Lesson of Italian by Camilla
A research-oriented trip brings Edward and Bella to gray Turin. But things warm up when he gives her una lezione di italiano.
Story notes
Many thanks to Kellyam117 for editing.
Please read the endnotes, you'll like them.
This was my first attempt to be lemony. In later stories I got bolder.
Bella
"Carlisle is worried," Edward said a few days after a short family reunion, following a joint hunting expedition. We were not living all together that year, but we tried to meet often.
"Worried about what? I asked.
"Well, Americans eat a lot of junk food and obesity has become an epidemic. Being a doctor, Carlisle would like do something about it, such as write a paper or maybe a book—with a pen name of course. The book should suggest how to eat correctly, but he doesn't think he can write it on his own. Though he can indicate the right substances and amounts, he doesn't know anything about human food or cooking appealing meals, so he asked for my help."
It made sense; Edward was interested in food. When I was human he used to watch the Food Network and cook for me, becoming perfect at it, as he usually was at whatever he did. He still cooked occasionally for our human and werewolf visitors and relations, like Jacob (a semi permanent guest), Seth, Charlie and Sue. Everybody always said that what came out of our kitchen was superb, despite Edward's inability to taste what he prepared.
I knew that Edward would do anything to please Carlisle; he adored his father, so I was sure he had something in his mind already. He went to the computer and his fingers started flying on the keyboard. "Bella, let's take a short vacation. I want to go to Turin, in Italy."
"Italy?" I gasped.
"Come on, Bella," Edward responded, "Italy is not just about the Volturi and the Mafia. Italy is where the Slow Food movement was created."
"Slow Food?"
"Yes, as opposed to fast food. It is now a highly esteemed organization, lobbying successfully for quality food, natural food and traditional cooking. In fact, it has helped re-establish vegetables that were on the brink of extinction, due to mass agriculture. They also help to conserve endangered animal species meant for human consumption. This is the reason I want to go to Turin. The Slow Food organizes a big fair in Turin every year, called Il Salone del Gusto, complete with stalls from Italy and from all over the world, giving small farmers and producers the opportunity to make their quality products known. I am curious to see it and I think I can gather useful information for Carlisle. Shall we go?"
"Why not? We don't lack babysitters who are willing to help look after Renesmee while we are gone."
Edward booked on line our plane tickets and then started looking for hotels.
"This one is far from the most expensive, but it has good reviews. It is family owned and it has been furnished with real antiques, each room different. I like the name so much. Hotel Victoria! Don't make a face, Bella. Maybe the name will have happier associations for you afterward…"
We changed planes twice before landing in Turin. We arrived in the afternoon, with plans to visit the fair during the following days. We had hunted extensively before we left, because we were not sure to find good hunting places nearby.
The hotel was all that it had promised to be; we had a beautiful suite that overlooked a quiet back garden.
The sky was overcast so, having time on our hands, we took a stroll. Dominated by the high spire of the Mole, now hosting the Cinema Museum, Turin is a gray, monumental and elegant city, crossed by the Po River and built geometrically, like the Roman encampment that originated it.
Edward had been here in the past, quite a long time ago. With Emmet and Rosalie he had visited the Salone dell'Auto, a big car exhibition that was held annually. That year the new European models held a particular interest for them, so they had gone to Turin. It had been one of the rare bonding moments between Edward and his sister.
"This was really a corporate town, every activity was dominated by Fiat" he told me, "but now the economy structure of Turin has changed. I have read that, after the winter Olympics, it has become a heaven of culture, entertainment and sport. In fact I am quite curious to see the fair venue, il Lingotto. When I was here first it was a huge industrial building where Fiat cars were manufactured, but now it hosts movie theaters, restaurants, temporary exhibitions, a shopping mall and a even a museum. Imagine, on top of the building there is still a sizable race track, formerly used for testing new models and engines. "
Later on, book worms that we both are, we spent time exploring bookshops, finding one that stored titles in both English and other languages. I was browsing and debating if I wanted to buy something, when I noticed that Edward was very interested in an Italian book, that he eventually bought.
