Zia has said that she can’t understand how it can be that each one of Mauro’s houses is simpler and yet lovelier than the last. Because he’s been married twice and had children from the first and the second wife, when he’s separated he’s always had to cut back a bit in order to maintain them as well as possible. He’s also lived with girlfriends and he’s always been the one to move out, sorting something else out for himself and leaving behind all his things, as a gift. These ever smaller houses have made him into a bigger man, and Zia says that it’s not as though he has anything really amazing, but the things he has work perfectly: for instance, the winter duvets are warm, the saucepans have the right lids – those ones with a hole in them – and the food comes out perfectly. She talks about them enchanted, and Mamma rushes out straight away to copy everything, but we can’t find duvets that are warm but don’t cost a fortune, or saucepan lids that don’t jump around when the water boils. Speaking of Mauro’s house, Zia said that one time, after a discussion of the latest world events followed by sex, she fell asleep in Mauro’s bed and forgot that it’s best if she leaves after an hour or two, and he actually had to wake her up and drag her out of bed because he had to go out.
Nonna says that Mauro never really considers Zia, even though he definitely likes her a lot, because she’s had too many love affairs and he – despite the two wives and the live-in girlfriends – is an upright man, that is, when he does something, he commits to it, whereas she has a different kind of romantic instability. But Zia says that’s not the way it is, that Mauro hardly knows anything about her affairs and she’s very careful not to tell him any details or do anything mad, in fact, basically she’s always perfect with him.
Then Nonna says that Mauro’s women were too different from Zia, who’s always untidy, never goes to the hairdresser – she gets around with that cloud of unkempt hair – and dresses wildly. Zia replies that this isn’t true either, because the few times Mauro’s invited her somewhere, she’s worn clothes so elegant we wouldn’t believe it. Also, in order to conquer Mauro, she’s been consulting history books for the war plans of all the great strategists – Caesar, Napoleon, Kutuzov, Eisenhower – and she tries them all. She’s so tenacious, enthusiastic and passionate that each time life knocks her down she picks herself back up again. But I think Mauro would prefer simplicity and for you to be able to tell him things just as they are. That time we walked a short way together I would have liked to ask him, ‘Do you believe in the power of the moon squared by the other planets? And do you reckon using yellow pegs really brings despair? Will you say “Good night” to me a hundred times with the perfect tone? Would you show me the way to the place in the postcards?’