Los Angeles

The kitchen was in turmoil, it looked like the thieves had just passed. The dirty dishes in the sink, six different bottles scattered around the hob, obviously dirty, soothers on the floor, smelly diapers in the trash can, assorted stains of various colors on the floor, rattles, baby bodysuits, exhausted creams for redness, assorted plush toys, prema clothes on the stools attached to the island once used for A real delirium. The soundtrack was one, constant, inexorable: the scream of a child. Ethan didn't want to know how to sleep, neither during the day nor especially at night. Donna alternated sadness over a hint of postpartum depression to hysterism due to lack of sleep. David didn't know what Saint to vote for. He took the baby and screamed harder; he left him in the cradle and screamed his wife.

"Take it, for God's sake!"

He had solidarized with the owner of a small children's shop near the house, in a kind of paternal alliance; Josh, this is the name of the "solidarity", had three children of 6, 4 and 1 year old. So he knew very well what Silver was going through. He saved the classic "and you still haven't seen anything" joke, which from the top of his experience with three infants could have unlined without any risk of error; but he knew that to console a novice father he had to avoid falling into the cliché. In fact, he tried to comfort him: "See me? I am here, safe and sound, surviving three pregnancies, three parties, three weanings and so on. It will pass, you just have to be patient and a big temper. You can make it Silver."

These reassurances undoubtedly had some effect on the boy who, at one point, was almost looking for the excuse to go to "Baby". So much so that Donna was almost beginning to suspect that she had a lover.

"David Silver, these continuous trips of yours from Baby are perplexing me; aren't you going to fallow with some little girls at the checkout?!"

"Yes Donna, the beautiful Josh. But don't say nonsense, I just try to make myself useful for our baby"

"Well, then do it and go get it! Don't you hear that he cries? It will be dirty, change his cloth and maybe, if it's not too much trouble, make him a bath."

David tried, once again, not to go into reluctance; he remembered what his analyst had told him about puerpery and still brought patience, without replying. He went to the baby, who screamed like a bone, took him and began tinkering in the bathroom to put an end to this torture. And that's when Ethan had calmed down and was enjoying the relaxation of the hot water that rang his cell phone. A number is not registered on the screen. "Who will bother Daddy while playing with his baby?" Ethan looked at him smiling. And his smile immediately put the whole world back in his place. "Ready"

"David hello! What a pleasure to hear from you! How are you?" "Sorry, who's talking?"

"But how don't you recognize me?"

As he could not recognize her, it had been five years, but her voice was always the same. He quickly thought about that greeting in front of the taxi with the engine on, in front of Walsh's house.

Flashback

"Call as soon as you arrive," David said.

"I will miss you"

"I'll miss you too," Valerie replied sincerely, "why don't you come with me?" SHe had mentioned, with little hope.

"I can't leave everything like that," David had smiled.

"I know; we face the future without looking back, you should never look back...hello," Valerie concluded moved. They hugged and after a few seconds the taxi slid on the asphalt towards the airport. And then Val at his wedding. Always the same, always different. Happy for him. Independent Val, looking for something Val.

"Are you always there?" Valerie brought David back to the present, "Of course Val, how are you?" He said with a mixture of happiness and perplexity in feeling the beautiful Malone after all this time.

"It took you time to recognize me; I thought my voice had left you an indelible mark," she said, lowering her timbre in a tone and blinking at the mirror he had on his desk. Over the years Valerie's sensuality had gained greater awareness; to the beauty she had added a maturity that made her "excited" when she decided that a man had to be her own. Finally, her social position, as a career woman, restored her a charm that it was impossible to resist. But at that moment she was just playing. A game that the good Silver didn't hit all the way, as from below Donna was screaming "David all right upstairs? Is Ethan still alive?"

"Yes Donna, we're doing great, but thank you for your interest!" And lowering the tone "Valerie, right now, the only indelible sign is my son's milk residue on my jeans; I hope I can clean it up. How are you? What good wind brings you to look for me, after five years when you didn't make a phone call?"

David used all the sarcasm he was capable of "I know – – I wasn't a good friend, but you know: I had come home after so many years, my mother, the contacts to be resumed, a life to rebuild. I didn't want ties to Los Angeles, it was already difficult to start from scratch without putting in the way the nostalgia of the friends left behind."

David rehashed out, "Of course, I can understand."

"After 3 years I left - Val continued - and moved to New York, where I started running an art gallery; I like it so much, you know?" "I'm happy for you" David was already grappling with Ethan and the towel.

"Me in the meantime, I work on a radio, an afternoon program so I don't have to pack up to get up," he laughed, "I had a child and I'm drying it right now."

"Oh, great" the irony quickly passed from side of the phone to the other.

"Don't judge what you don't know," David said.

"No judgment, imagine; let's get to the point"

"Yes, let's go"

"Next week I'm coming to run a gallery in Los Angeles, a six-month project. I'm going to live at the Hilton for the first two weeks, but hotel life is not for me, no longer; experience already proven that I don't want to repeat."

"But is there any convention at the Hilton?"

"What?" Said Val.

"Nothing, go ahead."

"Okay, I need some help to find a house for the six months of stay; a small villa, possibly with a pool and garden; I thought of you."

"You look, I was missing real estate work."

"Come on David, I don't know who else to ask, you're the only friend I've stayed with in Los Angeles who can ask for a courtesy."

David's good heart was felt by that sincerely heartfelt request; or so it seemed.

"Okay Val, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you thank you thank you David!" She was sincerely happy.

"Then I'll see you on Tuesday at 3.30 pm at the airport, I'll text you with the flight details," "Wait a minute, what does that mean?"

"I have to go David, you're a darling, I love you" click. David looked in the mirror. He smiled. In any case, he was happy to see Valerie again, from below they resumed the screams "David, what the hell are you still doing??!!". Very happy...