Chapter 4: The arrival.
Frustrated and tired, a visibly very depleted and disheveled Summer Roberts steps off the train and into the busy city streets. "Ugggh, a train is so not the fastest way to get anywhere." She spoke out loud but to no one in particular. Yes, Summer was speaking to herself. It was as if she had to speak to hear someone familiar, even if it was just her own voice. For the first time in a very long time, Summer was absolutely 100 alone. Yet, although she was lonely, she was still determined, and she hadn't lost hope. She took a step away from the train and hesitated to move on. She was unsure of where to begin.
After traveling through three other cities, she was now in Rome, the nation's capital. Her logic wasn't necessarily the most brilliant, but other than the letter, she had no other leads to go with. Besides, to her it was at least a well thought out plan. And seeing how it was Julie Cooper who she was trying to track down, she figured she could eliminate some things. For one, Julie most likely wouldn't reside in a small town out in the country some where. Although it may be smart if you are trying to hide someone, she knew that Julie wouldn't be able to live too far away from shopping and rich city men. The second clue to go by was that according to Julie's letter that Summer had read and memorized years ago, she was taking Marissa to a famous hospital. She had done her research and picked out the top cities she thought would fit the description. Starting from the north, she began in Milan, then made way to Venice. After coming up empty in both places she took a train to Florence, only to find no signs of the Cooper girls there either. She spent about a week in each city, never leaving a hotel or hospital unsearched; and when she was sure they were no where to be found is when she moved on.
So now, she was here in Rome. Honestly, she thought it might be the most obvious place to start, being the most populated city in Italy and all. The only reason she hadn't started there to begin with was she figured Julie would probably be a bit smarter than being so obvious.
If she was wrong once again, and couldn't find them in Rome, she would make her way to Naples and then start to hit the smaller places looking for rich men. But she prayed to God that she was right; she was staring to lose patience. Each day that passed where she didn't see a glimpse of her best friend, she became a little less optimistic. And yet she was still unwavering in her quest to press forward. If she lost her focus, then it would become too easy to give up. And giving up just wasn't in Summer's vocabulary.
Taking a much needed deep breath, Summer took in the sights of the heart of Rome. The train had dropped her off in what seemed like the dead center of the city. Natives and tourists dodged around her in quick step, trying to make it to their destinations. Summer was tired, and she needed a rest. This wasn't just a vacation after all. She was just glad she had convinced her dad that it was. She knew that once he saw his credit card bill, he would figure it all out and ask her to come home. So she calculated that she had a couple more weeks before reaching that point.
She looked around for a few moments taking in yet another gorgeous city. The architecture alone was remarkable and she made note to take some pictures to send to Ryan. Putting one of her bags over her shoulder along with her purse, she pulled the other two on wheels along behind her. She paused for a moment looking for the piece of paper where she had her hotel information written upon. Finally, she found it and smiled with relief. Just as she began to step off the curb to hail a taxi she was shoved backwards by a man rushing by. Without notice she was falling into her bags and landing with a huge thud upon the hard stone sidewalk. It all happened so suddenly, she had no idea what had hit her. All she knew was that now she was lying in the middle of three Louis Vitton bags and a Gucci purse which now had its contents spread throughout the streets.
"Merda! Mi dispiace…. Mi dispiace!"
Summer had no chance to look up. She felt like her tailbone had just busted in half and the throbbing pain ran through her entire body. And yet she was more concerned with he contents of her purse spilled throughout the sidewalk for the entire world to see. There it was, Credit cards, euros, dollars, her cell phone, not to mention lip gloss and tampons. She momentarily left her bags askew and bent down to retrieve her items. But, when she did the young man in front of her bent down to do the same thing. Their foreheads bonked with great force into one another and Summer fell back again, moaning.
"Ugggh! What the hell assface? Haven't you done enough?"
Holding his hand to his head the young Italian man stepped back and grunted. He started mumbling something under his breath in his native tongue, but continued to bend down and pick up her things, thrusting them into her purse. It appeared he knew exactly what she had just said and was quite offended by her lack of appreciation. Once he was done putting the last tampon in, which to Summer's surprise didn't faze him one iota, he handed her the bag and finally looked her in the eye.
