La galleria delle meraviglie, the gallery of wonders, was the most famous dinner show of the carnival. From what I have read, it was an unforgettable experience: guests were invited to an old renaissance building beautifully decorated. People were dressed with the most beautiful dresses from those times, the most amazing masks, and they would guide you to a dark magic room, where dinner is going to be taken. There, the most delicious sparkling wines were served with amazing food, while the mysterious theme show of that year was carried out. That itself was enough to make me want to go, but then after the show the most wonderful gala party had place in the ballroom of the same building. It was supposed to be one of the great spectacles of the carnival, and so of course I had wanted to go, but prices were horribly expensive. I had to humbly accept that it was impossible to go.

And yet here I was outside of the building, dressed in my blue gala dress and my only fancy jacket, wearing my mask and my gold lipstick, and waiting for my mysterious loved one to appear. “I booked a table for two, but I have no one else that can come with me”, he had said last night, when I told him it was too expensive for me. “If you don’t come with me, I will just lost the money. I would rather go with a certain someone, a beautiful lady I know.” So of course, I had to help him. This poor friend of mine shouldn’t have to go alone if I was available, don’t you think? So of course, I had to go and live this amazing experience with him. Everything for his and only his sake, of course.

“There you are.” A voice said to my side.

And there he was, the same mask, the same leather jacket. He was wearing a thick long jacket, so I could not see his clothes. He was not wearing a hat for the first time, and so I could see his short light brown hair. It was nicely combed, and looked so soft. I wanted to touch it so bad, to see if it was true.

I wanted to take that mask and discover the man that was under it.

“You ok, querida?” He said softly, taking my arm.

“Y-yes”, I said, ashamed I had drifted off by looking at him. “Hello. Are you ready?”

“Of course.” He said, and guided me to the entrance.

The reservation was under the medico della peste  nickname again, and so I lost another chance of knowing his real name. That day I didn’t mind though. I was definitely special for him. This was the third night we were spending together, so surely he was going to tell me his name by himself soon. And take that mask and showed me his real face.

I could wait a bit more.

The hall was a two floor room, with a long marble stair taking you to the second floor. Ii the middle of the room there was an enormous crystal chandelier, shattering the lights into thousands of beams that reflected in the ceiling and the walls. The ceiling over the stairs was painted with a beautiful scenery of was seemed like the Christian heaven, as there were clouds and angels with fair faces and solemn expressions. There were so many details that I just wanted to keep my head upward, admiring the work, but a person said something to me, and I was at a loss of words for a moment.

“He wants your jacket”, my friend said, saving me from asking.

I took my white long jacket and gave it to the man, so he could store it for me. And my friend did the same with his black jacket. I glanced at him and lost my breath for a moment. Under the jacket he was wearing a beautiful black tailor-made tux. He was gorgeous.

And this man’s sight was fixed on me.

“You look so beautiful” he said softly, and I felt myself blushed hard. Once again I thanked for the mask that covered my face.

I was wearing my long dark blue strapless dress. Giulianna had made my hair again in a sophisticated bun, and I felt happy that I have asked for her help.

Were you liking me as much as I was liking you, my mysterious companion?

“I like your tux too.” I said smiling. “I guess the compliment is for my dress, as you can’t see my face.”

“I do like the dress, but only because you are wearing it.” He said softly, and I blushed again.

“Do you like the ceiling?” I asked, trying to change the topic.

He kept staring at me for a second, as if I was much more interesting to see than the ceiling, and then reluctantly looked up.

“It is mesmerizing.” He admitted, and I felt for a second that he wasn’t talking about the ceiling.

“You know, important people used to paint their ceilings in Venice so they would always know when their visitors were impacted by how rich they were.” I said. “They hired the best painters and created the most beautiful paints. But then, when the visitors actually came, they had to act as if the paintings weren’t as beautiful. Otherwise, they would admit to be poorer.”

“And so, no one but the owner could actually enjoy this beautiful painting.” He said, and looked around. “The current owner of this place must feel happy then, don’t you think? Everyone is looking.” He added smiling.

I looked around, and it was true: everyone was as mesmerized as we were. I could even hear a “wooah!” from far away.

“You really know a lot about Venice, huh?” my friend said, smiling at me.

“I really wanted to come for a long time.” I admitted.

“Come with me, and I am going to show you a new part of Venice” he said offering me his arm.

A waiter guided us to our table through the intricate corridors of this old mansion. He took us to a large room filled with tables. The lights were off, and there were only candles lit in the tables. It looked magical.

We ended up in one of the closest tables to the scenario, probably a very expensive one. I was so curious about my partner. Was he rich? Was he the heir of a big company? Or was he just a carnival fanatic?

“Have you been in the carnival before?” I asked him.

“I try to come every year. It is really a wonderful experience.” He said, smiling. “Don’t you think?”

So a carnival fanatic! But a rich carnival fanatic? Or a normal but good at saving carnival fanatic?

“It is a wonderful experience. And… ” I doubted for a second. “The company makes it better.”

He smiled.

“You have been an amazing companion too. Thank you for spending your time with me.”

My heart was beating so fast. Did he liked me as I liked him? I wanted to kiss him so much.

But a waitress interrupted the moment by bringing our dishes, and soon, the show started.

The show, the music, everything was amazing. I was so mesmerized by it that I almost didn’t notice when my partner stood up and walked away in the middle on the show. As I had noticed, I was quite aware that he had been gone for way too long, losing a great part of the show, and that he just appeared very close to the end.

“Where were you? You lost the show!” I said to him when the show ended.

Wasn’t he a carnival fanatic? How could he lost a show like this? Especially when he had spent so much money on the entrances!

“Sorry, querida, I just found and old friend. I actually watched the show from the back, talking to him. I am sorry for leaving you alone, I was worried he would leave and I don’t have his contact information.” He excused himself. “Did you like the show?”

“It was amazing! You really lost a beautiful show.”

“It is okay, my favorite part is the gala after all.” He smiled to me. “Will you stay for the next part?”

“Of course!”

I dropped the topic and forgave him too fast, I know. His story was strange, and I didn’t buy it. But I was in la galleria delle meraviglie  because of him, and so I didn’t feel like I should be pressuring him too much.

I wonder what would have happened with me if I had. Would I still be in this situation?