Bella Italia Read Online Free Page B

you are absolutely right. You never told me that you could read minds before.”
    She gave him a wink. “It’s my hidden talent. Tomorrow I will reveal all the deep and dark sexual desires you’ve been hiding away all these years.”
    She saw how her comment brought on a slight smile.
    “Would you like a beer, worrywart?”
    He shook his head. “Not yet, maybe later.”

7
    Hans got up from his chair at exactly nine p.m. Even though they had discussed it extensively last night, he walked to the door, opening it hesitantly, and stopped.
    “Just go ahead,” Petra said, determined.
    “So you think that …”
    “I don’t think anything. Just do what you think is best.”
    He nodded and stepped outside and started walking. From the corner of his eye he could see that Berry and Marion were looking at him from their terrace. To be polite he raised his hand to greet them and took a right. Their next-door neighbors were young people from Germany. They were also out on their terrace. Their baby, who cried a lot during the day, was sleeping inside. He nodded at them and kept walking.
    At the end of the road he took another right. About a hundred yards farther, he took a left at the intersection and strolled casually along a few tents, most of which were sealed hermetically. Except for the last tent in the row, where a man sat in front on a small fold out-chair. He was drinking a bottle of beer and seemed to be enjoying himself. When Hans made eye contact, the man gave him a friendly smile.
    Hans took a right at the next intersection. On this path he could hear the sound of music in the distance. It was cheerful music, something made to please a broad audience.
    It steadily became more crowded. Couples, people with small children, young people intimately entwined and walking arm in arm, and small groups of rowdy boys. The atmosphere was fun and jovial. He stopped at the swimming pool entrance. He needed to take a moment to take it all in and get a good overview. He then continued at a steady pace toward a group of adults standing by the stage. He stood right behind them as if he was also interested in whatever was happening on stage.
    Slowly he gazed across the crowd. He was roughly in the middle of the square, located directly in front of the Olympic pool. A boy, about ten years old, was on stage. He was dressed like a pirate and waved his sword around to the beat of the music. A group of adults and children right in front of the stage cheered him on enthusiastically. Probably friends and family , he thought.
    The music stopped and the show’s host thanked the boy and announced the next act. It was a girl about the same age. She was also dressed as a pirate. He panned the crowd again and discovered Niels. He was standing next to the outside bar with his friends, tapping his foot to the beat.
    Comforted by the thought that he knew where his son was and that he was having a good time and everything seemed safe, he returned to the entrance. When he got there, he turned around one more time.
    The road he took was named Corso Lago di Garda and was four times wider than all the other roads. It was the main artery of the park and ran from the swimming pool to the rear exit, close to Lake Garda.
    Before he reached the rear entrance, where the guard stood faithfully at his post to check if the hordes of people who wanted to enter were wearing the correct wristbands, he took a right. The Cave was located next to one of the three restaurants that were spread out across the park. It was a big hall, and when he walked in he was hit by a wall of sound. The place was full of video games and almost every station was taken. The ages of the visitors ranged from six to sixty. To his delight, there were no slot machines. He turned around and went home satisfied.
    Once he arrived at the turn on to Viale Bardolino, he saw that Petra had joined Berry and Marion on their terrace. He hesitated. He wasn’t sure he was in the mood for that now. But