The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Leo felt embarrassed to ask Andrei to pay for him, and refused several times.

But the old man, thoroughly drunk, dragged Leo around the house, showing him his family's valuable oil paintings.

He even asked Leo to guess how much his retirement pension was, saying that if he guessed correctly, he would win a prize: a bottle of high-end Provençal rosé wine worth 50 lire.

Leo was afraid that if he didn't agree, Andrei would show him the amount on his bankbook and promise to pay back the money as soon as possible before the matter would be over.

The price of a bottle of wine is nothing to Andre, but it represents Leo's 'hope' for a better life!

The thought of soon getting the missing equipment to start diving and fishing made Leo happy, so he drank a couple more glasses.

This person gets impulsive when he drinks too much.

When you act impulsively, you become reckless.

When Andrei introduced the home telephone as a rare item his son had brought back from Rome, Leo picked up the receiver:

"Let me try out this great phone and see how the call quality is."

......

Rukia shared a small apartment with three other girls who were also from out of town.

After taking a shower, she was lying in bed counting on her fingers how many more years it would take to save enough money to open her own shop when her roommate knocked on her door, saying she had a phone call for her.

"Is that my mother?" Rukia got up and put on her shoes.

Only her family members usually call her.

Her roommate, with a look that seemed to say "I love a good show," urged her to hurry up and leave.

"No, it's a man, and judging from his voice, he's a young man."

"Huh?" Rukia's eyes widened.

The next second, she suddenly became excited.

Before he even finished putting on his shoes, he dashed out!

Because her collaboration with Leo was a "secret affair," she gave Leo her dormitory phone number.

Leo placed an order?

Seafood, here I come!!

Rukia was running around like a whirlwind, and her roommates became even more gossipy.

He kept chasing after her, asking, "Who is it? Who is it?"

Rukia made a 'shh' gesture at her, cleared her throat, and picked up the phone:

"Hello, this is Rukia."

The same voice I'd heard that afternoon came through the phone, but it sounded much more lively than it had that afternoon. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell Leo was definitely smiling.

"Hello Rukia, I'm Leo."

"Oh, Leo—" Lucia asked, feigning surprise, "Is there something you need?"

"When will you come to Malzamemi next?" Leo asked.

Rukia was even more excited; everything was going according to her plan:

"Next Thursday afternoon."

Hurry up and order, I'm all ready!

There was a sudden two-second silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone had covered the microphone.

When Leo's voice came through, he could no longer hide his smile:

"Then next Thursday, I'll prepare some crabs for you in advance."

Rukia didn't speak, waiting for Leo to continue saying what he wanted to bring, but after waiting and waiting, she heard him say, "Are you still there, Yu?"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes," Rukia couldn't hold back any longer and asked him, "And then?"

"And then what?" Leo said with a smile, "That's all."

"That's it? Don't you need to bring anything?" Rukia spun around in place with the receiver in her hand, then realized that her roommates had increased from one to three, so she quickly turned her head back.

"It must have been tough finding the shipyard today, right? It's raining outside, and you don't know the way." Leo's voice was soft. "It took me almost an hour to find someone this afternoon. I bet it took you even longer. Please don't refuse, consider it a small token of my appreciation. Thank you for your help today."

Leo then said a few more words, all about expressing his gratitude.

But Rukia didn't hear anything after that, because a deafening voice was booming in her head—

This guy is so gentle and considerate... He even noticed that I had a hard time finding him this afternoon, so he called me on purpose?

After hanging up the phone, Rukia was still savoring the moment, but when she turned around, she was nearly scared out of her wits.

Three heads stood upright, pressed against the back of her head, and asked in unison:

Who is Leo?

.......

Who is Rukia?

Andrei, his face as red as a monkey's bottom, held up a wine glass and circled around Leo, following him wherever Leo went.

The old man was really drunk. When Leo called, he started asking questions, so Leo had to cover the microphone every few words.

Tired of being pushed too far, Leo simply started running away:

"Alright, alright, it's getting late, I need to go home."

......

"Say goodbye to Uncle Solberto quickly." At the lighthouse entrance, Elena pointed at Solberto and said to Monica.

The little girl said goodbye in a clear voice, and Solberto affectionately patted her head before leaving with Enzo.

After walking more than ten meters, Solberto said softly:

"Monica is growing up so fast."

Enzo also quietly echoed:

"Yes, they've grown so fast."

The two fell silent at the same time, and the only sound on the road was the sound of their shoes splashing in puddles.

After walking for a while, Enzo looked ahead and said:

"I understand your concern for Leo. The thought of Monica being in danger also makes me nervous and instinctively want to keep her away. But Leo is an adult, and Monica is a child... They are not the same."

Enzo genuinely felt that Leo should go to sea, so he would try to persuade the stubborn Solberto whenever he had the chance at night.

"Is Sandro sure he won't let outsiders on board?" Sorbetto knew Leo wanted to go to sea.

If he could stay by Enzo's side, he would definitely not choose to go diving for fish, so Solberto could rest assured.

Enzo pointed to his head, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated:

"Unless Angie can behave himself, but do you think that's possible? That kid..."

Solberto knew that Angie was a "big problem" that couldn't be solved in a short time, and sighed:

"Andrei knows everything, understands everything, and can chime in on any topic for two or three hours, but do you see him daring to talk about things at sea? You can't learn about going to sea on land; you have to actually go on the ship, go back and forth, do it year after year, experience all the storms and make all the mistakes you're supposed to make, before you can understand and remember. Leo doesn't know anything right now and has no opportunity to learn, how could I possibly let him go..."

Passing by the Marzamémi Cathedral, Enzo made a prayer gesture:

"Everyone's fate is predetermined. Take you, for example. When the shipyard went bankrupt, you went to repair furniture. I guess when furniture repairs stopped, you would find other things related to wood to do."

Solberto looked into the darkness before him:

"I'm destined to be inseparable from wood for the rest of my life, no matter how others try to persuade me."

Enzo turned his head and asked him:

"You're in this terrible state yourself, why are you forcing Leo to change his mind?"

......

Enzo and Solberto have very similar personalities.

Therefore, Solberto was able to listen to his advice.

Although he kept saying "No, no, it's too dangerous," Solberto's heart had already wavered.

He stood at the shipyard gate, not in a hurry to go in, as there were still some questions he hadn't figured out.

If what Enzo said is true, and Leo's future belongs to the sea, then why is he so desperately trying to stop him...? Will Leo blame himself?

Or is Leo already complaining about him?

"Uncle Solberto?!" A voice came from behind Solberto.

Leo trotted over, his face beaming with joy.

As he ran, he chattered incessantly like a little bird:

"When did you get back?"

"Why didn't you say you were coming back?"

"Did it get rained on?"

"Where will you stay tonight?"

Have you had dinner yet?

With a flushed face, Leo pulled Solberto into the shipyard:

"I learned a new dish today, let me make it for you to try!"

Sorbet didn't move, and asked Leo with utmost seriousness:

"Do you really want to go to sea?"

Sorbetto's serious expression sobered Leo up, and he nodded, saying:

"Yes, I want to go to sea, I really want to go."

Sorbet walked straight into the shipyard, his steps firm:

"Okay, I'll help you."