Bound for the Outer Banks (15 page)

Dante informed Ella that they would leave for Brindisi, Italy in two days. Ella was ecstatic. Italy was one of the leading countries in the fashion design industry, if not the leader. Ella pained over what to pack since Dante had instructed her to pack light since they would be traveling a lot in the next two weeks. She finally finalized her wardrobe and packed Old Finnegan. The next thing she knew she was departing from the tiny Biloxi, Mississippi airport en route to Europe with her gorgeous Italian boyfriend. Not too shabby, Ella thought.

Chapter 16

On the plane ride across the Atlantic, Ella entertained herself by reading “Italy for Idiots.” Dante’s hometown, Brindisi, was located on the heel of the Italian boot. Ella marveled at the fact that even the shape of the country looked like a couture, high-heeled boot with an ostrich feather trim encircling the top. She read about cathedrals in Brindisi which were constructed in the eleventh century. It amazed her to think how Americans marveled at old antebellum homes in the South and Revolution era towns in the North that were constructed some seven to eight hundred years after the Church of San Benedetto where Dante’s family attended mass to this day.

After three layovers in Atlanta, Frankfurt, and Rome, Dante and Ella finally arrived at the Brindisi airport. The modern architecture of the airport terminal seemed out of place in such an ancient city. The building was constructed of brown rectangular panels with similar glass panels down one entire side. BRINDISI AEROPORTO DEL SALENTO was written in large block letters at the top of the building. The letters were a cross between banana yellow and Granny Smith Apple green. The letters had a strange neon effect against the brown panels. Dante’s cousin, Nicoletta, arrived to pick them up in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Ella thought about how the Italians could make even a family sedan look high end and sporty. The grill on the front of the car was an inverted triangle topped with the Alfa Romeo emblem. After a short exchange with Nicoletta in Italian, Dante informed Ella that they would be staying with his cousin Alphonse since his parents were apparently suffering from the flu. At first Ella thought spring time was an unusual time to contract the flu, but this was Europe and things were surely different here than in New York or Biloxi.

Nicoletta zipped through the narrow streets at speeds which Ella was convinced were at least twice the legal limit. When they arrived at a low rise building downtown with a beautiful four tiered fountain in the front, Nicoletta hit the brakes so hard Ella and Dante lurched forward. Nicoletta backed up quickly into a tiny parallel parking space and then turned the wheel sharply. She stomped the gas and the car seemed to hop sideways into the parking space.

Alphonse exited the building and grasped Dante by the shoulders and gave him a quick kiss of greeting on each cheek. Dante introduced Ella and he did the same to her. Ella was thankful she’d been reading her Italy for Idiots book and knew to lean right and not be alarmed by perfect strangers approaching you with puckered lips. Ella had always been very hypersensitive about her personal space, but she realized in Italy her social norms from the States would have to be put on hold for a while.

While Dante, Alphonse, and Ella traded pleasantries in her very novice Italian, Nicoletta had taken the two bags out of the tight trunk of the Giuletta. She yelled, “Ciao!” and jumped into the driver’s seat and precariously sped out of the parking space without reversing first. Dante saw the expression on Ella’s face and he assured her that they would see Nicoletta the next night at his Aunt Adona’s house at a welcome party for him and Ella.

The next several days were filled with Dante’s family and some of his financial clients visiting Dante at Alphonse’s house. They mostly stayed in the kitchen having long conversations in Italian. Alphonse’s small house was fairly typical of a downtown residence in Brindisi. The interior was a monochromatic putty tone which was the color of the natural stone walls of the villa. The kitchen also had exposed blocks of carved stone which gave it that old world look but it was equipped with high end modern fixtures. To break up the monotony of the uniform color, each room had a brightly hued La Murrina glass chandelier ranging from the traditional style to the more contemporary Medusa design.

The large welcome party Dante had mentioned upon their arrival never materialized, with Dante citing the flu concern keeping the family from congregating. Ella was disappointed, having thought that possibly Dante felt the next step in their relationship was to introduce her to his family. Instead of getting to know one another over the large Italian family dinner Ella had envisioned, Dante’s parents and Ella had a brief introduction and then the Vitali family excused themselves to Alphonse’s kitchen to discuss their investments.

Dante encouraged Ella to take Alphonse’s bicycle and explore Brindisi. Although Dante and Ella had sex faithfully every night this was not turning out to be the romantic European getaway Ella looked forward to. Ella whiled away the days visiting every place in Brindisi listed in her Italy for Idiots book. She saw every cathedral and castle, of which there were many, and read every historic plaque she came across. A few days were spent on the beach of a local nature reserve, Torre Guaceto. Nicoletta had informed Ella that it was barren due to a moratorium on development in the area, but that it was the best beach for snorkeling in the region.

Ella borrowed Alphonse’s mask, snorkel, and bike. She filled her backpack with water bottles and a fresh caprese salad. She didn’t bother packing a towel. She knew a long walk on the beach after snorkeling would be sufficient to dry her swimsuit before the ride back to downtown Brindisi.

Surprisingly Ella found Brindisi’s port the most enjoyable part of the city. She liked spending time there in the afternoons watching the young Italians hang out with their friends, sitting along the stone walls playing guitar and singing along to American tunes that Ella recognized. “It really is a small world,” she thought, thinking that being a teenager was universal and a rite of passage everyone in the world had to go through, some doing it with much angst and some doing it gracefully.

Ella would grab a sandwich at one of the small stands catering to sailors and sit on top of the ancient wall surrounding the harbor within earshot of the teens’ music. She was fascinated by all the ships loading and unloading their both exotic and banal cargo. Ella always noticed the flag flying atop the ships to determine its country of origin. She thought about the olives, capers, and artichokes being brought in and how after leaving Brindisi she would never enjoy a vegetarian pizza with such fresh ingredients again.

