Maria lived in the little town of Triggano in south Italy. She loved the place because everything was so close by she could walk to it in mere minuets. But the truth is, Maria has always wanted to live in America. Since Maria has lived in Triggano her entire life, she has a few very close friends that she has known since birth almost! Her two closest friends were Brigida and Christina.
This summer Maria's boyfriend had gone to Rome for three weeks and she waited anxiously for him to come home.
Maria's father had always been a very strict, traditional man. In his mind, the first man you have a relationship with is the man you marry. So he expected Maria and her boyfriend, Tonio, to one day marry.
Since Maria knew her father thought this way, she also expected to marry him. But ever since he had said he would be going on vacation to Rome, Maria had been feeling uneasy. She felt as if something bad was going to happen and begged him not to leave, but his mother wouldn't have that. So he left for Rome.
Ever since he had left Maria was having strange dreams about him and a woman. These dreams made her nervous and though she didn't think anything of it, she already knew what it meant. But today she would be going to Bari with Brigida, so she would put these thoughts behind her. Bari is one of the bigger cities near Triggano and the girls loved going there.
Maria noticed that most of the time Brigida seemed to be thinking about something and seemed a bit nervous.
"Maria?" She said as they ate their ice-cream.
"Yes"
"I have something I need to tell you" She said deadpan.
Maria looked at her curiously and sat up straighter to look her friend in the eye. But Brigida wouldn't meet them.
"What is it?" She asked suddenly worried. Brigida still would not meet her eyes and shook her head.
"It's about Tonio" she said quietly.
Maria froze when she heard this and put her spoon down. The dreams she had been having recently flashing through her mind. She knew that whatever it was Brigida would tell her, it definitely would not be good.
"What about Tonio"
"Well he-he's cheating on you!" Brigida said "Mimo told me, he said that he saw him and another woman together and he didn't think much of it until the two began to kiss and, and I am so sorry Maria"
Maria just sat there with a blank expression on her face. In some ways she knew that this was coming. Brigida sat there and saw the emotions run though her friends eyes. Shock, pain, hurt, and finally anger. Maria stood up and walked over to the edge to the bridge that they stood on. She looked out at the beautiful ocean that spread out in front of her. Deep blue and always moving, just like people's emotions.
"I knew something like this would happen I could just feel it" When Maria got home; she called up Tonio and said she wanted to talk to him when he came back. He agreed and said he would see her in a few days.
After about two days, Maria no longer felt angry at him, just worried about her father and what the others would think. Since Maria and Tonio had been going out for over a year, everyone also expected them to get married. If they suddenly stopped going out, people would definitely start to talk. What if her father found out, he would be extremely angry and sad and very disappointed!
It was finally time to go meet Tonio, and Maria was a nervous wreck! Last night she had that dream of Tonio and the other woman again, but this time she saw the woman's face clearly. Maria wasn't sure what this meant exactly but it made her anxious. She walked down the street from her house to meet him, it was starting to get late and the moon was shining brightly.
As she walked she saw the silhouette of her boyfriend. She walked up slowly to him until she stood right in front of him. They stared at each other for a little while before Maria spoke.
"What's her name" she asked him softly.
"Isabella"
"You met her in Rome or before"
"Before"
Maria stared at him hard but he looked away, he couldn't meet her eyes. Maria was hurt and wanted to get angry, but she couldn't. She didn't have the energy or heart to do this. She knew that if Tonio had really loved her he never would have done this.
"What does she look like" she asked him.
He pulled out a picture of a woman with long dark brown hair and eyes. She was very pretty and stood close to him in the picture. Maria could see the love in the woman's eyes as she looked at Tonio. This brought tears to her eyes, but she would not let them fall.
With a shock, Maria suddenly realized this was the same woman she had been seeing in her dreams. It was a very strange feeling to be actually staring at the woman in a picture then in a dream.
"Do you love her?"
"…Yes"
"Then who will you choose"
"I care about you a lot Maria…"
But you choose her don't you" she responded sadly.
"Yes"
The two stood very still when a man walked by. Maria turned; surprised to see it was her father. He passed right by without even realizing she was there. The fact that her father was back made her realize just how late it was.
"Make her happy, she deserves it" Maria told him before running of back home. Once she turned the corner she let the tears fall freely. Before she went inside she dried her tears.
As she stepped through the door she felt her father strike her face and scream at her for being late. But Maria was deaf to all of it and just stood there until he was finished. She went up to her room and stayed there the rest of the night.
A week later, Maria's father came into her room and looked at her with a sad expression. She knew he had found out but he said nothing, just sat down at the table and played a game of cards with her. She knew this was his way of saying he was sorry and was a bit sad. But her father wasn't a man that really expressed his feeling with words, so Maria felt content with this much.
Tonio and Maria still kept in touch and stayed friends, but they were never as close as before. When Maria went to America 8 years later she received a call from her brother, he said Tonio had been in an accident and died. She was shocked and sad, she thought of everything he had done to and with her.
When Maria went back to Italy for his funeral, she met his wife. It was the same woman he had left her for. Isabella held a little boy in her arms that looked just like his father. Maria went up to her and told her how sorry she was. Isabella looked at her and smiled.
"You're Maria, right?" she asked
"Yes"
"It is very nice to meet you"
"It's nice to finally meet you too"
The two women stared at each other when Maria's husband came over to her and said it's time to go. Isabella stared at her and then gave another smile.
"I hope you are happy with him" she said and waved goodbye.
"I hope you will be happy soon to" Maria said as she walked off.
Before she got in the car she looked at the ocean that was just a little ways off. The water was deep blue and calm, but still moving. Just like the emotions in a person's heart. "I guess you have to be like the sea and keep moving on, even after a big storm has hit" Maria thought before leaving.
Even when a storm hits, you must always be like the waves of the ocean and keep moving on because that is just how life is.