Crossed fates

Chapter 1

Milan, July 2022

Deborah had organized herself for the whole day. She should have followed a training course in Greek Literature at the State University of Milan, held by her old professor with whom she had graduated from that University, in Greek Literature, in November 2000. She had told her husband to bring her son 6 years old from his paternal grandmother because her parents could not keep him that day due to a medical examination. Her husband and son would not return until after 7pm and so she had thought of allowing herself a day all to herself in the Lombard capital: training course in the morning, quick lunch in a bar and then shopping in the streets of the center, like she hadn't done it for more than two years because of the terrible pandemic that had oppressed the whole world for so long. She was very enthusiastic about her program because she knew that she would surely meet her former college friends or former colleagues at the course and then, at least for a day, she would have a day all to herself, without having to cook, take the child to the park or other, absolute relaxation. She didn't know how special that day would be, it would change her whole life ... ..

She wore a little black dress with colorful flowers with short sleeves, despite the scorching heat of the month of July, because she did not want to be too exposed and lose her voice due to the air conditioning that would have been on the train and in the university classroom , that Saturday she was supposed to sing at a wedding (she had been singing in the church choir of her country for 31 years, since she was a teenager). She had paired a pair of black stiletto heel sandals and a green bag that recalled the flowers of the dress. She wore her long blond hair in a soft ponytail tied at the nape of her neck, from which the curls that she had had her hairdresser do on the occasion of her son's birthday a few days earlier fell. She put on makeup, perfumed herself and went to the station to catch the 7.45am train: the course would start at 9am and she wanted to reach the University on foot, without taking the subway. Since she had been forced into the house, like everyone else, for a long period due to the pandemic, as soon as she could she savored the pleasure of being outdoors and taking long walks, even in heels, which for her had never been a problem, indeed!

As expected, she arrived early, took her walk and once she reached the University, she took a seat in the lecture hall. She met few acquaintances actually, just someone she remembered seeing at some courses, but none of her colleagues and old companies. She was a bit disappointed, but then she told herself that it wasn't so strange: some colleagues were still busy in the final exams (Deborah was a Latin and Greek teacher in classical high school but she only had two-year classes) and some probably they had already left for the holidays. In fact, it was not very customary to hold a training course in July. She was not discouraged, she sat in her seat and listened with interest to the conference which lasted 3 hours but hardly noticed it, fascinated by the dialectic of her former professor.

At the end of the course, she queued to greet the speaker and was very happy when he remembered her. She had chatted with him for a while, informing each other of what they did in life, and then she decided to eat something at the fast food restaurant on Via Diaz before going downtown. She took a slice of pizza, an orange juice and a fruit salad, sent a voice message to her mother-in-law to say hello to her son and to find out if he was okay and then headed to Piazza Duomo to start her shopping trip. She was crossing the street near the 1900s Museum when she was suddenly hit by a man with a powerful physique who knocked her to the ground. Given her impetuous nature, she was ready to rail against him, especially when she noticed that he had bumped into her because he was typing on his cell phone and hadn't seen her, when she gasped. The man had approached her as soon as he saw her fall. He wore a sky-blue T-shirt that highlighted his statuesque physique, a pair of jeans and dark glasses. When he took them off, he turned to her saying: "I'm sorry! I didn't really see you, did you hurt yourself? Can I help you? ".

Deborah said to herself, not having looked at him yet: "He is also an English idiot, I don't understand anything!". Then she looked up, looked into his face and blanched: it couldn't be him! She was stunned and speechless, until he, a little worried that she was really hurt and noticing the people who were stopping around them, said again: "Are you okay? ". She suddenly recovered and said almost stammering: "Yes, yes, sorry" and tried to get up but felt a strong pain in her ankle. He immediately took her weight and helped her to stand up, then said to her: "Come and sit down for a moment and let's make sure your ankle isn't broken, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm an idiot, I was replying to a text and I really didn't see you ".

She tried to retrieve in her confused head some words of English she was learning thanks to her new friendships that blossomed during the pandemic and replied: "Thanks but it is not necessary, everything is fine". She hadn't uttered any of the words that had come to her mind when she was bumped, not even the ones she'd imagined so many times in her head. She had to ask him, she had to remove the doubt, also because, otherwise, she would always have been able to rant, even in Italian, she was sure that from her tone of voice and the expression of her eyes he would have understood the same!

But before she could formulate the question in English, he said again: "I insist, let's sit down for a moment in this bar and if everything goes well I'll let you go, I must be forgiven "

It took her a while to understand what he was saying to her, but luckily he articulated the words well and his pronunciation was clear enough, so that she was able to understand at least the overall meaning of the speech. She knew she had to take an English course: she had promised herself that when her son learned it at school from September she would study it with him, now she limited herself to some exercises on the internet and chatting with her friends.

She gave up and replied: "Ok", hoping that once they sat down she would be able to know if it was really him or not and she really hoped that her ankle that ached wasn't broken. People had begun to thin out when they realized he was fine and the two headed to the first bar within reach. He held his arm around her waist and helped her walk and she felt strange sensations because if it was really him….

He helped her sit in the chair and then took her ankle in his hand, feeling it to see if it was broken. She shivered at his touch, hoping he wouldn't notice.

He told her: "I think it's all right, but when you get home it will be better to put some ice on"

"Ok", she replied, searching again for the words to ask who he was, but again he preceded her: "Sorry, I haven't even introduced myself, I'm Gregg, and you?"

Gregg ... Then it was him, she wasn't wrong, the singer she had loved for 30 years, 31 to be precise, and who had recently disappeared from the scene to become a record company. His name and his incredible resemblance could not be a coincidence….

