Caruso

Dove ogni dramma è un falso

When Luca emerged from the sea, it was mid-afternoon. He reverted to human shape with a shake of his head. Luca's mind was racing so fast that he didn't even notice the people around him. Just a few moments ago, he realised that his family had accepted his — what he considered to be an unacceptable — personality trait, and that Alberto had been paying for his tuition for all these years. He was simply unable to think clearly at the time.

Could it be that Alberto still cared about him despite his absence for so long, effectively leaving him alone in Portorosso? He had to find out. Perhaps he'd discover some answers in the house. There was no guarantee, but he had to try.

A mysterious voice called out Luca's name as he grabbed the main door handle.

"Luca!"

He turned around to see a young man dressed in dark brown shorts and a green T-shirt. He was still quite a distance away, but the moment he decided to approach, the man's face began to conjure up a series of recollections in Luca's mind. It wasn't until the man got quite close to Luca that he realised it was... 'Guido?' He noticed his face features were more mature, his hair was slightly longer, and his form was a little less slender than Luca remembered.

"What are you doing here; it's been years since I've seen you!"

Guido's question didn't sound rude; rather, it was inquisitive. Guido's voice was unusually low for his age, even when he was younger. Luca noted this intensified with time.

"I came here a couple of weeks ago because of Alberto," Luca replied.

"Of course," Guido said, his face changing suddenly. "How is he doing?"

"They're still keeping him in a coma."

Luca was almost taken aback by Guido's mournful demeanour.

"I couldn't believe a strong sea person like him could get into difficulties at sea, but then I spoke to one of my hospital friends, and she told me what happened."

Guido paused for a moment. He shifted his focus from Luca to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Luca. I felt so helpless when I heard about Alberto, especially after all he'd done for me."

"What do you mean?" Luca inquired with a surprised expression. He hoped his tone wasn't as harsh as he imagined.

"You weren't here that summer, were you?"

'I haven't spent many summers here,' Luca reflected.

"Three years ago, Alberto saved my younger sister from drowning. That day, he wasn't even on duty. As a sea person, he was able to get to her swiftly. He dragged her to safety, even though she was already submerged. She would have drowned if it hadn't been for him."

Luca had previously acknowledged Alberto's popularity among the townspeople. They kept interrogating him about his health. They appeared to be truly concerned. It was quite another thing to see that same expression on someone who hadn't made the finest first impression the first time they met all those years ago. The sincerity in Guido's voice astounded Luca, who, on the other hand, was saddened by the fact that he was missing out on so much by staying in Genova. He tried to imagine how pleased Alberto must have been when he had saved someone's life. Alberto was overjoyed when he was given the opportunity to work as a lifeguard, Luca recalled. It made him furious that he missed seeing Alberto being congratulated for saving that little girl's life. How many of those joys did Alberto wish he could share with him but couldn't simply because a certain idiot chose to hide in Genova? He took a second to recompose himself.

"He's a fantastic swimmer," Luca added, "and back in the day, he was the ideal choice for the job."

Luca was relieved to finally be able to talk positively about Alberto. Luca used to get incredibly uncomfortable simply thinking about him. This felt liberating in a way.