Romance
(Fic)
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Rachel is free! Recently divorced she is determined to prove herself in her fine arts studies.
An inner restlessness takes her to Rome and the meeting of new friends.
Even so, she wonders: Will she find love? "Sounds interesting!"
“Alone! Rachel, you’ve been alone for nearly eighteen months,” her inner voice kept reminding her. “You were married for eight years. Your marriage to John ended in divorce. You had no children even though you tried. You know that the zip had run out of your relationship - the tender romantic spark had blazed and died. You were living together like sister and brother.” The inner voice intoned the mantra again: “Alone! Rachel, you’ve...
Or was it someone else? Rachel was wise enough to know that one cannot force love to happen. From her past experience of marriage she was not sure she wanted to go down that path again. It hadn’t been as traumatic as some marriage break-ups, but still it had taken its toll upon her - and she didn’t want to repeat that again. Even so, she recognised the inner ache - or was it emptiness - that she continued to experience as she partied with her friends and saw relationships blossomi...
The long semester break was coming up, and all her friends and fellow students were planning their vacations away from the University. The Fine Arts Department at Yale would still be functioning but there would be very few staff around. Rachel realised, considering her present state of loneliness, that the long semester break would be very difficult for her. So she decided to be proactive. She dialled her local travel agent and booked a return flight to Rome. She had been there many years bef...
It was an early flight leaving at 6.30am. This meant Rachel had to be at the airport by 3.30am to check in and to go through immigration and departure. She had hardly slept during the night. Even though she had set her alarm on her phone she was nervous thinking she might sleep through. But here she was now waiting in the departure lounge for boarding her flight. She had arrived on time and had very little difficulty going through check in and security. She decided that she would have a small...
As they sat Sean began, “Let me introduce myself. I’m Sean. I come from a little place called Marquette. My father owns a hardware shop and his family are locals in that area. My mother originally came from Italy. She came to the States when she was twenty. She came on holiday and ended up staying - after she had met my father - “the great love story”! She has always told me about her birth country. Her family had lived in Rome for many years. I’ve always wondered what ...
Hours later, after a meal and a very short nap, Rachel realised her flight was landing at Fiumicino Airport. She was excited, and also a little nervous. She had been overseas before but never on her own, so there was no one to bounce her practical questions off. She had thought about this when she bought her ticket. This had prompted her to organise a chauffeured car to take her to her hotel. She had booked a room in a little boutique hotel in central Rome, not far from the Spanish Steps. She had booked ...
Day 1 in Rome: Rachel awoke early. She could hear the sounds of the early morning, of a city coming to life. There was the low rumble of delivery trucks to the many hotels and apartments in the area. There was even the distant screech of a suburban train. Rachel found if she listened very carefully she could hear the sharp sound of many starlings welcoming the morning light. Rachel lay there luxuriating, thinking, ‘I’m on holidays! It’s so long since I’ve had a decent break....
When Rachel returned to the Casa Fabbrini there was a message waiting for her. The receptionist handed her an envelope. She took it with a smile, and murmured, “Grazie.” As she went to her room she was intrigued. ‘Which of my friends is sending me messages?’ She tore open the envelope eager to see its contents. There was one sheet of paper across which beautiful copperplate words had been written. It is from Sean. Rachel slowly reads the note: &ldquo...
As the evening approached Rachel wondered what she should wear for her dinner date with Vincenzo. She didn’t know where he was taking her - so, should she dress up-market or be more casual. Pondering this for some time she rationalises that Vincenzo is from the artistic world, and is a student, so it will probably be a little more alternate or even bohemian - and certainly not up-market. At the same time she recognises that she is in a different culture and Italian men are noted for their romantic ...
The next morning Rachel again awoke as the dawn was breaking. She loved this early morning quiet time when nature and the city seemed to be stirring awake. She just lay there and listened. Then her mind began to replay the previous evening with Vincenzo. It had been a great introduction to her holiday in Rome. She pulled herself up short, ‘What! She had said ‘holiday’!’ This was the first time she had consciously thought of this trip as ‘a holiday’. Previou...
