The plate "one" Under Vesuvius

THE PLATE "ONE" by Enzo Faenza

Francuccio was twenty years: after all, these, 'or into' alley, "one of many in Naples. His family of five persons, occupied for years a "pied'-to-earth", a "studio" that not long ago had been a florist's shop. The morning of the Assumption, the mother, to release the smell of so much humanity compressed for so many hours in a few square meters, but did not open the windows raised the portcullis. So every morning, with the creaking of the old gate, for Francuccio and family life resumed. And what a life!? Dad Gigino, physical disappointing, low, lean, with sunken cheeks De Filippo, was the holder of a record: in 60 years had never worked. Occasionally, good-naturedly, smiling, trying to invoke and plausible explanations adduced ... to 'war,' nephritis 'or' cowardly and sinnaco buciardo "... but then Assumption, mercifully, the stoppava and its curriculum to be returned Fourth Mystery of Fatima. Conversely Assumption was a beautiful woman and as a condemnation of divine punishment, had always worked. His life was spent to clean house in this or that lady, to wash the stairs of this or that building: the Vomero, a Mergellina in St. Lucia! It was in St. Lucia that one day the lawyer Ayala, yes, the famous lawyer, gave her a rose and whispered: "Assu you are female and Napule cchiù beautiful and ..." But she ran into the alley disturbed and confused. And it was there, "into or 'alley', when Cyrus, the elder son, who had taken" the place "in the Railways, he returned for the first time in Bologna Alfetta with flaming red! Cyrus, the great Ciruzzo! The only living native who had managed to escape from the "rubbish in alley" ... Where you are also stealing each other between the neighbors. Where Massimino, the old son of Totonno "Cuoccio and 'fierr" came and went on "vacation" from Nisida: the last time he was caught by police while three other peers, scorazzava happy for the center, driving a stolen Volvo ! Where Marisa, just turned 17 years, remaining as a prostitute, but, miraculously, "semprevergine"! Where Nicholas, or 'boss, tall, handsome, strong, with a ponytail, reviewing his troops and his lovers, his forearm showed that resembled the deck of the Nimitz, with the solemn tattoo: "Mother, forgive me for what I did! " Where Francuccio was perhaps the last hope ... He, in fact, unlike other guaglioni, also had political ideas, had the "big dream" that something could change and could remain living there, all in a dignified manner. And these ideas, and these dreams, they shared with Mariangela, a beautiful student of Salerno who was in love with him, hearing him play guitar and sing "princess" and "Light My Fire"! Li shared with many friends who lived "fore or 'alley', in other districts, other places of the beautiful and painful Naples.

That day I was invited to lunch at the home of Francuccio.

Assunta had prepared "everything" in the back room used as a kitchen and brought to the table steaming dishes with great emotion: it was the first time that a "student" dined at his house! We began to eat some tasty rigatoni "sauce" shyly exchanging a few words. Soon, however, the first course was over for everyone. Someone made the shoe and ended

Assumption that task well and, strangely, did not get up to go in

back room. Then Gigino poured wine into my glass, I poured more of the Assumption in his and, in turn, everyone else in them. We went to lunch so drinking, drinking, drinking! And we laughed, we laughed, we laughed and we beffammo, we beffammo, we beffammo and eventually stumbled, we hugged, we hugged, we hugged. Assumption is not never got up to go into the kitchen and the dish of rigatoni was "unique" in every sense!

My story ends here. I do not recommend you continue reading: the move in space and time often results in unnecessary suffering ... word of Sloth!

When I got back in the alley a few years later, I found the old abandoned flower shop with the shutters half open. I put a rush a passer-by who in turn asked me "Who Francuccio? Vuie maybe try Francuccio or 'mariunciello, or' communist?! What was stealing in the apartments? Is up to Bologna, and makes cleaning and integrated 'train! But what Mariangela !? She married Marisa and we had three children, but it is ... "ever virgin"!