Milan 2167: Capital of fashion and injustice

That evening in Milan, it was raining. Not exactly the kind of rain that makes you say, 'damn, I didn't hear about any hurricanes on the news,' but more the kind that forces you to dress a bit warmly and take an umbrella. Small problem: sometimes you have to be able to afford them, the umbrella and the raincoat. And in Light Industrial Zone number 3 – a huge industrial area that included the ancient neighborhoods of Noverasco, Poasco, and Sesto Ulteriano, replaced by gigantic factories for over a century now – the numerous members of the working class had been struggling with such problems for years; just think that the kids from that area, somewhat influenced by the world of crime, called it Black Zone, due to the ongoing issues with lighting.

But this time Giulio had come prepared: indeed, he was walking slowly through the narrow alleys of the neighborhood with a small black umbrella, too small to cover the athletic physique of the boy, forged by constant fights to earn respect; but he also didn’t want his brown hair, to which he dedicated too much time, to be ruined by the rain. However, in fact, it was worth it: his carefully styled hair, amber-colored eyes, and well-defined features made him, after all, relatively attractive.

The fact that he went to school with a certain regularity – a rarity for the boys from the Zone – made him seem like an even better catch. Meanwhile, the rain began to intensify: that umbrella was of rather low quality, and as long as it was just a light drizzle, even that plastic and fabric thing would hold up, but if the situation worsened, he would end up getting soaked. But then, after a while, in fact, quite a while, a smile appeared on Giulio's face.

«Finally! Dang it, people really choose the strangest places to set up shop» said the boy as he looked at a small pink neon sign that read 'Road Parts – for everything (or almost)'

«Then they complain that no one goes to their stores… well, of course! To get here, even someone from the Zone would have to take a motorcycle. And just imagine if they actually need parts for the motorcycle!», he concluded, adding a small laugh to his own joke. The boy's laughter echoed through the semi-empty streets of the neighborhood: it was a sound quite rare in those places, especially in the metal streets surrounded by fences and huge buildings; at most, sometimes you could hear a dealer or some shady type laughing at their own victims. Giulio was very familiar with that reality, and he had never liked it, not at all.

But the boy decided that this was not the right moment for such deep thoughts. Now he was entering the crucial part of his task. He placed the little umbrella in front of the shop's entrance, tightened the white plastic bag he was holding in the other hand, and entered without knocking.

«Ooooooh, here he is. Fucking finally, whatcha you say?», said a man from behind the counter. He was a chubby guy, probably nearing fifty. His face was a bit dirty on the cheeks, and he had a sweaty forehead; his right eye had been replaced by a kind of camera, probably the best cyber implant he could afford.

«Well, if it weren't necessary to take a commercial flight to get here, I would probably have arrived earlier», replied Giulio with an annoyed air, and from a certain point of view, he was right.

«How dare you, you little… listen, thank your lucky stars that no customers needing large bolts have arrived, otherwise I would be looking for you with a bat right now. And now give me the stuff and hurry up»

«Here you go», said the boy, abruptly placing his bag on the table. The man opened it and pulled out three cardboard boxes. Then he stared at Giulio for a few seconds, before looking back at the newly arrived goods; at one point he huffed, tore the tape off one of the boxes, and looked inside: the container was stuffed full of bolts, slightly dirty metal, quite large.

But Giulio was very annoyed by the man's sudden action: «Hey, what's up now? You really don't trust me?"

«No, it's just that... it seemed a bit light to me, I wanted to see if the bolts were the right size. Mamma mia, how sensitive you are»

«Listen, this is the third trip I've made for you this week. And the last time I boutta get assaulted in that disgusting place you sent me to»

«Yes, yes, my God... listen to me well, kid. I don't give a damn about the problems during deliveries. I pay you to transport my goods. If you don't like it, or if bad things happen to you during the trip, that's not my problem»

«More or less, let's say»

«Fuck does 'more or less' mean now?"

