PE4 Vignette

Title: A Letter From Nonna

Author: Bikerider

Chapter: 6 or 7





Lesson 4. Inner Conflict



It was late afternoon and the streets were teaming with people. No one paid any attention to Severino as he twisted his way through the crowds, but he imagined curious eyes peeking out from behind the white lace curtains covering the windows of the tenements he passed. As he walked, he searched for the number on each building, comparing it to the address scribbled on the piece of paper in his hand.

He was renting a room in a nearby boarding house, but it was noisy and not well kept. At night some of the younger boarders drank too much and woke everyone with their loud, raucous voices and tomfoolery. The noise passed through the thin walls of their rooms and awakened other renters. The owners, an older couple from Italy, tried to quiet the trouble makers, but after a night or two of quiet, the parties would begin again. Severino considered trying to reason with the offenders himself, but decided against it. It would be easier to move than to handle the legalities of having assaulted one of the young thugs.

His foreman from work had given him this address and recommended it as a good place to stay. He told Severino to be sure to mention his name to the owner, but he also gave Severino a strange bit of advice.

"The owner's wife is pretty, and much younger than him," his friend had said. "He is a very jealous man, and very possessive. You'll need to avoid her as much as you can if you don't want trouble with him."

"He will have nothing to fear from me," Severino had replied. His friend just shrugged and walked away, leaving him scratching his head. He'd been married for less than a year, and his wife was due with their first child any day now. He had no desire to become involved with a young woman.

He stopped in front of a three-story brick tenement and looked at the piece of paper in his hand and confirmed he had found the right place. "Number one-one-eight," he mumbled as he compared the numbers above the door. The steps leading to the first floor appeared to have been freshly scrubbed. A woman stood in the window on the first floor, polishing cloth in hand, as she wiped the sparkling glass in front of her. Her dark eyes appeared to be focused on her task. Severino mumbled, "She is pretty."

He took out a cigarette and lit it, drawing the harsh smoke into his lungs. If the owner was busy cleaning, he didn't want to disturb her. He'd smoke a cigarette and give her time to finish.

* * *

Rianna buffed the window glass with a dry cloth, then stopped to inspect it. She tilted her head one way and then the other, making sure she hadn't missed any streaks; just the way Demek had instructed her how to do. Because her eyes were focused on the glass only inches from her face, the people walking by outside on the sidewalk were only a blur until she took a few steps back to double-check her work.

She watched her neighbor, Petra, walking along the sidewalk with her new husband. They strolled hand in hand, chatting and smiling at each other as they passed the house.Young love, Rianna thought. Is there anything more beautiful? Her thoughtful, faraway look changed to a frown as her heart filled with the pain of her own experience with young love. She forced the memory from her mind and turned to survey the room. A long sigh escaped her lips. She hated the dark, dreary furniture and the heavy, carved cherry posts of the massive bed. The bed, she thought. I especially hate the bed.

The darkness of the room reminded her of her husband. The drapes, the area rugs, all dark depressing colors, and it had all been purchased by him. Even the wall hangings, a picture of a shadowy forest under purple storm clouds, and a tapestry of a ship on a raging, churning sea, being violently tossed about, had been bought by him. It was an appropriate reminder of the darkness that seemed to fill him. She froze as she stepped in front of the mirror and looked at herself.

"Yes, even you, Rianna!" she mumbled. "He has bought everything in this room—including you!" She turned from the image in the mirror.

She picked up the clothes that had been carelessly discarded on the floor in the corner, and after folding them carefully she put them away in Demek's dresser. Turning to assess the neatness of the room, her gaze fell on the leather belt draped over the back of a cushioned chair by the bed. She reached for it to roll it up and put it away, but recoiled when her fingers touched the bubbled and cracked leather. Let him put it away, I don't want to touch it. She turned to leave.

Before pulling the bedroom door shut she scanned the room once more. The burnished surface of his belt caught her eye again. She turned away and quickly closed the door. She winced as she walked down the hall and remembered the searing pain that belt had inflicted. She rolled her fingers into tight fists.

* * *

Rianna was standing at the sink, her hands working furiously to remove the coffee stains in Demek's favorite mug. She was lost in thought about why a man would have a favorite coffee mug when the knock at the front door made her turn from her chore. She ignored it, but when she heard the knock a second time she remembered that she had forgotten to take the Room For Rent sign down from the front window.

There was one empty room on the second floor, but Demek had told her he wanted to use that room for himself and didn't want to rent it out. She walked quickly to the front door as she wiped her hands on her apron. Remember to take the notice off the door after you send the caller away. Sunlight reflected from the dark paneled wall as she unlocked the door and opened it. She squinted out at the blurry form standing between her and the bright sunlight. She used her hand to shade her eyes as she spoke.

"The room is not for rent."

"But the sign...?"

"I know, I'm sorry. But my husband doesn't want to rent the room." She stepped back allowing the man into the hall, then closed the door to block the sunlight. As her eyes readjusted to the dim light of the hall she saw the man's features come slowly into focus, as if she were coming to the surface from under water.

