A TWIST OF FATE
Chapter Fifty-One
The house and yard seemed eerily quiet to
Jack. Some lights burned in the house, but no one was there. Jack climbed the
rickety stairs and unlocked the door to his room.
The room seemed very empty with out Fabri. Jack
threw his clothes on Fabri’s bed. But he was quite tired and he soon fell
asleep.
He awoke next morning, relieved that he
didn’t have a headache and having a vague recollection of dreaming about a
wedding and Rose and Theresa being involved some where in it. But fortunately,
no more details were there to haunt Jack.
Theresa. Yes, that was something else to sort
out. If he was to take on the job and move back to New York, he wanted no
complications. If Rose wanted to come with him, however unlikely, he didn’t
want any complications at all. If Rose would come.
"Hah. You are being stupid again
Jack," he laughed at himself. As if she was going to come back. As much as
wanted it, could it ever be more?
Rose. How she would have enjoyed the wedding!
Jack threw cold water on his face and dressed quickly. He wanted to get a bite
to eat and find out how to get to Joe Massarella’s place. He also wanted to
start on Fabri’s wedding portrait before tea time. Then it was an evening at
Fabri’s and then the early morning train. To pack his few belongings up again
and move on. He also had to face Rose. How would she feel about him going?
About the kiss he stole from her?
Jack left his room, crossed the yard and up
the stairs to the kitchen. He heard noises from the bake house and could smell
the bread. Work had begun. But there was no sign of anyone.
He knocked on the door and entered as Mrs. di
Rossi shouted come in.
She was dressed again in her apron, her hair
pulled into a tight bun. The evidence of the glamorous bride’s mother had gone.
"Good Morning Jack," she smiled.
"Sit, sit."
Jack pulled out a chair and sat.
"Help yourself," she gestured to
the meat, cheese and bread that was out on the table.
"You slept well?"
"Like a log thank you. I sure wore
myself out yesterday."
Mrs. di Rossi came and sat opposite him,
placing a coffeepot down.
"It was a wonderful day. The first of my
children has now gone." She looked at Jack.
"Maybe now it won’t be long before
Theresa finds a young man."
Jack swallowed a mouthful of bread.
"I’m sure it won’t be Mrs. di Rossi. She
is turning out a proper young lady, like Maria." Jack wondered if he
perhaps wasn’t trying too hard.
Mrs. di Rossi noticed this remark.
"So what do you have planned today Jack?"
"Well. I have to see Joe Massarella
about a job he wants doing in his new restaurant. I have some drawing to do and
Fabri and Maria have asked me over tonight. Then I have to pack, not that I
have a lot to pack."
Mrs. di Rossi poured out the coffee. Not a
lot of spare time in those arrangements for seeing any one else. No Theresa was
not in his plans.
"How are you getting to Joe’s?"
"I hope to walk if it isn’t too far. If
you can give me directions I’d be grateful."
"Sure, sure." She took a sip of her
coffee. "So you want to come back to New York?"
"For the money yes, But I don’t know if
I’ll stay. I didn’t settle last time I was here."
"Ah, so you are coming back for the
job?"
"Yes Mrs. di Rossi. And to see Fabri of
course. But now he has a new life. I guess I’ll have to find myself one."
She sipped more of the coffee.
"Now you eat up and I’ll draw you
directions to Joe’s place. Nice place it is too."
"You have known him a while?" Jack
asked interested.
"Ah yes, many years. He always had a
restaurant. He buys our bread. He is a good man Joe. Family man."
Jack finished his breakfast and took the
directions Mrs. di Rossi had written out for him. He stopped at his room to
pick up his folder he always kept with him and set off in the morning sun for
the walk to the restaurant.
It took a good hour to get there. He if had
known it was so far, maybe he wouldn’t have walked. But it saved him the fare.
Money was not plentiful.
The restaurant was big, twice as big as
Benito’s and the neighborhood was a lot more up market. The sign over the door
read Bella Napoli. Jack went up to the door and knocked.
"Come in, come in!" Joe answered
the door.
"Hello Joe," smiled Jack and
followed him in. Furniture was stacked up under cloths. The floor was dusty and
it smelt of fresh paint.
Joe was dressed in a white shirt and black
pants. He mopped his brow, his large frame not coping too well with the heat.
They exchanged pleasantries and discussed the
wedding briefly.
"But let me see your work Jack. The
reason you are here of course." They pulled up two chairs and Jack
willingly opened his folder to show Joe his work.
"What was the work you had in
mind?" Jack asked.
Joe made noises of approval as he looked at
Jack’s drawings.
"Well Jack, you see these walls
here." Joe gestured the walls of the restaurant. "I want some murals
painting on them, scenes from my home town of Napoli. I have paintings I bought
with me, but I want you to decorate my walls."
"To be honest, I have never done
anything like that. But it is something different, something challenging to say
the least."
Joe stood up.
"This is a new restaurant for me. Bigger
than any I have had before. I have a reputation for a certain clientele. That
is why I have relocated here. I want something different, original. I am told
you are good and what I have seen is good. I will supply the materials if you
let me know what you need. But I want to open by the end of the month and I am
a hard taskmaster. Know that now and you won’t get any surprises later."
Jack looked at the walls. It was a challenge
all right. But he was sure he was going to enjoy it.
"Anyway, join me for a little lunch. I
can show you my paintings I bought back, to give you a feel of what I am
looking for. Then, we can talk money eh?"
Jack nodded. He was thinking that the
Italians never stopped eating. He never eaten so much in two days. He followed
Joe to the kitchen area where something had already been prepared.
"You like cannelloni yes?" asked
Joe getting something out of the oven. Jack wasn’t sure what it was, but smelt
good.
"Mmm, smells good."
Joe put out two plates of something pasta-ish
with a sauce on top. He asked Jack to pull out a table from under the cloth and
they sat, talking between mouthfuls. The food was good and Jack was quite
taking a liking to loud Italian. He knew what he wanted and when he mentioned a
price, with a bonus for being on time, Jack nearly fell off his chair. He
couldn’t refuse, it would make him more than a few weeks of portraits in
Philadelphia.
Joe finished and threw his serviette on the
plate.
"I made this myself, but I have chef’s
to work here when we open. I like to greet my guests and sit them personally.
It is the small personal things that matter Jack. It is what makes my place so
special. So, what do you think?"
"The foods very good sir," Jack
replied.
Joe laughed out loud.
"No Jack, the job. Are you going to take
it?"
"Yes sir, I will. Although I need to go
back to Philadelphia and collect my stuff, sort a few things out."
"OK, OK. As long as the job is done on
time, no problem."
"This is it then," thought Jack.
"I have just committed myself to leaving Philadelphia. I wonder what Rose
will make of that."