«That surely you are not capable of carrying the stuff by yourself. They would steal everything in a second, trust. Strange that you’re over fifty and still haven't understood what kind of place you live in»

«And what do you mean by that, huh?! Do you want a raise, a contract, insurance? Think it's easy to run a shop in this hell? I can assure you, it is not at all, not with the prices tech corps set. Not to mention that I can find a thousand kids who do deliveries, don't think you're someone special»

«Yeah, but how much are they going to ask you?», said the boy, looking at the man straight in the eyes. Then he sighed and wondered why he was trying to argue with the only guy willing to pay him relatively well that he had managed to find in almost ten days. So he tried to calm down: «Okay, listen. I’m a bit nervous, sorry»

«Very nervous»

«Listen! I need this money, okay? I know it’s tough to run a business here, but believe me when I say I’m in even worse shape than you. I just want to have an honest job, no matter how hard it might be. I don’t want to end up… selling food, beating up people, only to rot in prison or get killed on the street»

«Well, you’re touchy alright, but at least it seems like you have your head on straight. You seem smart. How are you doing in school?»

«School is useless if you don't have a euro for university»

«University... aiming too high, kid! Look, if you graduate from a decent high school, you could become a department head in a factory one day. Does that seem like a bad future compared to what certain people are destined for from birth? Those who are born... normal are already far better off than... than others», and saying this, the man looked down, visibly saddened by his own words.

Giulio wanted to avoid personal questions and limited himself to concluding the matter, which was starting to become truly sad; so he approached and kindly asked: «Well, thank you for the advice. I wouldn't actually mind finishing high school. I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my days as a delivery boy»

«Hahaha, yes, it sounds like a sad fate, even for someone from here»

«Very well»

«So...»

«Listen, the conversation was flowing, but now what are you trying to get at? Do I have to ask you explicitly?»

«I don't understand...»

«The cash! What, were you hoping that advice on further education would be enough payment? Unfortunately, the supermarket checkout doesn't accept pearls of wisdom»

The man seemed genuinely surprised by the boy's request; Giulio decided not to insist for at least a few seconds, but he certainly wouldn't leave empty-handed. Fortunately, the man quickly emerged from his small trance, and while he took out some 20-euro bills and placed them on the counter, he continued to speak: «Ah, oh, right! Money... ah, money. What wouldn't one do to earn a few coins these days...», the guy continued, with a somewhat slow and ambiguous voice, as if he wanted to appear like a philosopher discussing metaphysical topics. «It's just that... you reminded me a bit of a certain person I knew many years ago... sweet, you know, a very rare type of person in a place like this»

Giulio had always been someone ready to listen to others' problems, but at that moment he was already quite late with his schedule. It was almost eight-thirty, and his shift as a garbage collector started at eleven. A boring job that still required a lot of energy; energy he certainly wouldn't recover by staying in that small shop listening to his employer's dramatic past. Not to mention that until then he hadn't even laid down on a couch, which he didn't even have; so, while he pocketed the still small earnings, he tried to defuse the man's story with the simple truth: «Well, maybe you can tell me another time? You know, this isn't the only job I have waiting for me tonight»

The man seemed annoyed by Giulio's hurry, but he tried to appear calm nonetheless, perhaps slightly embarrassed: «Yes, well, of course. These are stories from another time, not the stuff you young people are into. Eh, what do you know... well, if you really have to go, I won't keep you any longer»

«Thank you very much, and have a good evening»

«Bye, bye»

After leaving the shop, Giulio thought again about his friend Simone: at first, they used to make deliveries together, but then he’d gotten in a car incident and ended up in the hospital; he was actually quite lucky, since his uncle, a doctor, had saved him, especially because the boy obviously didn't have insurance.

According to the boy, it was unthinkable that one should have to pay for the most basic care, and when he thought about the old people who talked about when, a long time ago, public healthcare was free, he always wondered what had gone so wrong in that world. But at a certain point, his thoughts were interrupted when he saw two girls passing by. In fact, he noticed that they had something in their hands that was smoking; it certainly wasn't a joint or anything like that, it looked like a small box. Then he saw one girl take wooden chopsticks and irritably ask the other: «Listen, I know this stuff is trendy, but couldn't you have asked for forks? I don't understand how on earth this stuff is so successful abroad»

«Excuse me, but is that stuff from the 'Blue Dragon'?», asked Giulio, with a strangely curious expression.

