Part
23.
More than half a year had passed, and the Padrone had
found no trace of the gardener anywhere. He had sent people very far and to
many places, but no one knew a man like Ugo. Or perhaps they knew him all too
well and were hiding it out of fear.
Perhaps Dada’s diary could shed light on many things. The
Padrone was dying of curiosity; he was impatient, wanting so badly to read what
Dada was writing.
But he still could not bring himself to pry into the soul
of his beloved ward without her permission. He spent his nights sleepless.
Sometimes he would firmly decide that he absolutely must read it, but then,
even the thought of it would fill him with an awkward feeling; he felt almost
like a traitor somewhere deep down.
The days dragged on again. At the Padrone’s request, Zeki
had finally moved into the estate, though he had not asked much of anything.
Perhaps he thought that he should live by Dada’s side after all, and that, in
the end, there might finally be a way to tame the girl.
It suited Zeki to move to the estate as well. Lately, he
had been living a very chaotic life. He often drank and had taken up gambling.
He had lost a considerable amount of money and had even thrown in his city
house as well. His creditors were also tormenting him, and he preferred to lie
low under the Padrone’s wing until he could get his hands on some new
profitable business.
They were still hiding the news about Ugo from him. The
Padrone knew his hot-tempered nature well. Zeki would undoubtedly run into some
new trouble before he could bring any benefit to the family, especially since
the gardener was not much to Zeki’s liking, and after his current situation, he
was in a very bad mood. He wandered around the estate with dissatisfaction.
Angry mostly at himself, he was snapping at everyone and everything. He gave
the servants remarks without any reason. He was always grumbling about
something, and he no longer took Dada hunting, although Dada didn't care much
for it either.
Dada had completely lost interest in hunting. She would
get obsessed with something new, as if pouring her whole soul and heart into
it, and then suddenly give it up and turn her back on it so completely that she
wouldn't even look in that direction anymore.
The Padrone encouraged Dada’s new whims in every way,
thinking that perhaps these new interests would bring back the old Dada, but
everything was in vain, and nothing changed. The old, cheerful Dada had
vanished somewhere and wandered far away.
It was as if she had followed Ugo’s trail and had no
intention of returning.
Now, Dada began spending more time in the kitchen. She
was interested in preparing various dishes and desserts. The Padrone was happy
about it, too. He thought it was good for her to entertain herself and learn
many things. Being in the kitchen was better than handling weapons and going
hunting; there was less danger, and the Padrone’s heart was at ease.
In reality, however, Dada was going there more to find
out news about Ugo.
One day, quite by accident, she overheard them quietly
gossiping about the shaggy, ruggedly dressed, yet apparently quite handsome and
passionate gardener; from then on, she frequented the kitchen even more and
didn't want to leave.
She kept to herself. She carried herself as if, along
with her speech, her hearing had also been blocked; meanwhile, she would
prepare a dish, ears pricked, listening to the chatter of the servant women who
were smitten with Ugo.
The Padrone still did not dare to read Dada’s diary. As
time went on, he couldn't find a moment of peace; he wanted to read it so
badly, but Dada could come up from the kitchen at any time, so extra caution
was needed.
One day, he made up an excuse. He sent Zeki to the city
and had Dada tag along, giving her a separate errand. The girl agreed happily,
but Zeki grumbled terribly.
- Mind you! Don't you try any tricks on me! - he warned
the girl categorically, keeping one eye on the Padrone, as if to say, "You
agree with me, don't you?"
"Finally,"
the Padrone thought as Zeki's car disappeared from sight.
He practically ran up the stairs. Gasping for air, he grabbed the door handle
as he entered the gallery. He could barely catch his breath.
For a moment, he hesitated again.
"Is it really possible to pry into a person's
soul without permission when you respect them?
This is shameless and a betrayal of her, but..."
The Padrone pulled away from the door. He took that
large, thick-bodied book from the shelf and began to read.
He flipped through the pages, calling himself shameless
in his heart, a traitor to the soul of the person he loved most, yet he could
not stop; he continued to read.
LEX. Thursday, March 10, 2016.
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