"Per quel che mi riguarda…." He began to tell her off, explaining to her that he was merely trying to help and apologize for knocking her over in the first place but stopped mid sentence. He stood there silent, and his angered face suddenly changed into a smirk. "Sei bellissima!" He smiled to her and shook his head.
Summer stood there for a moment, and accepted the purse back. Her Italian was far from good, in fact it was pretty much non existent, but she was pretty sure he had just given her a compliment. "I eat pizza WITH pepperoni…" She began to explain, and when the young man made an extremely confused look, wondering if he had run into someone psychotic, she laughed and explained further. "I'm American, speak in English please."
The young man appeared to be about Summer's age. He was similar to Seth's build, extremely thin and tall, though he wasn't quite as soaring as him and a little less lanky. He was wearing light colored (almost white) form fitting Armani jeans, which Summer recognized from the newest Armani line. On top he was wearing a dark brown button down shirt which had two ultra thin baby blue stripes on either side of the buttons . The shirt also hugged his slender frame tightly and the bottom few buttons were left open, exposing a sliver of his midriff. The outfit was topped off with a brown belt and what looked like to be designer driving shoes. At first he just stood there and stared at Summer until she shook her head and laughed at him.
"Hello, are you alive? Oh wait, maybe you don't speak English, I'm sorry, I just…" Summer laughed at herself and began to gather up her things. Now she felt like an idiot. Here she was thinking that he did speak English, and he didn't understand her at all.
Just when she was about to put the one bag back onto her shoulder and walk away in shame, the young man spoke up. "I am sorry miss, I was just trying to state that you are… how do they say it?... fabulous!" His accent was thick, but his English was easily understood.
Summer looked back up into his eyes, noticing for the first time that they were a unique green/blue with an oddly mysterious yellow ring around the center of them. They were gorgeous and she was intrigued by them. Then she realized she was staring and shook her head in a laugh. At his words she couldn't help but beam, completely forgetting that this was the same man that caused her to bruise her behind. "Well aren't you the charmer?" she giggled lightly. "Apology accepted."
The young man smiled back at her and started to help with her other two bags. "I am sorry I pummeled you over. I was turning that bend there, and wasn't paying attention. See, my skinny ass is late for work, and it's not the first time this week."
Summer immediately stopped what she was doing, looked up and interrupted him. "If you are late for work, you don't need to help me. I mean, really you have done enough, I'm gonna have a bruise on my ass worse than that time Cohen and I... well never mind." She stopped herself and then smiled. "Really, please go, I don't want you to be late."
The young man just shook his head and smiled. "I may be a flaming finocchio, but I still know how to be a gentleman!" And with that he took the bag from her and smiled. "Besides I'm already late. It's best to be really late and come up with some outrageous story rather than just be a few minutes past the clock."
Summer had no idea what a flaming finocchio was, but she let it pass by, figuring it was a crazy European term. She let him take her bags and then he stopped realizing he didn't really know where he was going or what he was doing with them. He continued to speak, very animated, and Summer was sure that if his hands were free they would be moving around as fast as his mouth.
""I'll tell them I was helping a pour American damsel in distress. Joe can't punish me for that, I mean he himself fancies the Americans." He stopped and turned around and then tilted his head with a laugh. "Where are you going anyway?"
Summer couldn't help but burst out laughing at his mannerisms and rambles. He was quite the character, and for the first time since she had arrived in Italy she felt like maybe she had found a friend. "I was actually trying to hail a cab. My hotel is the..." She paused to look down at the piece of paper, but the boy came over to take it from her to read it himself.
"You're staying at the Via della Stazione di S. Pietro! That place is gorgeous! Very old and antique looking, and yet some of the most comfortable beds in the city." He suddenly stopped and shrugged. "And you are probably wondering how someone who LIVES in this city knows that, but we'll leave that to your imagination.
