Fairytales (38 page)

“What a wonderful family … and your father?”

“You mean what does he do?”

“Yes.”

“He’s an attorney…”

“And your mother is beautiful like you, I’m sure.”

Whenever he used adjectives, she became terribly uncomfortable. “She’s … she’s very beautiful … Sergio, tell me about you.”

“As you said, there’s really not too much to tell.”

“Were you born here in Venice?”

“No, in Tuscany.”

“Is anyone ever born in Venice?” she laughed.

“Why do you ask … ?”

She told him about Luigi, the maître d’, and he laughed.

“That’s true … that damnable Italian provincial pride.”

“I think it’s lovely.”

“Do you really … and I think you’re lovely.”

Quickly, she answered, “Thank you, now tell me about yourself, your family … your job … do you like it?”

“I despise it … the only family I have left is a most gracious mother.” Then he said, bitterly, “My brothers were killed in the war … my father died two years ago.” Suddenly, his mood changed.

How painful it must be for those left behind, she thought. She wanted to kiss him, hold him … help him. The world was not quite so beautiful at this moment. After an awkward silence, she said, “I’m so sorry, Sergio.”

He shrugged his shoulders, helplessly. “Well, that’s life, I suppose … now are you enjoying your holiday?”

She did not answer, still touched by his grief, then she said, “Sergio, will you forgive me for saying this … I don’t mean to pry, but I think there’s a great deal to tell about your life.”

“For someone so young, you’re very understanding.”

“I’m not as young as you think … and how old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“What’s happened in those twenty-two years?”

“Well,” he answered, slowly, “if
you
promise not to laugh, I will tell you.”

“I promise … I won’t laugh.”

“All right, then … I’m a tour guide because Italian counts are out of style this season.”

“I don’t quite understand … Sergio … counts are …

“Okay,
that’s an American expression I picked up …” He began to tell her of the nobility from which his roots had sprung … about the four hundred years that went into his lineage … the poverty, the humiliation his family had suffered, losing their heads. When he finished, he said,
“Okay,
now you can laugh … I give you my permission. In fact, if it didn’t make me so miserable, I would laugh.”

“Oh, Sergio …” she started to cry.

Handing her his handkerchief, he said, “See, my mother can’t get used to the idea we’re obsolete … She still sends me monogrammed crests on my handkerchiefs and shirts.” Gina Maria wiped the tears that would not stop. “So, why aren’t you laughing … you don’t think it’s a funny story … from count to tour guide?”

“No … I think it’s very sad.”

“That’s because you’re too sentimental, not tough enough … Americans! I want to spit every time I see the television or read in the papers how much you criticize yourselves, all the things you despise in yourselves. Why, America is the only hope of the world. Americans don’t begin to know what hunger is … and all the people who hate the system? So they get bombed out of their minds? And that’s the way they’re going to save the world? They’re absolutely crazy … the only country in the world where someone can say they hate the President… shout the worst obscenities and don’t get shot. If they don’t like what’s happening, the idiots have a chance to change it… to save it, it’s worth saving … but how can you save anything when you can’t save yourself? Getting bombed out of your skull is just a cop out … more American expressions I picked up. What chance did I have to save anything … I ask you … what? None … so, they got rid of
us,
the terrible ruling class, and replaced it with
what?
A tyrant who shot peasants in the square for complaining a little too loudly. Americans don’t like America? They have no freedom? When was the last time the fascist police broke down your door in the middle of the night? Some people don’t like the country? They should have had a Mussolini or a Hitler …
Mama mia,
why am I getting so wild … is this any way to romance a girl? With speeches? Forgive me, Gina Maria, I’ve made you cry. Oh, I’m so sorry … you’re the loveliest creature I’ve ever met and already I’m making you unhappy …”

“No, it’s only because I love you, Sergio, and feel that you’ve been so hurt… that’s why I’m crying.”

“That’s why?”

“Yes …”

“You truly love me? Or are you infatuated with the first man you’ve ever been this close to?”

“No, I’ve loved you since that very first day I saw you standing in the square … in fact, I arranged to meet you … it was no accident.”

