were still blooming in colours from deep yellow to violet.

      They could have chosen to walk in Central Park, which was larger and not far from her home, instead of crossing the entire Borough of Queens, but she knew David didn't like places that were too big and crowded. To tell the truth, nor did he like going to places where wealth, and especially those who flaunted it, were in the majority, she thought, as she walked by his side. She was his only well-to-do friend.

      When their legs began to ache with fatigue, they took a break and sat on a wall near the Unisphere, a huge steel monument depicting the terrestrial globe. Loreley chatted about her brother's wedding and what had happened the night before, though she did not reveal the name of the man with whom she had shared a bed. She still didn’t feel ready for that, even to her friend. He seemed to understand because he avoided asking her about him, but a frown had appeared on his forehead that had not been there before.

      "I know what you're thinking," she said, looking into his cerulean eyes, that seemed to scold her. "I'd could slap myself. Johnny doesn't deserve it, and I don't know how to get out of it without hurting him."

      "You can’t decide whether to tell him or not, can you?"

      "I'm scared he won't forgive me. And I don’t have the courage either..." She looked away for a few moments.

      "If he knows you as well as I do, he’ll realize that you would never have ended up in that bed if you’d been sober."

      “You make it sound simple!”

      David looked at her annoyed. "It's never easy. Do you think it didn't cost me a lot to confess my betrayal to you? I was so afraid of losing you forever, even as a friend. But then you understood..."

      "I was upset all the same, even though I tried not to show it. I didn't want anything to do with men for years after that, and all that counted for me was studying and skating."

      He sighed. "It's been a long time, but I can see you still get upset when we talk about it."

      She shook her head. "I'm sorry, David..." She stroked his cheek. "I’m not upset about the past. I’m upset about the present."

      "I just told you how I feel about it.”

      "I'll think about it, I promise,” she reassured him, wanting to be done with that embarrassing topic.

      Best to talk about something else.

      She looked at him as if she had just remembered something important. "Speaking of confessions, you haven't told me the news you mentioned on the phone." She moved into a more comfortable position. "I’m here and I promise I’ll listen to every word you say."

      She saw him calm down and smile.

      Sitting down beside her, David let a few seconds pass, and then blurted out his happy news. "After a long time... and much searching, I think I've found the right person. In a few months, maybe we’ll go and live together."

      She opened her eyes wide. "Oh my God, you don't know how happy I am!" She clapped her hands and hugged him, jubilant. "What’s his name?"

      "Andrew. We met in the clinic when he brought his dog to me for treatment."

      "I'm really happy, you know?"

      "Thank you! I feel a little scared though."

      "I know what it’s like, especially at the beginning."

      "That's why I wanted to talk to you about it. I wanted to know how you got on with John. What it feels like."

      "Well... I can tell you that I felt awkward at first and I didn't quite know how to behave. I was afraid that everything I did might bother him. I had to stay calm, be understanding and have a flexible mind to accept his way of doing things and his way of thinking. Sometimes I wanted to slap him, sometimes I wanted to hug him. One day I would thank heaven I’d met him and the next day I’d wish I never had. More than once, you'll feel like you can't make it and you’ll yearn for your lost freedom, but I can assure you that everything settles down eventually. You just have to really want it."

      "Is that how you felt with John?" he interrupted, astonished.

      "I can guarantee you that I don't regret it at all." As she answered, she wondered why, if she really didn't regret it, she was unable to take on board what she had just said to her friend, to reassure herself as well.

      "That's good enough for me." David laughed cheerfully and took her hands. "Things will work out for you too, you’ll see; you just have to really want it, right?”

      "You're such a..."

      He put a hand over her mouth. "Ahhh... you mustn’t say certain things." She smiled at him. "Now it’s best if we go and get something to drink."

      After a cool drink and a quick visit to the Science and Technology Museum, they decided it was time to look for a quiet place to dine. The sun was giving way to the moon, which soon appeared like a spotted disc of light and shadows, occasionally obscured by clouds.

      They ate a light dinner of only two courses and a small portion of cheesecake. Fortunately, the temperature hadn't dropped, so they continued to wander through the streets of Manhattan until well past midnight. Feeling guilty about keeping him up late, Loreley decided to ask her friend to stay with her so she could enjoy his company for a while longer.

      ***

      She was still lazing in bed when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned over and opened her eyes a little, expecting to see David, but the eyes looking at her at that moment were too dark to belong to her friend who had blue eyes.

      "Johnny!" She pulled herself up, leaning on her elbows. "When did you arrive?"

      "I sent you a message last night, didn’t you get it?"

      "I'm sorry, I didn't notice."

      "Too СКАЧАТЬ