A hush fell upon the room.
“I promise I feel just as lousy as you guys.” He took off his cap and circled a finger on his bald spot. “I’ve got a brain tumor, okay? It’s the size of a marble with the capacity of a wrecking ball.”
Heather let out a gasp. “Oh, my.”
Edna frowned at him. “I hope this isn’t one of your jokes.”
Edna, Ginny muttered in her head.Let the poor guy speak.
“It’s called a glioblastoma.” Curtis shrugged. “It might sound like a superhero with a laser gun, but it’s a stage four demon. It’s going to steal my life away and there’s no stopping it. So, that’s why I’m here.
“I made a bucket list of things I’ve always wanted to do and Italy was numero uno. I watched allThe Godfatherfilms during my chemo downtime.”
Ginny closed her eyes, trying to let Curtis’s situation sink in. She could still imagine him breaking into a grin and admitting he was kidding. “Why have you been making so many notes?” she asked him.
“I’ve got a blog. I make notes of my thoughts and ideas, putting them online when I’m in the mood.” He turned to Nico. “I’m not criticizing your hotel, man. Ilovea bit of shabby chic. When I get home, I’m going to frame up some photos like the ones on your wall and buy some copper pans. The castle hotel is too sterile for my taste. Reminds me of my hospital visits.”
Curtis took out his phone to scroll through all the selfies he’d taken in Venice. There were also shots of Splendido’s courtyard, Nico’s dining room and other interior decor highlights. In a photo he’d taken in Gianfranco’s hotel, Curtis held up a gold cushion and made a thumbs-down sign. Another shot showed him lying in a hospital bed with a shaved head. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was deathly pale. He showed some of them to the group.
“I call itCurtis’s Brain Blog. Before coming here, I ticked off a few things on my bucket list, like skydiving, going to a footie match at Old Trafford, etcetera. I’m getting tired now and my time on earth is running out.” He tapped his watch for effect. “Going to support groups just reminds me the end is nigh. Friends don’t know what to say to me, and being on my own sucks. If it’s any consolation to you guys, I’ve been happy hanging out with you here, and our trips have been cool.”
Ginny didn’t know what to say. Her own problems with Adrian paled in comparison to Curtis’s illness and a lump formed in her throat.
Curtis unfurled his fingers and stared at the plastic ball. “Number five, man alive. That’s me,” he said wryly. “My mum knew all the bingo nicknames.”
An uncomfortable silence lingered until Edna reached out and gently took the ball from him. “We’re going to need that,” she said, popping it back into her bag. “We can’t play the game with a ball missing.”
Curtis nodded. He lowered his eyes and stared at his hands for some time. “Sure can’t, Edna,” he said.
Ginny, Heather, Curtis, Edna and Eric played several rounds of bingo. At first the games were awkward and reluctant, but they gradually grew livelier. Edna treated her role as games master very seriously, which made the others act like school children, teasing her and messing around.
Heather captured the game on Polaroid, including when Curtis triumphantly punched the air and shouted, “House.” Nico presented him with a small copper pan as a prize and Curtis held it aloft like a trophy. “Oh, man, I love it,” he said, kissing the shiny metal.
After the game came to an end, they all sat around the dining table, talking until midnight. They didn’t discuss their issues, only stories from the holiday. Nico opened a bottle of red wine and they nibbled on bread and olives.
Eventually, Ginny patted a yawn with her hand. “We’ve all put forward heartache cures, so there’s only yours left, Curtis,” she said. “Is there anything you’d like to do?”
He thought about it for quite some time. “There is one thing.” He put his baseball cap back on and tugged on the peak. “Do you guys fancy going to a nightclub?”
Ginny’s eyes widened in surprise. The last time she’d been to a club was for her fortieth birthday. The music was so loud it made her ears ring and she spent the night shouting, “What? I can’t hear you,” to her friends. She glanced at Eric, who had shrunk his head into his shoulders. “Is clubbing on your bucket list?” Ginny asked.
Curtis nodded. “When I’m dancing, I can forget about everything.”
Edna packed up her bingo game. Her lips were pinched, as if she’d eaten lime pickle. “You’ll have to count me out,” she said.
“Why’s that, mate?” Curtis replied.
She tossed her head. “I may have the physique of someone half my age, but jostling on a dance floor with scantily clad young folk is not my thing.”
“It’s a chance to dress up in your finery and be among people having a great time. That’s what you want, right?”
“Not in this way—”
“You all said it was my turn,” Curtis huffed. He leaned forward on both elbows as if about to share a secret. “I’ve seen photos of a beach bar where they serve amazing cocktails while you watch the sunset. There’s DJs and they play cool beats. Nico might even attract some new customers...”
“Where is this place?” Nico asked.
“Rimini. That’s not too away far, right? Maybe you can sweet-talk Gianfranco into driving us there, so you can take a night off.”
