Chapter 14: Trip to Milan

With the arrival of the winter break, players began to leave one after another, leaving Novara suddenly quiet.

Starting from New Year's, Novara would shut down for a week for maintenance and repairs.

Suddenly, Bruno felt a bit lost, unsure of what to do.

He had no plans to return to Portugal. Although the winter break lasted almost a month, the team would reconvene on January 10th to begin a two-week training camp in preparation for the second half of the season.

This meant that players only had ten actual days off, not counting the travel time back and forth.

The distance between Novara and Porto was over 1500 kilometers, spanning Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. Bruno didn't have his own car, traveling by bus wasn't very convenient, and taking a plane cost a lot of money.

With a monthly income of only 1500 euros, after deducting the cost of lodging at the Righis' home and Italian lessons, he was left with only 1000 euros per month. A round-trip journey would practically cost him a month's salary.

What frustrated Bruno was that the Righi family had also decided to go on vacation to Switzerland starting from New Year's. Although Mr. Righi had said he could stay at home and have the keys, it wouldn't be convenient to be alone.

He felt very poor. Unlike famous footballers who had their own support teams, he had nothing.

However, now that he was known in Italian football, surely some Serie A teams would be interested in him. And based on his progress so far, he would probably move to Udinese in the summer, which would mean a significant increase in his income. Although he didn't dare to expect too much, there shouldn't be any problems achieving personal financial freedom.

When the Righi family left, they came specifically to Bruno's room to ask him if he wanted to go on vacation with them to Switzerland.

Bruno declined the offer without hesitation. What sense did it make to go on vacation with them? It had already been quite troublesome to live in their house these months. It would be better to give them some personal space.

Bruno was not a clueless person without common sense.

Mr. Righi didn't insist. However, when they left by car, he gave Bruno another piece of advice: during the vacation, don't just focus on training football, but also take a walk and relax a bit.

Novara was a small city with a fairly good geographical location. Both Milan, the fashion capital, and Turin or Biella, and even Switzerland, were very close.

Even in a small town like Novara, there were many worthwhile things to see.

Bruno nodded and said he would consider it, then bid farewell to the Righi family.

At the beginning of 2013, Bruno began to seriously consider Mr. Righi's advice.

Since his arrival in July, he hadn't had a real break in five months. Although he had no trouble sleeping thanks to the system, after five long months, he felt a bit mentally tired.

Since he was a child, he had heard that rest was important. Before, due to circumstances, he could only train and compete desperately to survive. Now that he had settled in Novara and his economic problems were solved, it was time to relax a bit.

As for where to go on vacation, after thinking about it a bit, Bruno decided to visit nearby Milan, the fashion capital.

Milan was very close to Novara, about 40 kilometers in a straight line. By car, it wouldn't take more than fifty kilometers, and it was connected by highway, making it very convenient.

However, Bruno decided not to take the car, but to spend 50 euros on a second-hand bicycle and take a scenic rural route to the east.

As a professional player, Bruno was in excellent physical shape. Although he didn't rush, it only took him two hours to reach Milan.

Bruno's first stop in Milan was the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. As a footballer, this was the first place that came to mind when he thought of visiting Milan.

After spending the morning visiting the stadium and having lunch, Bruno continued his journey, touring the city by bike.

In early January, Milan wasn't the most beautiful or suitable season of the year, but it still had its charm.

Instead of going to crowded places like Piazza del Duomo and the fashion district, Bruno chose to tour some old and quiet streets, feeling the pulse and culture of the city.

After a couple of hours of sightseeing, Bruno began to feel a bit tired, so he chose a random café to stop and rest.

This café, located in a secluded alley, had a very peaceful atmosphere and tasteful decor, giving it a sense of elegance and warmth.

However, perhaps due to its remote location, this café's business was obviously poor. When Bruno entered, it was shortly after four in the afternoon, Italian tea time, and also during the Italian New Year holidays. Normally, business should have been good at this time, but inside the café, there was only Bruno and a woman.

Apart from Bruno, the café had only one woman, and she was a beautiful woman, probably in her mid-twenties, with a delicate and cool face that made anyone's eyes light up. With her imposing pair of hills, slender waist, and long legs, she was absolutely captivating.

Most attractive were her eyes, full of infinite charm. Although she made no conscious effort to be flirtatious, any man looking into those eyes would have the same thought: what fascinating eyes! What a beautiful woman!

Bruno entered the café and cast a puzzled glance at the beautiful woman, unsure if she was a customer or a waitress.

She quickly dispelled his confusion with her actions: "Welcome! What would you like?"

Obviously, she was the waitress, and she might even be the owner of the café.

Bruno felt even stranger. How could such a beautiful woman run a café like this? The atmosphere was nice, and the place was pleasant, why was the business so poor?

Of course, Bruno didn't inquire about his confusion. In fact, this kind of atmosphere was perfect for him; he didn't like noisy places.

After inquiring about the café's offerings, Bruno ordered a cappuccino.

Bruno was not a coffee enthusiast and didn't know much about it. He had come to this café to take a break and relax. He ordered a cappuccino because it was relatively cheap and because it was familiar to him.

The cappuccino was instant coffee, and the beautiful waitress soon brought him a cup. After saying "enjoy," she sat at the counter.

Opera Carmen played in the café. Both enjoyed a love for that music; "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" was the beautiful waitress's favorite piece, while Bruno preferred "Les dragons d'Alcala" and "Toreador Song," powerful and thrilling, which always resonated deep in his heart.

The two listened to the opera in silence, without speaking.

When the opera ended and the music changed to a new piece, Bruno got up, paid the bill, and left.

He didn't try to strike up a conversation with the beautiful waitress, despite how attractive she was and how she fit perfectly with his beauty standards. It was just a casual encounter; they turned their backs on each other and went their separate ways. What sense was there in getting more involved when they were strangers to each other and the future was uncertain?

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