He took her face gently between his hands. Softly, he said, “I’ll tell you something now … I wanted to fall in love with you … but there’s a difference between
wanting
and
loving
… I love you … I love you, Gina Maria … truly—you’re everything I dreamed of … do you believe in fate?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I do … I believe it was fate for us. I don’t know what moves our stars … I will not even waste time asking, but this I know … we were meant to live our lives together … I love you, I can’t believe it, but I do.” He smothered her with kisses. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Now, we’re going back. I’m afraid of my feelings …”

The next day, Gina Maria found it practically impossible to contain the joy she felt inside. As she and Pam sat at their table, Gina Maria said, breathlessly, “I thought you’d never get here … I’ve been dying to tell you what happened.”

“Don’t tell me … let me guess … you got laid, right?”

“
Wrong
… I got loved … if you never tried it, don’t knock it.”

Smiling, Pam answered, “Touché … big mouth McCormack, love object of the universe … so tell me, what happened?”

“Oh, Pam, he really loves me.”

“Hmm … pretty fast workers, these Italians … how do you know he loves you? In any language, it’s easy to make a pitch … did he make a pass?”

“I know he loves me, and he didn’t make a pass … I know because he told me … Pam, he really does …”

“If you say so … now, where do you take it from here?”

“I’m meeting him at Pier One at three this afternoon.”

“That’s great… peachy… groovy … but you’ve got a problem … unless you can work something out with the warden.”

“Why … what do you mean?”

“I mean I can’t baby-sit with you any more … my Dad has to go to London today.”

“Oh, no ! …”

“Oh, yes … he got a phone call late last night saying it was imperative he be there today. Government negotiations wait for no man, much less Cupid … so, sweetie, you’ve got a problem, unless you can hire a governess.”

“Oh, Pam…what am I going to do?” Gina Maria was practically in tears.

“I don’t know, cookie … I guess one of three alternatives.”

“What are they?”

“Well, first, you could go to the board of directors … lay it on them … say, look Pappy, Mummy, I really dig this guy, and wait out the holocaust … or split… or the third is be a nice sweet adorable little chump and stop seeing Romeo … but let me remind you of what happened when Juliet tried that.”

Gina Maria was in a state of shock.

“Come on, kiddo … don’t carry on like the heroine in
La Boheme.
Life is not an Italian opera.”

Then suddenly, Pam sat quietly and said, “Look, Gina Maria, I’m going to level with you … a lot of the things I’ve been telling you were to make you get angry enough to feel you’re really underprivileged, but emotionally you’re the most adjusted girl I know … in fact, you knock all the psychologists in the creek … why, you should be nutty as a fruitcake, but you’re not … and what’s so crazy about the whole thing is … your folks did all the wrong things according to Spock … but damn it, you’re a terrific gal who
really
knows where it’s at and I, dear Gina Maria Rossi, take off my hat to you. I really admire you in spite of all the rousting around, the advice, the glib loose talk I spouted. The truth is, you’re the only
honest
nonconformist I know … because you held out and didn’t run with the crowd like a bunch of sheep listening for the mating call. As my parting shot, the more I think about it … What the world needs now are more Sicilian fathers …
Ciao, bambino.”

When Sergio saw Gina Maria, he ran to meet her. Taking her hand, they walked quickly to the gondola. Once inside the enclosure, Sergio kissed her tenderly, with restraint. He released her before his passion rose beyond his control. “Gina Maria, I dreamt about you all night… you touched me so deeply. The beauty in your eyes haunted and followed me everywhere I went … you’re trembling … why? Are you unhappy you came today?”

“Oh, no, Sergio,” she answered, half whispering as her eyes became misty.

“Then why are you on the verge of tears … I don’t understand … I love you, you love me … then why are you so unhappy?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this …”

“Tell me what… what is there to tell?”

“I don’t think we can continue to see each other.”

“We can’t continue to … what do you mean by that?”

“It’s simply no use … I mustn’t allow myself to be in love with you.”

“You
mustn’t!
This is too much. Love is not a tube of toothpaste you can squeeze and stop. Yesterday I discovered love and today you tell me it’s no use … my whole world is falling apart and you say it’s no use?”

