Page 15 of Three Times You

If Giorgio is right, then she ought to be calling us in any minute now. I realize that there’s a text message on my phone. It’s from Gin.

Darling, how are you? Are you happy about yesterday’s news? We haven’t talked about it enough!

It’s true. I didn’t have the words to express my feelings. The words I could have said were silenced by the alcohol. But as usual, Gin hit the bull’s-eye. We really haven’t talked much about it.

It’s fantastically wonderful!As soon as I send the text, Gabriella enters the room.

“Would you care for anything else? I brought you some chocolates. They’re delicious.” And she sets a gianduiotto down for each of us. We each pick ours up and thank her. “Come right this way, Director Calvi is waiting for you!”

I walk along beside her; Giorgio lingers behind. Before leaving us to our appointment, she turns her big blue eyes in my direction, puts something in my hand, and, blushing, tells me: “This is my phone number.”

I slip the scrap of paper into my pocket, and Giorgio and I enter the office as the director stands up from her chair and waits for us at her desk.

“My apologies for having made you wait.”

“Oh, don’t mention it…”

“I’m Stefano Mancini, and this is Giorgio Renzi.”

“Yes, I know Signor Renzi, but I’ve been very interested in making your acquaintance. I’ve heard very good things about you…”

How strange. There was a time when no one had anything to say about me but bad things. Either the world has changed or else I have. But this doesn’t seem like the right time to focus on the issue, so I smile without any real conviction and say nothing more.

“Please, be seated. Have they already offered you something to drink?”

“Yes, thanks, an impeccable welcome. They gave us a piece of chocolate.” I pull it out of my pocket. “In fact, I’m going to eat mine before it melts.”

Giorgio looks at me and sits impassively. My behavior is in line with a specific and rational line of reasoning. Calvi made me wait half an hour to prove that she has power, so she can wait for me to eat my piece of chocolate just to show her that I have a tiny piece of power too, right? Giorgio hands me a tissue. I take advantage of the opportunity to wipe my mouth, and then I start to tell her about our three projects. I speak calmly and confidently, reinforced by the review of the work that I was able to do. The director listens to me and nods. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Giorgio, who listens until I’m finished.

“Very good,” says the director.

I glance at my watch without letting her notice. Twenty-two minutes. I wanted to keep it under twenty-five minutes, according to Giorgio’s instructions, and I nailed it.

“Your proposals strike me as very interesting,” Director Calvi compliments me.

I try to explain the logic behind our projects. “We wanted to talk about women first and foremost. We’re trying to write for them.”

Giorgio had briefed me on the conceptual outlines that the new network management intended to apply to their programming, and our authors followed his indications to a tee. I don’t know how he’d been able to get his hands on them, but seeing his success with the secretaries, I assumed he wouldn’t be far off when it came to the rest of his information.

“Unfortunately, right now we have a great many projects just like these…”Calvi throws her arms wide, as if helplessly apologizing. “In any case, leave them with me, and I’ll give them some thought.”

Giorgio stands up, and I follow him.

“Thanks, madame director, let’s talk soon.”

“Certainly, gladly, and again, apologies for making you wait.”

She walks us to the door and bids us farewell with a smile that drips with nothing other than formal courtesy. I see neither of the two secretaries, so we troop off alone toward the elevators. We walk past the waiting room, and I spot a group of people. Giorgio stiffens. A man turns toward us and recognizes Giorgio.

The guy stands up and smiles at him in a fashion that I find rather excessive. “Giorgio Renzi, what a surprise. How are you doing?”

“Fine, thanks. How about you?”

“Just great! What a pleasure to see you again. You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about giving you a call.” He clasps Giorgio’s hand and shakes it vigorously. The man is short and stout with a trim little goatee and a pair of round eyeglasses. He’s dressed strangely in a leather jacket, white shirt, black denim jeans, and a pair of dark Hogans on his feet. He seems pleased by this chance meeting. “Let me introduce you to my new assistant, Antonella.”

Giorgio shakes hands with a petite blond woman with something about her that looks like the product of cosmetic surgery, maybe her nose and certainly the two inflatable kayaks she has instead of lips. She flashes Giorgio a faint smile but hardly seems pleased to see him.

“And this is my editorial consultant, Michele Pirri.” He points to a powerfully built, tall man with thinning hair, a puffy face, practically no neck. Let’s just say that the trio leaves a lot to be desired, aesthetically speaking.

---