They called him Tantisaluti or “Tantisa” because he used to wave to the customers with one hand while spinning the pizza dough with the other. Tantisaluti ran one of the best pizza joints in Empoli, a small town near Florence.
And then Covid19 arrived. Tantisa saw maybe 200 people a day. His restaurant was bustling, the brick pizza oven, the hot spot, was a squeeze to get by. There was human contact, sweaty contact, everyday. Some clients warned Tantisa about the virus, but he said, “as long as I keep spinning my pizzas, Corona will stay away”. And so he kept spinning his dough, even making pizza that he had delivered to the hospital staff for free.
Just last week Tantisa came down with a sore throat. The virus hit him hard and in one day he couldn’t move from his bed. Doctors were nowhere to be found in Italy and all the paracetamol in the pharmacies were gone. Matteo, a long time friend, said he had to do something. Tantisa’s nonna Kirstena, said she knew of a cure for the virus: she had heard that there was a homeless man, in Empoli, who had survived Covid19. If Matteo could find and him and get him to spit 3 times in a cup and bring it to her, it could save her grandson.
“Go find Jamesola, that’s what they call him” she said in her frail voice, giving him a silver cup from her childhood. “And get him to spit deep spit!”
But where to find him? Matteo ran around town in his red cap, high and low, but there was no sign of Jamesola.
He called the nonna: “Kirstena, I can’t find him, don’t you have a clue about this homeless misericordia?”
“He’s a desperate man. Use your head and think.” and at that she hung up the phone.
Desperate, desperate, Matteo walked around and around thinking, looking especially in places where the homeless lived.
No one had heard of a Jamesola, maybe he had another name, and with each step Matteo was getting more desperate. Suddenly, out of a dark alley, a regal character walked out wearing a 16th century sky blue outfit, with a tall blue hat that featured a golden plume from most likely a very rare bird.
He? She? Sang in a soft voice:
“ Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now Oh, you're a hard one
But I know that you got your reasons These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow
Don't you draw the Queen of Lions, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet”
Matteo was shocked and puzzled. He had never seen such a resplendent character in his life and at the same time, this song he loved from the Eagles, went “Queen of Diamonds” not “Lions”! Before the 16th century person got to say another word, Matteo jumped on his pony and raced to the
And then Covid19 arrived. Tantisa saw maybe 200 people a day. His restaurant was bustling, the brick pizza oven, the hot spot, was a squeeze to get by. There was human contact, sweaty contact, everyday. Some clients warned Tantisa about the virus, but he said, “as long as I keep spinning my pizzas, Corona will stay away”. And so he kept spinning his dough, even making pizza that he had delivered to the hospital staff for free.
Just last week Tantisa came down with a sore throat. The virus hit him hard and in one day he couldn’t move from his bed. Doctors were nowhere to be found in Italy and all the paracetamol in the pharmacies were gone. Matteo, a long time friend, said he had to do something. Tantisa’s nonna Kirstena, said she knew of a cure for the virus: she had heard that there was a homeless man, in Empoli, who had survived Covid19. If Matteo could find and him and get him to spit 3 times in a cup and bring it to her, it could save her grandson.
“Go find Jamesola, that’s what they call him” she said in her frail voice, giving him a silver cup from her childhood. “And get him to spit deep spit!”
But where to find him? Matteo ran around town in his red cap, high and low, but there was no sign of Jamesola.
He called the nonna: “Kirstena, I can’t find him, don’t you have a clue about this homeless misericordia?”
“He’s a desperate man. Use your head and think.” and at that she hung up the phone.
Desperate, desperate, Matteo walked around and around thinking, looking especially in places where the homeless lived.
No one had heard of a Jamesola, maybe he had another name, and with each step Matteo was getting more desperate. Suddenly, out of a dark alley, a regal character walked out wearing a 16th century sky blue outfit, with a tall blue hat that featured a golden plume from most likely a very rare bird.
He? She? Sang in a soft voice:
“ Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now Oh, you're a hard one
But I know that you got your reasons These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow
Don't you draw the Queen of Lions, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet”
Matteo was shocked and puzzled. He had never seen such a resplendent character in his life and at the same time, this song he loved from the Eagles, went “Queen of Diamonds” not “Lions”! Before the 16th century person got to say another word, Matteo jumped on his pony and raced to the
Fountain of Lions, where he saw a haggard man in a brown plaid hoodie and striped shorts crouched on the edge of the fountain. Except for a large swan flying by, it was stangely quiet.
Matteo jumped off his pony and shook the man by his head. “Jamesola! It’s you! I need you to spit 3 times into this cup!”
Jamesola didn’t move.
“Come on, now!!” insisted Matteo, his face getting as red as his cap.
“Che, che, che, wha, wha, what do ya want” replied Jamesola in a sleepy voice. It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon and the sky was clear except for a few white clouds.
“What the fuck are you after?” said a big, booming voice that made both Jamesola and Matteo jump. It was the voice of the Lion, who was looking down at them with very intent eyes.
“Signore Leone” said Matteo, “I need this man to spit..” and he went on to explain the story to the Lion and tried to finish it by saying that he would like the pizzas that Tantisaluti makes.
“I don’t like jokes about viruses” the lion said. And at that he roared a roar so loud that all the buildings around the piazza shook. And when he stopped, he roared again and then a 3rd time. Matteo was holding his ears and thinking he was in a Japanese Godzilla movie, what he didn’t notice is that with each roar, Jamesola spat into a cup, a convulsive spit that came from the bottom of his lungs.
The lion went back to its stone state and Matteo, seeing the cup almost full, grabbed it, not even thanking Jamesola and raced on his pony to see the nonna who taking the spit of 3 different bats, mixed it all together and instructed Matteo to have Tantisa drink it down in one gulp.
Although it was said that Tantisaluti recovered from the terrible Covid19, the truth will never be known for two reasons: the anonymous writer, he or she, got into a car accident that broke his or her hand so he or she couldn’t write anymore and original manuscript was also damaged because Matteo spilled Jamesola’s spit over the last paragraph rendering it illegible.
Matteo jumped off his pony and shook the man by his head. “Jamesola! It’s you! I need you to spit 3 times into this cup!”
Jamesola didn’t move.
“Come on, now!!” insisted Matteo, his face getting as red as his cap.
“Che, che, che, wha, wha, what do ya want” replied Jamesola in a sleepy voice. It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon and the sky was clear except for a few white clouds.
“What the fuck are you after?” said a big, booming voice that made both Jamesola and Matteo jump. It was the voice of the Lion, who was looking down at them with very intent eyes.
“Signore Leone” said Matteo, “I need this man to spit..” and he went on to explain the story to the Lion and tried to finish it by saying that he would like the pizzas that Tantisaluti makes.
“I don’t like jokes about viruses” the lion said. And at that he roared a roar so loud that all the buildings around the piazza shook. And when he stopped, he roared again and then a 3rd time. Matteo was holding his ears and thinking he was in a Japanese Godzilla movie, what he didn’t notice is that with each roar, Jamesola spat into a cup, a convulsive spit that came from the bottom of his lungs.
The lion went back to its stone state and Matteo, seeing the cup almost full, grabbed it, not even thanking Jamesola and raced on his pony to see the nonna who taking the spit of 3 different bats, mixed it all together and instructed Matteo to have Tantisa drink it down in one gulp.
Although it was said that Tantisaluti recovered from the terrible Covid19, the truth will never be known for two reasons: the anonymous writer, he or she, got into a car accident that broke his or her hand so he or she couldn’t write anymore and original manuscript was also damaged because Matteo spilled Jamesola’s spit over the last paragraph rendering it illegible.