When Ella spotted certain ships from the Middle East flying an Islamist flag atop the mast, she could feel her heart beat quicken and feel the tension rising in her chest. BeBe always marveled at how a religion claiming to be the religion of peace could think it was the norm to shave off their little girls’ private parts when they were eleven and stone to death, drown, or kill in some other barbaric way a girl for “flirting.” BeBe would always ask Ella where the outrage was from the moderate Muslims. “Those folks are irrelevant honey. Just like the citizens of Germany were irrelevant during the Holocaust. They might not have turned on the gas, but they were complicit by their silence and they damn sure weren’t telling the Nazis NOT to kill six million innocent Jews.”

After six nights at Alphonse’s home where Alphonse seemed to be curiously absent ninety percent of the time, Dante told Ella they would be leaving that afternoon for Sicily.

“Sicily?” asked Ella.

“Yes,” replied Dante. “My mother’s side of the family lives there and they’d never forgive me if I didn’t make a showing while I was in Italy. Some of her family invests with me and even though they may not have huge portfolios, I should at least make a token visit. Besides, you’re going to love Sicily.”

Ella pouted, “I love you, and I’ve hardly seen you this week.”

Dante put his arms around Ella’s waist and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “I love you too, but we have to make sacrifices right now. My business isn’t in its infancy but it’s still a little toddler that has to be taken care of and guided until it matures. Then one day we can let it go out on its own while we relax.”

Ella felt guilty. Dante did seem to be working hard. Every time he’d met with people at Alphonse’s he had paperwork spread all over the table explaining what she guessed was the profits or losses on their investments. She’d learned enough Italian to meet her basic needs while tooling around visiting the sites. She knew phrases like “Where’s the bathroom?” “Where is” fill in the blank, “How much?” and “Do you have Diet Coke?” Ella was always given a snarl when she asked for ice. Europeans saw ice as a luxury and not really necessary. She informed Dante that she could give less of a shit if she seemed like an ugly American. She’d spent the last six years of her life in the sweltering, humid state of Mississippi and ice in a drink was a necessity as far as she was concerned.

Ella began to pack Old Finnegan and without any fanfare half an hour later she and Dante had jumped in to their rental car which had been delivered to the house and they set off on the nine hour drive to Mazaro del Vallo, Sicily. The trip would include a half hour ferry ride as well. Ella asked Dante why they were leaving Brindisi in the afternoon before a nine hour drive. She knew Italian roads could be treacherous with their sharp curves and sky high viaducts. These features combined with speeding world class sports cars including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis, was a recipe for disaster, especially in the wee hours of the morning when drivers were most likely to be impaired by fatigue or alcohol.

Dante informed Ella that he liked traveling out of the heat of the sun and he preferred that her first sighting of the hotel they were staying in be at night, because according to Dante the hotel looked “magnifico” lit up in all its grandeur. Ella napped intermittently between chatting with Dante about growing up in Italy, and taking in the scenery, at least what she could see before the sun fell behind the mountains.

Dante brushed his hand against Ella’s cheek to awaken her. “Mia Cara, we’re almost there.”

Ella smiled and opened her eyes. She put it in the back of her mind the disappointment she’d felt in Brindisi. Maybe this time since they were staying in a hotel, her expectations of a romantic European getaway with her smoking hot, intelligent Italian boyfriend would be realized.

Ella noticed that the lights of the city of Mazara del Vallo began to fade. Slowly, under the moonlight, the landscape became dotted with palm trees and vineyards with white trellises lined up parallel to one another. Ella was convinced that Dante had taken a wrong turn in the town center, but he didn’t seem concerned. Suddenly Ella saw a light coming from the next valley. As the car began to descend the mountain, Ella could see the Hotel Baglio Basile. It looked like a castle nestled in the middle of an oasis with palm trees scattered on the left and full, lush, rows of grape vines on the right.

The hotel was a linear horseshoe shape with its right and left wings reaching out to weary travelers. That same design element was repeated in the large open arm staircase leading to the second story lobby. The first floor of the hotel consisted of a protruding arch system which gave the hotel its castle like appearance. These arches provided the base for the balconies above them lined with carved limestone balustrades. The arches which were extended from the façade of the hotel provided cover for the verandas of the rooms on the first floor.

“I told you it was beautiful, Mia Cara,” Dante said.

Ella loved it win Dante called her “my dear.” He didn’t say it often, which for Ella, made it more special when he did. Dante was intelligent, handsome, worldly, and he had great business acumen. He was easy to fall in love with and since she was independent and currently trying to get her designs off the ground, Ella didn’t mind the periods in which they were apart. She understood his dedication to growing his investment career and she never complained. This trip was just what their relationship needed. Hopefully the next week would find them lolling around on a beach, drinking fruity drinks, and spending each evening making love unhurriedly, and engaging one another in meaningful conversation about their relationship and their future.

The first day of their stay at the Hotel Baglio Basile was everything Ella had desired. After the grueling nine hour ride, she and Dante decided to get an early morning couples massage to start the day. They made love after their massages then donned their swimsuits and took the complimentary shuttle to the hotel’s private beach. There were thatched umbrellas with two high end, white canvas beach chairs under each one. A tiki bar provided beachy frozen drinks, beer, and wine and because the bar was owned by the hotel, a quick swipe of a room card was all that was needed for payment. Ella and Dante were feeling no pain after about three hours of quality time split among the ocean, the tiki bar, and the lounge chairs.