“I won’t be able to see you … my friend, Pam, is leaving. She was my only excuse … from now on, my parents will expect me to be with them. What can I do, Sergio?”

“What can you do? It’s quite simple … we will go to see your father … the problem is resolved.”

“No,
we can’t … you know he doesn’t have any idea I’ve been meeting you.”

“So we’ll tell him … since when is it a crime to fall in love?”

“But he doesn’t know about us, don’t you understand that?”

“Yes, I understand, but when we tell him, he’ll know.”

“Oh, Sergio, you don’t know what you’re saying. He’ll get so angry, I don’t know what he’ll do.”

“Why? He beats you? You don’t look like a daughter who’s been beaten lately … so what will he do? Scream … holler … rant, rave?”

“You can say that again … my father can get very angry. You don’t know what he once did and said to my brother Roberto.”

“Whatever Roberto did, I don’t know, and maybe he had it coming to him … so what has happened as a result? Roberto hates his father?”

“No, he loves him.”

“So? When your father gets over his anger and realizes I want to marry you … and this is not panky-hanky…”

“Hanky-panky, Sergio …”

“Ah, yes … hanky-panky … he’ll relent.”

“I don’t think I have the courage to tell him.”

“So if you don’t have the courage … I will be your courage.”

“Sergio … what are you going to do? Walk up to my father and say, Mr. Rossi, I want to marry your … what did you say before?”

“When? Before what?” … marry …

“Of course. What did you think my intentions were? If this was anything but true love, you would have been in my bed long before this. I am a very ardent lover as you will find out on our wedding night … it will be like Columbus day when they light the firecrackers.”

“That’s the Fourth of July.”

“Ah, yes, the Fourth of July … I get confused … now, we will turn back and go to see your father.”

“No … please, not today.”

“Why not? Today is as good a day as any other…”

“Let’s wait, Sergio. I don’t think I’m up to it.”

“You will not be up to it tomorrow or the day after … the time to do something is now … while you are frightened … it is then you show the true nature of your strength… Turn the boat back,” Sergio called to the gondolier.

Standing in front of the hotel, Gina Maria looked at Sergio, “This is going to be very difficult…”

“So … anything worth achieving is difficult.”

“You’ll have to wait in the lobby while I tell my parents … and that may take a very long time, Sergio.”

“So … it will take a long time … I have waited before in my life for much less.”

“I don’t know what will happen, Sergio.”

“I do … if you can’t get to base first.”

“First base! …”

“That’s right, first base … then your father will have me to contend with … and my dearest, Gina Maria
mia,
he will have a very stubborn fellow on his hands.”

Dominic looked up from the paper as Gina Maria entered.

“Well… did you get bored with Venice? This is the first time you’ve come back to the hotel so early.”

“No … I … I … where’s Mama?”

“Taking a bath.”

“Oh …”

“Oh is right. Her feet are killing her … in fact, her feet are killing me. We walked from store to store all day … by the time your mother leaves, Venice will be out of merchandise.” He laughed. “And what did you do?”

She was going to throw up. “Excuse me, Papa,” she said, running to the bathroom. Once the nausea subsided, she went back and sat in the large chair opposite her father.

“Do you know, Gina Maria, since we’ve been here, I don’t think you’ve felt too well.”

“I feel fine, Papa.”

“You don’t look fine …”

“I’m okay, Papa.”

“Really? … Gina Maria, do you have a problem?”

“What makes you think I have a problem?” she said, trying to keep her voice even and the nausea down.

“Because you’re nervous and pale … and because you came back so early. Did you have an argument with Pam?”

“No …”

“Honey, whatever’s bothering you, you can talk to me.

She looked at Dominic and bit her lip. “Could I really, Papa … I mean really?” She was asking, questioningly … searchingly.

“Why, you know you can.”

“No, I don’t, Papa …”

“What do you mean you don’t … did you ever have a problem you couldn’t come to me with?”

“No. When I’ve come to you with problems, you listened and helped, but, Papa, did it ever occur to you that I might have had problems I didn’t think you would understand, so I kept them to myself?”

“No, because I thought you knew I’d understand anything that would be important to you.”