Something new for HO. We are going to excerpt the work of HumorOutcasts Press authors – just to help them get their work out there more. First up, is Maela Torre. Although Mae lives in northern Italy, she is fluent in English. Her first novel, Reality of a Dream is a wonderful romance. The book is published in English and Italian, and tells the story of two people who were brought together by a simple school assignment when they were young. The story takes place in Italy and Scotland. This excerpt is not about her main characters, but rather, gives us insight into the family history of the novel’s hero.
“How did you two meet?” asked Emma.
“It happened during WWII. I was working as seamstress in a small factory where we made the uniforms for the navy. Charles was a carpenter. At that time I was just little more than a child, but even at 16, I was already considered a marriageable age. He was a bit older than me and in that period he was building a huge factory right next to mine.”
“The morals of time forbade me from walking alone on the street. It would have been improper, that‘s why I was always escorted by a swarm of spinster cousins, sisters or old aunts of my mother that would have scared the devil itself, if he had dared approach me. Luckily enough, there was no one controlling me inside the factory and Charles–I still have no idea how–found out.
One afternoon I found him before my worktable with a small black button closed in his hand, he told me it had fallen off from his shirt while he was working and that he needed it badly, so he asked me to sew it back. Since I was working for the British army, I wasn‘t allowed to work for civilians, but my boss was out to lunch and I knew that the girls who were working with me would never betray me, so I sewed it back on. Although I was really young, I was a seamstress with an experienced eye. My mother had taught me to sew even before than to talk, so it wasn‘t difficult for me to see that that thread hadn‘t been ripped by use, but pulled out on purpose. Charles had ripped off the first button of his shirt and while I was reattaching it, our faces were terribly close. I could feel his hot and scented breath on my skin, and it was electrifying. I remember my heart beating so fast, but it was a different beat from all those who had make it beat quickly before. I can still feel the butterflies flying in my stomach, my hands were shaking so much I stuck myself twice with the needle. I never did it before I met him. I had no control over that needle.
Charles didn‘t know back then, but, I had noticed him too among all the workers of his construction site, with his green eyes and his wide shoulders, he made me dizzy every time I looked at him. My aunts could prevent the boys coming to talk to me, but they could not stop my eyes from looking at Charles, wherever he was.”
Emma smiled, bewitched by that story. It was way more romantic that she had thought.
“After the day of the button, we didn‘t have any more chances to meet and talk until a few months later. Charles decided to join the army as a volunteer. Many years later, safe and sound in our cottage, I asked him why he did something so stupid right after he had met me. He told me he had felt the duty to protect the country where our children would grow up. And I had just met him once when he decided to leave.”
“It must have been awful to know that he was facing death,” said Emma drinking her iced tea.
Valerie nodded becoming serious.
“My heart broke when I found out he had left. I was afraid I was never going to see him again and the thought alone was for me unacceptable, so much I couldn‘t sleep at night. Nothing had happened between us, not even a small innocent kiss, yet I heard a voice in my heart telling me that out destinies were bonded.”
Valerie took another sip of her tea. Although it was deep winter, it was a nice day, and the sun was warming up the bones that the cold had frozen.
“One morning, right after Charles had left, something completely unexpected happened. My mother gave me permission to go and come back from work without being accompanied by those old spinsters. I was in seventh heaven, finally free. I didn‘t know what to do of all that freedom since Charles was gone and he was the only reason I wanted to walk to work alone. I didn‘t know yet, but that wasn‘t going to be the only surprise for me that morning. Near the factory, I met a boy who introduced himself as Benny; he said to be one of Charles‘ friends and gave me a letter from him. From that precise moment, my life changed in the most wonderful way possible. Charles and I wrote to each other every week. Ever Monday morning, I met his friend to whom I entrusted my letter. I would give him mine and he would give me the one he received from Charles. I prayed the Germans would not intercept the mail or that the letters would not get lost. That Benny had been a real blessing for our love, if it wasn‘t for him we would have never had the chance to get to know each other and lay the foundations of what was going to be a wonderful love story. Unfortunately, Benny died a few days before the end of the war in an accident at work, otherwise he would have been your mother‘s godfather, Billy.”
Valerie waved at some of the other patients and then continued her story.
“No one suspected the existence of our relationship, at least until I started to turn down proposals other girls would have paid to receive. My attitude drove my father to investigate. He knew me very well, he knew that I was very demanding, but all those rejections were too many and too much nonsense, even for someone like me. I was one of those hopeless romantic, dreaming of the one true love with a capital L. I would have never married for convenience, or because I was supposed to. I think that is what made him more suspicious because those boys, apart from providing great security, were very nice as well. If it were not for Charles, it would have been impossible not to fall in love with them.
Thank God, his investigation never led to the truth and our love remained a secret for quite some time, until Charles got leave and we could make things straight with my family.”
Reality of a Dream is on Amazon.com