The tolling of the church bells reminded her of her early childhood when she attended Mass in the local church. She loved going to church - the beauty of the liturgy, the music, the incense - it had spoken to her. It was there that her Christian belief had taken root in her life. She had made her First Communion in a lovely white dress - which her mother had painstakingly sewn for her - and she had covered her head with a plain white veil with a cross. She knew that she had been shaped by these early exp...
Sean was prompt, appearing right on the appointed time. Rachel looked at him across the room while his eyes circled the room seeking her out. He certainly was attractive and imposing - a man who looked like he was into body-building. He was dressed in a light grey suit which gave him a relaxed and yet elegant appearance. He also wore a tie. Suddenly his eyes alighted upon her. He raised his hand in greeting and flashed a brilliant smile across the room as he moved towards her. “Rachel, it&rsq...
The next morning she awoke with a start. It was almost seven. She rose and quickly showered and dressed for the day. As she looked in the mirror to put on her makeup the face that looked at her looked happy and content. She didn’t need to use any blusher. Her cheeks were already rosy. She chose a soft lip colour for the day. She wore a summer weight cream dress and teamed it with a small soft suede hat - and, of course, her faithful backpack with what she would need for the day. Vincenzo was ...
Being an art student, and her guide on this occasion, Vincenzo began to tell her, “The Sistine Chapel was built in the latter part of the fifteenth century. Pope Sixtus IV had it built, and since then it has been the Chapel for the Apostolic Palace. This is the Chapel where the Cardinals meet in conclave to elect a new Pope. I remember all the excitement last time when Francis was elected Pope.” Rachel nodded as she turned to him, “I remember that too!” She paused, and then ...
They found a little eatery and sat down. It was quite a warm day and they decided to order a beer to quench their thirst. They also ordered a pizza to share. It was a crusty pizza covered in sauce and pieces of chorizo, baby tomatoes and drizzled with cheese. It would all go well together. They drank silently. Lost in their own thoughts. Rachel found her thoughts were all over the place. One moment she was focused on the wonder of the art she had just seen. The next, she was thinking about the enjo...
It had been a wonderful day, and Rachel floated up to her room in a dream. She had seen some wonderful art in the Sistine Chapel, but her mind was elsewhere. All she could do was daydream. All she could see in her mind was the smiling face of Vincenzo. She saw him as extremely handsome, with his dark shoulder length hair, and she wondered why such a person would be interested in her. Even so, her mind did not dwell too much on the negative. Her emotions were in turmoil. She felt like she was a teenager a...
The next day, Rachel was up early preparing for the outing with Sean. Her dreams had been a strange tangle of the threads of her life. She couldn’t remember much but she was sure that both Vincenzo and Sean had featured. In fact, she was sure they had appeared together at some point - and there had been some sort of conflict. Strange! As she prepared for the day, dressing and having breakfast, she continued to wonder about her dreams. Did they mean anything? She liked both of these men....
As they walked hrough the streets to the Borghese Gardens, Sean shyly took her hand. She did not object or withdraw. She liked the companionship of Sean - and she liked the touch of another human being. She had come to an understanding of herself since being in Rome. She craved being touched. She had heard of people talking of stroking one another and had never taken much notice of it. She had never felt quite like this before. Her body needed to be stroked. Her mind needed to be stroked. She needed to b...
Distracted, Rachel looked up. In front of them was the building which had been a palace owned by the powerful Borghese’ family dating from the early seventeenth century. She looked to Sean, “I like it. It’s a pleasing building - quite aesthetic - don’t you think? Did you know that Cardinal Scipione Borghese was responsible for building it? I understand that he had it built as a country villa on the outskirts of Rome.” “Yes, I did do some background re...
She was eager not to return to that conversation too soon. As they sat sipping their refreshing campari and soda, she diverted the conversation, “Sean, is it this week-end that you are going to your big family gathering?” “Yes, it is. I’m really excited about meeting so many of my extended family. I was talking to Zia Maria last night…” He paused as Rachel looked puzzled. “Oh, sorry, I mean, Aunt Maria. Zia means Aunt in Italian and Zio means Uncle. Well, I...