The man was tall, much taller than her. He had broad shoulders and a face that seemed both kind and rugged, as if he had spent a lot of his life outdoors, but had enjoyed it. His brown hair curled over his shirt collar and swept across his forehead. A thin spider web of lines radiated out from his sky-blue eyes. Her first thought was that he was handsome.

He wiped his hand on his shirt and reached out to shake her hand. "I'm Severino Cuzelli," he said. Small dimples formed on his face when he smiled.

She stood motionless, her eyes locked on his for a long time before she slowly reached out and took his calloused hand. She felt his warm fingers gently circle her small hand like ropes. His eyes lingered on her face.

It had been a long time since she felt the eyes of a handsome man on her. She dropped her gaze to the polished wood floor so he wouldn't see what she was sure her eyes were saying.

"Rianna Puszynski," she said with a slight bow. "It is my husband whose house this is," she said, feeling self-conscious about her English, even though she had detected Severino's strong Italian accent. "The room is not for rent."

"So, the sign is wrong?" He turned and watched as Rianna detached the sign from the glass on the front door. It was not the first time he had felt the prejudice of someone from a different culture. Many of the tenements in New York were filled with one nationality. Poles lived with poles. Italians with Italians. When a room or apartment came empty, someone of the same nationality was sought as a renter.

"No, the sign is not wrong...well, not really," she said and looked up at Severino as she felt her ears warm under his gaze. "There is an empty room, but my husband wants to use it for himself." She looked up the stairs and wondered why Demek needed another room. "We rented the last room two days ago. I'm sorry, about the, ah...sign?"

He smiled at her. "I understand." He followed her gaze up the stairs. "This house is so much cleaner than the other places I've been. I would have been happy here, I'm sure." Feeling his eyes searching hers, she lowered her gaze to the floor.

"My husband demands..." she paused and looked at him sideways as her cheeks burned red. "It is only right that people receive good, clean rooms for the money they pay." She hoped Severino did not detect the lie. She believed fervently in keeping a clean house. When she was young her mother had said many times, "you can tell what a person is like by seeing the way they live." But her mother's lesson was not her motivation for spending so much of her day cleaning the house.

He gave her a knowing smile. "I can see that you work hard to keep a clean house," Severino sighed and turned to leave. "Thank you for your time."

"Wait," Rianna said quickly. "Would you like to see the room...in case my husband should change his mind?" She smiled at him.

Severino looked at Rianna for a long time before answering. "Do you think there's a chance he would?" He looked up the stairs again.

"I don't know." With his love of money he might prefer the rent money to room for storage,she thought. "You never know. But if you follow me I'll show you the room." She pulled the hem of her dress above her ankles to keep from tripping as she ascended the stairs to the second story. Severino followed her.

The hinge squeaked as Rianna pushed the door open into the small dark room. She crossed to the window on the opposite wall and pulled the heavy drapes back allowing sunlight to slant into the room. She turned and smiled at Severino.

"It's a nice clean room, Mrs. Puszynski," Severino said as he looked around.

There was a bed in the corner against a wall, its wooden headboard shined as though it had been rubbed with polish. The smell of disinfectant stung his nose. A small dresser and wardrobe took up the wall opposite the bed. He turned to Rianna.

"You keep a clean house, Mrs. Puszynski..."

"Call me Rianna, please."

"Ria..."

"Call her Mrs. Puszynski!" The deep, gravelly voice came from behind them and filled the room. They turned in unison to see a middle-aged man standing in the doorway. He looked at Rianna with glaring eyes.

* * *

Severino saw fear appear in Rianna's eyes just as suddenly as the man had appeared in the doorway. He looked from Rianna back to the man. This can't be her husband, he thought. The man was short. His hair was greasy and thinning. He had let the greying hairs grow long on one side and combed them over the top of his head in a failed attempt to hide his bald pate. The man wheezed as he took ragged breaths.

"Who is this man!" He stared at Rianna as he demanded. She raised her head to answer but fell silent.

"I'm Severino Cuzelli," he offered. The man ignored his outstretched hand and turned to his wife.

"What is going on here?" he asked accusingly. Beads of sweat formed on his brow.

"I was just showing Mr. Cuzelli the room we have empty." Her eyes never left the floor, she trembled like a leaf on a branch in a strong wind. She looked like a young child waiting to be punished for doing something wrong.

Demek stared at Rianna for a long time without speaking, his mustache twitched at one end. She didn't look at him. He turned to Severino. "The room is not for rent."

"That's what your wife told me." He turned to look at Rianna but she kept her gaze on the floor. "I asked your wife if I could look around anyway, on the chance that you might change your mind about renting it." Rianna looked at him when she heard the lie.

Demek fixed a cold look at Rianna. "She should have told you that there was no chance I would change my mind. She shouldn't even have let you into the house." His eyes burned into his wife. "Not that it's your business, but I'll be using this room for storage."

"Then I suppose Mr. Lupo was wrong." Severino turned to Rianna. "I'm sorry to have bothered..."

"Mr. Lupo?" Demek interrupted loudly. "Ignacio Lupo? How do you know him?"

