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And we all look in the direction Karlo, Albert and his
signorina
should come. I don’t know. I’ve never seen his
signorina
, she hasn’t been in our kitchen yet so that I could
see her.
Mama says she had long red hair, that she was very
beautiful and that she’s called Ida. She told me this once by
the window as she looked toward Mount Čaven and Angel
Mountain, which is hers and hers only, she says.
I hear a car. The others hear it too. I see.
Tata
takes a step
forward, adjusts his hat, Mama adjusts her skirt, Josipina
wipes the dust off her shoes and Srečko once more wipes
his forehead. I see his eyes are sparkling, Srečko’s.
The car is here. Albert, my brother steps out, Ida, his
signorina
, follows him. They both have a lot of dry leaves on
their clothes because in the car driven by Karlo there’s
always a lot of dry leaves. I know this from when he drives
me to Elizabeta’s and he opens the window and the leaves
twirl around me. Karlo says: It’s draughty. I’ll close the
window.
Karlo is smiling. So are Albert and Ida. They walk toward
us. They are coming closer. Now they are here.
Tata
hugs
Albert. They hold on to each other firmly.
Tata
cries. Then
he isn’t crying any more. Then Albert goes to Mama and
kisses her. He caresses her gray hair and her face and holds