He looked at the paper;
River boat Number 1 to Giglio Station.
walk straight, turn right.
Cross Bridge, turn left.
Turn left-First door on the left. 3rd floor.
The man in the souvenir shop was quite thorough with the explanations he had written down. This was the address that the records show.
Standing in front of the door, he wondered what he could tell her, 'Hi, I am your son' no, that would be weird. 'Hello, I came all the way from New York to find u' that doesn't sound too good. What do people tell their mother's when standing at their doorstep? 'Hello, mom, can I come in?' ok this sounds better. Maybe.
Pressing the doorbell, Rhyde waited for somebody to answer the door. But there was no reply. Maybe she wasn't home. A tall man appeared, he looked like he had just come from a supermarket;
"Buona Sera!"
*Rhyde POV*
I smiled, offering a handshake; "Hello, I'm Rhyde, do you know if Lucile Fabris is home?"
He took my hand, "Ahh Lucile Fabris? I do not know this name sir, come in" He answered with a strong italian accent.
I picked up my bag from the floor, "Thank you"
Following him up the stairs, he seemed like a jolly man. Asking questions, and offering me tea. But I politely rejected, and said I would have to meet Lucile.
"Prego" He smiled, unlocking the door on the first floor. The last think I want to do right now is have a conversation with this man over tea.
**
Rhyde hated talking. He liked being on his own, and not having to answer to anybody. He thought small talk was a waste of time. On reaching the third floor, he knocked on the door. He waited for a while but nobody replied, so he knocked again. Again, nobody replied. Puting down his bags, he sat on the steps. Maybe nobody was home, he thought.
He took out the paper and tried to retrace his steps. Had he reached the wrong place? Nopes, this was it.
A few hours passed, and nobody came. He decided he would go to the man on the first floor and ask to wait there until she comes.
Alberto was very welcoming. He offered Rhyde food, and asked him to stay. His wife was away with his kids, so he was alone.
Again, Rhyde politely declined, saying that he would be staying in a hotel close by.
Around 11pm; Rhyde saw the stair lights come on, and heard somebody walking up the stairs. He waited for the lights to go off, then thanked Alberto for having him. He made his way back to the third floor and knocked on the door again. A tall man answered the door, he had dark hair, and wore a suit. He seemed like he was in his 50s.
"Come posso aiutarla?" He asked,
"Hi, I'm Rhyde Sloan, I'm here to see Lucile Fabirs" He answered, offering a handshake.
The man looked confused, and after a few moments, he returned the handshake. "Greg Amell" He said in a deep voice "Please, come in." he had an American accent.
Rhyde followed him in. The appartment looked quite cosy, with a small kitchen, a double bed and a dining table on the left. It could fit only two people. For Rhyde, it could fit only one person, but that person wasn't him. This was the size of his walk in closet. How could people live in such small places? he never understood.
Greg offered him a chair, and went to a cupboard, pulling out a box. He walked back, and sat at the table. "My son, I am happy meet you finally. Seeing you on the news and in magazines were not enough."
"Is Lucile Fabris here? When will I meet her, may I ask?" Rhyde snapped. He was here for one reason, and he did not want to be talking to this man.
Greg seemed taken aback by his tone, but he remained calm and looked at the box. "She loved you, and she always knew you would come looking for her. Which is why she lived here, asking me to move in with her."
Rhyde tried to understand; "Lived here? Has she moved to somewhere else?"
Pushing the box in front of Rhyde, Greg smiled. "Here, take this box and look through it. She loved you, I wish she was still with us now, she would give it to you herself"
"With us?" Rhyde asked
"Yes, she died a few years ago. When she fell sick, she wanted to contact you, but your father would not allow it. So she made all this" He pointed at the box, "So one day you would get it"
Rhyde looked at the man, and back at the box. His face expressionless, he picked up the box and his bag; "Thank you for having me, sir."
Greg stopped him from walkingbto the door; "Wait, stay the night"
Rhyde took a look around, and again, declined his offer. He took his contact details, and walked out of the door, saying he would come around for coffee the next day.