"Please put your seat backs into an upright position…" said the flight attendant. Betty complied and started to relax as she buckled up her seatbelt. The last week had been very rushed and she hadn't had a moment to relax. There had been so much to do to get ready for her big trip since the day of the baseball game. And then there were Daniel's problems to take care of as well. On top of everything else she'd just gotten her braces taken off. She hadn't even had enough time to buy some new dresses for the wedding and other Rossi family events that they were planning to go to. She glanced at Gio as he settled into the next seat and put out some food magazines and Rome guide books to study during the flight. "Well, this is it!" she said excitedly. Gio looked at her wide, perfect smile and replied with a smile of his own.
Betty recalled the events leading up to this moment. It was insane after the ball game. It was like everyone had decided to have a meltdown at the same time. For a while, she and Gio were not even speaking. "Probably for the best" thought Betty imagining what they might have said to each other. But everything got smoothed over, how, she did not even know "how, or … who?" Gio had agreed at the last minute to be her traveling companion and share Daniel's gift of flights and hotel reservations. The luxury hotel was located close to everything and much more expensive than either of them would have chosen. The hotel room turned out to be a two room suite so they only needed to ask for a single bed to be put in the sitting room with a folding screen for privacy to make it perfect. Betty would get the small bedroom with a double bed. A thought crossed her mind but she firmly reminded herself that room for two in her bed would not be needed. She and Gio had agreed that they were more than friends but they were not more than good friends. Even her Papi found the arrangements acceptable.
The flight passed quickly as they took turns studying the guidebooks and planning each day's sight-seeing. She also studied an Italian phrase book with Gio, who knew Italian well, and he helped her with pronunciations. In between Gio described his extended family of many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and others trying to teach her all their names and relationships. She would be meeting them at several family gatherings during their month long stay. The highlight of the trip would be the 60th wedding anniversary party for his grandparents in about two weeks. Family members, including Gio's parents, were coming from all over the world to a small village just outside Rome for the celebration. A cousin was getting married in a wedding planned a few days afterwards to coincide with the huge gathering of friends and relatives. It was going to be a full and busy month and she was happily looking forward to everything. She got out her journal and started writing.
As the dance music faded the darkly handsome Latin lover held her lovely hand, knelt on one knee, and said "Will you marry me?" with conviction. Feeling a lightning bolt of electricity race through her veins Penelope cried "Yes, Federico, Yes" and swooned into his arms. "Hmm. Needs work." Betty thought as she read it back over. Pausing to think for a minute she crossed out Penelope and wrote Gwendolyn in the margin. "No …" she changed Gwendolyn to Elizabeth and thought "Federico and Elizabeth, will you be my star-crossed lovers?"
Hearing the meal cart approach she put the journal away while thinking back to Henry's proposal. She thought "Sub-par. Lame. If that scene was in a book people would call it character assassination."
Their concentration was broken by the arrival of dinner trays. They were hungry and eager to eat. "Not quite the culinary experience I wanted to start with …" said Gio, looking his meal over, "how is yours?" She laughed "Not as good as something you would serve, but it's fine". They both finished quickly and resumed their reading.
Many hours and miles later they finally arrived at the hotel with their luggage. It was a lovely warm sunny day, but because of her jet-lag Betty found it hard to appreciate. Betty rested on the comfortable sofa in the beautiful lobby while Gio went to the front desk. Soon they were entering their suite. It was more delightful than she had dreamed it would be. Gio whistled his approval and remarked that he wondered how he could ever give a suitable thank you to Daniel when he saw him. Soon the luggage was put away and they headed out for their first chance to explore the nearby streets.
"Let's go in here" she said, pointing to a small souvenir store nearby. They had been sight-seeing and shopping for a few days already but she still hadn't found anything to take back for Papi, Hilda and Justin. "Whatever you want" Gio replied happily and they headed into look at the items "… and we should start shopping for your new dresses today" he continued. Gio had brought a dress suit with him for the family events but Betty needed to buy some nice dresses. When they got to the dress shop his sister Maria had recommended Gio explained to the shop girls in Italian what Betty needed and let them attend to her. The girls cheerfully helped her select dresses and compared each of them on her until she had found several lovely ones. "There are lots of pretty dresses for curvy women here" thought Betty "much better for me than New York where everyone is expected to be a size zero." Gio ended the day laden with her purchases. This day, like the others, they had their breakfast, lunch and dinner at a variety of places. Sometimes they ate food from street vendors, sometimes at picturesque outdoor cafes and other times at expensive restaurants. Occasionally they were joined by members of Gio's extended family. Every evening before bed Betty sat by herself in her bedroom to write in her journal.
