New York - The Novel

Paris.
    “Now you have money,” said Angelo with a smile to Salvatore, “here’s your chance to make even more!”
    “The top of a skyscraper is high enough for me,” he said.
    It was toward the end of the meal that Teresa asked Uncle Luigi if she could speak with him privately for a few minutes. She did not explain herself further, but the two of them sat together at another table, deep in conversation for nearly a quarter of an hour. At the end of it, she got up and kissed Uncle Luigi.
    “It’s nice to have a real talk with your uncle,” she said as she sat down again. “He is very wise.”
    After the meal, Teresa said that she must go home. Uncle Luigi wanted Angelo to run an errand for him, so Salvatore escorted the two girls to the station. When he kissed Teresa good-bye, he gave her a little questioning look, but she only returned a gentle smile.
    “I’ll be coming back soon,” she promised.

    On Wednesday, Uncle Luigi had the evening off, and it was agreed they’d go out to eat together. It was a fine day, and Salvatore was enjoying working up in the clear blue sky. At the top of the building, on the flat roof, a large water tank would be screened by outside walls with gorgeous colored panels. The big tiles arrived that morning, and the foreman obligingly showed the designs to the brothers. Two panels depicted the god Mercury, but the most dramatic was the huge green rectangle, in the center of which a bright red rising sun was flanked by two griffins with golden wings. Angelo was quite enraptured by this.
    When they got home, however, Angelo complained of feeling tired. Salvatore looked at him with concern, but his brother assured him he’d be fine.
    “We’ll go out,” said Uncle Luigi. “Let him rest. We won’t be late.”
    They found a little steakhouse near Greenwich Village. It wasn’t too crowded. They both ordered sirloin and Uncle Luigi chose a red wine. While they ate their steaks, Uncle Luigi discussed the latest news from the aviators.
    “The Frenchmen took off from Paris on Sunday. They were seen heading out over the Atlantic from Ireland. Then nothing.”
    “They must have gone down over the ocean.”
    “Brave men,” said Uncle Luigi, then he glanced at Salvatore thoughtfully. “Are you brave, Salvatore?”
    “I don’t know,” said Salvatore.
    “I suppose we never know until we are tested.”
    They ordered crème caramel. When it had been served, Uncle Luigi looked at Salvatore thoughtfully again.
    “Tell me, Salvatore,” he asked, “do you love Teresa?”
    “Yes,” said Salvatore.
    “And do you think she loves you?”
    “I’m not sure. I think so.”
    “Well, she does. She loves you, Salvatore. She has told me so.”
    “That’s good.”
    “Yes. But I have bad news. It may not be possible for her to marry you. That is why she spoke to me. She is very distressed, and she does not know what to do.”
    “Is it her parents still?”
    “No.”
    “Is she sick? I would look after her.”
    “No. You must be brave, Salvatore. She has fallen in love.” Uncle Luigi paused. “It is very difficult for her. This was a love she did not seek, and it has taken her by surprise. She has fought against it, but now she believes she cannot marry you with a good heart.” The older man sighed. “She is an honest woman, Salvatore, who does not want to cause you pain. I admire her.”
    Salvatore was silent for a while. “That explains everything,” he said quietly. He gazed at the table. “Who is the lucky man?” he asked at last.
    “Your brother. Angelo.”

    Salvatore was stunned by how quickly everything happened after that. At first, for some hours, he had been stupefied. After that, rage had set in. It wasn’t only that he’d been hurt. It wasn’t only that the woman he loved had preferred his little brother. But his own kid brother, with the connivance of his uncle, had made a fool of him.
    For it didn’t take long for the rest of the truth to come out. Uncle Luigi had told Angelo about Teresa’s feelings while Salvatore was taking her to the station. So for three days Angelo had worked beside him and never said a word. He’d been betrayed.
    “You must understand,” Uncle Luigi had explained, “that Teresa confessed her feelings to me, but not to Angelo. It was I who had to talk to him, to discover whether her love might be returned. I discovered that it would be. He loved her, absolutely, but in his mind, she belonged to you. He was distraught. He was