Beatrice woke up in a panic at the ringing of the phone. With eyes still closed, she reached for the phone on the bedside table and listened.
"'Graziella, what happened? Why are you calling me so early in the morning?" she scolded her.
"Early in the morning? Do you know what time it is? It is already in the middle of the day. We waited for you at the cafe, and you did not show up. I began to worry that you were so offended that you did not want to come. Why are you still sleeping? Did you shack up with somebody last night?"
"Are you finished talking? Fine. I could not fall asleep until very late. Satisfied?"
"As long as you were not run over or did not fall in the bathtub and you do not hate me, then for my part, go on sleeping. Sorry, my dear, that I woke you up."
"No, it's a good thing you called. It is indeed late, and I must get up. Perhaps we can meet in the evening. I have something I would like to share with you."
'I knew it. You found somebody, how is he? Does he fucks well? I will not disturb you; he may be in the mood for a second round. I'm hanging up."
"Nothing, stop with your nonsense; we'll talk later, Ciao."
Beatrice hung up. "What a stupid friend I have."
After eating brunch, she sat down in front of the computer and typed in the search engine Alta Vista, "What is the origin of the name Palumbo?"
She looked at the screen in disbelief, sixty-eight thousand people in Italy bear that surname, and there are different versions of the name's origin.
"Wow, I have no idea what I'm looking for?" she thought and hurriedly turned off the computer just as the phone rang.
"Mamma, when are you coming to visit? It's been a long time since you last saw Carlotto. He keeps calling Nonna, Nonna, I miss you."
"I will come; I promise I will come right after work tomorrow. I close the library at five, and I'll come to you right away. See you soon, sweetie." Beatrice smiled as she put the phone down. She missed her daughter Maria Grazia and her only grandson.
Beatrice lay in her clothes on her bed, was exhausted and irritated. Something was bothering her; she did not understand the meaning of her nervousness. When she tried to recreate the events of the day, she dozed off and fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up, it was already midnight. She got up and undressed, went into the shower to freshen up. Her entire body ached. When she came out of the shower to dry, she felt faint and had to sit on the toilet and lean back. She panicked and tried to get to the tap and sip some water. Due to the anxiety attack, her heart pounded wildly, and thus she remained sitting for quite a while. Slowly and carefully, she got up and stepped towards her bed, holding on to everything that came her way.
"What a crazy experience; I never felt this way," she murmured to herself.
She grabbed the TV remote, pressed it, and then started surfing stations until she found an entertainment program. She turned the volume down so that only the pictures flickered in the darkness of the room.
"What happened to me? She rumored. "Maybe I lack vitamins? I'll go to the doctor and ask for a blood test." She recalled that it had been a long time since she had done routine tests.