‘Mynonno’s old watch; Papà had inherited it. The glass was cracked and the winder did not work. Papà took it to a local repairer who told him that for the money it would cost, it was not worth the trouble, so he put it in a drawer with his vests and underpants. I would take it out sometimes when he was not around and twist the winder, hoping somehow that it would spring to life. Of course, it never did.
‘Then, when I was ten, I won a prize at school. I cannot remember what for even though it was the only one I ever won.’ He paused to laugh and shake his head. ‘Mamma gave me some money to spend on whatever I liked; she was so proud. I secretly took that watch and returned to the repair shop so that I might give it to Papà for Christmas. It had become a sort of dream of mine that it would work again. The same man was working there. He had small, round glasses and very little hair. I reached up to the counter – I was still very short back then – and laid Nonno’s watch there and my small pile of coins. Of course, it was not nearly enough money, though to me, it seemed a fortune. When he told me so, I asked him to tell me how to fix it so that I could try to do it myself. He gave me such a strange look, for a moment, I thought he was angry and that he would throw me out of his shop…’
‘But why? Did he think you were being cheeky?’
Eraldo ran his hand through his hair. ‘Yes, I thought that for a moment but then I realised it was something else. That I had made him sad. Of course I did not know why; only later, I found out that I had made him think of the son he had lost, the son to whom he had hoped to pass on his craft. He agreed to start to mend the watch the next day if I came after school had finished and I sat with him and helped… I was too young to realise I could not possibly be any more than a hindrance. So, that was my first lesson and I was hooked. I went back there whenever I could. He always seemed pleased to see me and would let me sit there whilst he worked. He had a big, old cardboard box of broken spare parts he would let me rummage through and try to find bits and pieces that might go together; it was like a small puzzle for me.’
‘And what about yournonno’s watch? Was your dad surprised? What did he say?’
‘I never forget his face as he opened my present. He was so delighted but a moment later, his face changed. He was angry. He could not see how I could afford to get it fixed. He thought I must have stolen the money. But Mamma calmed him down and when I told him, he hugged me and told me how sorry he was to think such a thing. I asked if he was cross that I visited the watchmaker instead of concentrating on my studies but he gave me his blessing. He must have known of course about the terrible illness that claimed the old man’s child. And he was pleased I was not hanging around after school on the streets causing all kinds of nonsense.’
Natalie smiled. It was easy to imagine Eraldo as a mischievous young lad with the sort of cheeky grin that could buy his way out of trouble.
He waved for the bill. This time, she didn’t feel slighted; she knew the evening was far from over and just minutes would pass before they’d reach the next venue on theirbacarotour.
‘I’ll get this one.’ She opened her purse.
‘No, no.’
‘Really, I insist.’ She put a note on the small, silver tray.
‘My mamma tells me, never argue with a woman.’ Eraldo grinned. ‘But the next stop, I pay.’
It was only a short stroll to the nextbacaro, tucked up a narrowcalle. This time, there were no tables to bag, just a huddle of locals clutching small beakers of wine and paper-napkin-wrapped snacks. Definitely not a place where an episode ofLuxe LifeSwapwould ever be filmed.
‘This is, how you say, rough and ready,’ Eraldo said, squeezing into a gap in the throng. Natalie ended up wedged into a rather small space pressed up so close to Eraldo, she couldn’t help examining the fine lines around his eyes, the tiny scar on his cheek.
‘Thesearanciniare the house speciality.’
His voice made her jump. What was the matter with her?
‘They look fantastic.’ And smelt even better. She bit into the crispy coating, the rice grains and cooked ham giving way to a melting middle of stringy mozzarella she had to wipe from her chin.
‘If I could eat only one thing for the rest of my life, it would be Marco’sarancini, but fortunately here in Venice, I do not have to make such a choice. My stomach is crying out for more of these but we have one more place on ourcicchetticrawl.’ He laughed as he said the last words. This time, after they’d finished eating, she did not attempt to help pay the bill. She was glad to make a move, to put a little distance between them. Sitting or standing where she was no longer able to breathe in the warm scent of his cologne might help rein in the inappropriate emotions that kept surfacing. This evening wasn’t a date, she told herself, just a kind offer to spend the evening with a friend of a friend so she wouldn’t be alone in the city.
They set off to their next venue, strolling side by side through quiet streets and vastcampi, the only sounds a television burbling from a half-open window, the tap of an old man’s cane. A Venice far from tour groups, logoed baseball caps and plastic replicas of St Mark’s Basilica.
On the far side of a small bridge, a light glowed in a low window, an armchair just visible, a woman reading a book. Natalie rested her hand on the balustrade to steady herself. She hadn’t envisaged walking quite so far when she’d chosen to sport her favourite heels.
A row of houses, most rooms in darkness, faced them, a darksottopassaggioproviding a route beneath.
‘Not far, just through here,’ he said.
‘Great.’ She faked a breezy tone. She tried to focus on the building at the other end of the passage as they walked along, a chink of light ahead. But the walls were closing in on her. The low roof of the passageway cast a dark shadow across Eraldo’s face. Almost as though he were wearing a mask.
‘Are you okay, Natalie?’ He stopped walking, put a hand on her arm.
Instinctively, she flinched.
A tiny frown flicked across his face. ‘Natalie?’
She took a breath big enough to make her shudder. ‘I’m fine. I’m just a bit claustrophobic, that’s all.’
‘I am sorry I took you this way, but it was quicker. I did not think.’
‘How could you know?’ She managed a small smile. ‘I’m okay now.’
‘Good. I am glad that you will not miss the last place on our small tour… or perhaps you would rather I take you to the vaporetto stop. It has been a long day for you, I understand.’
