THE LAST APPOINTMENT

THE LAST APPOINTMENT_____THE CHOICE

Before opening the door the ringing of the phone made her suddenly leap up of the state of bliss in which she was by long immersed, in which she was basking. It had been a wonderful walk, by alone, yeah, but what a splendor the countryside in this season. The fallen leaves, scattered on the road, resting on the tufts of still green grass, they are colorful carpets that you hear rustling, creaking under your feet ….and there are the falling leaves, so that you ,walking, are surrounded by a fluttering of leaves, which seem to be flying, and also dancing, and it can happen that one of these dancing leaves touches your head, your face . And there are smells reaching you, while you are walking, quiet and peaceful, all immersed in your dreams, smells that, at moments, in a gust of air, submerge you. Smell of ripe grapes which reach you in whiffs, even though the harvest have been there for some time, and there are no more grapes on the vines, even the ones left for the birds must have already disappeared. And the smell of honey, of walnuts, of chestnuts… The air you are breathing is imbued with the smell of chestnut, of grapes, of honey, and it seems to you to see this air falling on you like a waterfall, an air to drink this air still warm, but crossed by gusts of cold brought by the wind. To Rachel, who was no longer young, autumn has never seemed such a magnificent season, as splendid as the autumn she was living .

When she opened the door the phone was still ringing, but when she was about to grab the receiver, it had stopped. Rachel did not wonder who might be to call, she came back to immerge in her dreams. Yeah, her dreams which were about to come true…..there were only a few hours before her most important dream came true. The next morning Davies would move in with her and their cohabitation would begin. Their relationship lasted for ten years but only now, that the children had grown up, he, Davies had decided to leave his wife, with whom Rachel had had to share him for so long. So she didn’t think , ever for an instant, about whom had called her, all her thoughts being turned to the next morning, when Davies would arrive and their new life together would begin.

Rachel had opened the refrigerator ,to check her food supplies, when the phone rang again.

“ I have been calling you for two hours….but where did you go to end?” It was he, Davies, to call. Strange, since she was waiting for his call only later, as it always had happened during the years when they had been lovers, but continuing to spend the night separated, in different houses.

What Davies said was even stranger to her. They had to meet as soon as possible, that same evening. “ But why? At least tell me why! Did something new happen?” she asked, not daring to ask, although she felt the question, arose spontaneously, pressing inside her, if he had changed his mind, if he would not move to her house tomorrow, as they had decided, if he had decided to stay with her wife instead. Davies had assured her that everything was fine, but there was something they had to talk about , and to talk about it, they needed to meet. “ Well, then I’ll wait for you…you can come right away.” Rachel agreed. “No, look…I can’t explain now, but we have to meet out of your house. Let’s meet at the Red Horse in an hour” Another surprise for her, who couldn’t imagine what other surprise she was going to meet, while she was walking to reach the Red Horse, not far from her house. If Davies had given her an appointment in that very popular and well known bar, it could be because he was in the company of someone else who he wanted to introduce to her., this was what she thought while she is going to the appointment.

Just the moment she was entering the Red Horse, under the glare of its bright, dazzling sign, Rachel seemed to notice, among the people who were going out, four in all, a face which was not new for her, a face of a young woman, with beautiful features, brown haired….where had she already seen that face? She didn’t remember.

Davies was standing at the counter, he was alone. Strange that he hadn’t sat ( down) at a table, if they had to talk, at least so he had said. It was when she was walking towards him, who had not yet noticed her presence, that Rachel suddenly remember where she had already seen that face….of a young, pretty woman. But certain, she had glimpsed the young woman while she was coming out of Davies’ office, once that Rachel had visit him at work., not long ago. Maybe she had seen that young woman other times, too, but she couldn’t remember where or when.

“ Ah, here you are…..you know, I was waiting for you two, for you and also for Jimmy B., before to sit (down)at a table. Yes, you don’t know Jimmy…..he is someone who could help us a lot for the projects we have in mind. Ah, I see that Jimmy doesn’t arrive….” Davies, speaking, kept on looking at his wrist watch. “ In the meantime we can however sit at a table” Rachel said.

“ Excuse me, but I prefer to wait his arrival before to sit at a table….Of course , you can sit “

While Rachel remained sitting at a table, Davies kept on standing, going up and down, and he kept on glancing anxiously , repeatedly at the watch he wore on his wrist. He appeared more and more thoughtful. It was evident, also from the expression of his dark, frowning face, that there was something that worried him. Rachel after all could not understand why , if that Jimmy was someone with whom they should talk about business to be undertaken, then why Davies needed to meet with him precisely that evening…..and, moreover, he seemed to have to meet Jimmy absolutely out of house…..There wouldn’t be all the time after, when their life together had started?

An hour had passed since she had arrived when Davies, approaching her table, but remaining standing, said her that, since Jimmy would not come by now, they had to go to him, who lived in a hotel____THE RED STAR___a hotel that was located outside the city, in the hills area. Since she continued to be not able to understand, Rachel was almost perplexed, however she agreed to go with him to Jimmy.

During the travel in Davies’ car, Rachel, more than once was about to talk him about the young woman she had met entering the Red Horse.”You know, I had already seen her leave your office….Who is?” It would have come to say to Rachel. But then, who knows why, she hadn’t said a word about it. After all, the travel was longer than she thought it would be. But what way had Davies taken to get to the hills? Wasn’t the simplest and shortest way to go out of the ring street exit it in the stretch where it passes in front of the hills area? Then why he kept on going around , and again going around the city, without going out of the ring street?

Then suddenly, but immediately after having risked colliding with a motorcycle traveling at breakneck speed___it looked like a rocket launched wildy on the street_____Davies had exited the ring street, but, instead of heading towards the hills, he had taken a dirt, narrow and stony road , which climbed with difficulty between a rocky wall , on a side, and above an overhang on the other side, overhang below which a river was flowed( was flowing). “ But where are you going?

The hills are on the other side!” Rachel shouted, rather frightened. Moreover the car was advancing with much difficulty, trudging that rough road, it advanced jerking , often it also skidded backwards. “ Ah, I have just now remembered something….” Davies murmured.

“ What are you talking about? Shouldn’t we go to this Jimmy, who is at the Red Star hotel, which is located in the hills area?” She screamed, more and more frightened.

“ Don’t fret, dear…I assure you we’re going right where we need to go” Davies said with a strange voice, a voice which sounded like a frozen blade. To Rachel , hearing his voice, the face of the young woman she had met entering the Red Horse, reappeared as in a quick flash. And that

face, albeit as an apparition, was the last face Rachel saw. Certainly she couldn’t see Davies’ face, when he, with a very fast, lightning move, grabbed her neck by behind, and he squeezed it with force, with ferocity, as if he wanted to take her neck off her neck. It took only a few moments. Then Davies didn’t even bother to close Rachel’s eyes, which seemed shot out of their sockets.

Davis tight a big stone around her neck, another stone around her waist, and threw her body off the cliff, into the river. He knew that the water was very deep right here, that here the river bed was at abysmal depths. No one would ever have found Rachel’s corpse. Furthermore he knew very well that no one would ever look for her. Rachel would simply disappear.

Satisfied to have settled the matter___so he called Rachel___Davies reached the Red Star hotel, where no Jimmy was waiting for him- There was instead Isolde( waiting for him). Her face had been the last face, indeed even the last image Rachel had been able to see.