Broken Hearts On Boulevard Unirii novel Chapter 29

I typed a message to Dorina."If you miss me, I am alone in the apartment."

I waited for an immediate answer, but none came. I got undressed and took a shower. I had had a hard day and thought that a hot shower would release me from the fatigue and stress so I could sleep well.

When I got out of the shower, I looked at my phone and saw that there was a message. "The fable of the frog and the scorpion does not end as you told it. The story is that the frog took the scorpion to the other side of the river. When they arrived on the other side the frog said to the scorpion, 'You kept your word and didn't bite me.' At that moment the scorpion bit the frog and killed him. Before it died, the frog asked the scorpion why it bit him; after all it had done him a favor. That was when the scorpion said, 'It's my nature.'"

She ended the message by saying, "The frog may be a fool, but I am not a fool. Good night."

I racked my brains trying to figure out what she meant by her message, but could find no sensible explanation for her end of the fable.

The next day, I calculated the costs of the renovations. I took measurements of the entire apartment and prepared a list of materials that needed to be purchased.

I met with Dorina at her office and showed her the list. I suggested that she buy all materials and give me the receipts and I would pay for the materials as well as the wages for the workers. Her fee for supervising and coordination would be paid separately.

Dorina requested one thousand dollars for supervising the project. I agreed, and told her that if she gets the job done within a month she would receive a bonus of three hundred dollars. Dorina promised to make every effort to finish on time.

At noon I received a phone call from Claudio who was interested in knowing how business was going. He especially wanted to know if I had any information about Mirella. When I told him I had absolutely no contact with any of the girls, he told me that he was planning to come to Bucharest in the near future, and that he speaks with Roxana every day.

That afternoon I went to Giorgina's office to pick up my paperwork, which was waiting for me on her desk.

"All that remains now is to wait for the Land Registry, which could take a month. Next time you come I will give you the paperwork showing that the apartment is registered in your name," she said.

"Giorgina," I told her. "You're an angel. If I weren't so shy, I would kiss you."

She got up and walked over to me and hugged me warmly, and said, "You did a fine job in your first real estate deal."

"Without you, it would never have happened," I answered and kissed her on both cheeks.

As I left, I called Angelo and told him that I was leaving the next day to go back to Italy. He told me that Fabrizio was staying a few more days because they were busy designing the bar. We made plans to meet that evening at his restaurant, Piccola Napoli.

When I got to restaurant, Dorina had not yet arrived. Angelo, Fabrizio and Luciana were already seated and eating pizza. I sat down next to them. Luciana immediately asked me if I had met with Mirella. I told her that I had not. Just then Dorina entered and sat down next to me.

"This is the first time I'm here. I don't know this place at all," she said.

"Well let me introduce you to the owner Angelo, my childhood friend. And this is Fabrizio whom you already know, and this is his friend Luciana.

Dorina moved real close to me, put her head on my shoulder and said, "Please order a pizza for me."

Luciana smiled at me and said, "You're quick."

Dorina and I shared a taxi for the ride home. Before we parted I gave her a thousand dollars in a sealed envelope, which she put into her bag.

"Start working, "I told her. This is for the wages of the daily workers. The materials I will pay for myself. Open an account in my name with the supplier of the materials."