My avvocato (lawyer) has been trying to meet up with a woman at the Camera di commercio (Chamber of Commerce). The first woman we saw, Signora B. went on vacation almost three weeks ago. She told us to try to meet up with the head of the department, Signora T. to get the signed copies of two documents for me.
When we saw Signora B., she told us that she should have them ready by the end of the week, but that she'd call my avvocato to let him know. They didn't talk before she left for her vacation, so my avvocato tried calling the Signora T. who was generally not in the office.
Yesterday, after much waiting, I wrote my avvocato an SMS to ask him if he wanted me to go to the Camera di commercio because it's right outside my new apartment building. He called me that evening and told me who I needed to see and what I needed to ask for.
This morning, I arrived and told the guard at the door who I was there to see. He gave the person my name and then asked me, "Lei ha un appuntamento? (Do you have an appointment?)" He relayed my answer to the person on the phone, and then told me, "Secondo piano davanti all'ascensore. (Second floor in front of the elevator)."
I was surprised that someone was really going to see me since my avvocato has been calling for almost three weeks and the Signora T. is never there.
I knocked on her closed door, and she said, "Avanti (Come in)." I opened the door and saw an older blonde woman sitting behind a desk piled with papers and folders.
She had a surprised look on her face as if she was expecting someone else. I explained why I was there and read off the two documents I had come to pick up that she was supposed to sign. I told her my name and she asked me if I had a reference number. When I told her that I didn't have one, she grabbed my piece of paper with my notes and said, "Abbiamo tanti documenti qui. Non posso sapere chi è Lei." I smiled and let out a nervous giggle. She stared up at me and I said, "Capisco benissimo signora. Cosa posso fare per ottenere questi documenti."
She called another woman on the phone, but there was no answer. She walked to her door and called out the woman's name. I stood there with my paper in hand.
Signora T. explained my situation and seemed quite frustrated. I tried to not appear too demanding and talked as soft as possible when asked a few questions. The new woman smiled at me and took me downstairs to the office of the woman my avvocato and I saw.
Another woman was in the office and she told her to take care of me. She said that the Signora T. had sent us. The woman asked me for my carta d'identità (ID card) and asked me what documents I needed. She then opened up a closet with piles of folders in it. She found my folder in a few seconds and we saw that the documents were already signed by the Signora T. on the Friday that the Signora B. had promised.
The woman asked me to sign one of the documents and to give her the marca da bollo (official stamp) that I bought at the tabaccheria (tobacco shop) before arriving at the Camera di commercio.
I was so excited that I called my avvocato the second I walked in the apartment. "Una piccola vittoria! (A small victory!)" he said. He was surprised by my success at getting my documents that he told me that he'll be sending me to pick up all of his other client's documents at the Camera di commercio from now on.
I felt so good that I immediately went to the anagrafe (registry office) to change my residency. The office is also quite close to my apartment. It must have been my lucky day because they only give out 50 numbers a day, and I was the 50th.
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