The Oath

The Oath Parte 3

— I imagine Frank!

« There were four of us: a Captain was already seated. We ordered our lunch, and exchanged a few words; mostly it was the Colonel who asked questions, while we limited ourselves to answering, adding considerations rather than opinions. As a second course, we, as well as the Captain, had ordered a grilled steak; and when they have them brought to us when to the table, we saw that these were miserable, small, and thin. A knowing look between the three of us, and we smiled.

"These aren't steaks, they're small slices, and they look like shoe soles!", exclaimed annoyed, but with an amused spirit, the Captain, who continued, "I think that the marshal, in the kitchen, is marching us, hahaha!".

Our laughter followed, and the subject was closed. I gave up on fruit when I saw that the other three, including my brother, had begun to clean it with a knife and fork. »

— It may be the etiquette, but cleaning the fruit also using a fork I found it a rather uncomfortable and stupid operation.

— I fully agree with you, Frank: I think the same way.

« After the coffee, everyone we lighted a cigarette, and for a while we continued to exchange opinions; the Lieutenant Colonel, it was he who held the counter, smoked with his cigarette stuck in an elegant bone mouthpiece. After a while, having finished smoking, the Colonel put his napkin on the table and put an end to the conversation; together with the Captain they got up, and we did the same, the etiquette required that gesture, and they went away. As the two walked away, we sat down again: me and Pasquale, had something to say to each other. When we returned to our room, the afternoon was particularly hot and muggy, we met a small group of soldiers, who were spending their time talking in the shade of a tree. They were soldiers from my brother's platoon, all corporals, and he made the introductions. Everyone jumped to their feet and someone even made a cheerful joke about the imminent leave of their boss, and my brother replied, wishing them not to end up under the command of a colleague of his, whom they themselves knew well. Everyone hoped not, although, I heard, some were close to their actual leave, and in any case they weren't overly concerned. They were boys, all conscripts, who came from various regions of Italy; and each, speaking, showed his accent; and in the conversation, there was no shortage of witty jokes in the various dialects. After a nap, we decided to go out and go to the city, where we had decided to first take a walk and then go for dinner in a restaurant, one of those that my brother used to go to: and this was our program for my early evening there. Before leaving, we passed to the store reserved for the troops, which was already open, for a coffee; immediately after, we took the Fiat 500 and left the barracks. We went to park on the seafront, which was already quite busy, unlike the morning, when we had passed to go to Ganzirri. There were many people walking around: entire families, kids chasing each other, under the watchful gaze of their parents, young couples and some tourists; the elderly, mostly sat on the benches and looked towards the sea. Someone, a lover of rod fishing, had cast his hook, and was waiting that some fish would bite. Seeing the Calabria coast, illuminated by the sun that was already setting behind us, was a superb sight. The sea appeared even bluer, and it was calm, even if there was a slight breeze blowing, and small waves crashed on the shoreline. The strait was incessantly furrowed by a coming and going of passing ships, and by ferries that shuttled between the two banks. There were also many boats for small fishing, which, each in the chosen place, lingered in the hope of a more fruitful booty. That of the fisherman, even if done on a small boat, and a few hundred meters from the shore, is a heavy job, and therefore I thought that they were not again the same as I had seen during the morning. On the opposite side of the road, there was a succession of buildings, some very beautiful, and the streets, which, intersecting with the seafront, climbed almost to the hills. »