"Papa, you can't be by yourself all the time. Mamma wouldn't want that."
Mario Valenceria glowered at the phone. His eldest called every night at the very worst time, but he didn't dare tell her because she would just interfere.
"I do go out, in the morning. I buy coffee and biscotte at the groceria. When the weather is nice, I go to the park. I have the life I want, the life your mother would want for me." He knew what Gabriella wanted. She wanted him to sell the house so she could get her hands on the money. She kept telling him stories about lonely old men meeting women and being duped. His daughter was obsessed. The greed seeped through every conversation. The only thing that would put her at peace was if he sold the house--or if he died. Just so long as she got the money.
Gabriella persisted. "I'm going to get the other kids together and talk about this. We worry about you, Papa, over there by yourself. You belong with family..."
He interrupted her.
"Gabriella, I'm tired. I need to go lie down." She wouldn't mind hearing that, because it meant he was in decline. Which would bring her closer to her prize.
"OK, Papa. I'll be there Saturday, as always. Cook you some nice sausage and peppers so you'll be all set for the weekend."
"Good." The end of it. No more talking. He was busy. Speaking to her was like looking in the grave. He shook the chill off and sat back down at the computer.
The invitation was waiting for him. He had given in to temptation a few nights before and had signed up for Tinder. But not until tonight was he brave enough to engage. He was ready now. Of course, not as "Papa", as Mario Valenceria, old man. Retired carpenter who had never done anything he could brag about. No, he was ready to connect as Alessandro Magrande. From Manhattan. Forty-four years old. Writer. Artist. Divorced, no children. Hobbies: travel, hiking, theater, philanthropy.
That was his Facebook profile, using photos his brother had sent him from Naples. Photos of a nephew who had perished on a hiking adventure. Mario always thought the young man was lucky. He lived fully and died before life diminished him with its incessant demands.
Alessandro Magrande didn't talk very much on Facebook. Mostly he watched and listened. Facebook was like a soap opera. It never stopped. It had no end, no real purpose besides distraction. And that's exactly what it did for Mario. It distracted him from the death of his wife. From his own eventual demise.
The moment had come to swipe his Tinder acceptance. He did it. So easy. The skin of Alessandro had become so familiar that Mario did not have to pretend. He was Alessandro Magrande.
The young lady was beautiful, ambitious, eager to meet an attractive man of achievement.
And so it was arranged.
He readied himself for the date. Friday. 9 pm. In front of Grand Central Station. This was his idea. It suggested to both of them a lack of permanence and commitment. The element of whimsy.
What if they should miss each other? Then fate willed it and they would accede to the outcome.
Mario enjoyed the idea of being cavalier. All his life he had been responsible. Plodding. Deliberate. But not Alessandro. Alessandro risked his life on the side of a mountain. He threw caution to the wind. He reaped an adventurer's fate.
Alicia. Alicia Cooper. So perfect for his script. Blond. Tall. Athletic.
Friday he got up early. The excitement almost did him in. His heart raced. He polished his shoes. Combed his hair with gel. Shaved extra close. He had a date.
The train to Manhattan was part of the adventure. It had been so long since he'd gone to the city. Even when Marcella was alive, they rarely left Queens. But now...he was ready, like Alessandro, for his adventure.
He walked over to Grand Central at about 8:00. The crush of people was exhilarating. They were part of his soap opera now. The sinister and the proper among them were written into the script. The story of his life would no longer be, Mario Valenceria: carpenter, husband, father. He had become an adventurer, a risk taker. Even if no one else ever knew. He knew.
She came out of the crowd like a character in a movie--or a soap opera. Her picture was exact. She was gorgeous, bold, dynamic. He walked up to her, smelled her perfume. Not too strong. Brushed against her arm. Warm, with a slight down. All of it he recorded in his memory. It would be his no matter what happened.
Of course, she didn't meet her date that night. Perhaps she went on to a club and encountered some stranger who served her purpose.
Mario rode the train back to Queens. He imagined he could still smell the scent of her on him. A diffuse satisfaction filled him as he unlocked the door to his house.
No computer tonight. Nothing could top the most recent episode of his soap opera: Alessandro Magrande's first Tinder date.
This story was written for a contest sponsored by @themarkymark. The prompt for the story was:
...first tinder date. This could be a real life story, it can be completely made up.
Writing the story was fun. Thanks @themarkymark for offering this opportunity to the Steemit community.