"Sure."
Mybrother.He'smybrother.
Iwanttothinkthatmomentsbeforemyfathergavehislastbreath,heregrettedsomething.
Oreverything.Thatheregrettedhowhadbehavedaroundhiswifeandchildren.Howhehad lived.Hediedinsolitudeduetoasuddeninfarction,thattooktotheotherworldinnotime.I imagine that day, like so many others; He got up, had his cup of coffee with milk and a few toastedgreensinpeachjam;Hewenttohisimposingofficeandthere,lookingatthecomputer screen,hislifewasgone.NotknowingthathehadathirdchildinFlorence.Withoutsuspecting thatthisboythatInowhavebymyside,isanexceptionalhumanbeingofonlyseventeenyears.
Uniqueandspecial,Igotwellwithhimfromthebeginning.Iwonderifthisconnectionisdue toourkinshiporthereissomethingelse;BecausewithCindytherehasbeennothingspecial and,afterall,theyarebrothers.Ontheotherhand,whatlinksAlessandroandmeisIsabella.I cantalkaboutatimeofherlifethathedidnotknowandtheotherwayaround.Butevenso, there are many things about her that we will never know. Many hidden secrets, although fortunately,themostimportantandtheonethatconcernsus,hascometolight.Ihavemuchto thankAlice,Idon´tknowhowIcouldtreatherlikethis;Iwillnotforgivemyselfmywhole life.Howbadshemighthavefelttohavetohidesomethinglikethat...that'swhyshecouldn´t lookmeintheeye,soshelockedherselfinherbedroomforaweek.
IsabelladidverywellanddespitethetragicreasonwhyAlessandroishere,Iamgladto havehimwithme.
"Mom?Mom,thisisthelastmessageIleaveyou.Pleasecomehomeorshowsignsoflife.
Seriously,I'mreallyworried."
IwatchAmyhangupthephoneangrily.AlessandroandIlookedateachotherandwecan´t helpbutlaugh.
"Wholookslikethemotherhere?"AsksAlessandro.
"I'mproudofAmy.Howshehasmatured."
"Hey! Do not laugh, this is serious. Let's see if somebody kidnapped her or something
"Amysaysinanguish.
"Maybeshe'swithafriendinapuborsomething,andshedoesn´thearthecalls."Itryto findsomelogicalexplanation.
"It’sobviousthatyoudon´tknowmymother.Theperfectladydoesn´tgointopubsandshe barelyhasfriends"Amyreplies.
"Shedoesn´thavefriends?"
"My father was a little controlling, I don´t know if she told you. I shake my head. My motherusedtogooutjusttowork,shetravelledalotforpromotionsandmostofthetimesshe lockedherselfupathomeandwroteandtookcareofme.
"Shedidnottellmeyourfatherwassocontrolling"Isay.Iknewabouttheblond...ofhis indifference to her pain when they separated. But not about how bad she felt during their marriage.
"Wellyoucansee.AndIamanidiotforhavingdestroyedthelastdaysthatshehadleftof vacationsinyourhouse.Shit."
Amyliesdownonthecouchagain,whileAlessandroandIremaininthekitchenwithour handsinthedough.
"Amy!"Icallher."Donotyouwanttopreparepancakesfordessert?"
"Idon´tfeellikeit!"Sheyells,turningontheTV.
"Oh...yes,she’snotfeelingwell,Isee"murmursAlessandro.
ALICE
" Do you know, Dad?" I'm going to stay here tonight "I say, take pleasure in a slice of Sashimi.
"AndAmy?Isnotsheworried?"
"Noway.She'swithherboyfriend,Alessandro."
"WhoisAlessandro?"
"Dad...I'vealreadytoldyou.Mark'sbrother,theboywho..."
"Oh,now,nowIhaveit.Theboywhohasbeenorphaned.Holyshit,whatashame,whata shame...atragedy,poorwoman."
IstareatPapa.Helovessushi,sohedecidesit'sagoodideatoputaUramakiandaMaki inthemouthatthesametime;Buthechokesandwhenhedrinksaglassofwater,hedropsthe carafeonthetableandleaveseverythingamess.
"Takeiteasy,Dad.Icleanit."