«Ah, yes, it's the first time we're having Chinese. Why, ‘scuse me?»

«No, no, just curious»

«Well, okay… bye» concluded the girl, walking away with her friend. In fact, after five or six meters, they turned back to see if Giulio was following them.

But the boy was lost in his thoughts: «My goodness, how lucky those two are. Waiters in a real restaurant, where they work well. Much better than delivery boys and garbage collectors»

Less than three hundred meters from the shop where Giulio had gone that evening, there was the famous 'Blue Dragon', a small Chinese fast food restaurant that was doing very well thanks to its excellent quality-price ratio. Outside the door, a boy and a girl were chatting cheerfully: «So, you really from ‘round here?»

«Yeah, my father’s a big name in his factory. You know, once, for my birthday, he wanted to take me downtown», the boy replied proudly. His voice reflected a bit of his appearance: light brown, neat hair paired with very dark eyes. He was also tall, which he tried to show off as best as he could to his new acquaintance, who was probably interested in him.

«No way, like, actual downtown? And did you guys really go?»

«Of course! But I'm glad you live nearby we can meet up sometime. Maybe you could come back here, and I'll see if I can get you a discount, otherwise...»

«Luca, damn it! You've been out here for twenty minutes!», a voice abruptly interrupted him. When the two turned around, they saw the face of a boy with very short black hair and small brown eyes; a very angry face.

But of course, in front of such a beautiful girl, Luca couldn't allow himself to be spoken to like that: «Oh, can't you see I'm talking to a girl? I mean, you don't understand anything, do you? The usual Carlo, the crazy madman who…», but the other one stepped out the door, revealing a big, fit body that didn't match his half-broken glasses, along with an increasingly furious expression: «Fuck, you need to get back inside! And quickly, because if you get us fired, Imma smash your head! Got it?»

«Yeah, but you need to calm down, okay? Who do you think you are, my father? Keep in my mind that the head waiter here is Mr. Cenere, not you! And if it weren't for me, they would have never hired us here!»

«For you? Maybe you meant your father!»

Suddenly, the girl tried to intervene to prevent the situation from escalating: «Aight, listen, don't worry. I see you have to work now, so maybe we can text later when you're done. Bye!», and she went down an alley next to the restaurant.

But Luca still didn't calm down: «See what you’ve done? What if something happens to her, what should I do? What should I do to you?»

«You ain’t gonna do shit because nothing will happen to her. Don't be an idiot and get back to work», said the companion, re-entering the establishment. And indeed he was right: that area was so large that the landscape changed significantly even within a hundred meters; compared to where Giulio was, the restaurant where the two were located was in a nicer spot, with wider, cleaner, and more airy streets, where even a young girl could afford to walk alone, at least until a certain hour.

The restaurant was quite large for an independent fast food place located in such a spot, with nice tables, good lighting, and traditional Chinese decorations; moreover, the food was actually good, and despite that, it had an affordable price for a good part of those who lived there.

When Luca entered, Carlo and another man looked at him disapprovingly. The boy tried to smile, but only ended up annoying the gentleman even more, who quickly approached him: "You are a...," he said, stopping abruptly, evidently because the room was full.

«You see, we have four waiters because we need four, not three», he said, lowering his voice. «And if you think you can go after the pretty girls while you work, then you’re out for good, so you can look for all the girlfriends you want!»

Luca remained completely silent: Mr. Cenere was a short man, not exactly athletic, but if he got angry, it was game over. And he had no qualms about scolding the boys in front of customers, and indeed Luca thanked heaven that he hadn’t sent the man when the girl from before was still there. Then the boy tried to calm down and attempted to say something to apologize: «I’m sorry, sir! I don’t know what got into me, I’m really sorry! I won’t leave the restaurant even once until eleven o’ clock, I won’t even go to the bathroom!»

