"You must die I alone am best!
I hope ya flip some guy the bird
He cuts you off and you're forced to swerve
In front of the Beatles' tour bus
A Bookmobile and a Mack truck
Hauling hazardous biological waste
The light turns red you have no brakes
And "Hard Copy" gets it all on tape
So you can see the look on your face
Die Die Die Die Die Die Die
Die Die Die Die Die Die Die"
The words of "I hope you die" of the Bloodhoung Gang filled my right ear as the train ran quickly on the tracks. A song quite old, but that could trigger forgotten memories over time.
The other earpiece was used by Lara, sitting in the seat next to mine, intent on looking out the window. She held her red jacket on her knees with her hands, grunting in annoyance without looking up from the blue sky. I could see the reflection of her serious face through my eyes. It was not difficult to think of what she was thinking, after all this song always has the same effect. Not even two months ago, Lara and I met Adele, a girl who proved to be superior to my girlfriend on every field. And after some time, the only moments when those memories resurfaced was when we heard the notes of this song. The memory of the struggle between Lara and Adele was still clear in my mind, but every time I thought about how Lara lost, or the night she spent with Adele, a heavy sense of guilt hit me. I was sorry for my girlfriend, convinced that I was no longer up to my expectations after that defeat, despite my words of encouragement. But Lara didn't want to hear reasons.
So I thought it was a good choice to pull the plug for a while. The cold started, and the big cities are more empty than in the summer. I immediately booked for Florence, a magnificent Italian city. I found an offer on the internet for a 4-star hotel, just minutes from the historic center of Florence and the station. It didn't take long and everything was booked.
Lara immediately disagreed, but with my eloquence she managed to make her give up.
"Come on, we have to go! Two lovers in Florence!" I exulted smiling, with tickets in hand.
"All right..." she whispered, smiling.
It was a forced response, but I was sure she would allow Lara to recover. Seeing the Duomo, the David, all the wonders of Florence would have relaxed her.
We left three days later, and the journey on the train was a succession of nap and music. But after the Bloodhoung Gang, I imagined that my girlfriend's thoughts remained fixed on one thought: Adele.
We arrived a few hours later. The fresh air filled our lungs as we approached the hotel. Despite the season, there were still many tourists. We reached half a few minutes later. The inscription Horto Convento peeped out from the tree that hid it. The building was surrounded by a lovely garden, which invited passers-by to enter. I took care of the recording, noticing Lara shortly afterwards who was wandering with her eyes. I tried to follow her gaze but saw nothing in particular. A small group of people was leaving the hotel and nothing else.
"Everything's fine, dear?"
My girlfriend came to her senses, even if upset.
"Yes, yes. I was just taking a look."
I looked at her suspiciously, but after a few seconds she realized that it was just a matter of settling in. I didn't want to put it under pressure, otherwise the journey would have been useless.
While the luggage was placed in our room, we were free to tour the city. We decided right away to start with what was further away, so as not to waste the good weather: Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens.
The streets were quite crowded, and we had to zigzag among people of various ages to cross the Old Bridge that overlooked the Arno, the river of Florence. Our first destination was the Boboli Gardens, as it was on the hill. We took photos, climbing stairs and paths, just to have one of the most beautiful views of Florence. The city stretched ahead of us, giving us an incredible show. I turned to Lara only to see her lean over to look down.
"Honey?"
Lara came to herself again, jolting. I had caught her in the act... but to do what? I glanced down. Below us there were only tourists and happy couples who probably took a romantic walk. I looked back at my girlfriend questioningly, and she shook her head, smiling.
"Nothing, nothing. Come on, let's go!" Lara said, grabbing my hand.
I followed she without making a fuss along the green slopes of the Boboli Gardens, greeting that magnificent view for the last time. Apparently, Lara wanted to see Pitti Palace now, before turning back. But even in the magnificent new location, my girlfriend's gaze wandered around the rooms, as if she were looking for something. And with a resigned look, we continued our trip inside the walls of the Palace.
Finished, we started down the stairs to reach the exit. But as soon as I finished the first flight of stairs and turned the corner, I found myself Lara nailed to the spot. I was about to say something to her, now tired of her strange behavior, when she heard a female voice speak a language unknown to me. I quickly moved my gaze to the origin of that sound. A wonderful girl was climbing the stairs. The dark hair gathered in a soft ponytail, the neckline that swayed with each step, as she climbed with red shoes. I looked at Lara and saw that she was looking at her intently, almost manic. The other girl looked back as she climbed, and both girls began to turn their heads to maintain eye contact. But after a while, I entered their field of vision and everything seemed to return to normal. We stood still as the unknown girl's footsteps receded from us. Lara continued to stare at my chest, holding her breath for no reason. When we no longer felt anything, it was as if I were allowed to breathe. We sighed heavily, trying to catch our breath. And as I watched my girlfriend outdo me up the stairs, she understood the reason for her behavior. As if by magic, I also remembered that girl on other occasions. At the hotel, she was coming out of the door, away from us at the Boboli Gardens. And now, somehow we arrived before her at Pitti Palace. But I still didn't know why all this, even though I knew it in my heart. She followed my girlfriend who had thrown herself in pursuit of that nymph. We passed tourists as if they were statues, going through the various rooms. At one point, Lara turned left, into a new room containing paintings. When I entered it too, the scenery was almost amusing. Lara was passing the center of the room, walking in a straight line a corridor of people who were too busy looking at other works. I saw my girlfriend standing next to the unknown girl from before, remaining a few inches away. I approached them as they both looked at the Vision of Ezekiel before them. And as I got closer, I began to hear their feeble voices. They were talking, without being heard by other people.
"...hopes. Did you understand that?"
