Broken Hearts On Boulevard Unirii novel Chapter 32

When I got home, my wife handed me a message written on a scrap of paper. It read:

It would be better if you came a week later, since there has not been much progress with the renovations.

Dorina

In an apologetic voice, my wife Sarah said, "Your cell phone rang so I answered it. There was a girl on the line who asked me to give you a message."

"Thank you," I said. "That was my representative who is overseeing the renovations in the apartment I bought. I'll bet she has done nothing until now and wants more time."

"So, are you still going?" she asked.

"Yes, I am still going," I replied.

I was scheduled to leave the next evening at five.

At ten o'clock that morning I called Dorina on her mobile phone.

She immediately answered the phone."Hi Giorgio. How nice to hear your voice. Are you in Bucharest?"

"No, I am in Italy. What is happening with the renovations?" I asked.

"We work ten hours and sometimes more every day, trying to reach the deadline, but it's not that easy," she said.

"Are you presently in the apartment?" I asked.

"Yes, I am now talking to you from your apartment and the entire crew is here with me."

"Wait a minute," I interrupted. "Somebody is knocking at the door. Hold on, I'll call you right back."

"Okay," she said. "I'll be waiting."

I immediately called Fabrizio who answered on the first ring.

"Fabrizio, do me a favor and run to my apartment on Cismigiu and see if anybody is working there," I asked of him.

"No problem. I am leaving right now," he replied.

A few minutes later, he called back and said, "It's empty. There is not a soul there."

I called Dorina back, and asked her if she was still in the apartment.

"Sure," she answered. "Where else should I be? I am here with six workers."

A few minutes later I received a text message from Dorina, in which she apologized for lying to me. She explained that she didn't have much choice. The workers didn't show up and she didn't want me to be disappointed, so she lied.

I immediately answered her and told her that I despise lying and had she told me the truth right away I wouldn't have been so angry. It seems to me that liars are scorpions and their nature never changes.

I landed in Bucharest at one o'clock in the morning. Upon exiting the terminal I was greeted by the cold and rainy autumn weather. Dozens of taxi drivers came running toward me shouting, "Taxi, Taxi." I chose the driver who seemed the quietest. When I entered the taxi I gave him the address to where I was going, Strada Brezoianu, sector 1, Cismigiu.

I was tired from the trip so I tried to doze. The driver, apparently hoping for a nice tip, tried to please me by getting me to my destination fast. Despite the wet road, he started driving like a madman without stopping for red lights and dangerously overtaking every car in front of him. With all my might, I screamed in his face "STOP!!!"

He panicked and pressed down on the brake that nearly caused the taxi to skid and overturn. I walked out of the taxi to calm down a bit. The driver also got out and stood in front of me, obviously scared that I would run away without paying. "You idiot," I yelled at him. Do you want to kill me?"

I don't know if he understood me or not, but with a insulted look he got back into the taxi. I followed him and repeated to him to go slowly. I guess he understood, because he didn't exceed fifty km per hour.

I got up early in the morning and left the apartment quickly so as not to embarrass Fabrizio and Luciana who were sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room. I went to a nearby café and had a coffee and a sandwich. From there I continued to Dorina's office. It was close to nine o'clock when I got there, but the office was still locked.

I waited for approximately half an hour when she finally came. She approached me, held out her hand and with a sheepish smile said, "Welcome and good morning."

"Good morning to you too," I said as I shook her hand.

We entered the office, took off our coats and sat down at her desk.

"I'm sorry about what happened. How do you want to proceed now," she asked.