Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [37]
Chapter 11
ONE morning Tomasino the fisherman called on Major Joppolo at the Palazzo. As he entered the building, and even as he walked into the Major’s office, he looked like an American sight-seer. His neck bent back on itself and his eyes wandered around in dull amazement.
Major Joppolo was pleased to see him and said cheerfully: “Good morning, Tomasino.”
But Tomasino’s face changed from curious to sullen, and he said: “I did not want to do it.”
“Do what, Tomasino?”
“Come to the place of authority, this Palazzo. I have never done it in my life. My wife made me do it “Why? What did she want?”
“She said that if you had lowered yourself to come and see me on my fish-boat, I could lower myself to go and see you in the Palazzo. She wanted me to invite you to come to our house tonight to help eat some torrone which my daughter Tina made. My wife is a difficult woman. I hate her. She thinks she is the authority in my house.”
Major Joppolo said: “Please be so good as to tell your wife that even though her husband was so reluctant in the delivery of her message, the Major would be delighted to accept.”
Tomasino said: “I am of half a mind not to tell her. I hate her.”
Major Joppolo said: “What time?”
Tomasino said grimly: “You are a man of authority. You decide what time.”
Then Major Joppolo suddenly remembered two sentences from the Notes From Joppolo to Joppolo in his Amgot notebook. He remembered: “Don’t play favorites.... Be careful about accepting invitations...” It would be best if he were not seen going to the house of Tomasino. People like the interpreter Giuseppe might misunderstand his motives. It would be a good idea to go after dark. The Major made some quick calculations: let’s see, the sun goes down about eight fifteen, it gets dark...
“How would nine o’clock be, Tomasino?”
Tomasino said sadly: “Eight, nine, ten - what difference?”
“I’ll be there at nine. What is the address?”
“It is a horrible house. Nine Via Vittorio Emanuele.” Promptly at nine o’clock Major Joppolo knocked on the door at 9 Via Vittorio Emanuele. Tomasino opened the door, but did not show the slightest pleasure at having a visitor.
“Come in,” he grumbled.
The Major stepped in and tried to shake his hand but could not find it in the dark.
“We have to climb many stairs,” Tomasino complained.
As a matter of fact, there was only one flight. At the top of it they turned into a brightly lighted hallway. Tomasino led the Major through the hallway to a narrow parlor. This parlor belied the unsociability of Tomasino, for its furniture consisted almost exclusively of chairs - a sure sign, in Adano, of frequent and numerous guests. Besides the chairs there were only a large Italian radio in one corner and a round table in the center. The room was so narrow that from the chairs on either side one could reach whatever was on the table.
Two guests had arrived before the Major, and their identity surprised him.
“Hi, Major,” said Captain Purvis, who looked as if he had been into a couple of bottles of wine, “Giuseppe told me the old fish-hound here had a couple of pretty daughters. I was getting kinda horny. Giuseppe here told me he’d fix me up. Good old Giuseppe.”
“Good night, a boss,” said Giuseppe. He was much embarrassed; he had had no idea that the Major would show up.
The Major was just as embarrassed as Giuseppe. He was thinking of those sentences from the Amgot notebook: “Don’t play favorites... Be careful about invitations…”
“Why, hello,” the Major said.
“Haven’t seen the quail yet,” Captain Purvis said. “The old lady’s out in the kitchen. She’s a honey. Taught her how to say `My God.’“
The Major sat down stiffly.
Captain Purvis said: “Say, I didn’t know you were an old hand around here, you dog. Why don’t you tell me about these good things? You old bastard, I thought you never did anything but work. Tell me, how are these chickens? Yum, I could go for a little breast of chicken right now.”
Major Joppolo said weakly: “I haven