CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

While Catherine went to visit Ferguson, I went down to the bar to have a drink. I picked up a newspaper there and saw that the Germans were pushing further into Italy. The barman then passed me a note.

"Here. This is for you," he said.

I looked at the paper and saw that it was signed by a man named Count Greffi.

"Who's Count Greffi?"

"He says that he met you here a couple of years ago, while you were visiting Stresa. He says he would like to play a game of pool with you. I guess he must have seen you on the street or something."

I remembered him now. He and I had played pool here once before. He was a very old man in his nineties, but he could still play an excellent game of pool. "Is he here now?" I asked.

"He's out for a walk with his niece. He'll be back soon though. In the meantime, I'm going fishing for a little bit. Would you like to come with me?"

I agreed to go, and followed him down to the lake. He had a small boat of his own. I rowed while he sat in the fisherman's chair and threw his fishing line into the water. I rowed all the way out to the island to the middle of the lake. He was not having any luck catching fish, so we decided to take a break and get a drink somewhere on the island. We ordered a couple of glasses of alcohol and chatted a bit. He was a friendly guy. I liked him. We talked a little about the war and how much we hated it. Then we got back into the boat and headed back toward the mainland. When we finally arrived, the barman tied the boat to the dock with a chain and locked it.

"If you ever need to use it, just tell me," he said.

I thanked him and then went back to the hotel to find Catherine. She was not in the hotel room when I got back, so I lay down on the bed to rest and wait for her. It was not long before she returned.

We had lunch together and then returned to our room to have a short rest. About an hour later, a hotel employee came to our door. He was sent by Count Greffi to invite me to a game of pool. I agreed to play and said I would come downstairs at five o'clock. Actually, I wanted only to stay with Catherine, but it would have been very rude not to accept the Count's invitation.

At ten to five, I went down to the poolroom and saw Count Greffi there, practicing. Near the pool table was a bucket of ice with a champagne bottle in it. When the Count saw me, he put down his stick and held out his hand for me to shake. "Thank you for agreeing to a game. It's wonderful to see you again."

"Thank you for inviting me."

"I heard you were hurt in the war. How are you doing now?"

"Much better. And you?"

"I'm just getting older. Tell me. You must be eager to return to America. I always miss Italians when I'm away from Italy."

"I guess I'm just eager to get away from the war. I don't care where I go."

"Shall we play?"

The Count was so good at pool that he always gave me a fifteen-point advantage. This time he gave me eighteen. Half way through the game, we opened the champagne and began to drink it as we continued to play. In the end, he beat me one hundred points to ninety-four.

Then we sat down and had a nice conversation over a second bottle. Although I hated the topic, I talked about the war with him. He was sure that Italy would win in the end. I was not so sure. He told me that older countries always tend to lose in wars. I told him that he seemed very wise in his old age. He corrected me and said that it was not wisdom but bitterness. We finished our drinks and then he got up to go. We thanked each other again for the game of pool and the pleasant conversation. And then I went back upstairs to Catherine.

Later, that night, I had slept for only about an hour when suddenly there came a knock at the door. Outside it was raining hard. We had forgotten to close the windows and water was coming into the room. I went to the door and asked whom it was. It was the barman. I opened the door and found him dripping wet in the hallway.

"There's a problem, Tenente," he said.

"What is it?"

"I'd rather not talk here."

"Alright, then, follow me." I took him into the bathroom and sat on the closed toilet.

"It's the police, Tenente. I heard some of them talking in one of the restaurants. They plan to come for you very early tomorrow morning."

"To do what?" I asked.

"To take you to jail."

"But why?"

"They seem to recognize you from your visit here before. Since you are not wearing your military clothing this time, they assume that you ran away from your war duties."

"Well, then what should I do?"

"I wouldn't let myself get arrested if I were you. That's quite dangerous these days. You should go to Switzerland."

"But it's almost eleven o'clock in the evening. How can I get there?"

"You can use my boat."

"What about the weather. It's terrible outside."

"I think the worst of it is over. It should be safe now."

"Can we take our luggage with us?"

"Yes, of course. Wake up the lady and get your things ready. I'll help you carrying things down when you are finished."

"But where can I find you?"

"I'll be in here. Just knock when you are ready."

Shutting the bathroom door behind me, I walked over to the bed and gently woke up Catherine.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"It's early. Come. I need you to quickly put your clothes on and get ready to go to Switzerland. The police are coming in a few hours."

"What?"

"The barman has told me that I'm to be arrested. He suggests that we leave immediately."

Catherine jumped out of bed and quickly began to change her clothes. I could see that her stomach was starting to grow now.

"Please, dear, don't look at me now. It's embarrassing."

"Sorry," I said, looking away.

"Alright, I'm ready now. Where's this nice barman?"

I walked to the bathroom door and knocked. The barman let himself out. He could see that Catherine was surprised by his presence. "Sorry to frighten you, Madame."

"Not at all. You are very kind to warn us like this."

We went down to the front entrance of the hotel. The barman waited a few minutes to follow in order not to look suspicious. The doorman saw us heading for the door and offered us his umbrella to use. I thanked him and gave him a few dollars, which he greatly appreciated. I told him we were just going to watch the storm over the lake.

Outside, it was pretty cold. We walked to the lake where the barman's boat was locked. I looked down into it. I could see our luggage inside. A voice spoke behind us suddenly, "Everything is ready, go now." I turned around and saw the barman standing under a tree.

"Let me give you money for your boat," I said.

"Don't worry about it now. You can mail me some money when you are safe. You can send me five hundred dollars. Oh, I brought you this," he said, coming over and handing me a bag, "It's some food and drink to get you through your trip. Now, get going. You've got thirty five kilometers to row before you are out of Italy."

"But how will we know where to go?" I asked.

"Just go to the Island out there, and then let the wind push you over to Pallanza. Is your hotel room paid for?"

"Yes, I left some money in the room. Thanks a lot for helping us like this."

"Just be careful," he said and then walked back into the trees to hide.

(end of section)