IN FULL FLIGHT by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2005 written on September 17th 1993 translated by the author English text kindly revised by Brian
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"IN FULL FLIGHT" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
CHAPTER 7 - From Florence to Milan
"Giampaolo, this is Daniel. And this is Gloria, Daniel." Giovanni introduced everyone.
They shook hands.
Gloria said, "Come along, I'll show you to your royal palace. It's a bit of a hole, but we don't have anything better to offer you."
She led them into a small room, less than ten feet by ten.
"I've taken out the bed 'cos it took up too much room, so I could put two mattresses down on the floor. I've cleared you this shelf and part of this cupboard for your belongings. It's a bit like camping, but... Here's the bathroom... I'll leave you alone to settle in. Take your time. Oh, and the light switch is here. See you later." the girl said and went out, closing the door behind her.
"But does Gloria... does she know about us?"
"Of course, it seemed only fair to tell her and Giampaolo everything."
"Yes... did they say anything?"
"No, they're open-minded people. Anyway they've been living together for three years without being married. He was just slightly taken aback, he said he would never have guessed I was gay."
"He's your pal from university, isn't he? On the same course?"
"Yes. And she teaches philosophy in a high school. A very clever girl."
"Yes, she seems likeable enough. Him too."
They got settled in, then went to the living room.
"Giampaolo, we'd like to discuss the expenses for this period..."
"Don't talk rubbish, dumb-ass! You're our guests. What expenses are you talking about?"
"Well, at least for the food, water, electric, gas, telephone..."
"You Are Our Guests - I said. My father gives me a good monthly allowance, and Gloria has her salary. What's friendship for, after all? You helped me when I needed it, didn't you?"
"Helped you? Me?"
"Hell yes! You gave me the money to buy all the furniture here, Giovanni!"
"But you gave me all of it back."
"Without a penny's interest. Well, now I'm happy to pay you that interest!" Giampaolo said laughing.
Gloria nodded, "Yes, Giovanni. Don't worry. Just concentrate on finding a job as soon as you can, then you'll be able to be more settled. Oh, and here are the house keys. I've only got one set, so get yourselves a copy made."
"You are... wonderful!" Giovanni said, taking the keys.
"And now, while Gloria gets us a nice coffee, tell me a bit more about what happened." Giampaolo said.
Gloria called from the kitchen, "Yes, but speak up, please, 'cos I want to hear as well."
So between them Giovanni and Daniel told their story, from their first meeting to the "discovery" by Daniel parents, and Giovanni's father's reaction.
When they finished, Gloria, who was back with the coffee, commented, "Who knows why other people, parents especially, always want to be the judges of our lives - to control them, direct them? Who are you two harming, with your love? Good God! We're no better than savages!"
"You, madam..."
"Hey, Daniel! Don't 'madam' me, call me Gloria, or I'll start feeling like some old... matron!" she stopped him, laughing.
The boy smiled and nodded, "You, Gloria, don't have any... problems towards gay people?"
"Good God no, fortunately. If you two feel good together, and it's obvious that you do, why should other people stick their noses into your lives? You two are the first male couple I've ever met, but you seem delicious to me. You only have to see the way you look at each other to realise that there's something really beautiful between you two."
"But what would you say, Gloria, if you caught me in bed with a man?" Giampaolo asked his girlfriend.
"Exactly the same thing I would say if I caught you in bed with another woman - I'd say that you were a dirty, treacherous man, as you've always told me that for you, only I exist!"
"But if we weren't living together?"
"Well... then I'd be really envious of the lucky woman - or guy. That's all."
They all laughed and went on chatting.
Giovanni started back to university with Giampaolo, sharing his books and studying with him. Daniel toured Florence looking for a job, any job, but without success. The country's economic crisis was telling. He became more and more worried, though he tried not to show it to Giovanni, so that he could study in peace.
So one day Daniel decided to take a big step. He had noticed some boys, more or less of his age, stopping passers-by and tourists begging for money. He decided to give it a try himself. Almost half the day passed before he plucked up the courage to stop somebody.
