Chapter 9: Shifting Realities

Matteo

Palermo, Sicily, 2020 – (nearly) summer

When Matteo decided to call Valentina and ask her to come take the exam together, he  realized that begging would be his last option. When they were forced into lockdown in Italy,  he didn't think about the fact that he would be spending more time with his father, and he could see first-hand how much work Matteo was putting into his studies.

His father kept asking about exam dates and upcoming projects, and it all came down to  Business Psychology, which was the only course where he didn't have someone who could  help him pass.

During the early hours of Thursday, May 28th, a private jet departed from their landing strip  outside Palermo and set off towards Moscow, where it would pick up Valentina at 8am. By  the time Matteo wakes up at 12:30, Valentina has already texted him that she's landing in 30  minutes.

He jumps into the shower, already feeling pressured by tim. His parents have been out since yesterday and Matteo has no idea when they'll  return. At least there's a little peace and quiet in the house, except for the chef and the  maid during the day.

The black SUV pulls up in the driveway in the front of the house and Matteo sees Valentina  getting out, carrying two bags. She says something to the driver before walking up the  pathway leading to the main door and soon enough the doorbell rings throughout the house.

Matteo greets her at the door, and they go up to his room because they must show up on  Zoom for attendance and identity verification first.

"We have to write an essay?" Matteo groans twenty minutes into the exam after copying all  of the multiple-choice answers from Valentina. He decided to take the desk because  Valentina insisted on sitting on the couch by the window with the sea view.

"It's not that hard." Valentina reasons, leaning back into the cushions. 

"How to best create an effective environment at work." Matteo reads and looks up at her.  "How?"

"You're the one who runs a club, you should know this."

"Ha ha. But seriously, give me some tips."

"Just look into my notes, it's under motivational factors."

"Motivational factors, seriously?"

Valentina cocks her head. "What, you have a better idea? That's what I'm writing."

"How can motivation even make a work environment more effective?"

"If the workers are motivated, then they're obviously going to operate better." "You think motivation works best?"

Valentina looks at him confused. "What else?"

Matteo shrugs. He wants to say 'fear' and 'respect', but he doesn't. He follows her  instructions and looks through her notes. He actually manages to write a decent essay and  also copy the rest of the answer off of Valentina an hour later, very pleased with himself.

"There, it's done."

Valentina nods but doesn't look away from her screen, still typing. Matteo looks out at the  Tyrrhenian Sea shining in the sun behind her, and thinks about how he's never had a girl in  his bedroom just sitting on her laptop. It feels weird, but at the same time comfortable.  Maybe it's weird because it's not weird.

"Okay, I'm done too." She says as she looks him in the eye and smiles, waving her hands  around.

Matteo smiles back. "Good. You turned it in already?"

"Yes."

Matteo clicks on the button to turn the exam in and shuts his laptop, happy to be done with  exams from the semester.

"How did you even get through the rest of your exams?" Valentina asks, following him with  her eyes as he stands up from the desk and goes over to open the balcony. 

"I don't know, Vinnie helped me with some, I g****e others. It's definitely easier online."

She follows him outside without saying a word and sits down on one of the chairs against the  wall. There's a round table in between two chairs so Matteo sits down on the other one and  takes out a cigarette.

He holds out his pack to Valentina, but she waves him off. "No, thanks."

"You quit smoking?" he asks and she just stands up, disappearing inside.

When she comes back outside, she's holding a Marlboro Gold pack. "No, I brought my own.  You definitely smoke truck driver cigarettes."

Matteo lets out a laugh. "What?"

"The Marlboro Red ones? They're the strongest. They're what, a ten?"

Matteo shrugs and lights up his cigarette before offering her the lighter. He watches her face  as she looks down at the cigarette between her lips.

They smoke their cigarettes in silence while watching the sea, and Matteo wonders whether  he should say something to fill the silence, but Valentina seems to be in her own world  staring out at the sea.

"If I had this view every day, I would never have any problems, ever. Just listening to the  waves, feeling the sun." She says after a while, exhaling the last bit of smoke. She puts the  cigarette out in the already filled ashtray before bending her right leg up on the chair.

"Ha. You think that, but it's not true." Matteo answers, also putting his cigarette out. Valentina turns her head to him, surprised. "Why wouldn't it be true?"

Matteo suddenly gets the urge to roll up and smoke a joint, so he tells her he'll be right back and  stands up to go inside. He finds his rolling stash in its usual spot in his nightstand and brings  it outside.

Valentina smiles. "Yess, good idea."

Matteo rolls a joint as she struggles to take off her hoodie and tie her hair up, saying that it's  way hotter in Palermo than it is in Moscow.

"It's like thirty degrees here. Back home it's raining." She pouts and watches his fingers  skillfully rolling the paper into a joint.

Matteo looks up into her eyes as he licks the paper. "What were we talking about before?"

He remembers doing this trick on numerous girls on this very balcony, but unlike the  others, Valentina doesn't seem to notice anything he's doing. She looks like  she's thinking about his question.

"You said you're sad even though you have a sea view every day."

Matteo cocks his head and lights the joint. "I didn't say that. I just meant that people who live  here also have problems. When you're used to the same view since you're born, it can  get...boring."

He takes three long drags before blowing them out towards the sea, then passes it to  Valentina. She takes it and turns back towards the sea, closing her eyes towards the sun. Her  face shines in the sun and Matteo feels like he can't look away for some reason, like he's  seen this before. But he knows he hasn't.

"Are you bored?" she asks, letting out smoke.

Matteo shrugs, also turning towards the water now.

"I don't know. Sometimes, maybe."

If being bored is your biggest problem, then you have it easy in life, Matteo.

That's what his father always used to tell him every time he would see Matteo in a bad mood.  He'd ask him what's wrong, and Matteo would tell him he's bored. His father never seemed  to understand that being bored was bordering on burnout and depression.

"If being bored is the problem, then you have it easy."

Matteo looks at Valentina, almost shocked. "What?"

She shrugs and takes another drag before passing the joint. "That's what my dad says."

"So you understand." Is all he says and leans back into the chair, looking out at the sea.

"Being bored? Yes. I think it's one of the worst things to be in life. But I feel like sometimes  nobody understands."

"Why?"

"Because rich kids are supposed to have it all, right?"

Matteo smiles at the way she says 'rich kids', like the two of them aren't exactly that.

But he  gets it. When you have all the money you could ever want, even more than you could ever  imagine spending, things that once seemed extraordinary become ordinary. 

"When you've have everything you could possibly want, nothing is exciting anymore."  Valentina adds and takes the joint Matteo is holding out. "It's ironic. And sad."

"That's why you think this view would make you happy, because you don't have it every  day." Matteo concludes, proving the point that started the discussion in the first place. The  conversation turned deeper and darker than he even expected.

Valentina rolls her eyes, not commenting on the fact that Matteo won the argument. They sit  in silence once again, watching the sea create small waves they can hear, but not see,  crashing against the cliffs below Matteo's house.

"Do you think it's possible to keep life exciting?" he asks her out of nowhere.

"Yes."

"How?"

----

Aaaaah I just loooved writing this part, it came out so quick and naturally I love it! 

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Ronnie