Dancing To Happiness. Marisa Santi

I answer in an annoyed tone.

      Their presence bothers me and makes my good spirits disappear.

      <<Why do you say so? What have we done? Ah, maybe we took away the most important guest!>> they exclaim making a mockery of me with a smile that I’d like to take away maybe arming myself with a baseball bat and beating their teeth with it.

      I stiffen and begin to get nervous; raising my voice I answer very rudely: <<How dare you go to people’s houses without being allowed or invited? What a cheek! Among other things I haven’t allowed you to speak to me. Furthermore you are also requested not to stand in front of my house!>> these two men have the power to bring out the worst part of me... they instigate violence!

      <<Matthias is my friend and who pisses my friends off, pisses me off too! I don’t like you, I don’t know you and I do not want to have anything to do with you so, if possible, stay away from this house. Arrange appointments elsewhere, this is not a meeting place for scum like you!>> I pause to breath <<Now, if you excuse me, I’d like to get into my house!>> I exclaim screaming hysterically and at the end of my rope.

      While I try to open the front door the biggest man gets in front of me to prevent me from entering in the house and threateningly says: <<Oh! Excuse us if we don’t worth your while, little sod! Tell your friend to think well about what he has to do unless he doesn’t want to have unpleasant surprises in the future!>>

      In the meantime also the other sleazy man approaches and says menacingly: <<Measure your words, presumptuous girl, otherwise we will give you a hard time...>>

      At the same time Max arrives. He heard everything and intervenes immediately in my defence. <<What do you want from her? Leave her alone and go away.>>

      <<Her friend knows it, ask him! We take our leave, for now...>> while they continue saying bullshit, they move away sniggering. They makes me shiver.

      Max stares at me furiously and yells: <<What the hell were you thinking of? Do you realize what kind of fellow those two characters are? Do you tell me what the fuck you are doing? You have never been favourable to quarrels and then you squabble with two criminals. And what if I wasn’t here?>>

      <<It was not my choice, I found myself in front of them and they wanted to prevent me from entering the house. I’m worried about Matthias, I don’t like how they treat him and I’m sure that he has nothing to do with them!>>

      Now he is really angry. He has never been in favour of my friendship with Matthias. He sees him as an obstacle.

      <<Since when are you Matthias’ defender?>> Max’s anger is increasingly growing and I’m almost more afraid of him than of those two ugly mug.

      <<Have you seen that I’m right?>> he yells with his face red with anger: <<If those two characters are Matthias’ acquaintances, I do well not to trust him, and you should do it too!>>

      I’m getting irritated more and more. What right has Max to insult and criticise someone who he practically doesn’t know? I’m about to explode!

      I shout at him: <<What are you saying? He is a nice person! You talk so just because you’re jealous. How can you judge who you don’t even know, relying only on what you have decided to believe?>>

      The tones are increasingly raising and the anger is increasingly gaining the upper hand. <<I’m not jealous, but I’m fed up! You’re not able to do anything else but talking about him, you are smitten with him from day one. How can you deny the evidence in this way?>>

      <<Is it possible that you can only say bullshit? I’m sick of your accusations and inopportune reprimands!>> I reply more and more unnerved.

      <<Open your eyes! Since he arrived here you are no longer the same: You always have your head in the clouds, you don’t even want to make love with me, you always have a different excuse not to get out and stay perennially at home. You are, you are...>> Max’s voice is more and more loud and aggressive: <<Stop now! It’s time for you to choose...him or me!>>

      I feel confused and I seem to live in a nightmare. I try to control myself and with a calm voice I make him notice: <<I got engaged to you, Max, not to Matthias...>>

      <<Yes, but actually you would like to stay with him, even the walls noticed it.>>

      <<We are just good friends, and moreover he is engaged!>> I exclaim unwillingly knowing that this assertion hurts me more than Max’s insults and yells.