"I'm sorry, mister... I... I can't find a job and... I have no more money, so... if you could help me out..." he said to a passer-by, feeling as if he would die from shame.
The man looked at him with a blank expression, put his hand in his pocket and handed him something.
"Thank you..." Daniel murmured and looked in his hand - two coins, one of 100 and the other of 50 lira.
He put them in his pocket. If he continued with this luck, by the end of the day he'd barely be able to buy a sandwich, he thought. But he decided to try again. Each time was a torture to him. Many people didn't even answer him, or they answered with nasty or stupid remarks - "What? Do you need money for drugs?" "Get fucked!" "Leave me alone!" "Money doesn't grow on trees!" "Aren't you ashamed?" and so on. He certainly was ashamed, and how! Did they not realise that he was only undergoing such humiliation because he really couldn't find a job?
Others, however, gave him some money and one young man gave him as much as 3,000 lira... After three days he'd managed to scrape together about twenty thousand lira... at that rate, even over a month, he wouldn't be able to get enough for one square meal a day for himself, never mind have any left over to give Giovanni. A misery. But he continued begging.
One man he stopped in the street looked him up and down from head to toe and said, "If you come with me, I'll give you a fifty thousand. You give head, don't you?"
Daniel looked at him wide-eyed and managed to stammer, "No... not that!"
"Then it means you're not hungry enough - yet!" the man retorted leaving.
Daniel asked himself then whether he would have done it if he had not had Giovanni. No, not under any circumstances! He would rather starve than do that. Or steal. But just the idea of selling himself disgusted him.
He continued begging, but also went into all the shops, the artisans' workshops, the bars and restaurants, asking if they had a job to offer him, even part time, or for a few days... even on the quiet. But apart from one shopkeeper who got him to clean all the shop windows and gave him 27,000 lira, he found nothing. One florist first asked him for sex, but when he refused, gave him a 5,000 lira note anyway.
Daniel always gave Giovanni all the money he managed to scrape up, explaining that he had run some errands or done some little jobs. Giovanni of course believed him, and Daniel felt guilty for telling him lies. The only moment of peace, of serenity for Daniel was at night, when he could take shelter in the arms of his lover and they could give themselves to each other, carefree. In these feverish but sweet unions, the boy found the strength to face a new day. But each evening he felt more depressed and humiliated than on the previous night.
One evening in late October, Daniel noticed a car parked in front of San Marco. The window was half open. On the seat there was an expensive camera. He looked around. His heart started to thump. There was nobody in sight at that moment. Feeling almost ill, he slipped his hand into the half open window, unlocked the door, opened it, seized the camera, hid it under his jacket and made off quickly, trying not to run, without looking around, his mind in turmoil, the blood hammering furiously in his temples.
He turned to the left, to the right and then again, looking back, afraid he was being chased. Clutched tight against his chest, the camera seemed to burn him. At last he ran, ran at breakneck speed, until finally he was outside Giampaolo and Gloria's. He stopped, panting. His heart was pounding so hard it ached. He waited a few minutes to calm down. Then drawing a deep breath, he went upstairs, entered the apartment and greeted the others, and slipped at once into their bedroom, putting the stolen camera on the shelf. He took off his jacket, looked at himself in the mirror to check if his expression might give him away, then went into the living room.
Giampaolo and Giovanni were studying. Giovanni greeted him with a luminous smile. Daniel smiled back, nodded to Giampaolo and went in the kitchen.
"Ciao, Gloria. Can I help you with anything?"
"Yes, thanks. Do you feel like peeling the onions?"
"Sure, give them to me."
His heart was still beating hard, but less wildly than before.
"How was today? Found anything?"
"No, as usual, not a thing. I just cleaned another shop's windows."
"It's a bad time, unfortunately." Gloria commented, setting the chicken in a roasting tin, then added, "They're sacking people, not hiring. Pass me the onions... they've made you cry, haven't they? Dry your eyes or Giovanni will think it was me. Good. Now grate me half of this parmesan, please."
