Numbers in the Dark and Other Stories - Italo Calvino [43]
‘Could I speak to the Architect … Enrico, yes, I'm up … Yes, I'm fine, but listen, the necklace, the pearl necklace … I had it when we left the place, I'm sure I had it … No, no, I can't find it now … I don't know … Of course I've looked everywhere … Don't you remember?’
Enrico, late for work, dog-tired (he'd slept two hours), irritated, bored, his young draughtsman using the excuse of tidying up a project to listen in on every word, smoke from his cigarette smarting in his eyes, said: ‘So, you get him to buy you another…’
In response the receiver came out with such a shriek that even the draughtsman started. ‘Are you cra-a-zy! It's the one my husband had forbidden me to wear! don't you understa-a-and! It's the one that cost … no, I can't say it on the pho-o-one! Stop being stu-u-upid! If he even found out I'd been wearing it around he'd kick me out of house. If he finds I've lost it… he'll kill me!’
‘Probably in the car,’ said Enrico and in a twinkling she relaxed.
‘You think so?’
I do.’
‘But do you remember if I had it? … You remember we got out of the car somewhere … where was that?’
‘How should I know…’ said Enrico, passing a hand over his face, recalling with great weariness the moment when she had run off amongst the bushes, and they had had a bit of a tussle, and it came to him the necklace could perfecdy well have fallen off there, so that already he was experiencing the tedium of having to go and look for it, to search that stretch of scrub inch by inch. He felt a prick of nausea. ‘Don't worry: it's so big, it'll turn up … Look in the car … Can you trust the man in the garage?’ (The car was hers. Likewise the garage.)
‘Sure. Leone's been with us for years and years.’
‘So phone him right away and tell him to look.’
What if it's not there?’
‘Phone me back. I'll go and look where we got out.’
Tou're so sweet.’
‘Right.’
He hung up. The necklace. He pulled a face. God only knew what a fortune it was worth. And when Umberta's husband was unable to meet his debts. Very nice. Yes, this could lead to something very nice indeed. On a sheet of paper he drew a necklace with four strings of pearls, filling it in minutely pearl by pearl. He must keep his eyes open. He turned the pearls in the drawing into eyes, each with its own iris, pupil, lashes. There was no time to lose. He must go and search those fields. Why wasn't Umberta phoning back at once? The hell it was in the car. can get on with that on your own,’ he said to the draughtsman. Tve got to go out again.’
‘Are you going to see the contractor? Remember those papers…’
‘No, no, I'm going to the country. For strawberries.’ And with his pencil he filled in the necklace to make a huge strawberry, complete with sepals and stalk. ‘See, a strawberry.’
‘Always after the women, boss,’ the boy said, smirking.
‘Dirty so-and-so,’ said Enrico. The phone rang. ‘As I thought, nothing. Keep calm. I'll go now. Did you warn the man in the garage not to say anything? To him I mean, for God's sake, to what's his name, his majesty! Good. Yes of course I remember where it was … I'll phone you … bye then, don't worry…’ He hung up, began to whistle, pulled on his coat, went out, jumped on his scooter.
The city opened up before him like an oyster, like a halcyon sea. When you're young and on the move, and especially when you're driving fast, a town can suddenly open up before you, even a familiar place, a place that's so routine as to have