The Ball. Erik Pethersen

I wouldn’t want you to get in the habit of attacking me from behind.»

      «Okay, then if it bothers you, I won’t do it again. You are in bad form today.»

      «The four funny girls are looking at us badly» I whisper in Serena’s ear.

      «Oops. Maybe we are using a tone of voice a little too loud?» she whispers in my left ear.

      «Yours were certainly loud, mine was not as loud, apart from the words I said when you attacked me.»

      «Attacked? It may be... And maybe we should leave the office.»

      «Where do we go for lunch? I should be home by half past two.»

      «I should be back to work at that time myself: I would suggest we go for a quick lunch at the bar opposite the office.»

      «OK let’s go.»

      «We go down for lunch, see you later girls: we leave the door open» says Serena, turning to the first two rows of desks.

      The four heads nod five times.

      «That’s a yes» I say softly, «it means they’ve grasped the idea.»

      «Great, we can go then.»

      I open the door and go to the lifts to press the call button. Serena takes her fur coat from the closet, closes the door behind her and joins me in the hall.

      «What a nice fur coat you have: a little eccentric, perhaps, but it also looks very warm.»

      «Yes, it’s really lovely» she replies, laughing. «Did you feel comfortable in it? Did you treat it well?»

      «I think I brought it back to you the same way it was this morning» I reply. «Ah, you only had a lip balm in your pocket, right? I hope I didn’t lose anything on you without realizing it?»

      Serena puts her hand in her right pocket and takes out the stick.

      «Relax, Lavi, I never keep anything in my pocket, only this» she replies opening the lip balm and spreading it three times on her upper lips and the same amount of times on her lower lips. «I keep wearing it, otherwise all my lips will chap with the cold. It also tastes good, have you tried it?»

      «No, I haven’t tried it. Do you think I steal your jacket and then I start using what I find inside too?»

      «Look, you could have, I wouldn’t have felt offended. Do you want to try it now? Look, it’s really good.»

      «No, thanks, I won’t.»

      «Come on, Lavi» she replies. «Wait, I’ll put it on for you» she says placing a hand on my left shoulder and bringing the buttery thing to my mouth.

      «If you really want to. Just once, please» I try to say but Serena has already started it regardless of my words.

      «Yes, but if you don’t speak it will all be easier» she says, sliding the stick over my lips.

      I hear the lift coming and the doors open: inside it, behind Serena playing with my lips, I see a man dressed in a grey suit.

      «Here, you look all nice and buttered up» she says, screwing the cylinder back on, then putting it back in her pocket and turning around. We get into the lift.

      «Good morning. Are you going to the ground floor too?»

      «Hello, yes, thank you» I reply.

      We both turn towards the door, with our backs to the other guy.

      «It’s good, isn’t it?»

      «Yes, very pleasant» I reply while I feel a hot flush rising up my face.

      Serena holds back a laugh and her face turns really pink: she moves closer and hits me with the hip. Fifteen seconds of silence and the lift reaches the ground floor.

      «Goodbye» we say almost with one voice, without turning around.

      We get out of the lift and we walk along the corridor. The other man follows us and, at Mauro’s station, which is unattended, turns towards the door of the stairs leading to the car park; we keep going to the left towards the glass door and we get out of the building.

      «You are really silly!» I say laughing.

      Serena bursts out laughing saying: «What a great impression we made.»

      «Really great.»

      «That thing you smeared on my lips is really greasy: I feel all furred.»

      «Come on, it’s not true, it’s so good» Serena says still giggling.

      We cross the street and head to the bar.

      «But how many minutes can you be okay outside dressed like this?»

      «I don’t know, now it’s almost hot: maybe I can resist for ten minutes without freezing to death.»

      «Besides, I’m the stupid one... Come on, let’s go in right now, before you get frozen.»

      Serena pushes the glass handle, I follow her and we find ourselves inside the room.

      «Hi girls, is there just the two of you?» a boy in a black and white striped apron welcomes us, holding some menus in his hand.

      «Yes» Serena replies, «where can we sit?»

      «How about down there towards the glass window? Or would you rather sit more on the inside?»

      «It’s fine there» I reply, looking at Serena for approval as she nods her head in agreement.

      «Follow me, please» says the waiter, walking towards the back of the room.

      «Good morning, guys, have a nice lunch» Serena says in front of me, turning to a table hidden from my view by some greenery. I go past it and discover the senior guys enjoying a seafood risotto.

      «Morning» I say.

      «Thanks for calling us boys» Umberto replies, laughing. «You too» the others reply, overlapping the voices.

      We are heading for our table at the bottom of the room. The boy leaves the plastic menus he was holding on the square table. «Three minutes and I’ll be back to you, girls.»

      «Thanks Gigi» replies Serena.

      We sit down taking up two orange-glazed wooden chairs. I browse through the dishes and, considering that I will have to move all that stuff in the afternoon, I decide that not a quick but a rather nutritious lunch can be a happy thing. I rule out tagliatelle with stewed hare, which seem a little out of place to me, I also rule out Milanese-style risotto, and I nonchalantly scroll down the other dishes.

      «Lavi, what are you having? I’ll go for a beef carpaccio with parmesan and artichokes.»

      «I’ll go for hot octopus with potatoes and olives» I reply a little doubtfully.

      «But why do you think they write hot? Can you also have a cold or freezing octopus option?»

      «Maybe, if you ask politely, they can also do it flambéed» I suggest. «I don’t know, maybe they mean that it’s not that cold, like when you find it in salads, cut into slices.»

      «Yes, it could be» she replies, somewhat perplexed.

      Serena looks out of the window and I throw a glance myself out the bar window, in the opposite direction: on the sidewalk a short distance from us I see a man of about sixty, black suit, greenish tie, low gaze with a cigarette in his hand. He is about to cross paths with a girl dressed in an elegant grey suit that comes in the opposite direction: they go past each other and continue in their opposite directions. Behind the man there is another man, about forty-five years old: he takes his eyes off his smartphone and glances inside the bar as if he was looking for someone.

      «Lavi, why do you think everyone is going around with such sad faces?» Serena suddenly asks.

      «Why do you say sad?»

      «I