"You're lucky, with your steady job, and a regular, set monthly pay..."
"Bah, for the moment. The Minister Jervolino is cutting the school's budget... and the number of posts. We young teachers will be the first to go. But for the moment, there's no point worrying. I still have my classes."
"I would've liked to have had you as a teacher."
"And I, you as a student. You are a delightful boy, Daniel. I'm glad you two are here with us."
"Thank you... but we're nothing but a burden on you."
"Not at all. At least thanks to Giovanni, Giampaolo is studying seriously. And you are always ready to help. And so nice. You both make splendid company."
"But we can't continue to... to impose on you like this."
"I don't feel at all as if you're imposing, Dani! And anyway, sooner or later, you'll find somewhere to stay, won't you? Faith, boy, have faith!"
"You are sweet. You're both very kind. But I'm losing all my confidence..."
"That's bad - very, very bad! You mustn't!" the woman said and, after wiping her hands on her apron, stroked the boy's cheek lightly. Smiling at him, "You have your Giovanni, his love... you should be happy..."
"Oh yes, that yes! He is the only beautiful thing in my life."
" Even if Giovanni were the only beautiful thing in your life, that would be enough, wouldn't it? You really are a good boy."
"Much less than you think..." Daniel murmured, thinking suddenly back to his recent theft.
They sat down to supper, chatting merrily, though Daniel's smile was forced. At last they got to bed. As he was about to switch off the main light, Daniel saw the fruit of his theft.
He took the camera and handed it to his lover, "Oh, Giovanni... today a shopkeeper gave me this instead of paying me... He said he didn't have enough money, but that if I sold it..."
Giovanni took the camera and looked at it in puzzlement, then he looked at Daniel who sat on the mattress beside him trying to look nonchalant.
"That's odd, there's a name engraved here - Jason Carpenter - was he... a foreigner, this shopkeeper?"
"No... perhaps some tourist left it behind in his shop. Probably ages ago..." the boy said agitatedly.
Giovanni was turning the camera in his hands, "And there's a half-used film in it..." he added, more and more perplexed.
Then Giovanni took Daniel's chin in his hand, turned his face towards him and, looking him straight in the eye, in a low but gentle voice, asked him, "You... stole it, didn't you?"
A shudder ran through Daniel, he remained silent, but big tears started to flow down his cheeks.
"You stole it, didn't you?" Giovanni repeated looking into his eyes, serious but not stern.
Finally Daniel found the courage to nod yes and, bursting into sobs, threw himself into Giovanni's arms; the young man embraced him tenderly and cuddled him, stroking his hair.
"Why did you do that, my poor love?"
"Forgive me... forgive me..." the boy sobbed.
"Of course; but tell me why you did it...?"
So Daniel told him how he'd been begging for over a month, the sexual propositions he'd received, his shame and humiliation, dejection, and how and where he stole the camera. He recounted all this in a low voice, punctuated by his sobs.
"And now... you despise, me, don't you? I've let you down, haven't I?" the boy asked in despair.
"No, my love, no. But you must never, ever do it again. Not just because it's wrong, but also because if they caught you, you'd go to prison, and I don't want to lose you. I need you, you know that..."
"Can you forgive me?" Daniel asked, trembling.
"Of course! I love you! You are still my wonderful Dani."
"Wonderful..." the boy echoed, incredulously.
"Of course. Don't you love me?"
"Me? Of course I love you. What would I be without you? But..."
"No buts. You made a mistake, but tomorrow we'll put it right and everything will be OK again."
"But how?"
"We'll go to the police and say we found it... on a bench at the station."
"They'd realise..."
"I don't care if they do, there's nothing they can do; they may even find the owner, if he's reported the theft, and so they'll be able to give it back to him."
"I... I'll die of shame."
" I'll go on my own, if you want."
"No, it's only fair that I come too. It ought really to be me to go on my own... but I'm afraid I wouldn't have the courage to..."
"I love you so very much, Dani, you know that, don't you?"
