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remembered Sergio telling me that Grandmother Aneta was of the opinion that I was ‘destiny’. What did that have to do with the destiny of this Ivo – and who was he anyway?
    “Sergio told me. – Who is Ivo?”
    “Sergio’s older brother. He is a good man, just a little – difficult. He thinks he’s smarter than his old grandmother and stronger that destiny, but he’s wrong.” The old woman chuckled again. “Everything will turn out as it should.”
    Whatever did the old woman mean by that? Did wise women always speak in riddles?
    “Come on, get dressed and then we’ll go to the others together. You must eat something before we set off.”
    “Where are my things?” I asked when I saw that they were no longer where they had been the day before.
    “You don’t need those any longer,” said Grandmother Aneta, pointing to a blue dress with black embroidery at the top. “That is for you.”
    “But I can’t …,” I objected.
    “Oh, nonsense! – Come on, it’ll definitely fit you. Put it on – I want to see.”
    I was about to say that Grandmother Aneta could not see whether it fit me, but I quickly changed my mind. It would be impolite to refer to the old woman’s blindness.
    “OK, I’ll try it on,” I submitted and swung out of the bed.
    The dress fitted me as if it were made for me. The bodice sat perfectly and the wide skirt flattered my slim figure.
    “It’s beautiful,” I said, and I meant it. Although the material was not as valuable as I was accustomed to, the cut was perfect and the stitches neat and tidy.
    Grandmother Aneta touched me with her fingers. I was uncomfortable about this but I kept still. I did not want to hurt the old woman’s feelings. Although she still seemed very strange to me I had begun to feel sympathy for her.
    “Yes, it is as if it were made for you,” said the old woman finally, satisfied. “Now, come on, I’m hungry and we don’t want to keep the others waiting.”



Chapter 4

    W ith an uncomfortable feeling I walked out of the waggon behind Grandmother Aneta. It was a pleasant, sunny morning and the sky was deep blue with little white clouds. The aroma of food hung in the air. Happy voices and laughter entered my ears, coupled with the sounds of summer. The clan was sitting in the shade of a large tree. Everyone turned their heads and looked at me with curiosity.  – Everyone bar one man with shoulder-length black locks. This man did not seem to notice me – or at least did not want to. I looked around more. Next to Santino there was a breathtakingly beautiful, middle-aged woman. I wondered whether that was Sergio’s mother.  Her intelligent eyes looked at me with interest and then she gave me a friendly smile. I had already seen the same smile from Sergio, so that really had to be Sergio’s mother. I felt a little awkward being the centre of attention. My presence in this camp was probably giving rise to a great deal of speculation as to where I was from and what had made me travel in men’s clothing. However I was fairly certain that neither Sergio nor his father will have told anyone else my story.
    Sergio waved to me and indicated that I should sit in the empty space next to him. I was given food and drink, and people resumed their discussions. No one took any notice of me any more except Sergio who was entertaining me with stories. He was surprisingly amusing and intelligent. These gypsies really puzzled me. I found it hard to work these people out. They were completely different from what I had imagined; not that I could define the way I had in fact imagined them to be. I had never had anything to do with such people. Now and then I had heard about robberies and other crimes. I had seen performances at the market where men swallowed fire and women danced with snakes. These thoughts suddenly made me start.
    “Err, Sergio? Can I …,” I began awkwardly. “Can I ask you something?”
    “Of course! What would you like to know?”
    “Ha…