The end of dreams

16

That morning Michelle's house had magically got rid of those bothersome people's presence. Michelle had been sorrounded by a moltitude lately; she just wished to be in Anna's company and enjoy her little Gaia. 

"I'm going to ask Ludovico to stop bringing his mother here. I hardly used to stand her when she was my mother-in-law, now things have even worsened. I really wonder what she comes here for! And yet it's clear that her presence is not welcome!" 

She went to the bathroom and found out that Anna had finally bought a tooth-brush whose colour was different from hers; she had been put to some inconvenience by her old, tagged tooth-brush. Michelle hated eating paper. Michelle hated eating as a rule. 

Lately her days had been all alike. She had even left off going out since the doctors had suspended the radiotherapy. At least when she went to the hospital she used to see the onco-cutie, which was a gorgeous distraction, considering the horrible monotony she had lapsed into! From time to time she happened to think she should already be at the seaside instead of remaining in that sort of domestic prison, so she got very angry... If only the problem of the tiny nodules had not arisen...

It was too long since she last had been at the seaside and she was starting to miss the sea deeply; still it was almost the fifteenth of August, so it was too late to book anything anywhere. Even money was giving slowly out: her mother had stopped working long before and she could not remember when she had been at work in her office last. 

She hesitated for a second. 

Why wasnt't she working anyway? 

All of a sudden she recalled everything. Her employers had succeeded in giving her the boot as soon as they had heard of her disease; she was very doubtful about their right to do it. Actually she was still on maternity leave when cancer made its first appearance, but what was her fault, anyway? Those rascals had even been successful in putting her in the wrong! Sooner or later she would turn to the labor unions. In fact that morning she decided she'd do that as soon as possible, so she informed her mother of it. 

"I must turn to the labor-union,those bastards had no right to fire me!"

"Good morning, darling, how are you today?" replied Anna in a happy voice, since her daughter sounded so brave, and above all so lucid, in that early morning. 

As a matter of fact Michelle had begun feeling a little bit better since her treatment had been suspended. Few radiotherapy sessions had been enough to make her small brain nodules disappear, as it had been pre-announced to her. Her frequent losses of memory were mainly due to two reasons: firstly she had begun to suffer from depression since her terrible disease had arisen, in addition she felt even more depressed on account of the latest unlucky developments; secondly her partial amnesia was caused by the heavy pharmacological treatment she was undergoing to keep at bay her headaches. 

Things started going better once her apartment turned into a more tranquil place.

"I've got to go to the labor union, mom, are you listening to me?"  

"Sure I'm listening to you" answered Anna, with a dreamy expression on her face. Too long a time had passed since she last had recognized her daughter in those huge black eyes of hers. 

"I have an idea! I'll ask Silvia to accompany me. She can assert herself much more than I can, and, above all, she listens to me! Where's my phone? 

The two women looked at each other speechless...They tried to remember the last time they had seen that cellphone. Both of them felt as if they had come back from a very long trip.

"As for me my medicines work at least as extenuating circumstances... but you, mom, just have no excuses! Don't tell me you're in your dotage!" said Michelle, laughing.

Soon after they began looking for the phone. They ransacked every corner of the flat, they had no idea where it had ended up. After an exhausting research they found it behind the headboard of the bed; that was the only site in the house Anna was unable to clean as it was unreachable. They had to invent a tool that could be inserted in the narrow opening. At last the phone was retrieved. They dusted it with a damp rag, then they connected it with the charger and a few seconds later they could turn it on again. They realized it was still working since it started receiving a great deal of texts. That cheered them up. Michelle did not read any messages though she was a very curious girl: actually the only thing she wanted with all her soul was to talk to Silvia. So she keyed Silvia's number fast, without even looking it up among the numerous phone numbers she had. At last she contacted her. 

"Ughina, it's me! I gotta talk to you!" 

"Pina! So you still have a cellphone..." 

"You can't imagine where it had ended up!" laughed Michelle. 

"I have to talk with you too. But first tell me how you are." 

"I feel better, you know! I keep on taking too many drugs but thanks to them I'll be able to avoid a new chemo cycle! How many things get invented, thank God..." 

"Science makes great strides day after day..." 

"Listen, I must go to the labor union. Tell me if, in your opinion, a person who's away from work because of a disease can be fired! And what disease!" 

"They fired you?"

"I thought you were still on maternity leave!"
Michelle burst out laughing. 

"You always fall behind, Ughino... Gaia is already eighteen months old! They won't grant me a maternity leave till my child comes of age!" 

"Actually... anyway, they can't absolutely give you the sack!This is no joke! But listen, forget about the labor union for now, it's ferragosto,they are probably on holiday too. We'll think it over at a later time. Listen, I've got a gorgeous bit of news to tell you, brace yourself, it's gonna upset you!"

"Are you going to keep Julia Rose? Is that what you are going to tell me?" said Michelle, in a sweet, delicate voice nobody could ever imitate.
"Who? Who am I going to keep? Michelle, who is Julia Rose?"
"Your little girl..." said Michelle in a low voice. "Come on, they can hear me, it's still a secret, isn't it?" 

Silvia boggled.

"You think it is... Yes, I mean... that Alien is a little girl?" 

"Of course it's a little girl, we have even chosen her name together, don't you remember? Come on, Ughino, tell me you're gonna keep her..." 

Silvia tried to retrieve her concentration. 

"Listen, forget about the little girl. Are you ready for a three days tour in Cuba with me?" 

"In Cuba? Oh my God, I've always dreamed about it! But how can I do that? For me, in my condition, this journey is really very long. I'm not that fit yet..." 

"Michelle it's not just about the journey, I have found out an amazing thing! They possess a medicine over there that is miraculous. But one is supposed to go there and take it, they do not send it by mail! You'd never figure out how I have discovered that! I don't even know who bought me, I mean, who bought us the tickets! I'm coming to you rightaway and I'm gonna tell you all about it."

"I'll wait for you! Oh my God in Cuba! Cuba! Mom, I'm going to Cuba with Silvia!" 

Anna thought Michelle had started talking nonsense again.

"Yeah, yeah, you both are going to Cuba..." and she resumed her cleaning activity.