Chapter 40

In time Timothy did grow, his development mirroring all the natural stages of progress that Carlo had achieved, except that he omitted crawling. He was quite satisfied with his action of sliding on his bottom.

He did not stand as early as Carlo had done. But eventually the day came when he did pull himself up to his feet. Maria gasped with delight, heaping praise on him. He was the cleverest little boy who had ever lived! Grinning, Timothy set off across the room. He did not move with the same easy grace that had been natural to Carlo. There was a strange lurching, that did not stop him walking, but his steps were uneven.

Throughout the day, while Stefano was at work, Maria watched Timothy, willing him to get the hang of it properly before his father returned home, but the movement remained clumsy. She heard the key in the lock.

Maria called out, ‘Look, Stefano! Tim’s walking now!’ Summoning all her acting skills, she was careful to portray nothing but pride, but as Stefano watched, he began to frown.

‘What’s the matter with the boy? Why does he walk like that?’

They took him to the doctor, who referred them to a specialist. The diagnosis was that the left leg was slightly shorter than the right.

‘That cannot be!’ Stefano was angry. ‘How can he be in the football team if he cannot run like all the other boys?’

The specialist thought he must be trying to make a joke of it, until he saw the father’s face.

‘I’m sorry, Mr Volpe, but your son has a shortened limb. He will never walk quite normally, but there are things we can do to improve the situation.’

‘What can you do?’

Maria knew she must keep calm – one of them had to.

‘There’s an operation, which may help, but how much we shan’t know until after we have carried it out. He will probably always have a slight limp.’

‘Then operate, man, and make sure it is good! No son of mine is going to walk up down, up down like that. Do you want all the other boys to laugh at him?’

The specialist ignored Stefano and spoke to Maria.

‘He will also need to wear a tailor-made shoe that is built up at the heel. This will go some way towards helping his step become more even.’

Maria was not altogether happy about the operation, but Stefano insisted. She found it difficult to stand by while her small son was wheeled into the operating theatre.

Once Timothy had recuperated he began to walk again. Stefano watched anxiously, and threw up his hands in despair when the uneven movement, although perhaps marginally improved, was still noticeable. He stormed out, railing about incompetent medical nincompoops who did not know how to do their job. Maria took Timothy in her arms and clasped him tightly, telling him what a wonderful little boy he was.

She took him to be measured for his special shoe. Once this had been procured, and Timothy had become accustomed to walking in his new shoes, the limp was less noticeable – but it was still there.

Carlo, watching all the proceedings, accepted without question that his brother could not run as easily as he could. He knew he himself was the apple of his father’s eye, and could do no wrong. His self-confidence was high, and he enjoyed outdoor pursuits. Academically he was not an achiever, but his physical prowess was known among his peers and admired throughout the school. Maria was delighted to find that he was patient with his small brother, and did not tease him – at least not about the way he walked.

Stefano found it impossible to accept the situation. He would praise Carlo to the skies, but took little notice of his younger son. If he did speak to him, it was usually to mock him, or belittle him.

Timothy learned to keep out of his father’s way. It was enough that his mother adored him, and his brother would, from time to time, play with him. Despite his problems he was a happy child, without any malice. When he first went to school the other children simply accepted him, and the way he was. His good nature made him popular, and it wasn’t until he was older that he came face to face with the spiteful bullying which can make a child’s life wretched. He put up with demeaning remarks without retaliation. No one ever poked fun at Timothy if his elder brother was around.

Timothy found there were two things he could do well – the second one, in particular, raised his status in the eyes of his peers. He excelled in the classroom, having a mind that mopped up facts easily. He mastered new subjects without any great effort, consistently turning in work of a high standard. But what made him admired by his school mates was his prowess in the swimming pool. Tall and strong for his age, he could streak through the water at an amazing speed. Soon he was winning all the races, was much in demand when teams for inter-school competitions were being selected, and his cupboard of trophies grew fuller each year.

This talent helped to improve his standing slightly in his father’s eyes, but it was still clear that Stefano considered him a disappointment. As Carlo was no mean swimmer himself, Maria was delighted to find a pastime in which they could participate on almost equal terms, and it was difficult to appreciate, seeing them both in the water, that Timothy was five years younger.

When Carlo was eighteen he left school and applied to join the army. Maria was not happy about this, but it was what he had set his heart on doing, and he did look marvellous in the uniform.

‘What if there’s a war?’ Maria couldn’t help worrying.

‘Have no fear. My Carlo is indestructible. He will defeat the enemy, no problem, and come home victorious, you’ll see.’

Carlo had just finished his training at Pirbright when Mrs Thatcher announced that England was at war with Argentina over the Falklands Islands.