Does that mean that you've decided to quit smoking? Giorgio asked, intrigued to the point that he stuck his head into the backpack to see that thing better.
Well, at least Ill try. Shall we go? Meanwhile she kissed him on the lips.
Bring the bike downstairs, then we can talk, I have some things to tell you.
Actually, Sonia was not so sure she wanted to tell Giorgio of her tests, not today at least, not during a nice bike ride.
But she had to do it anyway. It was her boyfriends right to know about it. Giogiò, (as she called him), would have been hurt if she had kept it hidden from him, even just for a few days, or even worse if he had heard it from someone else.
They had been going out for about six months, since they met in his fathers perfume shop, where she shopped every once in a while. He liked her for her kindness and her refined elegance; it was almost as if she belonged to another era. She was testing the new Cavalli line, when he came up to her to suggest a fragrance, (which she ended up buying). So he was a man who knew her tastes. They spoke only two words, maybe three, one by her and two by him. Giorgio was the most loquacious between the two of them. It took only a lunch date at the Sushi bar in the centre, then a dinner date in Greve in Chianti. A candle and a good bottle of Chianti wine was enough to bring them together, eye to eye, hand in hand.
Their first dates were sweet. They often dined together in the evening, at her house, or at his house, sometimes out, in fantastic places: by the sea, on a hill, all paces with breath-taking views.
But not very often at his home, though. Giorgio lived in an annex of his parents villa. To enter one had to go through the main gate that opened onto the driveway that ended in front of the entrance to his parents home. Every time, coincidentally, they were awake. Either because they were giving a party, or because they were playing Buraco with friends, or a business chat with agents that had come to dinner, well... Sonia was always a little reluctant to participate in those presentations and (formal) cordialities.
When they went to Giorgios house, she had to dress in a certain manner and, oh my God, what a bore!, that was something she had soon discovered to be a burden with which she had to learn to live with.
When you fall in love as kids, in the other person you see the image of the love youve dreamt of, and you love the idea that the feeling perfectly matches your expectations. Often, these love affairs end because you discover that they were simply teenage crushes, so, once you get over that sense of disappointment that dissolves in a pint of tears, you jump into another affair.
At twenty years old, things become more serious, but they are just like cartoons that change the theme: first they are frogs and princesses, then they become Minnie and Mickey Mouse and Fiona and Shrek. The love affairs of twenty year old people are heroic because they have to fight against the prejudice and criticism of parents and friends; they are lived as passionate adventures with moments of romance which, Im sure, will never come back again.
In your thirties, your heart has already built a shield. Its the time in which your rationality wakes up and, after all the beatings its taken, it starts hitting back. So on the one hand theres your heart that tells you to follow it, because it became so strong that it doesnt believe it can be wrong, on the other hand theres your mind that continuously places limitations, painstakingly trying to sabotage you, because it wants to protect itself from deception, and be the only one at the centre of your universe. Our mind is jealous, terribly jealous of our heart.
Four months into their relationship, Sonia realized that the Giorgios beauty was nothing more than a golden mask that hid the weakness of his personality. At thirty-six years old, one is a grown man, he cant depend on his Mom. But he revealed himself to be a boy who never made a decision without his mothers approval. For him it was unthinkable to manage his life in total independence. Sonia should have realized this, when she saw that he still lived in an annex of his parental home. But we all know that, when we fall in love, we tend to see and enhance just the things we like about the other.
Thus she felt let down one day, when they argued about which dress she should wear for his brothers wedding.
That quarrel had irritated her very much. Up until then she had appreciated the fact that Giorgio knew her tastes, be it perfume, flowers or jewellery. At first, to calm herself down, she blamed her disappointment on the particular circumstance that this was an occasion concerning Giorgios very respectable family, so she held her prejudice responsible, since she disliked his mother. Then her anger escalated, when she saw Giorgio calling his mother, for advice. In the end Sonia had to surrender and wear a wide mesh net dress, which she never wore again following that ceremony, during which everything bothered her and made her feel uncomfortable; although it was one of her favourite dresses, that day she wanted to wear something different, more in tune with her mood.
She forgave him, though it took a week for her to digest it; a session of wild sex was enough to make her forget about it, one of those moments in which Giorgio brought out the real man, the handsome macho that he was, at least in bed.
