The end of dreams

27

"We gotta see them never more" said Michelle point-blank as they entered their room.

"Shall we take a bath?" replied Silvia, who could not stand the sensation of salt on her skin.

Michelle nodded. The noise of water filling up the bath-tub succedeed in cheering them up somehow. 

"Like when we were children?" asked Silvia.

"Like when we were children" answered Michelle.

They plunged naked into that hot, foamy water; to their minds no lovely bath could be recognized as such if there were no bubbles. They sat down in the tub before one another, with their legs interwoven. 

"Did you appreciate my good-bye to life?" asked Michelle, with a sad smile.

"Please, don't say that..." implored Silvia, gulping her tears.

" I am sure Laura made an incorrect translation..." 

"It's been better than my hen party" Michelle went on.

"Definitely..." replied Silvia, whose voice revealed what she had been up to with Carlos. 

"I love Mark, Silvia. I'm crazy about him. I have never stopped loving him all these years. And last night I felt as if I had spent all my life with him! I felt like I had been sharing every night with him and I knew him so well... you see? As for Ludovico... who knows, maybe I mistook him for Mark. Yeah, Ludovico... if he only had ever kissed me the way Mark kissed me last night... I would have forgiven him even that silly escapade! If only my love for Ludovico had been one tenth of my current love for Mark..." 

"So why you say you don't want to see him any more? Why did we run away from Carlos' hut?"

"Silvia, how can't you undertand... I can't devastate his life too, like I am doing with all of you. I couldn't bear making him suffer too!"

"But didn't he realize..." said Silvia, looking involuntarily at her missing breast.

"He didn't realize anything. I didn't want him to know... and I did my best to prevent it from happening." 

"How come he didn't realize that? I mean... didn't you two strip off your clothes...?" 

"I let him strip off only half of my clothes." 

"Are you sure, way sure... really sure he did not notice that?" 

"Why do you keep asking me?" replied Michelle, growing suspicious.

"I told you he did not! Besides he was drunk... he stroked my bra, he did not realize anything."

Silvia stayed silent. 

"Ughina,you got something to tell me?" 

"Nope." 

 "Silvia, come on, speak."

"Well... you know... I think, like, I've let slip some words about your disease, while chatting with Carlos."

"What have you done?" asked Michelle, furious, while jumping to her feet.

"Forgive me, Pina. I don't even know how I did that! But he swore he would say nothing to Mark..."

"And you trust a gigolo' s word? You believe such a fellow can keep a secret? With his cousin? Oh my goodness, you sound like a dummy! A dummy and a blabbermouth! I say, how could you do that? How could you betray me?" 

"I didn't betray you, Michelle..."

"You did, instead! You've let me down! I will talk to you no more! I can't trust you! You said that to the first dork you've run into, do you understand? You know what? Tomorrow we're going home and I don't wanna see you any more!"