The desperate words of the poor boy made Carlo very cheerful: his friend changed drastically depending on who was in front of him, and even though he would take a bullet for him, Carlo enjoyed seeing someone finally silence Luca just with words, since he almost had to lay hands on him to do it. And after the terrible head waiter calmed down, Carlo went over to his companion: «See? I think you’ve already thanked the gods for not letting Mr. Cenere come out while you were talking to that girl, huh?»

Luca, despite the recent shouting, smiled slightly: «Hahah, you really know me well. Yes, because if that beast had yelled at me before, I would have truly lost my mind. Thank goodness he Cenere’s in a good mood, tonight»

«Thank goodness my balls balls, dickhead!», the other shouted back at him. «You should thank me, who almost got beaten up by that guy when I asked him to wait a few minutes instead of going out and killing you!»

«Really? Oh my God, thank you!», said Luca, his face lighting up. «No, Carlo, seriously, you’re the best! You stood in front of that animal to keep me from making a fool of myself?»

«Ah, your brain’s still working, luckily. And now get back to work before that madman completely loses it and kills us, or worse, fires us.»

After his friend's advice, Luca smiled again and returned to work seriously. As he watched him, Carlo felt relieved: even though at work he was often the one who took the blame and made sure Luca did what he had to do, without his companion he really wouldn't have known what to do. In an environment like that, having trusted friends was essential: not because otherwise one would feel lonely, but because otherwise one wouldn't survive. Carlo and Luca had learned this the hard way when, in their early high school years, they had no one to defend them. But then Giulio had introduced them, and they had become closer friends, and now they commanded respect from everyone. Because that's how things worked there.

After the little incident, the two boys finished their shift at exactly eleven o'clock. But that evening, it wasn't the usual night when they said goodbye and went home to sleep. That evening, they were getting paid. And when they opened the envelope, the boys' eyes sparkled: 750 euros, clean and clear, all for them. They looked into each other's eyes and started jumping for joy. Finally, the torture was over: they could return to their simple student life. Neither of them had ever liked working or studying: they dreamed of a life on the streets, commanding the shadiest circles of the Zone. But their enthusiasm was interrupted when they saw a garbage truck: and right on that truck, they saw Giulio, who had just started his shift. Luca was really impressed by his friend's endurance: «Fuck, he really is built different. First he makes deliveries, and then he's a garbage collector?»

«And from eleven until after one am, I believe. I don't understand how that boy does well in school. He seems like a robot»

«But doesn't he also have to take care of his little sister? Because, honestly, I heard that the parents are not doing well at all»

«Really? And if that's the case, he ain’t gonna make it to his twenties; he'll have a heart attack before then, although I would feel sorry for him»

And indeed, on the truck, Giulio was well-rested, but he was also very annoyed: fortunately, he was paid weekly, but by the third or fourth day, he felt that this situation couldn't last long. Strangely, that evening the streets were clean, and they finished before one o'clock. The truck dropped him off at the nearest stop to his home, and the boy walked on.

Although the work was exhausting always and in any case, that was the last evening. And indeed, when he touched his pocket, he felt that thing that decides the lives of many people: his paycheck, with a total of 800 euros; since he was a minor, they had given it to him like that, because in places like that employers didn't exactly care about contracts and taxes. But he was perfectly fine with it, and, looking for the last time at the truck that was leaving, he actually felt happy.

But when he was less than fifty meters from his condominium, he saw someone and thought he was having a hallucination. He decided to approach as quietly as possible, and fortunately, his target was on the phone and didn't hear him; and when he got close enough, Giulio recognized him, and then thought in disbelief: «And what is Francesco doing here now?»