She plucked up courage and said: "Gregg, that Gregg, the famous singer and record company?"

"Not so famous now and not in Italy, but yes", he said smiling and surprised that she recognized him. He looked at her curiously and raised an eyebrow, which she had always adored since she was a teenager.

Gregg was a famous American singer who drove little girls crazy when Deborah was 15. She had an unbridled passion for him as a teenager, she had seen all his concerts on TV and when she grew up, despite having changed musical genre, he had always remained in her heart and she continued to follow him from time to time, until the year of pandemic: closed at home during the rigid lockdown, between work and home she needed an outlet to keep from going crazy and she remembered the joy she felt as a young girl listening to the songs of her idol. With a quick search on Youtube, she found all his videos and discovered that he was registered on social media, so, without thinking twice, she started following him and was lucky enough that he sometimes mentioned her in the responses to his posts. . She had discovered many social groups dedicated to him and had signed up, developing new friendships and managing to emotionally survive the terrible period she was experiencing. If she hadn't gone crazy it was only thanks to him and now that it was all over, fortunately, she had continued to cultivate her passion. The fact of being there in front of him made her mad.

"Well, don't be so sure", she answered almost without thinking, remembering how many women on social media followed him in Italy, "and in any case my name is Deborah".

"Nice to meet you Deborah"

"I can't believe it's really you, I've been a fan of yours since I was a little girl, I follow you on social media and now I fight with you, beyond belief"

"Maybe it would have been better to know each other differently for your ankle, by the way, does it still hurt a lot?" He asked very sweetly.

Deborah had almost forgotten about the ankle and the pain, all wrapped up in that surreal situation.

"Oh, the ankle, yes, that is, no, the pain is passing, thanks, it was probably just the blow, but now it's better".

"Luckily, I'm happy" and pulled out that criminal smile that made her melt in photos, let alone live.

In the meantime, the ordering boy had arrived and Gregg asked her what she wanted, she tried to say that she was fine, but he insisted and she took an iced drink, she had to recover from the heat not only due to the high temperature in July …

When the boy was gone, he looked at her curiously and asked: "But do you really still follow me after more than 30 years?"

She smiled at his modesty, which she knew from what she had read about him, and replied: "Of course, I can say your songs have accompanied my whole life, especially the period of the pandemic, indeed, I even wrote it to you in a message, but obviously I have not received an answer ... ". She was amazed at herself, that she could communicate in a language she practically did not know, and that she was so blatant.

He looked at her even more intrigued but eventually his face twitched as if he remembered something: "Wait", he said and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He fumbled with it a bit, then showed her exactly the message she had referred to.

She blushed violently and didn't have the courage to speak, he understood the situation and told her: "I remember this message, it struck me a little"

Deborah said to herself: "Well, if you read it and it hit you, you could also answer…", but obviously she didn't say these words.

She thought for a moment what to say and then she told herself that she had nothing to lose, she would never see him again, so she might as well be herself to the end.

"Oh my, what a shame, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I wish I hadn't sent it"

"Why?"

"Because I feel pretty stupid at my ripe old age"

"How old are you? Oh sorry, a woman should never be asked for her age "

"Oh no, I don't have these kinds of problems, I'm almost 46, 10 less than you and that makes me feel even more stupid. The pandemic made me an idiot, sorry "

He looked at her amused because, as they say in Italy, he was singing and playing them alone. He really liked that strange Italian woman. He decided to take her away from the embarrassment even though he found the whole situation very funny, now that he was calm about not hurting her by bumping her.

"You don't have to feel stupid, you wrote what you felt and you also had the courage, it's not for everyone, I assure you. You know how many stupid messages I have received over the years, women and men asking me if I am married, if I have children, if I wanted to be in a relationship with them and things like that. Your message was different ".

Deborah didn't quite understand everything, but it seemed to her that it was a compliment and she smiled embarrassed.

She decided to change the subject and asked him: "Why in Italy?" and in the meantime she heard a notification sound on her cell phone. She looked at it instinctively, in case it was her mother-in-law who needed something for her son, but saw that it was Gregg who had accepted the friend request she had sent him 2 years ago and which he obviously ignored. She smiled but said nothing and waited for him to answer while the boy returned with the orders. Needless to say, there was a quarrel about who should pay. In the end, however, he did, as compensation for hitting her.

Gregg answered her question about why he was in Italy: "I had wanted to visit this country for years but never had the chance. Now that I took a little break from work, I wanted to come here to look for my origins, a distant relative of mine was Italian, her mother was from northern Italy and married a pony express courier of Sweetwater "

She was amazed by this coincidence and replied: "What a coincidence! A distant relative of mine was first married to a woman who had an Italian mother, also from northern Italy. When she died in childbirth, he remarried an American after a few years and I am descended from that new family. The husband of this Italian woman was a Kiowa half-breed, they crossed a few races in those relationships "

Gregg was a bit stunned by this story, he found some strange coincidences, but he preferred not to say anything about it and simply said: "Really".

They chatted for a while and she asked him what he had seen in Milan, he told her he had been there for a couple of days and hadn't seen much yet because it had taken him a while to recover from the time zone and then asked her questions about her who told him about her family, her profession and her hobbies, including singing, and he was positively impressed.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me or do you have other commitments? You could show me something about Milan, as long as the ankle is okay "

It didn't seem real to her. She replied: "It just annoys me a little but I can do it. I had no particular plans, as I told you this morning I took a training course and I was thinking of doing some shopping downtown. I would be happy to guide you. "

"Let's go then"

They got up and walked towards the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.