high branch. Leo climbed out after it. And the branch fell! Boom, down he came and broke his left arm. Broke it so bad, the bones stuck out and the doctor thought it might have to come off. Even when he saved the arm, it didnât work so good anymore. Itâd been shattered. Never grew right, after.
So then, Leo had to learn to do everything with his right hand. And I guess maybe it threw his humors out of balance, because he started to stutter. Stammered so bad nobody understood one word he was saying. Except me! I listened to him, you see, Signore? And I could, uh, interpret for him. He got so he wouldnât say nothing to nobody, except when I was around. We got such a, whatâs the word, such a rapport, Leo and me, that I know what he wants to say before he says it.
And his papa said, âSay, Giovanni, youâre such a smart boy, my Leo needs you around to do his talking for him. You come live with us. Iâll pay you a nice salary.â Which was a big opportunity for me, I donât mind telling you. When Leo was studying in books, I got to play in the street and learn a little something of the ways of the world, you understand? And I learned how to fight, which was good, because nobody dared call Leo a dummy or steal from him, while I was around.
I said, âDonât feel bad, Leo, youâre plenty smart! One of these days weâll get rich off your cleverness, wait and see!â And we did, Signore. Plenty of times, weâve been rolling in scudi. We just had bad luck. It could happen to anybody.
Ah! Well, let me tell you about Florence. Leoâs papa sent us to Andrea del Verrocchio, that was a big rich painter there. I said: âHow are you today, Signore? Iâm Giovanni Barelli and this is Leonardo da Vinci, and heâs the greatest painter youâre ever going to teach, and Iâm his manager.â
Signore Andrea didnât take that too well. He must have been thinking, âWho are these kids?â But he looked over Leoâs little pictures that he done, like this rotten monster head he painted on a shield, with dead snakes and flies so real you could practically smell it, and he agreed to take Leo as an apprentice.
It probably didnât hurt that Leo was good-looking as the Angel Gabriel himself, in those days. Those artistic types, they like the boys, eh? Saving your graceâs presence, but thatâs how it is in the Art World.
So we settled into that studio, with all those other boys there, and Leo painted better than any of them. He painted so good, pretty soon he was better than Signore Andrea. Signore Andrea painted this big picture of Jesus getting baptized, but Leo helped him some. And, Iâm telling you, there were these two holy angels standing side by side in the picture, and the one Signore Andrea painted looked grubby and sneaky as a pickpocket, but the angel Leo painted was just beautiful, shining so bright youâd think he had a candle stuck up his, uh, hidden under his robe or something.
I watched Signore Andrea, and I could tell he wasnât so happy about this. The little boys were crazy jealous, and I knew sooner or later somebody would slip poison into Leoâs dinner. So I went to Signore Andrea, I said, âThanks a lot for the training, Signore, but itâs time my Leo opened his own studio someplace else, donât you agree?â
But he didnât agree. He said Leo had to work for him a certain number of years and a day, or he wouldnât get into San Lucaâs Guild, blah blah blah. I saw Signore Andrea didnât want no competition. So I knew it was time to get us some leverage.
Any rich man has secrets, eh, Signore? You know what I mean, I can tell. And I could climb drainpipes real good, and open windows, too, and get locked cabinets open with one of Leoâs palette knives. Pretty soon, I knew some things about Signore Andrea Iâm sure he wouldnât want the Pope to hear about.