It is easy to picture us sitting in the restaurant of La Veloce twiddling our thumbs, and appearing bored to death. But nothing would have been further from the truth.

Nessim had to often go to the Questura. The word itself means a police station. But it was more than that. You can think of it as the police headquarters for Genoa, but here again, it was more than that! I asked what was his business at the Questura. We had to be registered with the police, and of course tell them where we resided. On more than one occasion, our whole family had to go there.

But why did he had to go so often? He explained his business there, and frankly admitted that some aspects of the Italian bureaucracy were nebulous to him. Ultimately, even what was clear to him, and was explained to Flora, Robert, and myself remained a mystery to the three of us. One day, Paolo elaborated on dad’s explanations. He threw some light on the matter, but I would be lying if I said that everything was now clear to me. Leaving my family aside for a moment, the Palachi were even busier. Henri was determined to establish himself in Italy, actually in Genoa itself. He had simply fallen in love with Italy and the Italians. He knew some Italian, and studied very hard to really master the language. In this he was helped by Domenico, Rosa, Paolo, Celio, and anybody that was willing to talk to him in Italian.

He looked day and night for work, and no matter how difficult the search was, he was always optimistic. In Egypt, he had held an executive position, but he was willing to accept almost any job. Henri was a tall and handsome man; as we say in this part of the world, “he had presence.” Looks can open doors for you, once you’re in, however, it’s up to you to prove yourself.

Just as hard as finding a job, the quest for an apartment was near impossible. This responsibility fell on Dorette, but here again, Henri played a role. I will tell you later on whether their efforts were rewarded or not.

While Ben had already his visa for Australia, there were still plenty for him to do before boarding a ship for Down Under. He went to the Australian consulate so often, we referred to it as his second home.

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