He told me that it was some sort of guide to the mysteries and secrets of Turin. "Despite appearances, this is a very dark city;" he said, "exoteric belief has it to be the apex of both the white magic triangle, linking it with Prague and Lyon, and of the black magic one, linking it with London and San Francisco. There are lots of scary stories and legends about this place."
"Bah, certainly not scarier than two vampires haunting its streets," I laughed.
Our stroll ended up under the Via Roma's arcades, where people went up and down, dressed to the nines, to see and to be seen. Not surprisingly, many passersby were looking at us, so unusually pale and beautiful. Edward was used at being stared at, particularly by women, and to hear in their thoughts explicit sexual fantasies. In the past he had disliked it intensely, and, when the thoughts of men revolved around me, his usual reaction was to be very angry. That evening, however, he whispered some of those thoughts to me, and seemed more amused than angry. He even looked a little smug, as if he was thinking Yes, this gorgeous creature is mine, you can drool, but she will be in my arms this night.
Well, this was exciting! Furthermore, throughout the day, I had heard Edward speaking in Italian whenever it was needed, and hearing the musical language coming from his mouth enchanted me. I wanted to kiss him every time he spoke.
When we went back to the hotel, I was ready for more.
As he started kissing me I told him, "Speak to me in Italian while you make love to me, Edward. What are you doing now?"
"Ti sto baciando, amore mio, ti sto baciando." He smiled through his kisses and his mouth started trailing downward…
"More Italian Edward, please!"
"Forse è l'anima mia che mormora il mio nome. Come nella notte la voce degli amanti ha chiaro suono d'argento, di musica dolcissima, all'orecchio che ascolta!"
"It is so beautiful, but what did you say?"
"Oh, darling, tesoro mio, you know it already."
He began to recite, "It is my soul that calls upon my name. How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, like softest music to attending ears!"
I recognized Romeo's words then, and a frenzy of love overcame me. For some time our mouths and our hands were very busy, and our excitement for each other mounted. His hands on my thighs, his eyes dark with lust..he wanted access and I was ready for him. But I smiled and closed my legs.
"Say what you want to do, say it, Edward." He knew that it thrilled me when, once in awhile, he shed his gentlemanly language. "I want to fuck you," he whispered.
"No, say it in Italian, Edward," I insisted, "I am sure there are words for that also." He looked a little embarrassed, but complied. "Mmm, here in Turin they say ti voglio chiavare, or ti voglio fottere…no, hang on, this one is Sicilian, they say a funny thing there," his silken voice became rougher with the new accent. "E' megghiu cumannari che futteri. It means that 'it is better to have power than to fuck.'"
"Tell this to Aro," I said, and then he was inside me and no further words followed, in Italian or English, only happy moaning noises.
Later, lying sated in his arms, I murmured, "No, it is far better to fuck…"
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Story endnotes
- All the places named exist, as well as the Slow Food movement. The bookshop name is Luxemburg.
- The lines from Shakespeare are from the beautiful Italian translation done by Salvatore Quasimodo.
- I like to think that in the following days Bella asked Edward to sing for her in Italian and that he did. Unfortunately there are no recordings of Edward singing, in Italian or otherwise, but I believe that the beautiful voice of Fabrizio de Andre' can give us an idea. Try: .com/watch?v=JzMz84rwW9M&feature=related or .com/watch?v=8fDjEF9Y5e8&feature=related
- Due to Italy's fragmented history and many dialects, a lot of sex words are different in different places. In Rome Edward would say "Ti voglio scopare", in Florence (and Volterra) it would be"Ti voglio trombare".
-Turin is my husband's hometown and deserves to be known better. When we go there we go to the Hotel Victoria, of course.
PLEASE REVIEW . My next posting will be a multi-chaptered story