The Comfort of Strangers Page #2

Full of nourishment.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

Now, tell me.

I'm a man of immense curiosity.

Passionate curiosity.

- Are you married?

- No.

- But you live together in sin.

- No.

Why not? No one would stop you.

In this day and age

there are no standards.

What about you? Tell us a bit about you.

I mean... who are you, anyway?

But you have a child. Am I right?

- How did you know?

- I feel it.

I have two children.

A boy and a girl.

- This is your boy and your girl.

- Yes.

Beautiful.

Not yours.

Not mine.

Beautiful children.

They take after their beautiful mother.

Your English is terribly good.

I grew up in London. My wife is Canadian.

Any more breadsticks?

- Ancora vino. E dei grissini.

- Arrivo subito.

- Your wife's Canadian?

- Certainly. We lived there.

How did you meet?

That's impossible to explain without

describing my mother and sisters

and that would only make sense

if I described my father.

In order to explain how I met my wife

I would have to describe my father.

Would you really like me to do that?

Shall I do that?

- All right.

- My father was a... very big man.

All his life he wore a black moustache.

When it turned grey

he used a little brush to keep it black,

such as ladies use

for their eyes - mascara.

Everyone was afraid of him.

My mother, my four sisters.

At the dining table you could not speak

unless spoken to first by my father.

But he loved me.

I was his favourite.

He was a diplomat all his life.

We spent years in London. Knightsbridge.

Every morning he got out of bed at six

and went to the bathroom to shave.

No one was allowed out of bed

until he'd finished.

My eldest sisters were 14, 15. I was 10.

One weekend the house was empty

for the whole afternoon.

My sisters whispered together.

Their names were Eva and Maria.

They called me and they led me

into my parents' bedroom.

They told me to sit

on the bed and be quiet.

They went to my mother's dressing table.

They painted their fingernails, they put

powder on their faces, they used lipstick.

They pulled hairs from their eyebrows

and brushed mascara on their lashes.

They took off their socks and put

on my mother's silk stockings, panties.

They sauntered about the room looking

at the mirror, like beautiful women.

They laughed and kissed, they stroked

each other, they giggled. I was enchanted.

They fed my enchantment.

They whispered to me

that it was our secret,

that we would keep it in our hearts

forever, never reveal it.

But that night at dinner I felt my father

staring at me, staring deep into me.

He chewed, swallowed, he put his

knife and fork down. He looked at me.

My heart started to beat.

To thump, not to beat.

My father said "Tell me, Robert. What

have you been doing this afternoon?"

He knew.

I knew he knew.

He was God. He was testing me.

So I told him. I told him all that my sisters

had done. I told him everything.

My mother was silent. My sisters'

faces were white. No one spoke.

My father said "Thank you."

Finished his dinner.

After dinner my sisters and I

were called to my father's study.

They were beaten with a leather belt

without mercy. I watched this.

A month later they took their revenge.

We children were again alone

in the house. Nanny was away.

My youngest sisters...

Grazie.

...Alice and Lisa

came to me in the garden.

They said "Robert, come to the kitchen.

Eva and Maria have a treat for you."

I was suspicious, but I went.

I was so...

innocent.

On the table were two big bottles

of lemonade, cream cake,

cooking chocolate,

big box of marshmallows,

and Maria said

"Look, this is all for you."

"But first" Eva said

"you must drink some medicine."

"This is very rich food and it will protect

your stomach. Help you to enjoy it."

I was too greedy to question this.

I drank the medicine.

Then I ate the chocolate and the cake

and drank a bottle of lemonade.

They applauded and said that only a man

could drink a second bottle of lemonade.

It would be beyond my capabilities.

I said "Give it to me."

I drank the second bottle and I finished

the chocolate, marshmallows and cake.

They said "Bravo", then

the kitchen began to spin round me

and I badly needed to go

to the lavatory.

Suddenly Eva and Maria held me down

and tied my hands together

with a long piece of rope behind my back

and dragged me into my father's study.

They took the key from the inside,

slammed the door and locked it.

"Bye-bye, Robert" they called.

"Now you are big Papa in his study."

I was locked in my revered,

my feared father's study

where he received the diplomatic corps

of London, the elite of the worid.

And I puked and pissed and shat

all over my father's carpets and walls.

My father found me there.

He said "Robert..."

"Have you been eating chocolate?"

Then he nearly killed me. Then

he didn't speak to me for six months.

I've never forgiven my sisters.

My only solace was my mother.

I grew so thirsty at night,

she brought me a glass of water every

night and laid her hand upon my brow.

She was... so tender.

When my father was away

I slept in her bed.

One afternoon, the wife of the

Canadian ambassador was invited to tea.

She brought her daughter Caroline.

When my mother showed her mother our

garden we were left alone, the children.

Suddenly Eva said "Miss Caroline,

do you sleep with your mother?"

Caroline said "No. Do you?"

And Eva said "He does."

And all my sisters giggled, and Caroline

looked at me and smiled and said:

"I think that's really awfully sweet."

And she became my wife.

Not at that moment, of course. We were

both only... 11 years old at the time.

Where on earth are we?

Do you know?

Let me sit down. I've got such a...

I've got such a headache.

Can you press the back of my neck?

Just there.

- Oh, God. I'm going to...

- What?

- Sorry.

- It's all right.

I'm all right. I just have to sit down.

I can't walk any more.

Hold me.

What a terrible man.

Who was he?

We're on holiday.

Mary.

Wake up.

- Where are we?

- I don't know. Venice. Come on.

Come on.

You're a weight.

I've been bitten.

Try not to scratch.

I'm so thirsty.

You're going to have to

look after me today.

- Why? Did you look after me yesterday?

-

I'm so thirsty.

There's the waterfront.

Come on. There'll be a cafe.

Let's go in the shade.

We'd like to order something to drink.

I will tell your waiter.

I wonder how the children are.

Well, you spoke to them, when was it?

- Was it yesterday?

- How were they then?

It's like a prison here.

Let's go home.

- The flight's paid for. It's not for five days.

- We could get another one.

Why do you want to go home?

Excuse me!

I can't believe it. He's coming.

Bringing the children with us would have

made all the difference. To me, anyway.

- Signore?

- A jug of water, please. With ice.

- Water?

- Um... coffee.

- Croissant? Eggs? Juice?

- No, just water.

- Let's go to the hotel and get water there.

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