With narrowed eyes, he observed the man. At first glance, it offered nothing reliable. Tall, lanky, fair-skinned, pale blue eyes, he was blond. The baby didn't look like him at all. Obviously, there was no consanguinity between them. The man exchanged two or three words with the young woman, he quickly slipped something into her hand, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then walked off running, the tails of his raincoat flapping in the wind behind him.
All was well, mother and baby would be sheltered from the rain in a few seconds. So why did he feel this state of dissatisfaction? He shrugged his shoulders before joining the young woman who climbed the stone steps.
"Everything is fine"?
Mayra responds with an Inaudible mumble to" leave her alone". She hated this man and the way he spoke to her. She only wanted one thing: 'for him to leave'. She hated him but remained unable to forget the warmth of their shared passion.
She opened the door, entered the narrow hall, then said with a politeness:
"Thank you for bringing me here".
Without looking at him, she gestured to the blankets and bags he was carrying.
"Leave them there. I'll come down to pick them up later".
She headed for the stairs. The baby was starting to whine. Sophie hugged him tighter against her. She didn't want him to attracted Etore's attention for now, above all, did not want him to observe Torry. In her eyes the physical resemblances they shared were too obvious. She heard his footsteps behind her. He has the guts to follow me! He had lost all right to her life and that of their son when he accused her of theft and ruined her life. Blood pounded the temples of the young woman. She tried in vain to repress the memories that were flooding in waves.
From their first meeting in the elegant house of the sister and brother-in-law of Etore, in Madrid he had treated her as a distinguished guest and had impressed her with his good manners. But she was only there for some time, replacing the titular nanny who broke her leg. With a shaking hand, she inserted the key into Tim's apartment lock.
"Thank you."
Mayra never knew how she managed to articulate that simple word. She was on the verge of implosion, unable to forget that, for this man, she had only represented just a brief adventure. Her world had come crashing down when he accused her of flight. He had only listened to the word of Cintia Barini, and had not hesitated to break her career, thus adding resentment to grief.
The door opened directly into the living room. The typically masculine interior was furnished with a vast leather sofa, a coffee table on which sat two empty beer bottles. It was easy to imagine the reaction of Etore, accustomed to discreet luxury, in front of the walls, lackluster tables and stacks of magazines piled up in a corner of the attic room.
"Goodbye," muttered Mayra.
Etore turned to her. Was it pity that she read in his eyes?
"Can I get my pram back"?
" You won't get it back", he announced.
"I donated it to the store."
He was careful not to mention that he had added a generous check. Already, he was slipping his hand into his breast pocket, but interrupted his gesture in front of Mayra's reaction.
"How dare you"?
She said indignantly. You did not have the right to dispose of my property since I did not give you my opinion. It had a sentimental value for me.
The day the old lady brought her the pram, Mayra looked dubiously at the dilapidated pram, but, for all the gold in the world, would not have shared her skepticism with her generous friend. The old lady had always been the rock on which she leaned on. She had taken care of her during the last year. It was she who had welcomed her when she was returned from Madrid, without work, without a home, and, what's more she was pregnant. She had nevertheless ended up leaving her, carried away by a devastating heart attack. And now this brute, carelessly got rid of the last remembrance she had of her. Without even trying to hide her anger, the young woman faced Etore.
" Nothing has value in your eyes, unless it costs an exorbitant price!"
She said trying to calm herself.
"You are not even able to understand that an object can be precious other than by its market value!"
Etore Etore was surprised at Mayra's anger, no one spoke to him in that tone, no one! He let anger get the better of him too, took his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out some banknotes and threw them on the ground at Mayra's feet.
" So buy your child a pram that doesn't date from the last century! "
On these contemptuous words, he left, leaving the young woman to her fate. But before he even reached the door of his car he heard Mayra talking to him.
"Wait" She said.
She bent down and picked up the bills that were scattered on the ground and threw them in his face. Take your money put them where I think it should be and get out of my house. With these last words Mayra closed the door in his face.
************************
Spanish music unrolled its harmonies without his paying the slightest attention. Mayra was totally in his thoughts. Obviously, their unexpected meeting had destroyed his chances of being able to immerse himself effectively in the study of his files. Unable to sit still, Etore abandoned the leather sofa he was comfortably seated on, turned off the DVD player, then crossed the spacious living room to gaze out at the city through the large bay window of his apartment. From the top floor of the luxury building he occupied, he saw only the lights of the city, piercing like ghosts through the fog.
Hands deep in the pockets of his pants, he tried to understand the reasons for this feeling of anguish. Why did he feel so on edge? The answer imposed itself. He had a bad conscience!
Damn!! It's really a shame!
He blamed himself on a woman who didn't have an ounce of conscience he conceded, after discovering the source of his annoyance. Her overreaction to the baby carriage left him pretty much stunned. It was a facet of Mayra's personality that he did not know. So, what happened during the last few months that they had lost sight of each other.