Guilla rubbed both hands while waiting under the bus stop, a sheet roof sustained by two wooden poles.
It was December the cold was not a surprise, even do Portorosso was hot almost all year long; during winter, the temperature dropped considerably, that much she had to wear three sweaters, a hat, and a scarf.
She breathed out through her mouth, able to see the white haze her breath had become.
She didn't have a problem with waking up early, but she hated the cold as it prevents her from swimming or eating gelato. But then she told herself to not complain about anything, she was healthy, with her five senses in order, and a job which helped to support her papa, these times weren't the best of the year for him neither.
Also, the job prevents her from thinking.
"In that"
The bus was approaching; the vehicle was old, the cushion seat had fallen off, her poor butt was against the hard metal bracket; the road was bumpy, and a part cobbled, so the bus was shaking from left to right, throwing her to both sides and from forward to back.
Her martyrdom lasted an hour until they arrived at the laboratory, an American facility, a gigantic concrete cube with two floors, and an underground parking lot; she worked in the three of them.
She quickly got out of the truck and walked to the front door, the path illuminated by yellow lights placed on poles.
To access it was required to show the ID to a sensor attached to the wall. Giulia took out her card and ran it through the scanner.
Bip.
The door was open, and Giulia quickly passed to the reception; there was a black desk, behind which a girl with glasses was texting on her computer while drinking a cappuccino.
Her first stop where the dressing rooms that were on the other side, they were rows of navy blue lockers, accompanied by black metal benches placed at the end of each corridor, the floor was smooth and gray; Giulia put on her uniform; a white shirt, a sky blue apron, a black skirt, and gray shoes.
Her first activity was cleaning the bathrooms on each floor.
Then the main room a large capacity that had two rows of computers on each side, and against the wall was a staircase that led to an upper floor where an office and its anteroom were; rumors said it was for the head of security, who had not yet appeared.
She had to dust the monitors, clean the screens, empty the trash cans, sweep and mop as the scientists did their job; it would be nice to laugh, sing and dance while cleaning, but the others disliked it, and they could sanction her, so she had to do her work quietly, that didn't exactly make it enjoyable.
After that, it was her lunchtime.
At the diner there was a wall full of counters with the different dishes served on trays; luckily Massimo, her father, always prepared a meal for her, so that she wouldn't have to eat the tasteless lunch the company offered.
She used to eat alone; just like happened in the town, everyone at work saw her as a freak, so she preferred to isolate herself from the rest, usually at the farthest table from everyone, watching how others relished with each other.
Sometimes Giulia couldn't help but feel a little lonely, but she quickly pushed those thoughts away, thinking about what she would do tomorrow.
After her meal, she resumed her work cleaning the remaining rooms, and she had to be alert in case one of her superiors needed something; her contract stipulated that she couldn't refuse the orders of a hierarch.
After that she could leave, with the same card which she entered marked her departure at the door, then Giulia had to wait for the bus that took another hour, and after that, she could return home.
The stop was twenty minutes away from her house, so she had to walk a little more; her home was close to the coast, so she always had a good view of the sea, frozen at that time of year, which didn't exactly make his dad's job easy, another reason to stay in the lab.
Her dad was in the kitchen when she came in; she took off her coats and placed them on a rack by the door.
"Hey papa," she greeted with joy; that was her favorite moment of the day.
"Giulietta," her dad poked his head out and smiled.
Massimo was a tall, robust and stocky man, with brown hair, born without an arm, but that did not impede him; he walked up and hugged her.
"How was work?" he asked.
"Same as usual, nothing interesting," she answered while putting her bag on an armchair. "I'm taking a bath."
"Perfect, I made your favorite."
Giulia smiled at thinking about the pasta.
"Thanks, papa"
As she climbed the stairs, she found Machiavelli, her cat, resting on the railings. Giulia smiled and stroked him on the head, the feline purred, and she went to her room to take her pajamas, then to the bathroom.
There was a shower with a tub, but they rarely used the bathtub; its color was algae-green as same as the toilet, the curtains were white, and the checkered walls were blue.
Another thing she enjoyed the most about the day was being able to take off her clothes and go under the hot water stream as if the water could wash away all her problems, and the heat returned the warmness to her body.
After that she went out, dried herself with a white towel, and put on her pajamas.
The food was already at the table; Trenette al pesto, Giulia smiled, took her fork, and began to eat. Massimo asked her questions about work, but Giulia didn't have much to tell due to her loneliness in the lab, she would like to ask him about fishing, but she knew that he spent most of his time at home now that the waters were frozen, so they used to dine in silence.
After that, Giulia picked up the dishes and washed them while Massimo went to bed; these days were rough for him with the lack of activity his father felt like a caged animal, going from here to there with no reason. Giulia hated seeing him like this, but he had been in the same profession for so long that she doubted he could work at anything new.
«The waters will thaw,» Giulia thought to feel encouraged.
When she finished rinsing the last plate, Giulia would go up to her room and lie down on her bed to see the ceiling; before she used to leave her room to go to old Bernardi's house, he had a telescope with which she could see the stars, but since her mom.
She no longer found the same passion.
That's why she preferred to go to sleep, to be ready for the next day; after all, she had to get up early and repeat the routine.