Later, when she returned to her hotel she was disturbed. As she thought of Sean she realised that she had opened a door to him which he may have interpreted as a come on. Her agreeing to accompany him to his family gathering - how would Sean view her response?Was she beginning to give him some hope of a deeper relationship? Rachel didn’t really know what she wanted, and yet, she wasn’t averse to getting to know Sean more intimately. She liked him. But, then there was Vincenzo. She liked...
Lisette began to tell Rachel something of her life. Rachel loved to hear other peoples’ stories, although she was never too keen to begin to tell her own. She knew this was always a tentative stage of a friendship. Rachel had often asked herself, ‘Where do I start? How much should I tell?’ Often it was harder to know what to leave out. Lisette took the lead and began to share. “You’re probably wondering where I come from originally. I was born in Amiens, in France. Bot...
When she arrived at her hotel, Rachel was greeted by the receptionist, “Signora, the florist has been again.” He handed her a large sheaf of summer flowers - flowers of many colours, wrapped in green tissue paper and tied with a gold ribbon. They took her breath away for a moment. She reached out and took them, “Many thanks.” Her heart beat faster as she wondered who was sending her flowers. On reaching her room she looked more closely at the sheaf. Tucked carefully among th...
Rachel had a restless night. Three people kept appearing in her dreams. There was Vincenzo in his van Gogh artist’s cap painting masses of flowers. Then, Sean, surrounded by many people at a family gathering in a vineyard. As well, there was Lisette sitting quietly sipping wine and talking about her love of all things archaeological. As the night progressed these three separate dreams merged into one dream, and Lisette, Vincenzo and Sean were dancing around her in a sha...
Vincenzo had his arm around her shoulders. He drew her close to him, dropped a kiss on her hair, and ventured, “There is so much to see. We can’t possibly take it all in today. Shall we make this an overview day? Rachel looked up at Vincenzo. She suddenly realised that he was several inches taller than her. “Yes, that sounds good to me. I’m going to be here for a couple of months so there’s plenty of time to come back in more depth. Today I would like to see the Pieta ...
Vincenzo took Rachel down the cobbled street to a restaurant overlooking the Tiber River. He was keen to spend more time with her. Even though he had studies to be completed he couldn’t drag himself away from her. He wanted to be with her constantly. He had never experienced such powerful feelings before. Over the years he had wined and dined many women. He had even bedded some of them, but he had never felt quite like he was feeling now about Rachel. It was a beautiful warm day ...
Rachel returned to her hotel in the late afternoon. If she was honest, she felt like she was the central character in a fairytale. It would be very easy for her to be swept off her feet. ‘Dear Vincenzo’, she could see his face when she closed her eyes. He excited her senses, but what did he really want? For that matter, what did she want? It was then that she remembered that she was meeting with Lisette this evening for a drink after she had finished her guide work at the archaeological...
Later that evening as she prepared for bed Rachel reflected that both she and Lisette were giving each other messages about themselves. These hadn’t closed the door to each other. They had shared that they wanted at least to be friends. Rachel realised that she was enjoying her time in Rome. She was seeing a lot. She had made some new friends. She had been kept busy each day. On the other hand she was feeling pressured by life decisions. What does the future hold? Do any of her new friends fe...
Sean was his usual prompt self. In fact, he was waiting for her. He smiled and advanced towards her as she descended to the bottom of the stairs. He reached out with both hands and took hers in his. He stopped her, held her at arms’ length and cast his eyes up and down over her. Then he drew her into a hug and kissed her on both cheeks. “Rachel, you look ravishing. It’s great to see you again. Thank you for agreeing to come with me today. It makes me feel much easier about meeting so ma...
Zia Maria was bustling around organising the women. Large bowls of food began to appear on the table. There were pottery bowls filled with spaghetti which Rachel imagined had been made freshly by hand that morning . Now here it was cooked and steaming waiting for the many hungry mouths to eat. There were bowls of savoury tomato sauce. She could see that home grown tomatoes, rich and juicy, with a range of spices had been added. The aroma of the sauce caught her and she could feel herself preparing to enj...
Rachel practically fell into bed. She was exhausted after all the socialising of the day. She heard Sean’s words again, “It truly was a memorable day”. Her whole being endorsed that sentiment - as did her lips. The touch of his lips on hers seemed to linger as she fell asleep. She awoke early the next morning - once again with the morning birds of Rome. She lay there feeling relaxed, in that sated state of not wanting to move. She knew she didn’t have to move. She could stay...
