At seeing the old man’s reaction, Carter regretted having asked what he thought would be a harmless question. Before he could think of something to say to change the subject, the man suddenly began to ramble on in a tired voice about something Carter could not quite understand, for he was talking much too fast. From the little that Carter could make of it, the old man and his son had had some sort of disagreement, but beyond that he could discern nothing else.Whatever the trouble had been, he could plainly see that it was something that pained the old man greatly. On and on he went, the poor soul wringing his hands while pouring out his heart to Carter, as if he were giving his confession.

“Capisci?” the old man would pause to say now and then, asking if he understood.

Despite understanding nothing, Carter would nod his head or give a sympathetic shrug, and the man would continue. He tried as hard as he could to follow the old man’s story, but in the end all he could do was listen with his heart. Something inside told him that this would be enough, that all the old man needed at that moment was someone to listen to him.

The old man’s eyes were wet with tears by the time he finished his tale, and he seemed not the least bit ashamed of it.Turning away to the window, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dried his cheeks.Then he looked back at Carter and let out a sigh.

“Puo essere dura la vita,” he said. Life can be hard.

That much Carter understood.

Later, when the train pulled into Livorno, Carter got up to help the old man off. He took the old man’s valise and walked down the steps ahead of him, before reaching back to guide him safely down to the platform. Before walking away, the old man turned to Carter, reached up, and gave him an affectionate pat on the cheek. He said nothing more, but simply gave a sad smile and nodded goodbye. Then he turned and made his way toward the exit.

“Signore,” Carter called after him.

The old man stopped and turned around.

“Buona fortuna,” said Carter, wishing him luck.

Then he waved goodbye and climbed back on board.

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 31

As he had planned, Carter stayed just one night in Pisa. After finding a hotel room near the center of town, he had spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering about the Campo dei Miracoli (the Field of Miracles), where he visited the medieval cathedral known as the Duomo, the Baptistery, and of course the Leaning Tower.