It was Sunday again. I had had no contact with Katherine for a week. She was "busy - very busy" ! She had no time for me! I could have screamed! I lay in my bed, looked up to the ceiling and felt frustrated. I had only known Katherine for three weeks, yet what had happened between us was so intense, that these three weeks were the equivalent of three months. I philosophised about my life...
Then there was a violent knock on my door. My landlady came rushing into the room; she was crying and screamed: "Goldie is dead!" I cried together with Emina. My sadness and tears for Goldie were mixed with my sadness about my "lost Katherine"!
Goldie was my landlady's much-loved and pampered dog. A present from her two children, who had left Sarajevo during the war. Her husband had died of a heart attack after the war. The whole family was enamoured of Goldie; I became a member of the family that day.
What a sad Sunday.
Goodbye "bon appetite"!
On Monday, Katherine was prepared to listen to me again. She accepted my invitation to an "Italian Dinner" at my house. I spent hours preparing everything, bought fresh vegetables on the market, laid the table beautifully and did the cooking. Then came the long wait. I couldn't even phone, Katherine couldn't phone me, because there was no phone in the apartment. Sarajevo! That's Sarajevo! "The most important evening meal in my life and she's not coming," I thought aloud.
After waiting for two hours I ran to the nearest good restaurant and phoned Katherine. She was neither in the office nor at home. I went back to my apartment again and waited for another hour. Then I went to my Institute. I tried phoning Katherine again! She picked up the receiver. What a shock! She was livid and frustrated, had nearly lost her voice and was dead tired. "Katherine - where were you?" I asked in desperation.
"In taxis!" she shouted, "I spent the whole evening in five separate taxis! None of the drivers could find your address! You know that in Sarajevo street names have been changed. You were bound to know! I can't go on like this, Renato, I can't go on. We can't continue like this. I can't work so hard and then spend three hours travelling through Sarajevo to find you. Quelle catastrophe!"
And I too was totally frustrated. It was an awful, frustrating evening! "Buona notte!" I hung up.