Honeymoon For One (12 page)

“I could have bought it all,” gushed Ava
enthusiastically, brushing her hair out of her face.

Nico nodded his head, pleased to hear that coming
with him to Montova had been worth her time. He could see the effervescence
about her, she was in good spirits once more and her somber mood of earlier had
vanished.

“Andrea will be pleased.”

“I like her. She has some beautiful things that I
know my customers would love.”

“I could help you secure better prices,” he
offered. They were standing in the middle of the street, facing each other
again.

“Why would you do that Nico?”

“Because I know Andrea, as I told you.”

But he knew this was not what she was asking.

It was lunch time and the bicycle bells rang as
the school children rode past. The sun shone stronger than before and the pace
of life here seemed slower.

Nico led the way back towards the street where
they had parked the car.

“Shouldn’t we get something to eat here?” asked
Ava, suddenly conscious of the warm and welcoming smells of olive bread and
cheese floating high above the air. It was warmer now, so she took off her
jacket as she walked.

Nico looked at Ava, not failing to take in her
lithe body with its slender shape so noticeable in the fitted dark blue shirt
she wore with her beige Capri pants. He ran his fingers over his tie and
loosened it slightly, struggling to regain his composure. Clearing his throat,
“I wanted to show you a little village, not too far from here, if you’d like
too, of course.”  He watched her face carefully for her response. She
smiled back at him and he knew that she was all for this small excursion.

“I’ve loved all the places you’ve taken me to so
far,” she said in a husky voice, taking out her sunglasses and looking at him
straight in the eye before slipping them on.

“You will love this then. It’s a small village, run-down
by five-star tourist standards but most definitely a beautiful piece of Italy, hidden away in its own little corner.”

Intrigued and even more excited, this time Ava got
into the car, choosing to sit in the front seat instead of the passenger seat.
Nico raised an eyebrow and placed the jacket that he had taken off, in the back
instead.

For some reason, it felt just right to have her
sitting next to him instead of in the passenger seat behind.

Montagnano was far from the centre of Verona and easily another twenty miles away from Montova. It was off the beaten track and
not visited by tourists from abroad as much yet Italians from Rome, Venice and Florence sought out this little town for its jeweler crafts and artisan
pieces.  The town had a history of jewelers and clock makers and Italians
came here for these pieces.

They arrived at Montagnano about half an hour
later. Nico was right, thought Ava,

as
she got out of the car and looked around her. From what she could see it looked
like a beautiful little village and had a charming, yet rustic feel about it.  

She followed Nico’s lead as he slowly started
walking. In front of her was a long row of shops mostly made up of little shops
and restaurants. A couple of jewelers, arts and crafts and fabric shops lay
dotted around, interspersed with a bakery and various other food shops. This
parade of shops that greeted visitors who came to Montagnano was impressive.

As they walked down the small cobbled main street,
a small, dark and dingy looking shop caught Ava’s attention. She walked up to
it, looking all over at the displays in the shop window. It was a jeweler’s
shop and the sign on the shop front said:  
Flamentagostini
.

Behind the large window front lay trays of black
and maroon colored velvet boxes showing off beautiful pieces of jewellery. A
pair of emerald earrings dazzled in a box next to another that boasted a gold
and ruby encrusted cuff. Rows of such boxes, arranged with pieces of jewelry set
with different stones, glistened in the window. But one box, almost hidden
behind one of the black velvet trays had Ava fixated. It was a small deep blood
red velvet tray, inside which lay an intricately adorned silver and burnished
gold bracelet. It was decorated with a cornucopia of gemstones, pearls,
diamonds and stones of different color and material, all complimenting each
other beautifully and each highlighting the beauty of the other. Ava held her
face against the glass window, straining to see further inside but held back by
the boundary of the glass.

“You like that?” asked Nico, following Ava’s gaze.

“It’s beautiful,” said Ava dreamily.

Nico moved closer to the window and peered in.
“I’m not a jewellery man but that is a beautiful piece,” he agreed.

“Are they real stones?” asked Ava, seeing that the
shop was closed.

Nico chuckled, “Knowing
Flamentagostini, most
likely yes. The pieces can be quite expensive. A lot of Italians come to this
place to buy what they consider to be one off pieces.”

“Why’s the shop closed? It’s still early
afternoon,” said Ava, not ready to peel her eyes away from the bracelet.

“Because its only February. Many of the Italians
who come here, visit during the summer months and that’s when most of these
shops will open up. The locals don’t buy from here much.”

“What a shame,” said Ava quietly. She stepped back
and saw the reflection of her and Nico in the window. The dark velvet backdrop
for the jewellery boxes clearly reflected back both their images. Even Nico
smiled at her in the window.

They looked almost like a couple out shopping.

“Hungry?” asked Nico. Ava nodded her head quickly,
eager to break the spell so that she would not dwell on what could not be.

Nico beckoned her to follow him along the thin
narrow streets, until they went further behind the façade of shops. Here were
side streets full of shops used by everyday people. There was a bakery, a
butcher’s shop and  a green grocers. There were no tourist signs here. No
adverts for Coca Cola or Pizza hut. No subway or McDonalds.

Ava looked around her at a group of young children
playing in the streets and saw older women walking at a leisurely pace along
the pavement, their arms full of bags of food. She looked up to see Nico disappearing
into a shop just up ahead. She followed him inside and found him talking full
throttle to the middle-aged man behind the counter. From their lively faces, it
was clear that they knew each other. They were talking in Italian and oblivious
to what they were saying, Ava smiled back at the man who turned to smile at
her. Nico seemed to be introducing her because she vaguely managed to make out
her name in their conversation.

