Pasticcio

Saturday 26 May morning

"My dreams are not too bad, on the whole!" The quality of her sleep off-sets the downsides of waking up out of it. A first cough rips through her sides and hurts the muscles in her rib cage. At every subsequent cough she holds on to her left side with both hands. A Motilium Instant and a swig of Gavistan have to settle her stomach, but she soon refluxes anyway. The overall energy-level was allright by her own account, due to a long night's sleep.  We sit and talk to guide her through the opening hours of the day. Look at my skin, she says, it is dry everywhere. It is, but applying cream feels sticky and uncomfortable, especially with the warm weather expected over the Pentecost weekend. Igor is visiting in a big way.

It is nine fifteen and Souad comes in, followed by the nurse. They take her through the morning routine quick and efficient and with full regard of what Lara can take at this point. Half an hour later they sit her across from me at the table, wearing a sleek black dress (banana fiber) and a faint but familiar smile under a sad frown. I look in her eyes and no words are necessary to express the conflicting feelings that beset her. "I understand", I say to her. And I really do. That is often all a woman needs to hear. (Men want to hear 'they are right'.) Yoghurt and fruit await her along with a fresh cappuccino. Half way through the bowl, she asks that it be covered over and saved until later.

We have to find a way to get some more protein into her. Without it, the body will wither away much more quickly. Then again, if the end destination remains the same, why forcefeed a patient and gain a week on a lifetime, if that?

Last night Nick and I went out on a boys' night while Elisabetta stayed with her friend and cooked her pasta and eggplant. The boys went to see the  new film by Sasha Baron Cohen, "The Dictator"; one of those movies where the trailer is better than the full feature. What balanced the evening out for us was dinner at "Il Pasticcio", the best Italian restaurant in Brussels, run by Maurizio. He gave us a table in the courtyard, where we enjoyed the most amazing and copious meal, bien arrose and laced with profound conversation. We didn't get home until 11:30PM where Lara woke up immediately and wanted to know all the details.