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Milan Is Full Of Italians: Divorce Italian Style

Milan is Full of Italians is a friend’s short story. She wrote it many years ago in college. I think her stories rock.

Milan is Full of Italians

His head was bent over the cocktail list.ย ย  She leaned across the table and peered at his green, watered silk tie.

โ€œBy god!โ€

โ€œPardon?โ€ย  He looked up from the list.

โ€œYour tie.โ€

His hair was longer, too, she marked.ย  The full style flattered his features.ย  She shifted uneasily in her seat.ย  It had to be the light.ย  โ€œDonโ€™t you think itโ€™s a little long?โ€

โ€œMy tie?โ€

โ€œYour hair, silly.โ€ย  She flicked her cigarette ash toward the crystal receptacle in the middle of the table and missed.

He stared at her, scratching the inside of his right nostril with a little finger.

She grimaced and brushed the ash casually from the white cloth.

โ€œWhat about my hair?โ€ย  He turned to beckon the waiter appraising them from an adjacent table.

โ€œA little avant-garde,ย  donโ€™t you think? โ€œย  She scanned his profile for other inconsistencies.

He faced her again.ย  โ€œI like it.โ€

โ€œYou donโ€™t have to be so defensive about it.โ€ย ย  She leaned back in the plush chair and stretched her legs under the table.ย  โ€œI notice you got that disgusting grease mark off your tie finally.โ€

โ€œActually, ย itโ€™s a new one.โ€

โ€œItโ€™s stupid buying a new one when all you had to do was have it cleaned.โ€

โ€œIt was a gift.โ€ย  He smiled and looked somewhere past her shoulder.

โ€œReally.โ€ย  She drew her legs back under the chair.

โ€œWhat do you want to drink?โ€ย  he asked

She looked from him to the waiter who was holding his pen poised over the order pad.ย  โ€œMy usual.โ€

His brow furrowed.

โ€œDonโ€™t pretend you forgot.โ€ย  She glared at him.

โ€œClare.โ€ย  He inclined his head toward the waiter who began paging rapidly through the orders.

โ€œCinzano and seven-up,โ€ she said, narrowing her eyes.

He chuckled.

She leaned toward him, one arm on the table.ย  โ€œYou didnโ€™t really forget did you?”

โ€œItโ€™s pretty hard to forget a combination like that.โ€

โ€œBut you did.โ€ย  She reached up and tapped the waiterโ€™s cuff. โ€œYou wouldnโ€™t forget your wifeโ€™s favorite drink, would you?โ€

โ€œIโ€™m not married, maโ€™am,โ€ he said, concentrating on the order book.

She squeezed a wedge of lemon into the tall glass of red liquid and watched him.

โ€œWhoโ€™s the tie from?โ€

โ€œA friend.ย  And we agreed no questions.ย  It was your idea.โ€

โ€œIโ€™ve changed my mind.โ€ย  She rested her chin on her hand and dropped her eyes to the front of his shirt.

โ€œClare, I wanted to see you tonight because we have to talk.โ€

โ€œAbout the tie?โ€

โ€œAbout us.โ€ย  He fingered his tie gently.ย  โ€œI canโ€™t manage this way anymore.โ€

Her jaw tightened.ย  โ€œNo kidding?ย  You mean you canโ€™t find your sockie wockies?ย  Or maybe the can opener broke?โ€

โ€œIโ€™m being transferred, Clare.โ€ย  He brushed the tie, smoothing invisible wrinkles.

She caught her breath.ย  โ€œWhere?โ€

โ€œMilan.โ€ย  He smiled.ย  โ€œJust for two years, though.โ€

She straightened back in the chair and began playing with the napkin in her lap.ย  โ€œWhen?โ€

โ€œAs soon as Iโ€™ve sorted things out.ย  Thatโ€™s why we have to talk.ย  But I thought we could do it after dinner.โ€

He had changed.ย  She rolled up one corner of the napkin.ย  Finally breaking the boring mold.ย  She lowered her eyes and glanced at him through her lashes.ย  โ€œIโ€™ve missed you.โ€

โ€œAre you sure?โ€

She hated the diffidence in his voice .ย  โ€œYou donโ€™t believe me?โ€ she asked, smiling sweetly.

โ€œWell โ€“ you havenโ€™t tried to do anything about it.โ€

โ€œI miss chocolate parfait all the time.ย  Doesnโ€™t mean itโ€™s good for me.โ€ ย This was going to be too easy.

โ€œDo you want a parfait?ย  Iโ€™ll order one.โ€

โ€œNo thanks.โ€ย  Christ.

โ€œWell –โ€œ he raised his glass and saluted her.ย  โ€œTo our futures and all things good and not good for us.โ€

โ€œWait a minute.โ€ย  She saw the worry cross his face and felt her power.ย ย  โ€œI havenโ€™t made a decision yet.โ€ย  She watched him smugly.