Summer laughed lightly at his humor and then took the piece of paper back from him. "Is it far?"
"No not at all, it's just a short walk from St. Peter's Square, the Starhotels Michelangelo is an ideal place to spend your unforgettable Roman holiday!" He sounded just like a tour guide or salesman.
"Well to be honest, I just liked the sound of the minibar, color satellite TV with international channels and the internet." She added on to his enthusiasm. "There isn't much else to do when you are by yourself. Summer decided to leave the part out that she this wasn't really a vacation, but rather on a mission.
The boy gave her a look as if she were just admitted to a psych ward. He shook his head and laughed lightly. "Mini bars and satellite TV, you are definitely my kind of girl! I can't go a day without watching the Valley. But please don't tell me you are going to stay in your hotel room your entire trip? This is Rome, one of the best cities in the world after all."
"Me? Stay inside all week in one of the best fashion capitals of the world? Please! What kind of girl do you think I am? Don't you see the way I am dressed?" With that she did a little twirl and smiled.
"I think we really WILL get a long quite well. You should come visit me tonight at my restaurant. It's one of the top rated in Rome, and if you ask for me I'll get you the best seat in the house." He smiled and gave her a little wink. "Then afterwards, if you play your cards right, I'll even take you out dancing. If you are as fabulous as I think you are, you will definitely be able to keep up with me on the dance floor."
It was as if she was put up to a challenge, one that she wouldn't be able to refuse. She had to prove her fabulousness. Adjusting the strap that lay on her shoulder she smiled and pondered his invitation. Part of her thought that going out might not be a good idea; she was running out of time, and really needed to find what she came here for. Yet there was something about this guy that just screamed fun. And she deserved ONE night off right?
"Well I wouldn't even know WHO to ask for. Or should I just say 'the most charming waiter you've got,' in hopes they will know who I am talking about?" She teased him, letting him know he had yet to introduce himself.
He couldn't help but laugh and after trying to hail a couple of cabs for her, but with no luck, he turned around and extended his hand to her. "My name is Marcello, but what you just said would work too."
The two of them continued to make small talk and laugh for the next few minutes. It was uncanny how comfortable they felt with each other. Summer couldn't believe the chemistry that they had. It was as if they had been the best of friends for years and they were now just catching up.
Finally a taxi was flagged, only after Summer got out and did the job herself, and it was time for them to go their separate ways.
"So after you get settled in and rest your cute little behind a bit, I'll see you at the restaurant?" Marcello asked her, making sure he had their plans down in his head.
"If you're lucky." She smiled, letting him know she was obviously kidding and the two of them put their bags in the back of the small white car.
"Mitico!" He out of instinct leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek before backing away. "And now I must bid you goodbye. I may be pretty but Joe has been dull to my charms for awhile now."
Summer chuckled and waved him goodbye. "What just happened?" She whispered to herself. She didn't know it was possible to make friends that fast.
As she started to get into the car, with a bright smile upon her face, she hesitated and her last phone conversation with Seth came flooding back to her. He kept on asking her if she had met anyone yet. Every time they phoned he asked his paranoid list of inquiries and Summer would simply state that she was far too busy to meet anyone or get into trouble. That would work for the time being, but she knew that as soon as Seth found out she had met someone, an extremely looking Italian man at that, his insecurities would inflate!
Although she was pretty sure that Marcello would never be interested in her. For her own sense of peace, she needed to be sure of what she suspected.
"Hey Marcello!"
He turned around as he was a few feet away and raised a brow. "Miss me already?"
Summer just shook her head, he was too much. "Just for the sake of letting my boyfriend's insecurities rest, you are uh…ummm… well you know?"
Marcello had to laugh. It had been a long time since anyone had even questioned him on this. He was pretty shocked that his flame didn't burn bright with someone as trendy, intuitive and intelligent as this young woman seemed to be.
Normally he would tease her, let her squirm a bit… who was he kidding, this was a rare occurrence, he had to take advantage of it. "I know what?" He stood there, a few feet away waiting for an explanation.