However, since that day, Sonia began to see Giorgio under a different light. She removed the glasses of the girl engaged to Prince Charming, the ones with a tortoise butterfly shaped frame and with fuchsia-coloured lenses, and was now able to see her boyfriend through the naked eyes of a mature woman who knows what she wants.She watched him pedalling in front of her, on his Mountain Bike, she nodded to him when from time to time he turned back to make sure she was following him at a safe distance. She studied him. Undoubtedly he had a beautiful body. His nimble legs, with muscular calves, broad shoulders and the sweaty shirt clung to his back highlighting the well-sculpted backbones. When he got up from his seat to push harder, Sonia could see his butt. Small but firm and round. She was proud of having such a handsome boyfriend; she thought that any woman would want him, and some of her girlfriends had also told her so. She could smell his scent, mixed with the acrid smell of sweat and it was a pleasant mix that intoxicated her.
Slow down, Giogiò! She called breathlessly, from behind.
Excuse me darling, come on, let's ride together now! And he let her catch up with him.
I have a city bike, I cant keep up with you if you go so fast! Sonia pleaded.
Okay, Ill slow down. In this stretch of road there are less cars, we can ride close to each other, he reassured her.
They were going through Via del Barco, towards Cascine Park. Damiens shop was in that street: Clouds of smoke steam cigarettes. Obviously, it was closed on Sunday. Sonia saw it and pointed it out to Giorgio.
Look, thats the store in which I bought my electronic cigarette! She said, pointing to the sign.
Come on! - He exclaimed, surprised do you know that there was a small perfume shop here which belonged to customer of my fathers?
Without getting off their bikes, they both put a foot on the ground to steady themselves and stared at the shutter for a few seconds. He tried to remember how the perfume shop that used to be there had been and she thought of Damien, wondering what he was doing at that moment and how he spent his Sunday mornings.
Sonia gazed at the first and last floor of the building; she saw two windows with closed blinds. At first it seemed strange that she instinctively compared the two closed windows with the closed shutter of the shop, as if they were connected with each other. She remembered Massimo, who the night before told her Damien spends the night in there! For a moment, a thought crossed her mind and made her guess that Damien lived there.
Sonia gazed at the first and last floor of the building; she saw two windows with closed blinds. At first it seemed strange that she instinctively compared the two closed windows with the closed shutter of the shop, as if they were connected with each other. She remembered Massimo, who the night before told her Damien spends the night in there! For a moment, a thought crossed her mind and made her guess that Damien lived there.
It lasted a second, in fact. She didnt think it was important. However, wherever Damien lived, she doubted that at ten oclock in the morning, he could still be sleeping. He didnt seem like a guy who sleeps in on Sunday. He was probably out, taking a walk. Or he was at home, with his wife and children. Maybe even his grandchildren. Could he be a grandfather?
What are you thinking of? Giorgio asked.
About Damien, Sonia said, without taking her eyes off the two windows.
Who is Damien? Asked Giorgio nervously.
Hes the owner of this shop. A very exceptional man. Sonia said with conviction.
Too much conviction for Giorgio, who at first was curious, then became grumpy.
An exceptional man. What does that mean? Whats so exceptional in a man that sells electronic cigarettes? Hes a tobacconist 2.0! Thats what he is!
Okay, youll explain it to me later Giorgio said, starting to pedal again.
Come on Giogiò! Hes twenty years older than me, he could be my father! Sonia mocked him, starting to ride her bike, too.
Part six (the pace of time)
Not every day is lived with the same emotional intensity; not necessarily does every day give us a particular event to be kept in mind. Every day is unique, another gift to our existence, but only some of them are really significant, or sometimes just a few rare moments of the day, or even just one moment on a certain day which can change our fate.
What you are reading is a story, told in the past, as it will also be read by someone in the distant future. Its not the diary of someone in particular. Here you read a story that has its own rhythm. The rhythm is given by important events, or at least considered as such, that happened over time. This story has a rhythm, such as a music sheet of a song: within it you wont find all the music arrangements, not even all the words in a dictionary; there are the notes that are needed, the right pauses, and the right words.
This story has the same rhythm that we give our lives, beating the rhythm to every true emotion.
