CHAPTER - 172
"The other day, you said?!
So how long have I been here?!"
Vittorio sat down next to her, carefully placing the meal tray.
"Two days. You've been in the hospital resting for two days.
You suffered a mental shock."
He placed the cutlery beside the plate, paying attention to every gesture.
"I see.."
Margherita lowered her gaze, tears slowly sliding from her nose as her head tilted.
"Why didn’t you leave me there? I’ve got nothing left anymore."
Vittorio looked her straight in the eyes, serious.
"Is that what Josh would have wanted? Answer me, Margherita."
"And what do you know about what he would or wouldn’t have wanted?!
He’s not here anymore, so you can’t know!"
She shouted through her tears, rage mixed with pain.
Vittorio ran a hand over her head, with a slow, warm gesture.
That touch, that warmth…
for a moment, it reminded her of Josh’s last caress before he left.
Margherita looked up and met Vittorio’s eyes, filled with honesty.
Vittorio sighed.
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"You’re right… I’m sorry.
I can’t really know. But from the way you speak about him, I’m certain he was an extraordinary person.
If you feel like it, you can tell me about him.
That way, I’ll get to know him a little, too."
Margherita nodded slowly, eyes still glistening.
Then, slowly, she began to eat, forkful after forkful.
"The food.."
She murmured softly.
"The food what?"
Vittorio asked, puzzled.
She looked up, her face tired but with a teasing expression.
"It’s terrible."
Vittorio froze for a second.. then burst into a light laugh.
"Are you an expert or something?
Because I’ve been eating here for two days, and it didn’t seem that bad."
Margherita sighed, pointing her fork at him.
"You’ve got awful taste if you settle for this..
Wait.. what do you mean, two days?
You stayed here for me?"
Vittorio scratched the back of his neck, chuckling.
"Ahaha! You caught me…
well, let’s say it was either this or nothing, right? You get used to it."
Margherita looked at him with a small smile.
"When I feel better and leave this place.. I’ll cook you a real meal.
That’s what Josh would have wanted."
"Then I’m looking forward to it."
He replied with gratitude.
They talked all day.
About Josh, his team, the good memories and the painful ones.
Present
Narrator: Margherita smiled with melancholy, turning to Dav.
"That’s… how I met him."
Dav nodded, moved.
"But you still haven’t told me how you ended up working as a cook in a big academy."
Margherita straightened a little.
"Oh, well…
He offered me a place in the National Security Guild.
Then, five years later, Vittorio was hired as a guide for students and professors, eventually becoming the director.
And since he loved my food… he asked me to work here."
She paused for a moment.
"Sorry for telling you such a sad story..
but I wanted to be accurate."
Dav gently held her hand.
"Thank you for telling me, Mrs. Margherita."
She stared at him. For an instant, in Dav’s smile, she saw Josh again.
His expression. His way of giving strength to others.
"Thank you for listening.
Now I must go.. it’s almost dinner time."
Then she held his hands one last time.
"Protect them all. They love you.
And so do I."
Dav stood and gave her a silent nod of farewell.
As he walked out, he saw Vittorio leaning against the wall, having listened to every word.
They said nothing. Dav walked on.
Margherita, left alone, covered her face with her hands, crying silently.
Her tears, held back for too long, fell freely.
Vittorio entered, approaching with a gentle smile.
"My dear friend Vittorio is back to see this old woman crying again…
How embarrassing."
She said, laughing softly through her tears.
"That’s what friends are for, right? My dear old friend."
He replied, embracing her with care.
"If you say so… then it must be true."
Margherita answered.
END OF CHAPTER – 172