"He's a friend of mine. He recommended that I look for a room here, in your house. The place I'm staying in is noisy, dirty. It's not a place I want to remain." He turned to look around the room again. "When I told Ignacio...Mr. Lupo, about my problem he sent me here." He walked to the door to leave but Demek stood in the open doorway and stared at him, his mouth was a thin line.

Slowly his face relaxed. A small smile curled his lips. "Why didn't you say Mr. Lupo sent you?" Demek's tongue slipped out from between his lips and slid from one side to the other. "If Mr. Lupo thinks you should live here, then who am I to deny him?" He put his sweaty hand out to shake, it shook noticeably.

Severino took Demek's hand and shook it curtly. "So you have changed your mind then?" He turned to Rianna who was still looking down at the floor. "You are agreed to rent the room?"

"Certainly," Demek said and held his arms out expansively. "A friend of Mr. Lupo's is a friend of mine." He put his hand on Severino's shoulder and gently slapped his back. "Come down stairs, we'll have some wine." He looked around the room suspiciously, and even though Rianna was the only other person there, he said with a confidential whisper, "I make it myself."

He spoke to Rianna over his shoulder. "Make up the bed, and use the good sheets for my friend here..." He turned to Severino, "What did you say your name is?" Severino told him. Demek shouted over his shoulder. "And then come downstairs, I have made a list of the things you didn't do correctly. I want them done before dinner."

He shook his head and spoke in a conspiratorial voice. "Women, huh? You have to keep after them, keep them in line, know what I mean?" Severino didn't answer. He heard Rianna, still standing in the room, exhale a long sigh.

* * *

Severino sat across the table from Demek in a small room just off the kitchen. The room was small and Severino suspected it was an office. Blue ledgers and books lined a shelf, and a small box containing receipts sat on the table. As he had led Severino into the room, Demek said it was a place where they could talk privately.

While they drank a glass of wine together Severino was going to tell Demek that he would not take the room. Severino had known Demek for only about ten minutes but already he felt an intense dislike for the man. He didn't think it would be a good idea to rent a room from someone he disliked so quickly. It was obvious that this man treated his wife poorly, and Severino thought he might not be able to ignore that fact. It was obvious the man's wife feared him. And I fear that I may find myself confronted with making a decision I might regret, he thought as he sipped his wine.

From the moment he saw Rianna he felt something, something emotional. Something a married man should not be feeling...especially when it involved another man's wife. He suspected that Rianna felt something as well. He noticed the way she had looked him over when she showed him the room. And even though she had done nothing wrong, Severino saw the look of guilt on her face when her husband had suddenly arrived. For some strange reason he felt an urge to protect her.

No, staying here might prove to be dangerous. He might find himself doing something even the well-respected and feared, Mr. Ignacio Lupo could not fix for him.

But the room, the entire house that he could see, was clean and quiet. Mr. Lupo knew a good boarding house when he saw one, and he had recommended it to Severino.



Demek sat with his back to the open door. Looking past the man's shoulder he saw Rianna working in the kitchen, kneading dough on a wooden table. Clouds of white flour billowed in the warm air and settled on her face and neck, turning her already pale skin, paler, and contrasting her dark hair and eyes in a way that caught his attention.

Rolling the dough forward, she leaned over the table and her dress formed around her slender hips. The hem of her dress rose almost to the back of her knees, revealing slender, shapely calves. When she turned and saw him watching her, she smiled shyly and her dark eyes flashed. She turned and quickly went back to work.

Severino felt his stomach tighten. I think I might get into trouble if I stay here, he thought to himself. He remembered what his friend had told him about the owner of the house. "He is jealous and possessive." But I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle, he assured himself.

Demek looked over his shoulder and saw his wife working at the table. He turned to Severino and said, loud enough to be sure his wife heard him. "She's trouble. Pregnant with no husband to stand with her. An embarrassment to her mother and father. If it wasn't for my generosity she would be in the streets."

Severino didn't respond to Demek's remarks. He stood and shook hands with Demek. "I'll let you know if I decide to take the room."

He passed Rianna at the table and saw tears falling from her eyes. Demek stopped and turned to his wife. "Don't be all day with that bread. You still have things to do before bed." He turned to Severino and smiled, then said to Rianna, "And you'll have duties to perform there as well."

Severino's back stiffened as he listened to Demek speak this way to Rianna. This man is a pig," he thought as he walked toward the front door. He heard Demek walking behind him, he turned and said, "I can let myself out."

At the front door he listened as Rianna said something, but her words were distorted by her sobs. Then Demek's loud voice thundered.

"Yes, that's right. It is my generosity that has saved you. And don't you forget it even for a minute!"



Standing at the front door with his hand on the door knob, Severino thought that he shouldn't take the room. He was sure there would be trouble between him and Demek over the way he treated his young wife. But the vision of her kneading the dough filtered into his mind and he smiled. She was young and it was obvious she was not happy. How could she be happy? "Well, maybe I'll just stay for a while and see what happens," he mumbled.

"I'll be back with my things tomorrow," he said to Demek who stood in the kitchen doorway watching him.

"So you've decided to take the room, then?"

"Yes. I think I will be happy here."

He turned the knob and walked out into the afternoon sunlight.

* * * * *

Word Count 3403