PART II

CONVERSATIONS……..

TERRORISM

‘And a ball of fire from the sky will destroy the two towers……’ prophecy by Nostradamus.

They had just woken up, almost at the same time. Margherita had immediately switched on the little radio on her bedside table to listen to the morning news. Oriana, still in her pyjamas, was busy making coffee on her electric ring. The smell of freshly brewed espresso was already filling the room.

She poured herself the first of a long series of cups of coffee and lit her third cigarette of the morning. Margherita, still lying on the bed with her eyes closed, was stretching her legs.

“Are you having a lazy spell this morning? Aren’t you getting ready to go out?” Oriana inquired, anxious to start work typing on her faithful Olivetti.

Margherita, with her arms on her head, looked at her in amusement without showing any signs of haste. With a smile she reassured her, “Don’t worry. I will leave you alone soon,” but she continued to stretch herself on the bed like a cat in the sun.

Oriana went to the table and began to gather some sheets of paper that were scattered around. She found a photo of herself in New York with, in the background, the towers that subsequently would have been destroyed by the terrorists. She looked at the photo sadly. The two towers in the background made her think the photo belonged to a past that was no longer. The vision of the World Trade Center revived an old pain.

“Where were you when the towers were attacked?” Oriana asked Margherita who was by now beginning to get up.

“In Manhattan. In my apartment, not far from yours.”

“Were you aware of what was happening?”

“Not exactly. My apartment lo