Friday, March 23, 2012

Stella! A PARTially True Story...

La Via e bella! Oh, I’m not too sure of that but for now, I’m safe and it appears that I am going to make it after all.

I was cold, oh so cold, and tired. My entire body was weary and oh so filthy. My once beautiful golden hair was matted, was that mud it was caked with? I was hungry, starving, in need of food, water and a warm bath. I don’t know how long I had been running, just wandering the countryside and I’m not sure of where I came from. Maybe somewhere in Umbria or even as far as Tuscany? My memory is a blur. I’m safe now and that’s all that matters…but for how long? Can I stay here? Will these people take care of me or do I have to start my run again?

The telephone has been ringing all day. The nice woman who found me outside near her home is relentless with that phone and seems to be talking about me. But who am I? I don’t remember. Think, think, think. As much as I try, I can’t so for now, I’m just going to rest in this nice bed, eat and drink the food she’s laid out for me, and enjoy life. I’ve been bathed and my hair is clean. My needs are few. There goes that phone again.

“Pronto. Si senora, ah perfetto. A due? Certo, certo. A presto”

Meanwhile, in Fabbri, a small suburb of Montefalco, Mark has just returned from a long day. His business is growing steadily and he’s a happy man. The idea that he and Giselle had two years ago, to take tourists out on all day wine tours has paid off. They’re booked months in advance.

Giselle is quite content to be the behind the scenes partner, taking reservations, fielding questions and making the business end of this joyful enterprise hum. Cooking is her forte. Wine is his. Together, meals at their home are a concert that always begs an encore. Their home is Umbrian. The rooms are large, the floors, tile. They have invested time and money into making this large rental what it is today beginning with Mark’s installation of its well-equipped IKEA kitchen down to the recent acquisition of a stufa which sits proudly in the middle of the house producing heat from tiny pellets. This was a tour de force if ever there was one. Ten service calls, six different technically challenged service men, and a host of differing opinions as to how to hook it up, how to keep it running. A multitude of Italian explicatives each time it shut itself down and now, finally, a warm house with a happy stufa doing its thing. A welcoming home, ready for visitors who at any given time will enjoy a great meal from Giselle’s garden bounty and a fantastic bottle of sangrantino. Home in Umbria, all is well.

On this particular day, change is in the air. “Darling, I phoned that woman in Trevi this morning”

“Oh, what did she have to say Love?”

“Well, she thinks she’s found what we have been looking for”

“Are we really ready to have a permanent houseguest Gis”

“Mark, I’m so ready. I think we both need this. All this extra room should be doing something for us. All of our friends here do it. You’ll see, once we all get acquainted, we’ll soon become a family. It’s too late for a baby Mark. “

“Are you sure you have the time and energy Gis. I mean with the business, the garden, the cooking and your blog…..”

“She can be by my side in the garden Mark and meal preparation has never been a problem. Remember Darling, I did own my own café in Cornwall before you came into my life and we took off for this great adventure in Italy!”

“Okay, night bird, you can take care of business details after she’s asleep. Might as well continue to use some of that energy that you have. Let’s talk more tomorrow. “

Morning comes softly and sweetly in Umbria. From Mark and Giselle’s, one can see the sun rising from the back bedroom of the house. It sets in the front, giving a spectacular show through the lounge windows. A whisper of a fog drifted, followed by a brilliant ray of sun. No need for an alarm clock. The rooster outside the front door does that job. The cat stretches and hops up on the bed, nudging….I’m hungry, let’s get the day started.

“Good morning Darling”

“Good morning Love”

“Well, have you decided?”

“Well, have you?”

“I decided yesterday, as soon as I made that call to the woman in Trevi. In fact I called her just moments after Letty called me to tell me the news. I think I had already made up my mind before I hung up from her call”

“Okay Love. I’ll make the coffee and you make the call. Off we go.”

“Oh, thank you My Sweet Mark…..I can’t wait. It will be good; I promise we won’t regret this”

“Our lives are going to change, GIs. But we are ready. We’re ready to become the Three of Us so let’s do it”

Trevi is a short drive from Fabbri. With each kilometer, the day brightened. The GPS voice seemed especially cheerful as the nice lady inside the box guided the excited couple along the way to their destination where they were greeted by the owner, Senora Lidia Brigolante. After the requisite “permisso”, they entered the home, hearts beating rapidly with anticipation.

“She’s in the kitchen, just finishing her breakfast. It almost seems like she senses your arrival and she is a bit nervous but she’ll be fine. They always are after they meet their new parents”

Here they are. They look friendly; I think I might be able to actually like them. A new beginning. Calm down so that they don’t think you’re too wild. Time for good impression. I’m going to wag my tail as hard as I can…..Jump up, there I go….lick the lady’s face, lap, lap, lick, lick, wag.

“OH MARK……..I’m in love!!!!”

In the car…..off we go to La Dolce Vita. Woof Woof. Life is beautiful!!


1 comment:

  1. Awww, Lynn!!! That's fantastic! I absolutely love this! I've read it to Stella-Bella and she's wagging her tail from the comfort of her very own bed (Which she loves more than us, I think!)

    Thank you my dearest friend for bringing a smile to my lips and a tear in my eye! Beautiful!!

    Much love! xxxxxx

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