That Francesco whom Giulio was talking about was a boy of quite short stature, not exactly slender, but not a threatening figure either. He was wearing a black hoodie, but Giulio remembered perfectly his thick blonde hair, which almost fell in front of his green eyes. And his voice sounded like that of a calm and sweet boy, but the things he was saying did not match the impression he gave: «So that little bastard can't pay. Alright, let's try to stay calm... yes... hey, I’ve already told you how it works... I don't care that the girl is 15 years old! What?! No, no, no, I didn't mean... well, if they really don't have one cent... that guy dies, then we'll figure something out for her...», and he ended the conversation with a small laugh.

Then he was silent for a moment, and started speaking more quietly: «Listen, I feel strange. No, I’m not chicken, idiot! I mean, I feel like I'm being watched. I'm changing position, call back in a minute», and after looking around for a second, he started running, probably as fast as he could, quickly disappearing into the darkness of the alleys.

Fortunately, he hadn't realized that it was Giulio following him: the latter, for his part, was completely stunned, and couldn't, or perhaps didn't want to, believe his friend's words. While trying not to lose sight of the criminal, he thought that someone like Francesco couldn't be like this: he had always been a quiet boy, always lost in his thoughts, who ultimately got along with everyone, and now he was coming out with those more than outrageous words. As his friend, Giulio felt it was his duty to get to the bottom of the matter.

On the other hand, Francesco was the one Giulio knew the least: he had joined their group a few months prior, and it took quite some time before he opened up to them. He claimed to have been excluded multiple times before meeting them, so Giulio had assumed he was a decent guy; but he had often shown himself to be cunning and even slightly dishonest. He certainly wouldn't be the only rogue in the area, but what he had said on the phone... there was a limit to everything.

At one point, a scream shattered the silence: «Listen, fuck off!», shouted Francesco, taking a narrow and dark staircase that led up to who knows which building. Giulio must have made a noise. The young man turned abruptly and pulled out a butterfly knife, quite large, pointing it towards the entrance of the stairs, and then stood still. «I know you're following me, I don't know why and I don't want to know! But I know you're alone! So listen carefully if you want to get home alive!»,

And as he said this, he began to ascend the small steps walking backward: «I'm not running away; I know this building like the back of my hand. And I think you heard the knife», he said, waving the blade in the air. «Imma tell you clearly and straightforwardly, and I won’t repeat myself: I don't want any trouble, but if you try to come up these stairs, I'll slice you up»

Giulio thought it over for a few seconds: Francesco had said unimaginable things, but the building was dark, and he would probably attack without stopping to try to recognize him. But whether criminal or saint, that boy was still his friend. And one thing he had learned from that miserable life he so despised was that friends help each other: he would follow Francesco and stop him, at all costs. He wouldn't let his friend get into trouble.

However, things did not go as he thought: suddenly Francesco turned sharply and ran to the top of the staircase. Then he looked down again and shouted: «In fact, you know what? If you followed me all the way here, it means you are from this Zone. You did well. But you'll have to try again», and suddenly there was a loud noise, followed by other metallic sounds.

When Giulio gathered his courage and looked at the top of the staircase, he saw a door blocking the entrance to the building. He ran up the stairs and began banging against the metal plate, and just as he was about to say something, he heard Francesco again: «Ahah! Listen to him, would you! Don't worry, you won't break it down; it would take a jackhammer. Anyway, I would love to stay and hear you shout while you try to break down the door, but unfortunately, I have to run! I'm sure you know the other entrances to this building, and I don't want to risk you calling backup. See you!»

Giulio couldn't understand. More than a month ago, he and his friends had promised to earn some money to indulge themselves a little, to bring some joy to their sad lives confined within the walls of their neighborhood. In reality, he had said it also because he hoped to find some honest work for his friends, given the reality in which they lived.

But evidently, he had made a serious, and above all unexpected mistake with Francesco. So, sad and also dead tired, he decided that that evening it was not a good idea to go home, and he chose to go to his hideout: a small broom closet in an abandoned industrial complex, which he had furnished with a simple mattress and a battery-operated mini fridge. It was truly the worst of the worst as a home, but for the moment it was the best he could afford. Actually, he did have a home... but that evening, he would have preferred to sleep in the garbage compactor rather than return there.