In the meantime, while he waited for the move to the Goldfields he had the opportunity to get to know Luigi’s cousins, Paolo and Simona. Paolo had been forced to leave Italy because he risked going to prison for his political views, and as their parents had both died his sister had followed him. Paolo was 37 and Simona 35; they were both single.
After fleeing from Gwalia when he heard the unexpected revelations about his father, Gino had become even more withdrawn in matters relating to the opposite s*x. His experience with the p********e in Kalgoorlie had put an end to any possibility of a return to the brothel scene, and the devastating discovery about his father had made him even more inhibited in his dealings with women. Not that there were many opportunities, but his only initiative