Damien's shop was one of the most popular of its kind in Florence. VAPE, however, had not yet been recognized as a viable alternative to traditional cigarettes; it wasnt advertised. Following the laws in force for tobacco products, the tobacco lobby made strong pressure on the Government to ensure that the e-cigs didnt get good publicity.
The financial laws of the year 2014, furthermore, brought the entire sector onto its knees, because of the taxation on inhalation liquids, regardless of whether they contain nicotine or not. The tax which weighed on the liquids was so high that many of those who were willing to switch to electronic smoke gave up.
Therefore, as a result of the false and alarming information given by the media, and because of the rise in the price of the liquids up to twice their initial cost, the closures of electronic cigarette stores multiplied with the same extent and speed with which they had opened two or three years earlier.
As if all this wasnt enough, the e-cig market wasnt controlled by the municipal neighbourhood rules. In the same street of a small province, you could find the signs of two if not three VAPE shops.
The uncontrolled openings of these stores, one next to the other, were due to the fact that there were vacant shops in abundance due to the strong economic crisis that was crossing the country and the prices of rent had lowered significantly.
The boom of the electronic cigarettes, and the low initial investment needed to open this type of activity, encouraged people to reinvent a new job, for they could start with a very low amount of money; sometimes the money resulting from a severance pay. For all these reasons, several shops were run by incompetent staff or improvised traders.
Damien instead kept up well. His shop wasnt in plain sight for it was located in an unfrequented suburban street; however, whoever came across it came back and spread the voice. Even in a big city rumours get around. Maybe they take a little longer to reach those interested, however, sooner or later they do.
Damiens customers became regulars and whether they purchased or not, it was indifferent to him, for he already had a lot of money, (and a lot!). But he didnt show it off. Damien wasnt the type who liked to flaunt his wealth. He lived a private life, home and shop, as they say in these cases.
He hardly ever left his environment, which was composed of the neighbourhood in which he had settled since he came to Italy.
When he left his area, he went very far away from it. He returned to Tunis, to visit his family. Every summer he went back for at least a month.
Thus, also during that summer of August 2015, Damien closed the shop for the summer holidays, wished Giovanni a nice vacation, gave him a conspicuous cash bonus and left him the house keys.
Even with his customers he behaved like the gentleman he was. Already starting in July he had begun giving away small gifts like bottles of good wine, t-shirts and caps with the store logo. Therefore Clouds of smoke was being carried on tour throughout Italy and this made him happy.
From April to the end of July, Massimo and Sonia visited the store more frequently and often the two happened to meet in the store. They both seemed to consume their e-liquids in the same time period. Furthermore, Massimo had taken a mnemonic note of the days and hours in which Sonia attended the store. Whenever they met in the store, they both were visibly happy. It was a chance for them to chat, exchange their vape experiences, recommend what liquid to buy and talk about many things. Massimo was a Surveyor, Sonia was an Architect and the passion for their work, their many common notions, was their point of contact.
Once, towards the end of May, Damien gave Massimo a small VAPE lesson. He was grateful, not so much for having learned the right way to puff an electronic cigarette, but for having guessed the right way to attract a girls interest, and Sonia was the girl he wanted to attract with a great passion.
You see, Massimo, - Damien said to him one morning during a VAPE lesson - the electronic cigarette must be puffed with a certain method. Its not a burning tobacco roll. You probably also learned to puff cigarettes the right way, so they wouldnt turn it into a fireball that couldnt be smoked! You must also learn to master the electronic smoke, which in the end is only steam.
Teach me, Damien, - asked Massimo, as if he were addressing a master of martial arts - I want to know all the secrets of the e-cigs. I want to become an expert like you!
Damien looked at him smiling, with those eyes that Massimo felt like a paternal pat on his head:
All right, then listen to me. With this tool its important to learn the rhythm of the puffing time. The pause between a puff and the other must not be too long or too short. Its up to you if you want to take a lot of puffs during a VAPE session, or just a few. You have to give the resistance time to glow enough to atomize the liquid in order to savour its aroma. You must then give it time to cool, before taking a second puff; you have to let it unwind. Then you can puff, long but gently, without haste; and you will see a lot of steam coming out of your mouth.