Elizabeth looked out, and then up to the moon surrounded by stars twinkling brightly. The shadows thrown by the trees pressed onto the ground, dark and mysterious. Anything, or anyone, could be hidden among them. "Hmm. What to write next. What?" Betty wondered to herself "Why must Elizabeth and Federico be apart until the end? Why must they always be yearning for or misunderstanding each other?" Thinking, she pondered why stories always end at the happily ever after. "Can there never be a story with characters that are happy and in love? I wish there were stories like that, I like happy things. There must be a reason." Taking a breath and sighing, she continued thinking.
They'd been in Rome about a week when the day's plan included a hike up a steep rocky path to a historic site. Part way up Betty sighed "Gio, I'm hot and my feet are killing me" "Hey B, come on, we're almost …" he started in a teasing tone then cut short when he saw her pained expression. He sat down on a large rock in the shade and said "Come here" motioning to his lap. Betty dropped herself down thankfully. "Ooof" Gio groaned purposely loud as she landed on him. "If I had any energy left I'd be punching you right now" she retorted. Gio cradled her in his arms and offered her a water bottle. Betty relaxed, took a sip, and waited to catch her breath. He turned his face to her as close as he could without touching her and smelled her hair. Suddenly she smiled as a feeling of contentment and happiness swept over her and Gio, noticing her change of expression, impulsively leaned down to give her a light kiss on her forehead. Careful, this is something I could get used to Betty thought to herself.
Later that day they returned to the hotel early because of her sore feet. Gio went out to buy some food from a deli - a baguette, cheese, wine, and other assorted items – while she showered and rested. When she emerged from the shower dressed in a long white night gown and feeling a little fresher she saw the meal was set out and she helped herself to slices of bread and cheese saying "Gio, I'm famished. I'm tired, and my feet hurt. I don't think I can keep up this pace". Gio handed her a glass of wine and replied "Eat first and then we'll have a look at the itinerary for tomorrow". After putting the food away they sat together on the sofa to go over the schedule. "I have appointments with chefs all day tomorrow. You can visit their kitchens with me or do something on your own. What would you like to do?" Gio inquired. "Get my feet massaged" Betty said jokingly stretching out her bare legs and feet to look at the foot that hurt the most. "I think I can help with that" offered Gio, reaching out to grasp her foot and stroking it gently. "Oh, that tickles!" Betty said while suddenly jumping up to tickle Gio and push him onto the floor. They continued until both of them dissolved into giggles. "Stretch out on the sofa and give me your foot again" said Gio. Betty took a moment to settle herself comfortably and held a foot out to Gio. He knelt at her feet and grasped the outstretched foot and stroking and caressing it carefully. "Oh that feels good … mmm … keep going" murmured Betty while closing her eyes and feeling the tension in her body start to dissipate. Gio worked slowly, gently, and methodically massaging her foot and each of her toes. When he stopped briefly to glance up to her contented face she roused enough to offer him her other foot. Gio repeated his work on the other foot and soon noticed Betty's breathing start to slow as she began to fall asleep. Leaning forward he gently kissed her toes, whispered "good night" to each of them, and laid her foot back on the sofa. Pausing for a moment to notice that she looked like a sleeping angel in her white night gown he tucked a blanket over her and noiselessly snuck to his bed hidden behind the screen in the corner.
The next morning with sunlight pouring in the window Betty awoke on the sofa thinking about how she ended up there. Flushing hotly she replayed in her mind Gio's foot caresses of the night before. He didn't realize it but she had been awake enough to feel him kiss her toes and hear him whisper goodnight to each one. She thought over the tender way he had treated her. She mulled over how comfortable, warm and happy she was feeling. Could this be love, she wondered. It wasn't the feeling she thought romantic love would feel like when she fantasized about it. Yet something was happening to her. She became aware that she had been noticing and appreciating Gio's attentions towards her more and more with each passing day. It was obvious that he adored her; she could see that clearly now, although she had been surprised to learn it when Amanda had first told her. But he was behaving towards her exactly as she had asked him to for this trip - acting like a dear friend but nothing more than that. She flushed again as she asked herself how she felt about having been so firm with him on that point. While lying there on the sofa the sound of Gio's voice saying the words "gentle lover" echoed in her mind as she began to get scandalized with where her thoughts were going.