"I was afraid you... you wouldn't love me any more after what I'd done."
"No, I really do love you, as you are, including this momentary weakness." Giovanni answered and to prove it, pulled Daniel to himself and started making love with him.
After giving the camera to the police without any problem, when they came out, Daniel asked, "Why did you want to give your name and address and not mine?"
"Because that way, seeing I'm the son of the hyper-rich Benedettis, they certainly wouldn't think there was a theft behind it. Simple, eh? I just made use of my family's fame one more time, since it has nothing else to give me. And in any case, to protect you."
"Thank you..."
"Thank you, for trusting me, and for having been honest with me. Do you feel better now?"
"Yes. The nightmare I'd got myself into is over, thanks to you. But the fact remains that in a month and a half, I still haven't managed to find a job."
"I was wondering if maybe we could move to a bigger city like Rome or Milan."
"But you have your studies here, just three more exams and then your finals. You can't leave all that!"
"It would take more than a year in any case. I'm afraid that here in Florence we're not going to be able to find a job, and we can't go on living off Giampaolo and Gloria, even if they are doing it willingly."
"But you didn't want me to stop my studies, and now you..."
"We could afford it, then. Not now, my love. We have to be realistic."
"All right. You are right... but I'm so very sorry..."
They told their friends that same day.
They tried to insist that they should stay, but when they saw that the two were determined, Gloria said, "Where are you thinking of going then, to Rome or to Milan?"
"Bah, it makes no real difference to me and Dani."
"If you wanted to go to Milan, I have a dear cousin there who might help you. He knows a lot of people, and he's also quite well off. And I think he might even be able to put you up until you find somewhere. Would you like me to call him and ask? Do you feel like giving Milan a try?"
"Thank you... we can but give it a try... But do explain who we are... that we are a couple, I mean."
Gloria called her cousin and explained the gist of Giovanni and Daniel's problem. Her cousin agreed and said he'd be able to find them a place to stay as well. So the two lovers packed their few belongings, said farewell to their friends, and left for Milan.
Gloria's cousin, Carlo Campana, was thirty-eight, and already the manager of a financial company. He welcomed them simply but with warmth. He lived in a small but very elegant single's apartment.
He offered them a drink and said, "I hope you'll forgive me if I speak frankly, boys. I know about the two of you, and that doesn't give me the slightest problem. In fact, I appreciated your telling Gloria to make things clear to me. Here in my flat, you see, I don't have much space, and besides, I like my privacy. But I know that you have very little money, or rather, that you have almost no money left at all. So, if it suits you, I was thinking - in the basement I have two garages, one of which is almost empty; I can easily clear it out. It's got the central heating boiler in it. If you want, you can stay there for the time being. Nobody can say anything, as I own the building. It won't be much of a home, but it won't cost you anything. I'll put you in a bed, a cooker and some bits of furniture. The only important thing is that the public health office doesn't get to hear about your living there, as they're fussy. If they get to hear about it, the shit will really hit the fan! Until you can find a proper home, you can stay there. It'll cost you nothing, just the gas bottles for the cooker. But I must ask you not to bring other people back, not for any reason, not even for a drink. Is that all right?"
"I... I don't know how to thank you, Carlo. It's much more than we could have hoped for."
"Perfect. And you, Danilo, do you accept my offer?"
"It's Daniel... Sure, it's good. Very good."
"Daniel, yes sorry. Well, it'll be a bit bleak in the garage, not really all that nice... There is a toilet in the basement too, but of course no bathroom or sink, so when you're cooking you'll have to throw the waste water into a bucket and then empty it down the toilet. It's not really ideal..."
"We'll manage."
"It'll be hard for you, being a Benedetti, I guess."
"It's not a problem. And I'm not all that happy about being a Benedetti."
"Don't worry, I won't spread it about. And if you need a shower from time to time, come up here. Let's say on Tuesdays and Fridays. If I'm out, the caretaker has keys to my apartment, I'll warn him to open up for you. Is that OK?"
"Certainly, you're too kind, really."