IgethimaglassofwaterandIpickupthesoggytableclothandscrubthemarblefloorof the kitchen. Dad is still eating very carefully, this time a Nigiri. I stare at him, looking more closely.AndifbeforeIsupposed,I'mnowconvincedthatDaddyneedsurgenthelp.
"Dad,areyousureyoudon´twanttocomeandlivewithAmyandme?Youwouldbein verygoodcompany,youwouldneverbealone."
"Noway.Ihavelivedinthishouseforforty-fiveyearsandIwilldiehere."
"Butachangecanbegoodforyou...justforafewdays."
"Ihavesaidno.I'manuisance."
"Dad,you'renotahindrance.Weloveyouverymuch."
"Isee.Andthat'swhyyoucometovisitmeeverythreemonths?"Heasksindignantly.
"Iknowitsoundslikeanexcuse,Dad.ButIhaven´tbeenwell.Sincethedivorce,I..."
"Idon´tgiveashitaboutyourseparation!Gotobed,younglady!Aslongasyouliveunder myroofyouwilldoasIsay."
My eyes are again a sea of tears to see Dad raise his voice enraged. Suddenly, he starts whimperingandapproachesmeaskingforforgiveness.
"Okay,Dad.I'mgoingtosleep."
Evenwiththescreamsofmyfatherinmyhead,likehammersthatdrillandthatIknowthey willbetheonetoblameforwhenIfinditdifficulttosleep,Igouptomybedroom.Itisjustas IleftitwhenImovedouttogoliveonthecampusoftheUniversityandthenwithJacktoform afamily.Thepaperonthewalls,whichatonetimeboastedofastrikingpinkcolor,nowlooks discoloured;Thelittleflowersandbutterfliesarebarelyvisible.Mywoodendesk,inwhichI beganwhatwouldlaterbecomemyprofession,isfilledwithdustliketherestofthefurniture.
The closet, the chairs, the bedside table ... everything, absolutely everything is dirty, and the whitewoodisnowbeige.AsIsitonthebed,muchsmallerthanIamaccustomedto,thetoo softmattresssinks.Whatafunnight,I'mgoingtosleepsowell...WhenIopenthecloset,Ifind apairofpyjamasthatpossiblyanddespitebeingfrommy"previousteenager",theystillfitme; But the possibility of putting them is zero, after I check that they smell to humidity. So I lie downinbedwithoutchangingmyclothes.IthinkofMark,Isabella,Alessandro,Amy...atmy fatherandatthefactthatIhavetolookafterhim;howmuchbadIhavecausedtothinkthathe
wasbetterthanitnowturnsouttobe.AndIalsothinkofAngelo.It'sfunnyhowthemindhas thepowertoplaywithus.Angelodoesn´tmeananythingespeciallytomeandyet,thereheis, insomerecessofmymemory,thatwantstocontinueplayingtobewithhimalthoughitdoesn´t meansomethingmore.AlthoughmyheartisreallystrongwhenIthinkofMarkandnotofhim.I rememberThomas,thatsummerlove.AndIrememberJack,howinloveIwasofwhatturned outtobeahusbandfullofdisturbingandpainfuldefects,whohadmecontrollednightandday.
And now here I am. With my head on the pillow on which I've cried so many times, I've laughed, I've dreamed, I've been excited ... having teenage concerns and the typical pride of thosewhohaven´tlearnedtolive.Asifallthebadthathashappenedtomeduringthesedays, wouldn´t have given me a valuable lesson: that of living every second as if it were the last.
Theonetohavethesuperpowertoforgive.Toforgetandbestronger.Theabilitytosaywitha glance,whatdoesn´tcomeoutofthevoice.
Tomorrow will be another day. I'll see it all in a different colour. That's what Amy told Alessandro,onenightwhentheboy,asusual,wasveryaffectedbythedeathofhismotherand couldn´tstopcrying.Iwashidden,theydidnotseeme.ButIwasgladtogazeinsilencefroma distance,asceneinwhichIsawthatIhadgivenlifetoawonderfulyoungwomanandperhaps, wiserthanherownmother.
MARK
IspentthenightinAlice'sapartment.Amyhasveryhelpfullyofferedmetheguestroo
m; ButuponawakeningandcheckingthatAlicehadnotarrived,wehavebeguntoworry.
