Page 7 of Three Times You

“I have a son.”

He comes close to choking. A drop of Coca-Cola lands on his sweater, and he wipes it off with his sleeve. He leaps to his feet, landing on his powerful legs. “Fuck! That’s great news! We need to celebrate! I’m happy for the two of you! It’s fantastic. Did Gin just tell you today?”

“I have a son, and he’s six years old.”

“Ah.” He flops back down in the chair. “Right. Youhavea son, you’re notgoing to havea son. That’s a little complicated. Who’s the mother? Anyone I know?”

“Babi.”

“Babi? How can that be? You’ve mentioned her, but I didn’t think you were still seeing her. How did it happen? How did you find out?”

“I ran into her yesterday at Villa Medici. By pure chance…”And the instant I say it, everything becomes blindingly clear. “Giuliana…”

“What does Giuliana have to do with it?”

As Giorgio looks puzzled, I lean forward and call her on the intercom.

“Could you come in here for a moment? Thank you.”

A few seconds later, there’s a knock on the door. “Come in.”

Giuliana is dressed professionally and seems calm. She’s carrying a folder. “I brought these in. They’re checks to deposit for the two new television formats Antonello wrote up on your specifications.”

“Okay, thanks, just leave them on my side table. Could you close the door? Thanks.”

She turns to go.

“No, no, you stay here. Just shut the door. Are you in a hurry to leave?”

I see her blush, and Giorgio sees it too. His expression changes as if to say,Whoa, whatever this is, you’re clearly right about it.

“Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”

Giuliana sits down in the middle of the room, facing my desk. I start pacing, with my back to her. “You never asked me whether I enjoyed the Balthus exhibition…”

“True. But I saw you rush into your office and shut the door. I just thought you wouldn’t want to be disturbed.”

“Fair enough, but now that you’re here, you can inquire.” I turn and stare at her.

She looks at me, and then Giorgio, hoping for a lifeline. But none is forthcoming. So she takes a deep breath and speaks. “Did you go to the show? Did you like it?”

I look at her hands, neatly folded in her lap. I look at her neck, and I can almost see her pulse race in a throbbing artery. I smile. “I did, a lot, but I just wonder how much that ticket must have cost.”

She looks at me, raises an eyebrow, smiles, and shakes her head in surprise. “Oh, no. The ticket was free. That was an invitation.”

Suddenly my voice grows cold and cutting. “I know that. I mean how much it cost that woman to get you to make sure I accepted the invitation.”

“No, really…”

I raise my hand to halt her before she says anything more. I say nothing. She’s clearly starting to sense the risk I might lose control. I speak quietly, enunciating clearly. “You have one last chance. I’ll ask you again. How much did she pay you?”

Then Giorgio speaks, calmly but firmly. “Maybe you should tell him.”

Silence falls, heavy and grim. Giuliana toys with her left forefinger, picking nervously at a cuticle. Then she confesses, “She gave me five hundred euros.”

I look at Giorgio with a smile and a shrug. I sit down and lay my hands flat on the table. “Five hundred euros. How much do we pay you?”

Giorgio sighs. “Fifteen hundred a week, after taxes.”

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