Naturally the most enthusiastic was Rino, who regained energy, color, good humor, and, as he had been the close friend of the Solaras, so he began to be Stefano’s close friend, Alfonso’s, Pinuccia’s, even Signora Maria’s. When, finally, Fernando’s last reservation dissolved, Stefano went to the shop and, after a small discussion, came to a verbal agreement on the basis of which he would put up the expenses and the two Cerullos would start production of the model that Lila and Rino had already made and all the other models, it being understood that they would split the possible profits half and half. He took the documents out of a pocket and showed them to them one after another.
“You’ll do this, this, this,” he said, “but let’s hope that it won’t take two years, as I know happened with the other.”
“My daughter is a girl,” Fernando explained, embarrassed, “and Rino hasn’t yet learned the job well.”
Stefano shook his head in a friendly way.
“Leave Lina out of it. You’ll have to take on some workers.”
“And who will pay them?” Fernando asked.
“Me again. You choose two or three, freely, according to your judgment.”
Fernando, at the idea of having, no less, employees, turned red and his tongue was loosened, to the evident annoyance of his son. He spoke of how he had learned the trade from his late father. He told of how hard the work was on the machines, in Casoria. He said that his mistake had been to marry Nunzia, who had weak hands and no wish to work, but if he had married Ines, a flame of his youth who had been a great worker, he would in time have had a business all his own, better than Campanile, with a line to display perhaps at the regional trade show. He told us, finally, that he had in his head beautiful shoes, perfect, that if Stefano weren’t set on those silly things of Lina’s, they could start production now and you know how many they would sell. Stefano listened patiently, but repeated that he, for now, was interested only in having Lila’s exact designs made. Rino then took his sister’s sheets of paper, examined them carefully, and asked him in a lightly teasing tone:
“When you get them framed where will you hang them?”
“In here.”
Rino looked at his father, but he had turned sullen again and said nothing.
“My sister agrees about everything?” he asked.
Stefano smiled: “Who can do anything if your sister doesn’t agree?”
He got up, shook Fernando’s hand vigorously, and headed toward the door. Rino went with him and, with sudden concern, called to him from the doorway, as Stefano was going to the red convertible:
“The brand of the shoes is Cerullo.”
Stefano waved to him, without turning: “A Cerullo invented them and Cerullo they will be called.”
39.
That same night Rino, before he went out with Pasquale and Antonio, said, “Marcè, have you seen that car Stefano’s got?”
Marcello, stupefied by the television and by sadness, didn’t even answer.
Then Rino drew his comb out of his pocket, pulled it through his hair, and said cheerfully: “You know that he bought our shoes for twenty-five thousand lire?”
“You see he’s got money to throw away,” Marcello answered, and Melina burst out laughing, it wasn’t clear if she was reacting to that remark or to what was showing on the television.
From that moment Rino found a way, night after night, to annoy Marcello, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Besides, as soon as Solara, who was always greeted kindly by Nunzia, arrived, Lila disappeared, saying she was tired, and went to bed. One night Marcello, very depressed, talked to Nunzia.
“If your daughter goes to bed as soon as I arrive, what am I coming here for?”
Evidently he hoped that she would comfort him, saying something that would encourage him to persevere. But Nunzia didn’t know what to say and so he stammered, “Does she like someone else?”
“But no.”
“I know she goes to do the shopping at Stefano’s.”
“And where should she go, my boy, to do the shopping?”
Marcello was silent, eyes lowered.
“She was seen in the car with the grocer.”
“Lenuccia was there, too: Stefano is interested in the porter’s daughter.”
“Lenuccia doesn’t seem to me a good companion for your daughter. Tell her not to see her anymore.”