“Would you like a panino? Ermete’s are the best in
the whole of Italy.”

“Then the answer is yes,” said Ava.

“Any particular filling?” asked Nico.

“You choose,” suggested Ava. She waited patiently
while the two men swapped more idle talk. A couple more people walked into the
shop and both of them immediately livened up on seeing Nico.  She stepped
out of the way an watched him from a distance. He was so friendly and well
mannered, laughing, talking and the group of people around him seemed very
taken by him.

The shop owner handed Nico two Panini and after
much thanking and refusal of money, at the end of which Nico won, she walked
out of the sandwich shop with a warm Panino in her hands.

“Why didn’t he want to take your money?” asked
Ava, wondering how to best attack this warm bread roll with its moist and
brightly colored mélange of vegetables for filling.

“Let’s take a walk and I’ll tell you,” suggested
Nico. Ava peeked inside her roll and saw that it was filled to the brim with a
dazzling array of sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, grilled peppers, roasted egg
plant and spinach.  She tried to bite into it without getting into a mess but
after a few seconds of dainty eating, she gave up and followed Nico’s lead. He
ploughed into his roll with gusto, letting the juices drip down and he wiped
them as they fell. “You need to eat it when it’s hot,” he advised, between
mouthfuls.

He led her away from the parade of shops to a
small opening that led out to a small stream. Small bridges were dotted about
at equal lengths apart the entire length of the stream and there were numerous
wooden benches overlooking it.

Nico
walked past the first three benches, all of which were empty and sat down at
the fourth one. Ava followed close behind and sat down beside him.

They ate in silence as the stream gurgled and
passers by waved at Nico as they walked by. He acknowledged them with a slight
wave of his hand.

Fully
sated, Ava breathed a sigh of pure contentment. She rested her arm lazily on
the bench armrest and tilted her head back, closing her eyes. It was so
peaceful and quiet here. It was as if they had stepped back from the daily
grind of the real world and gone to a place where time had ground almost to a
stop.

“You were right. They were the best Panini I have
ever tasted.”

“Thought you might agree,” said Nico, wiping his
hands on a serviette and handing a clean one to Ava.

After a moment’s quiet he said, “I grew up here. I
lived here with my mother and grandmother until I was eleven.”

Ava lifted her head up and turned to look at him
in surprise. “You grew up here? No wonder they all know you.” It was starting
to make sense now, why the sandwich maker would not take his money. And all the
people who seemed to know him.

Nico’s gaze flickered out in front of him, at the
stream.  He paused for the longest time and Ava didn’t know whether to
push him towards more conversation or not. She felt that this place was very
special to him, so she sat quietly and watched the stream. Sitting beside him,
she felt more content and at peace than she had felt in months.

She turned her gaze to him and saw that he was
serious again. His jaw was tight and he was deep in thought. When he finally
looked at her, his eyes were moist and shiny. “I lived here with my mother and
grandmother. My grandfather died before I was even born and my grandmother was
all alone. We stayed with her while my father was away on business. And he was
away a lot. I stayed here until I was eleven and then my grandmother passed
away. Shortly afterwards my father called my mother and me to live with him, in
Verona, where he at last decided to settle some twenty years ago. I had some of
the happiest and most carefree times of my life here in this little village.”

Ava placed her hand on his arm very gently and
gave it a little squeeze.

“I understand now why you call this your own
little piece of heaven in Italy,” said Ava, watching the stream slowly and
languorously moving along at its own slow pace.

Just then she felt Nico turn towards her. He twisted
his body and pointed just behind her shoulder. She half turned her body and
twisted so that she could see what it was he was pointing to. There in the
middle of the top most slat of the bench backrest, was a small gold colored
plaque which said:

Riposa in pace Rosella Augeri 1912 – 1993

Nico traced his finger over it slowly. “This was
her most favorite spot here. She used to sit here and watch the world go by. I
used to sit with her. We could have given her a big fancy mausoleum or a garden
but she was a simple woman and so we thought she would appreciate this more.
Even though its only a simple bench.”

“It’s beautiful” sighed Ava, honored that he had
shared such a personal part of himself and his past with her.

There was a line of verse in Italian below. “What
does it say,” asked Ava breathlessly.

“She gave peace and comfort to all those who knew
her. And we find comfort in knowing that she at last rests in peace.”  They were
both sitting, still half twisted at the waist, almost facing each other as Nico
translated the inscription for her.

“I have never bought anyone else to this spot,”
said Nico finally, as if making an admission. He took his finger off the plaque
and his glittering dark eyes looked back at Ava. His hand dropped down and Ava
placed hers gently on top. At the slight touch of her hand, Nico instinctively moved
forward and Ava leant towards him. Their lips were a few inches apart and Ava
felt her heart thumping so wildly inside her shirt, she was almost sure that
Nico could hear it too. She was so close to his lips that she could feel his
warm breath caressing her face and as she closed her eyes and succumbed to the
temptation, his warm and gentle lips brushed hers, igniting the spark of
passion that she thought had died months earlier. His hands moved up to softly
caress each side of her face and she felt herself falling deeper into his embrace,
caught up in the headiness of their long drawn out kiss.

But all at once, Nico’s hands moved down to her
arms and he stopped abruptly, pushing her arms away and pulling back, turning
his body to the front and facing the stream instead.

“We’re getting late. We should start heading
back,” he said, cold and detached all at once.

Ava sat rigidly, too bewildered to take in
anything else that was going on around her.