"Oh, and then... I'm not making any promises, but maybe, for one of you... in our firm the cleaner has been sacked... if they haven't already got someone, I could suggest one of you."
"That would be wonderful..."
"Union pay, contract and everything legal. It's no big deal, but at least you'd be sure of having the money for food and clothes. Just to get you started, of course. And meanwhile you can be looking around for something better."
"Yes, thank you."
"Good. Let's go downstairs to see the garage and get it sorted out, if you feel like using it. Leave your bags here for the moment."
They set up home in the garage. Carlo brought them a bed and a mattress, gave them the bed linen, a camping cooker with pans, a folding table with two chairs, a shelf and a rail to hang their clothes.
"But if you want to go camping, you'll be needing these things."
"No, Daniel, I bought a camper van two years ago, and so these are things I don't use any more. It's all a bit flimsy, but functional. Oh, and somewhere I should have the mini-fridge as well... if I haven't given it away. I'll have to look for that."
"All this is perfect, thank you."
"Ah, one more thing - a woman comes in twice a week to clean up and do all my laundry. When you come upstairs for your showers, you can leave your clothes for washing and collect them next time."
"You really think of everything... And you don't even know us. You're very kind."
"Gloria asked me and that's enough. She said she'll vouch for you. If I'm to help you, I ought to do all that is in my power, or else it would have been better to say no at once. If you have any problems, just come upstairs and tell me, OK? Now let's go upstairs so I can introduce you to the caretaker. Oh, and one last thing - I hope you'll soon be able to find a decent home. But you can stay here for as long as you like. There's no hurry for you to leave, understood?"
Giovanni and Daniel made themselves at home.
"It's a bit dismal here... but we are lucky."
"Yes, Giovanni. Carlo certainly is on the ball, isn't he? I like him, don't you?."
"Yes, I do too. Let's hope that job he told us about comes off."
"Yes, I hope so too. Anyway, starting tomorrow morning we'll both start looking for a job. We're going to be a bit squashed, with two of us in that small bed..."
"So much the better, Daniel - we'll be closer, and keep each other warm. And it's big enough for making love."
"Don't you ever think about anything else?" the boy asked, pressing himself up against his man and caressing him all over.
"No, I don't. What about you?"
"Me neither! Can we try it right now?"
"Sure! I feel such desire for you..."
"And I want you so much."
They were making love filled with desire and ardour, when somebody knocked at the metal door.
"Oh my God, who is it now?" Daniel asked, sitting up with a start.
Again the clang on the metal door.
"Who's there?" Giovanni called.
"It's Carlo. Can I come in?"
"Yes, just a tick... I'll open up..." Giovanni answered, and they both got dressed again hurriedly.
Giovanni unlocked the door and raised it.
Carlo cast a quick look between them and the rumpled bed, and with the merest hint of a smile said, "Christ, I'm sorry, it seems I turned up at just the wrong moment... but I really didn't think... that is, I normally only do it at night. Forgive me, I'm a pain in the ass..." Daniel blushed, "Hey boy! You have no reason to blush! If you love each other, it's only right you should be telling each other, isn't it? Well, I only came to bother you because I've called my firm, and that job is still available, so if one of you wants... Tomorrow morning he'll need to come with me to meet the personnel manager."
"Thank you! Gladly!" Giovanni said cheerfully.
"As far as I'm concerned, either one of you would be OK, but I think Giovanni might be more suitable. The work is hard and you are stronger."
"So then, I'll come with you. Thank you."
"Good. I'll call by at seven tomorrow morning to pick you up. That's the time I come to the garage to get my car, and I'll give you a knock. Be ready. Do you need an alarm clock?"
"We've got one, thanks."
"Oh, and if you feel hungry, until you're able to do your own cooking, there is a pizza shop and also a Chinese restaurant just round the corner. Both are cheap and good. And now I'll leave you in peace. Ciao, boys, see you tomorrow." Carlo said, lowering the door and going away. Giovanni locked it again.
Then they went back to the bed and picked up again where they had left off.
CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 8
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