[R1999] Short Stories' Collection

A chaotic incident in Sicily (12)

3:50 p.m, April 17th, 1955, at a local restaurant in Palermo, 500m from Sicily's Office

"Tell me, teacher."

At a dining table on the balcony, the current Sicily's Chief, Federico Zanelli, clasped his hands and put them on the table. He looked straight at the person sitting opposite to him, Mrs. Mozzoni, with a rather serious expression on his face.

"Earlier, why did you call me like that?"

The old lady put down her fork and used a tissue to wipe the sauce off her lips. She also turned her sight to him and replied casually.

"What's the matter if I called my student by his surname?"

"It's just..." The man lowered his eyes and slightly tightened his hands, "...you rarely use my surname to call me."

"Is that so? Then I will begin using it from now on."

She responded with her usual smile.

Her neglected attitude as if it was nothing important irritated him terribly. Everyone knew that when a person started to call your first name and you approved it, that meant the distance in the relationship between you and them had been shortened.

Except for the first two years when he came here, Mrs. Mozzoni had always called him by the name Federico until now. To him, it had more meanings than just a mere name.

Francesca Mozzoni was not only a respected former Chief of Sicily's Office, but also an extremely strict teacher to her students. No matter how long you had known her, only those with excellent abilities would receive her recognition and be called by the first name.

Zanelli had competed with others to strive for the title of her favorite student. It took him two years of hard work to win that position. Not stopping there, he had had to maintain that poise, study and improve his abilities non-stop till the day she chose him to be her successor.

That was why the way she treated this problem so easily pissed him off.

"I remember that tomorrow is your son's death anniversary,..."

The man crossed his legs and smiled without showing any changes in his expression.

"Have you prepared anything yet?"

Just as he expected, the composed look on her face was no longer there whenever she heard about that pitiful dead man.

"... Maybe tomorrow will be the last time I visit him."

Mozzoni let out a sigh, then answered his question as if she finally let go of the enduring torment from that fateful day.

"I will talk to him from the morning till the sunset, about what has happened since his leaving."

That side of her, softer than anything she had shown to others, only belonged to one person.

"Then I shall bid him farewell and accept the fact that he's already gone."

She put her hands on the table and her unique eyes looked straight at Zanelli's eyes.

"Thank you for keeping me company all this time, Zanelli. You're always the most satisfied student that I've ever taught. I'm truly proud of you."

The man wanted to avoid those terrible eyes immediately but his mind didn't approve of that action. Right now, inside him were two totally different emotions that were clashing with each other, trying to take control of the body.

'It's not the time yet. Just a little more, just a little more...'

Zanelli consoled himself and strongly suppressed the desire to question her so many things with a strange, inconsolable sadness.