Going home -Part five

On Sunday evening at ten 0 clock Vladimir was the first to leave the Beausoleil service station. He was glad to be on the road again and looking forward to seeing Salvatore. He should be well past  Venice in eight hours and then could have a sleep before the stretch that would take him to the Serbian border and hopefully Salvatore. Vladimir sent a quick text to Inga to let her know he was on his way. He put on the radio to hear the traffic news and relaxed into his seat. When he was driving he could let his thoughts wander and often found he solved his problems best while driving. Vladimir had grown up at a time of great upheaval and radical change in his country. All his pretty classmates disappeared and many of the older women too. His sister Esther had been considered the prettiest girl in the school and had been lured away with promises of a modelling career . She had returned a different girl with a hard look in her eyes and told them that being pretty had a price. Inga with her over sized nose and prominent ears had stayed behind , she had found work as a hairdresser and built up a network of clients. Vladimir had taken her out a few times and fallen in love with her sweet nature and kind heart. He saw a beauty in her that would never fade.

Crossing the Serbian border at last Vladimir drew into the service station. . Salvatore came towards him with his arms outstretched, shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows. 'Donne, oh le donne,' Vladimir could hear the shrill female voice bursting forth from the phone across the tarmac.'Concettina calls me every ten minutes now. Where does she think I get the time to do all these imagined antics.' Vladimir embraced him in a bear hug.'Ciao Salvo, è bello vederti! My Inga was angry with me too.' 

'It's a good sign if a woman's jealous, it means your love is alive,' Salvatore grinned and lead Vladimir to his cab. They both climbed up to sit together looking at all the dangling cornetti, peperoncini and Santini, that Concettina had hung to ward off the hoards of women that might have their eyes on her Salvatore. 'Here Vladi , try these Arancini, my Nonna made them, and this Sicilian sausage is la fine del mondo, delicious.I've got something very interesting to tell you. My boss has given me a lorry load of our beautiful Terracotta vases and pots to take to a new hotel on the Black sea near you. It's opening next month and they're hoping that thousands of tourists from the North of Europe will go there in search of sun, sand  and cheap beer. They need someone who speaks Italian and so I thought of you.You'd be on a proper salary and everything, you could ask Inga what she thinks.'