โ€œThatโ€™s too bad, Clare.ย  I donโ€™t have time to play games.โ€ย  Heย  drew a brown cigarillo from a packet in his breast pocket and lit it.

โ€œThe hell!ย  You think youโ€™re gonna drag me to Milan by the hair?โ€ย  She made a face as he blew the smoke carefully away from her.

โ€œThat wasnโ€™t my plan.ย  I realized months ago it wouldnโ€™t work.โ€

โ€œWhat wouldnโ€™t work?โ€ย  Her throat went dry.

โ€œForcing you to do anything.โ€

โ€œOh.โ€ย  She widened her pale blue eyes at him.ย  โ€œBut you donโ€™t have to force me to do anything, Doug.ย  Iโ€™ve become a regular little marshmallow.โ€ย  She drew tiny circles on the table cloth with a long crimson nail.

โ€œIโ€™m glad.ย  I thought you might resist.โ€

โ€œNot a chance,โ€ she said.ย  โ€œYou look a lot younger without the beard, by the way.โ€

โ€œThank you.โ€ย  He traced the rim of his squat glass.ย  โ€œWe have to take care of everything immediately.ย  Iโ€™m due in Milan on the twenty-fifth.โ€

โ€œSo soon?ย  Hardly enough time to pack.โ€

He smiled wistfully.ย  โ€œIโ€™m not worried about it.โ€

โ€œYou expect me to do it the last minute?โ€

He looked surprised.ย  โ€œI donโ€™t expect you to do it at all.โ€

โ€œWell.ย  Wonders never cease.ย  You have changed, darling.โ€

He stubbed out the brown stump.ย  โ€œClare, I think we should get the divorce out of the way before I leave.ย  You could file tomorrow–โ€

She stared across the table at him, her mind racing back over the entire conversation. No.ย  She hadnโ€™t given herself away.

โ€œI could file, of course,โ€ he continued, โ€œbut it wouldnโ€™t be the gentlemanly thing to do.ย  Donโ€™t you agree?โ€

She lifted a thin brow and smiled.ย  โ€œThe tie?โ€

He nodded.ย  โ€œI guess we should have waited?โ€ย  He indicated the closed menus on their plates.

She noticed an ink mark on his cuff and that he was wearing a brown belt with a black suit.ย  โ€œWhy?โ€ย  She shrugged and opened her menu.ย  He hadnโ€™t changed, after all.

Milan was full of Italians, anyway.

Milan is full of Italians on Chezgigi.com

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14 thoughts on “Milan Is Full Of Italians: Divorce Italian Style

  • May 28, 2016 at 9:02 pm
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    Enjoyed reading this. It left you wanting to know more.

    Reply
    • May 28, 2016 at 9:27 pm
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      Exactly! She wrote it a long time ago, and her teacher said it was a good beginning. Sometimes, good beginnings are all we get, huh?

      Reply
      • May 29, 2016 at 9:45 am
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        Well that is better than bad endings is it not?

        Reply
        • May 29, 2016 at 5:57 pm
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          Maybe…. maybe…. It’s the Magic If. I worked at the Catamaran in San Diego when I was young, and a group called the Magic If was there. Skits, songs. It was fun, but it meant ‘what might have happened’ had magical properties.

          Reply
          • May 29, 2016 at 7:11 pm
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            If only I had………… we all have sentences to finish like this.

          • May 29, 2016 at 10:47 pm
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            Yes!

  • May 29, 2016 at 12:42 am
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    The title reminds me of a joke daddy says.. He went to Chennai once, which is the capital of Tamil Nadu.. When he came back he said “WOW! CHENNAI IS FULLY OF PANDI PEOPLE” pandi being the derogatory term for Tamilians ๐Ÿ˜›

    And i should bite the dysfunctional couple instead of Mike before i brush my teeth..

    Reply
    • May 29, 2016 at 12:45 am
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      You’ll be biting a lot of people, if you only bite dysfunctional people. They abound!

      Reply
      • May 29, 2016 at 3:01 am
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        Fine with me.. I’m not that fond of brushing teeth either ๐Ÿ˜›

        Reply
        • May 29, 2016 at 4:59 am
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          You only get one set, dude. Brush ’em.

          Reply
          • May 29, 2016 at 5:07 am
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            Oh okay :/

          • May 29, 2016 at 5:58 am
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            Hey, dude! Read Martin’s comment on my difference between a dog and a car answer.

          • May 29, 2016 at 6:41 am
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            Yep got to him.. Directed him to the blog

          • May 29, 2016 at 8:10 am
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            Thank you! I felt bad for him talking to the air around the comments! :))

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