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I introduced Anna to Zebra, who immediately kissed her and told her at great length how lucky she was to be partnered with a wonderful man like me. I caught Anna’s eye and winked – she knows me far too well by now to be taken in by that. Zebra then went on to give us the good news that her friend, the former theatrical agent, had been in the audience and had been blown away by Monica’s performance. As a result, he had promised to arrange an interview for her with a well-known agent in Rome, which might lead to greater things. I was happy for her and I wondered how this might affect her relationship with Tiberio.

As Zebra went off to schmooze more guests, I noticed the mayor standing on the far side of the room and when he spotted me, he waved us over. I introduced Anna and he introduced us to his wife – they were both looking very happy and very proud, and quite rightly so. We chatted briefly before Monica herself appeared and received hugs and kisses from her parents. She was bubbling with excitement after having had a talk with Zebra’sagent friend. As we had expected, she hadn’t brought Tiberio with her to meet her parents, but that was soon rectified. The mayor spotted a tall, grey-haired man across the room and beckoned to him and his wife to come over. They did so, and along with them came Tiberio.

The mayor shook hands with his political opponent and then introduced us to Umberto Carbone and his wife and made a point of going up to Tiberio and shaking his hand warmly. ‘Congratulations on an outstanding performance. You must be my good friend Umberto’s boy. The last time I saw you, you were about ten.’

I distinctly saw Tiberio catch Monica’s eye and I read surprise on both their faces before Monica followed her father across to Tiberio and grabbed hold of his arm with both her hands. ‘Papa, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Tiberio.’

I took Anna’s arm and led her away so that the two families could bond without being disturbed. Virgilio and Lina were standing by the bar and he had two glasses of beer in his hands, one of which he held out towards me.

‘Ciao, Dan, you can have them both if you like. I imagine you’re ready for a drink before I drag you away for dinner.’

Lina came over and kissed me on the cheek. ‘Well, that’s a side of you I never expected to see. Who would have thought you were an actor?’

Anna clearly felt she had to set the record straight. ‘To be honest, Lina, he’s a very talented actor. He spends most of his life giving quite a convincing performance of being a sensible adult, but we all know that underneath the veneer, he’s just a crazy fool.’ She reached up and kissed me. ‘But he’s my crazy fool.’

A movement at my feet made me glance down and I intercepted a look from Oscar that clearly indicated that he felt thathis relationship with me should also be recognised. I bent down and ruffled his ears.

‘But there’s nothing foolish about you, Oscar. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

He wagged his tail and, for a moment, it looked as though he winked at me.