"Ihavetogo"Isay,glancingatmywatch.Atnineo'clockIhavetobeonsettorecorda specialprogram.
"As soon as I know something I'll let you know, Mark. Thanks for caring "Amy says, lookingatthecellphone."Thiswoman...Whereisshe?"
"Yes,assoonasyouknowsomething,you'llletmeknow,okay?TellherIneedtoseeher thatIneedtotalktoher."
"I'lltellher...You'reafool,youtwo..."Amysmiles,laughing.
When I arrive on set, the pleasant surprise of seeing Alice arguing with the security guardawaitsme.IgetoutofthetaxiandIstandthere,still,laughingandwaitingtoseewhat happens.
"Listen,IamtellingyouthatMarkismyfriend,thatIknowhim.Forreal.Letmein,damn it"Aliceissaying,herhairtuckedintoabadlymadebun,pushingthesecurityguard.
"You’rejustanothercrazymenopausalfan,pleaseleaveorI'llhavetocallthepolice."
"Comeon!Don’tyouknowme?I'mAliceMorgan!Thewriter."
"AndIamPeterParker,Spiderman"thesecurityguardlaughed.
Ican´twaitmore.Ineedtolookherinhereyes,askherforgiveness,kissherandhugher andtellherthatIwanttobewithher.Nowandalways.
"Parker,don´tconfessthatyou'retheSpiderman,youcanhaveproblems"Isay,laughing.
A look. A look is enough, to say without words, everything that we have missed during thesethreeweeks,timeinwhichweweredistancedand"angry."
"Doyouknowher,Mr.Hope?"
"Who wouldn´t? It is Alice Morgan, the best writer of romantic novels in America. It’s obviousthatyoudon’treadenough,Parker..."
"I'msosorry.Excusemethen,madam."
Alice ignores Parker and not knowing if to hug me, kiss me or what the hell to do, she grabsmyarmandwewalkafewmeterstofindsomeprivacy.
ALICE
Ihavehardlyslept.Igotupatsixinthemorninganditoccurredtometolookatmycell phone, after making sure that Dad was sleeping in his bedroom and not on the stairs or any other unsuspected place. I've seen hundreds of missed calls from Amy and messages on the answeringmachine.Inoneofthem,besidesbeingangrywithmefornotshowingsignsoflife; shesaidthatMarkwasathome,thathewantedtoseemeandtalktome;weshouldstopdoing the idiots at once. She talked about how repentant Mark was and left my pride aside and forgivethebadmannersofthrowingmeoutofhishouseinMontepulciano.Ibarelythought,I immediatelyknewwhatIshoulddo.
Ihavepreparedcoffee,IhaveleftanotetomyfathersayingthatIwasgoingbacktoNew YorkbutthatIwouldreturnverysoon,andatseveno'clockinthemorningIsetoutdirectlyto the sets where I know that Mark records the program. I arrived at eight-thirty, and I've been arguing for over half an hour with a security guard who thought I was a menopausal fan of Mark.
Onceclearedupwiththestudiosecurityguard,MarkandIwalkawayfromhim,intending tofindsomeprivacy.Idon´tknowwhattodo.IfIshouldhughim,kisshimorjustsaynothing and wait for him to take the first step. Fortunately, he does. He frowns, smiles and without sayingaword,kissesme.Howmanynightsdreamingofamomentlikethis.HowmanynightsI wishedtokisshislipsagain,becausetheylastedsolittlewhenwewereinMontepulciano.
"Forgive me" he says. " I acted like an idiot. I told you horrible things, when you just wantedtohelp.Isabellaleftyouwithagreatresponsibilityandyouknewtofulfilitwell.I'm reallysorry."
"It’sok,Mark.Ithasalreadypassed."
"Amyisveryworried,youknow."
"I'llgohomenow.Youhavetowork."
"Idon´tfeellikeit."
"What?"
"Idon´twanttowork.Idon´twanttohavetoobeyordersfromadamnearwig,makingthe ridiculousbeforeallAmericaandkissingdesperatewomenjusttomakeofashowwithalot ofaudience.It'sover."
