green-gray eyes were cloudy and had rings around them.
Sitting beside the man was a little old woman who was half asleep. Contrasting strangely with her peaceful air was her hazel-colored dress, neatly trimmed with black rickrack. Moreover, covering her wooly hair was a small hat, worn and faded, with two large black ribbons tied voluminously under her chin. Oddly enough, these ribbons ended in silver tassels, making them seem as if they were ribbons taken from a funeral wreath.
Valdoggi again immediately took his eyes off the man, but this time he did so in a fit of great exasperation that made him turn rudely in his chair and blow forcefully through his nostrils.
What on earth did that stranger want? Why was that man looking at him that way? Valdoggi again turned around. He, too, wanted to look at that man in order to make him lower his eyes. At that point the stranger whispered: "Valdoggi." He did so as if speaking to himself, shaking his head slightly without moving his eyes.
Valdoggi frowned and bent a little forward to better make out the face of the man who had muttered his name. Or had he just imagined it? And yet, that voice...
The stranger smiled sadly and repeated:
"Valdoggi, right?"
"Yes...," answered Valdoggi, bewildered and trying to smile at him, although with some hesitation. And he stammered: "But I... pardon me... you, sir..."
"Sir? I'm Griffi!"
"Griffi? Ah...," uttered Valdoggi, confused, continually more perplexed, and searching his memory for an image that would bring that name back to life.
"Lao Griffi... 13th Infantry Regiment... Potenza."
"Griffi! You?" Valdoggi suddenly exclaimed, flabbergasted. "You... like that?"
Griffi accompanied the exclamations of astonishment of his newly found friend with sorrowful noddings of his head, and every nod was perhaps both an allusion and a tearful salute to the memories of the good old days.
"It's really me. Like this! Unrecognizable, right?"
"I wouldn't say that... but I pictured you..."
"Tell me, tell me, how did you picture me?" Griffi suddenly broke in. And, almost impelled by a strange feeling of anxiety, he drew close to Valdoggi with a sudden motion, blinking his eyes repeatedly and wringing his hands as if to repress his agitation.
"You pictured me? Oh, of course... but tell me, tell me how?"
"How should I know!" answered Valdoggi. "You, in Rome? Did you resign?"
"No, but tell me how you pictured me, I beg you!" insisted Griffi forcefully, "I beg you..."
"Well... I pictured you as still being an officer, I guess," Valdoggi continued, shrugging his shoulders. "At least a captain... Remember? Oh, and what about 'Artaserse'? Do you remember 'Artaserse,' the young lieutenant?"
"Yes, yes," answered Lao Griffi, almost crying. "'Artaserse'... Yes, certainly."
"I wonder what became of him."
"I wonder," repeated the other with grave and gloomy seriousness as he opened his eyes wide.
"I thought you were in Udine," continued Valdoggi in an effort to change the subject."
But Griffi, absorbed in thought, sighed absent mindedly:
"Artaserse..."
Then he roused himself suddenly and asked:
"And you? You resigned too, right? What happened to you?"
"Nothing," answered Valdoggi. "I finished my service in Rome..."
"Ah yes! You were a cadet officer... I remember very well. Rest assured, I remember, I remember."
The conversation waned. Griffi looked at the little old woman dozing beside him.
"My mother," he said, pointing to her with an expression of deep sadness both in his voice as well as in his gesture.
Valdoggi unwittingly sighed.
"She's sleeping, poor thing."
Griffi looked at his mother silently for a while. The warm-up notes of a violin concert about to be performed by blind men in the cafe roused him, and he turned to Valdoggi.
"Ah, yes, speaking of Udine. Remember? I had asked to be assigned either to the Udine regiment, because I counted on getting some month-long furloughs to cross the border (without deserting) and visit a bit of
Sitting beside the man was a little old woman who was half asleep. Contrasting strangely with her peaceful air was her hazel-colored dress, neatly trimmed with black rickrack. Moreover, covering her wooly hair was a small hat, worn and faded, with two large black ribbons tied voluminously under her chin. Oddly enough, these ribbons ended in silver tassels, making them seem as if they were ribbons taken from a funeral wreath.
Valdoggi again immediately took his eyes off the man, but this time he did so in a fit of great exasperation that made him turn rudely in his chair and blow forcefully through his nostrils.
What on earth did that stranger want? Why was that man looking at him that way? Valdoggi again turned around. He, too, wanted to look at that man in order to make him lower his eyes. At that point the stranger whispered: "Valdoggi." He did so as if speaking to himself, shaking his head slightly without moving his eyes.
Valdoggi frowned and bent a little forward to better make out the face of the man who had muttered his name. Or had he just imagined it? And yet, that voice...
The stranger smiled sadly and repeated:
"Valdoggi, right?"
"Yes...," answered Valdoggi, bewildered and trying to smile at him, although with some hesitation. And he stammered: "But I... pardon me... you, sir..."
"Sir? I'm Griffi!"
"Griffi? Ah...," uttered Valdoggi, confused, continually more perplexed, and searching his memory for an image that would bring that name back to life.
"Lao Griffi... 13th Infantry Regiment... Potenza."
"Griffi! You?" Valdoggi suddenly exclaimed, flabbergasted. "You... like that?"
Griffi accompanied the exclamations of astonishment of his newly found friend with sorrowful noddings of his head, and every nod was perhaps both an allusion and a tearful salute to the memories of the good old days.
"It's really me. Like this! Unrecognizable, right?"
"I wouldn't say that... but I pictured you..."
"Tell me, tell me, how did you picture me?" Griffi suddenly broke in. And, almost impelled by a strange feeling of anxiety, he drew close to Valdoggi with a sudden motion, blinking his eyes repeatedly and wringing his hands as if to repress his agitation.
"You pictured me? Oh, of course... but tell me, tell me how?"
"How should I know!" answered Valdoggi. "You, in Rome? Did you resign?"
"No, but tell me how you pictured me, I beg you!" insisted Griffi forcefully, "I beg you..."
"Well... I pictured you as still being an officer, I guess," Valdoggi continued, shrugging his shoulders. "At least a captain... Remember? Oh, and what about 'Artaserse'? Do you remember 'Artaserse,' the young lieutenant?"
"Yes, yes," answered Lao Griffi, almost crying. "'Artaserse'... Yes, certainly."
"I wonder what became of him."
"I wonder," repeated the other with grave and gloomy seriousness as he opened his eyes wide.
"I thought you were in Udine," continued Valdoggi in an effort to change the subject."
But Griffi, absorbed in thought, sighed absent mindedly:
"Artaserse..."
Then he roused himself suddenly and asked:
"And you? You resigned too, right? What happened to you?"
"Nothing," answered Valdoggi. "I finished my service in Rome..."
"Ah yes! You were a cadet officer... I remember very well. Rest assured, I remember, I remember."
The conversation waned. Griffi looked at the little old woman dozing beside him.
"My mother," he said, pointing to her with an expression of deep sadness both in his voice as well as in his gesture.
Valdoggi unwittingly sighed.
"She's sleeping, poor thing."
Griffi looked at his mother silently for a while. The warm-up notes of a violin concert about to be performed by blind men in the cafe roused him, and he turned to Valdoggi.
"Ah, yes, speaking of Udine. Remember? I had asked to be assigned either to the Udine regiment, because I counted on getting some month-long furloughs to cross the border (without deserting) and visit a bit of
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