Tuesday arrived, after Rachel had spent Monday in her room quietly sketching some of her memories from the past week. She had already done her sketch of the Adam from the Sistine Chapel and of the Pieta from St Peter’s. She tried to capture something of the rawness that she had felt of Bernini’s sculpture of The Rape of Persepina. She had to admit it was a poor representation. She was unable to capture the essence of the excitement she had felt when she had seen it. Even so, as she drew she h...
It seemed that the tour party had all individually booked for this tour. They didn’t arrive on a tour coach together but came to the meeting point singly or in twos or threes. In all, including Rachel there was a dozen people - seven women and five men. As Lisette introduced herself she invited everyone to do likewise. Rachel was surprised to hear where they came from. There was a Japanese couple, academics Rachel thought. They spoke very good English. There was a swarthy man from Syria who looked ...
Rachel dined at her hotel that evening. It had certainly been an exhilarating but challenging day. Being an introvert, she knew that she now needed some quiet time to recoup her energies. She also knew she had some deep thinking to do. She took a long relaxing bath into which she had added a few drops of aromatic oil. As she let herself soak her muscles relaxed and her tensions washed away. She stayed there for a long time feeling quite languorous. She had almost fallen asleep. Rachel l...
The next afternoon, Rachel spent a long time getting ready for her date with Vincenzo. She puzzled over what to wear for this occasion. She knew she wanted to look her best for Vincenzo. Thinking of him made her pulse tremble. She knew it was a students’ presentation of their works, but she also took into account that it was a University function. She decided not to be too casual - and yet at the same time she didn’t want to be overdressed. She recalled what she had said to Lisette - dress si...
The art presentation was being held in a small gallery which stood within the University grounds. It was architecturally a modern building. Rachel had flashes in her mind of the gallery in Bilbao in Spain. There was lots of glass and metal intricately placed which created this small intimate gallery. A large crowd of people were gathering for the launch of the exhibition. Vincenzo was greeted by a number of other students to whom he introduced Rachel. He handed her a programme which listed the four...
The evening passed easily. Vincenzo was feted by many people as they talked with him about his interpretations of the stages of life. The Dean of the Fine Arts Department made a formal speech congratulating the artists for their works. She made it clear that she was very happy with the talent which was being presented in this exhibition. Each of the artists were spotlighted and asked to respond. The first three gave acclaim and thanks to their teachers and to the University Department. Vincenzo was...
As she was about to go up to her room, the receptionist called, “Signorina, these were left for you.” Rachel thought, ‘Not more flowers,’ as she reached out and took the beautiful arrangement of red roses. She had never had so many flowers given to her in such a short space of time. She took them with her to her room and began to arrange them in a vase that the receptionist had given her. It was then that she discovered the envelope hidden among the roses. She op...
Thursday was the day before her birthday. Tomorrow wasand her birthday party. Since inviting each of her friends - just a few days ago - so much had happened. She hadn’t really organised anything except to invite them to the Hassler Bar near the Spanish Steps for drinks and aperitivos at 7 in the evening. One day to go and she would turn thirty! She had one day to prepare herself to hostess her birthday party. This would be her second celebration of her birthday since her divorce.
Friday morning arrived. Rachel blinked awake, lay there cosy and snug, listening to the early morning birds. This was becoming her favourite time of the day. She had no need to rush today - nothing was planned except her birthday party in the evening. She finally arose, showered and dressed casually for the day. As she descended to breakfast she was thinking of her favourite Italian breakfast - coffee and cornettos. When the waiter showed her to her regular breakfast table she was surprised t...
She stepped from the brilliance of the late afternoon into the dark wooded tones of the Hassler Bar. The Bar had a gracious muted elegance. Rachel felt as if she had stepped from one dimension into another. This, for her, was to be the party dimension. A waiter met her at the entrance. She gave her name and indicated she had a booking. He took her to a table in the far corner overlooking the garden. It was given some privacy by a screening of timber and potted plants. She was pleased it...
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