Ilaugh.Ican’tdoanythingbutlaugh.Minuteslater,MarkandIwalkoutofthestudiosto which he had promised never to return, and head to the restaurant where it all began. Not a goodtimetohavesomewine,sowesettleforcoffee.
"Well,thisisn´tMontepulciano,but..."Markmoans.
"Theplacedoesn´tmatteraslongasI’mwithyou,Mark.
CHAPTER16
Threemonthslater
ALICE
Sometimeago,Ireadaphrasethatsaid,"Sometimeswehavetoacceptthatthereare peoplewhostayinourhearts,eveniftheydon´tstayinourlives."Whysettleforit?Whynot taketherisk?Whylivewithfearsorthinkingaboutwhatpeoplewillsay?Yesitistrue,itisa correct sentence for the story between Mark and Isabella. She will always be present in his heart and in his memory, especially considering how much Alessandro means to Mark.
However,nowitismewhoiswithhim,livingaloveofeternalsummerthatIdon´twantto endforever.
"Alice,comeon.Yourfansarewaitingforyou"Cindytellsme.
I smile and go behind her until I find myself behind a desk in which a few copies of my newnovelarestrategicallyplaced:"InacornerofTuscany."Finally,Iwasabletoconvince Cindythatitwasmuchbetterthan"AloveinTuscany".IsmileasIlookatthecover,prettier thanIcouldhaveimagined.Aclearbluesky;Abeautifulstonehouseandagreenfieldfullof vineyardsthatremindmeofthemostwonderfulandatthesametimemostpainfuldaysofmy life.
"Thankyouforcoming"Ibegan,staringintoMark'seyes,lookingatmeproudlyfromthe bottom of the room, next to Alessandro and Amy. "Today we are going to talk about a very specialstorythathappenedinacornerofTuscany..."
Andalthoughthespecialstorywe'regoingtotalkabouthasnothingtodowithMarkand me;Butwithsomeonewhosimply"passedby,"inawayitdoesbelongtome.Becausefinally, eachandeveryoneofourexperiences,becomeaheapofmemoriesthatwillbe,attheendof ourlives,theonesthatreallycount.
Oncethepresentationisfinished,whentheroomisalmostempty,Itakeacopyofmybook andwriteasweetdedicationonthefirstpage.
"Shallwego?"Markasks,approachingme.
"Afantasticpresentation,Alice!"Cindyexclaimsenthusiastically,whileIremainfocused onthededication.
"Itwascool"Amysays,notlettinggoofAlessandro'shand.
"Justasecond..."
Iwritefrommemorythepostaladdresstowhichthiscopywillgo,andIinsertitinalittle packet that will be in post office in a few minutes and will travel to a wonderful and unforgettablecornerofTuscany.
"Done,shallwego"Isay,smiling.
"Arewegoingtohavesomepizzafordinner?"Alessandroproposes.
"I'm in! " says Cindy happily, who throughout these three months also has taken much affectiontohernewbrother."Ihaven’teatenpizzainathousandyearsnow."
"W-we,too,right?"Wenevereatpizza"addsAmy,laughing.
Markgrabsmebythewaistandkissesmeonthelips.
"I'mveryproudofyou"hesays.
"I love you" I confess, for the third time in these three precious and intense months of relationship.
Anewlife.Eachdayisanewcolor.Sometimesthebittermomentsaretheonesthatmake usappreciatethegoodones,theonesthatreallycount.Thoseattheendofourlives,wewill looksidewaysandsay,"Hey!Well,ithasn´tbeensobad.Makeitcounteveryday.Thatthis madnessthatwecalllife,isalwaysworthit."
wearemadeofatoms,butwhatwearereallymadeofis stories.Lifestories;Thosethatwedon´tcountandthosethatwedo;Thosewhoenjoy,suffer, feel,shout,changeandchoose.Andeachonetakesapartawayfromyouwhenyouleastexpect it.Afterall,whowasgoingtotellmethatwhathappenedinTuscanywouldchangemylifeand mystoriesforever?
"Youknowhundredsofpeople
Andnoneleavesamarkonyou.
Suddenly,youknowone
Andthisonechangesyourlifeforever"
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Document Outline
Title Page
Copyright Page
Happened in Tuscany
CHAPTER 1
The Date
The Date
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12