The Ball. Erik Pethersen

Antonio and Ermes. My Porsche...» he says still looking at the street.

      «I can mind my business, if you wish.»

      «No, Brando, this is a valid question. There are no secrets.» It looks as if the notary is taking a few minutes to think it over. «The Ferrari California is beautiful, isn’t it? Do you like it, Brando?»

      «Yes, sure: it is a Ferrari. Everybody likes it. I am not mad about the colour...»

      «What’s wrong with the colour?»

      «It’s red: Ferrari red. For me cars are only black and I just make a distinction between pastel black, metallic black and matt black.»

      «Should I have got a black one?»

      «I don’t know, notary. Usually, Ferrari cars are red. I would say that many experts would not tolerate a different colour. I don’t know the specific environment: there could be Ferrari enthusiasts that go around with Ferrari cars with the strangest colours.»

      «In my opinion, a red Ferrari is a bit ordinary.»

      «Ordinary... in your elitist bracket is very common, I think for sure.»

      «That’s right» the notary replies. «I think that 95% of Ferrari cars sold are red.»

      «Excuse me, but are you telling me that you don’t like the colour of your car?»

      «It’s not just a matter of colour, it is just the car that I bloody hate!»

      «You bloody hate it?» I ask, puzzled.

      «Yes, I fucking hate it.»

      «You fucking hate it?» I ask more and more puzzled.

      «Here is your platter, gentlemen. I’ll leave it here for you» the waiter interrupts placing the wooden board in the middle of the table. «And your Franciacorta wine.»

      «Thank you» we reply almost at the same time.

      The waiter turns around and goes over to the table of the girls beside us, who keep on talking with their shrill voices.

      The notary drinks some wine, puts the glass down and grabs a sliver of parmesan cheese. «Yes. I fucking hate it.»

      «Right, I got it right then. I did not think you would harbour a grudge towards your car. How long have you been feeling that way towards it?»

      «Since the first day I went to collect it at the car dealer.»

      «Why, where did you buy it? You didn’t order it from the car factory? I thought that was the case for Ferrari cars.»

      «I think this is the case for new cars. She was about four months when I bought it.»

      «Anyway, if you chose it, it means that you liked it a bit.»

      The notary drinks another sip of wine. «No, actually I have never thought of buying a Ferrari car in my life and it was the only one left in that car showroom where I went following the advice of one of my friends because I needed a car ready for delivery. There were a few Porsche cars and one Nissan GT-R: that was wonderful, orange with black rims.»

      «Yes, magnificent» I reply looking at him. «Sorry, notary, and then? Why did you go for the Ferrari?»

      «I needed to replace the other one quickly; then I was there with my wife, you know how these things go.»

      «No, not really. Ultimately, did your wife prefer the Ferrari?»

      «Of course, she said that it would have been more suitable for my age and that I did not have the right age to have an orange car, it was not appropriate for a serious professional.»

      «I see. Nissan GT-R cars forever: as a matter of fact, I agree with your choice.»

      The notary gulps down his glass of wine, looks at me and smiles.

      «Actually, with your non-choice» I grin.

      I empty my glass too. «Actually, I asked about your old Porsche» I try to say again. «It didn’t look that old to me: it was so cool in my opinion.»

      «The same for me, the only thing was that she had a troublesome differential gear and secondly my Porsche was to be replaced, costing me a few thousand euros. They told me that she could have broken down any minute causing damage to I don’t know how many components: she was making a loud noise, quite low, that could be heard from outside.»

      «Now the matter is clearer to me.»

      «Why? I didn’t know you had a great interest in my car fleet.»

      «I was just curious. You know that I love cars, so I was a little worried for your old 911, completely black, which I liked very much.»

      The notary stops the waiter who is hanging around the girls’ table and asks for two more glasses of wine.

      «I have always liked it myself» then he says, «do you like it even if it is metallic black and not matt like your car?».

      «Matt black is quite a recent obsession: the shiny varnish on your 911 looks definitely beautiful too.»

      «Brando, do you think that your fuchsia car mirrors make your car look serious?»

      «Serious maybe not but the mirrors with a different colour than the upholstery was an optional and I could not resist: I was in two minds whether to go for orange or that one. As a matter of fact, they are a bit tacky.»

      «Just a bit» the notary laughs. «At least they stand out from your sombre and gloomy appearance.»

      «That’s right. Also, I went in to order it by myself, with no female presence by my side.»

      The waiter drops over two new glasses of wine three quarters full and takes the empty ones.

      «True, black is a constant with me» I say grabbing the glass. «So, in the end you have held on to the 911 and you don’t use it anymore, for fear that it will self-destruct at any moment?»

      «I still use it now and again. I have brought it to several garages, after I got the new one: the two Anyauto partners seemed to be the most reliable, actually they are very good indeed. They advised me to allow them to open it up and in the end they were able to solve the problem by changing just one bearing of the differential gear and the noise went completely. At that point, while I was at it, I followed their advice to put in a new exhaust pipe because the standard one reduces the engine power. And the one that they put it has a sound really...» the notary said, pausing.

      «Really what?»

      «I wouldn’t know how to express it: really harmonious.»

      «Quite a story! Like the euphonic ball?» I ask laughing, while he stares at me with a strange look. «Anyway, I didn’t think that the staff at Anyauto were so cutting-edge» I say quickly.

      «Yes, they are really great» the notary says reaching out for his glass. «Somebody told me that they have started to provide a breakdown service in the last few months: they take turns, making themselves available at any time, day or night.»

      «They are great» I say. «They keep themselves very busy.»

      «Yes, at least they keep themselves going with some ideas» he replies. «They live opposite their garage: they have a barn, where they work, and a two-storey building in front of it, which is a bit neglected, where they both live, each of them with their own families.»

      «Great idea, I’d say: home and work close by» I answer staring at the glass in front of me. If they have both of them in the one place, they have less hassle: they avoid being in and out, they save their energy and can allocate time for their pastimes. Such a life would not be bad. It is a shame that for me it is unachievable.

      ⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎

      The voices of the girls are louder and louder; the girl who is sitting at the head of the table, ducklike and half naked like the others, but with almost pleasant plumage,