Broken Hearts On Boulevard Unirii novel Chapter 35

Before leaving, Dorina told me that she really didn't care if Oana accompanied me on my trip to Bulgaria.

"If at any time you change your mind, please let me know. I would rather you came along," I told her.

We parted with a rather cold Ciao.

On the second morning of my stay in Bucharest, I went to meet Fabrizio in his café. I could not believe my eyes. The cafe was nearly ready; the furniture, the bar, the sign outside, as well as the dim lighting. In the corner of the bar there stood a piano, beautifully renovated with the keyboard cover raised, as if ready to be played. Everything looked so inviting and intimate, even the espresso machine, Fabrizio's pride, stood behind the counter, ready to serve.

Fabrizio came up to me and embraced me warmly.

"Where did you sleep?" he asked. "You didn't come back to us to sleep. You must have stayed with your agent."

"No, not at all," I responded. "I slept in the studio apartment I just bought from a lawyer who is presently living in Belgium."

"Is it your intention to acquire all the real estate in Bucharest?" he asked teasing.

"Not all of Bucharest. I will leave some apartments for you," I answered matching his mood.

Just then Luciana walked in. "Hello Giorgio," she said. "You disappeared on us, what is happening with you?"

"As usual," I answered. "It is with you that I see remarkable changes. You've been working day and night and it paid off. You did a great job with the bar. Complimenti."

"Thank you," Luciana said.

"What is it with your agent? Are you going out with her?" she asked.

"You mean Dorina. I'm not going out with her. Our relationship is only business," I answered.

"Would you like me to talk to Mirella? Since we last met, I meet her quite often. To tell you the truth, I don't know if she is going out with anybody, but if you want, I can find out for you," she suggested.

"No, I'm not interested. I'm not at all interested in meeting her," I answered with decisiveness.

"Okay, okay, I just asked. Don't get so upset with me," she responded.

"I am not upset with you", I countered."She's just too young for me. I like women who area bit more mature."

"By mature, do you mean old?" Luciana questioned.

"Giorgio," she continued. "Here in Bucharest, any girl over the age of thirty is considered old. She can only find somebody who is over fifty who will want her. Forty-year-old men are all looking for twenty-year-old girls. In Romania a twenty-year age gap between man and wife is perfectly normal and acceptable. Nobody views it as abnormal. In Italy, a man can marry somebody older than him. In Romania that is not acceptable."

"Thanks, sweetheart, for the lesson in Romanian courtship," I said.

I knew that I could count on Angelo to organize things. He always kept his promises. Our first trip was extremely well organized.

"Who are you taking along?" Angelo asked.

"I met a friend of Dorina's who wants to come along. Her name is Oana," I answered.

"You and your older women. What is wrong with Mirella? Take her along," Angelo suggested.

"She is not interested, and the truth is, neither am I. There was nothing between us on our last trip," I countered.

With a surprised look on his face, Angelo said, "Really? I thought you had great sex together."

"Believe me Angelo, there was nothing."

"I'm done with Mihaela," Angelo began. "Or better yet, she found a new sponsor who probably offered her more. I am presently trying to cultivate a friendship with a young Bulgarian girl, a very talented singer. We'll see what comes of it."

"Good luck," I answered him and with that we parted. We had arranged that perhaps later in the week we would meet somewhere in the city.

The work on my apartment began in earnest in February and the bills began to arrive. I paid the supplier directly for all the materials according to the invoices he presented to Dorina. I made copies of all invoices prior to paying them.