35In my paternal home, things were proceeding with a very melancholy rhythm. My father was beginning to accuse some discomfort, albeit a minor one, due to the agonizing situation in which he lived. It is true it was a general phenomenon, but it was also true that, even in the past, his life had been a constant struggle for survival.
However two things worthy of mention occurred in the meantime: my second brother, Alfeo, succeeded in having a position, as an extraordinary employee, at the local branch of the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, replacing employees called upon to arms. The second thing was to convince my father to send me, for some time, to Rome, the smallest of my brothers, Mario, not without assuring him I would have combined business with pleasure: I would have enjoyed his compan