Summer's tanned face suddenly turned pale. Did she peg him wrong? Maybe he just seemed that way. Then again, it was hard to tell with some Europeans. She shifted from one foot to another, trying to think of something to say without sounding like a blonde girl from the valley.
Marcello's lips turned into a devious grin, and he wondered how long he should make her exist there uncomfortably. He folded his arms over his chest and tapped his brown Prada driving shoes on the stone beneath him. "You were saying? Come on, I'm running late."
Summer looked up and met his gaze once more. She was in an awful predicament now wasn't she? She didn't want to offend her newest and only friend in Italy, but she had to know so that she could set Seth at ease, and if he wasn't, she would have to lay things straight then and there.
Finally she mustered up the courage, and decided that being blunt would be the best way to go. It always worked for her in the past. "You're gay right?"
Marcello's eyes widened and he placed his hand over his chest, as if to say, 'who me?' But as he remained quiet he saw Summer grow more and more tense by the nanosecond, he decided to set her straight.
"Oh, is that all? Don't worry honey I'm a Kinsey Six." And with that he waved his hand and darted around the corner leaving Summer there confused.
"Kinsey six?" She spoke out loud, now with an even more perplexed look upon her face. Then, she too disappeared into the cab and down the street.
A few hours later, after Summer had settled into her new temporary dwelling, taken a much needed siesta, a very refreshing bath and successfully looked up what Kinsey six meant:
"A person who is completely homosexual, as opposed to one with some bisexual inclinations. Sex researcher Alfred Kinsey developed a scale from 0 to 6 to indicate a subject's sexual orientation. A person with no homosexual feelings was ranked a zero. Someone exclusively homosexual was a 6."
She was ready to go grab some food. She studied herself in the mirror one more time, admiring how much better she looked than a few hours previous. Not to mention how much better she felt. She was rejuvenated and now it was time to start all over again.
But not before she at first had a little bit of fun. Tucking her long dark hair behind her ears, she leaned over to fix her cherry lip gloss. She ran her finger along the outside of her lip line and then smiled. "Much improved."
She wasn't sure what Marcello had in mind, but they had decided that after eating dinner at the restaurant where he worked, he would take her out in Rome. She felt slightly guilty about being in Rome for a few hours now, and not doing any Cooper research. But she also knew that it had been three weeks since she had been to any party, talked with anyone remotely interesting enough to hold her attention, or even taken some time out to vibrate at a high frequency. She needed this. And she would be the first admit that she was craving real interaction. It would be how she explained her connection with Marcello after only minutes of meeting him. She needed this… she needed a friend.
She grabbed her bag, making sure that all her possessions were neatly inside and went out the door. About twenty minutes later she arrived in front of her destination. Stepping out, she wore a calf length flowing white skirt and a simple olive green tank topped with a brown 'metal jacket' that was cotton with a metallic thread and a stand collar with a snap. She looked around her new setting, taking it all in. Although the buildings were obviously very ancient, they had been decorated with trendy lights and flowers. She turned around to see a brightly lit sign that read, "Joseppi's". She thanked the cab driver, paid him and took off towards the restaurant.
Within moments she understood why someone as chic as Marcello would want to work in a restaurant. The place was gorgeous, stylish and definitely in use. It was so crowded, that it took her far too long to even reach a hostess. Moving up, she suddenly realized that this wasn't the place where one would eat alone and she suddenly felt as if her once nice outfit was underdressed. She unexpectedly grew a bit nervous and timidly spoke to the hostess.
"Table for one please…" She paused and looked around herself cautiously. "I'm supposed to ask for Marcello Fanntinelli."
The hostess looked at her, slowly letting her gaze work up and down. When she finally reached her eyes again she let out a piercing laugh. Before she even spoke she gave Summer the most obnoxious look, topped with a snooty nose raise. And once she finally did speak, it was as if Summer was bothering her. Her accent was so thick, she was difficult to understand. "A table with Marcello will be at least an hour."
Summer was NEVER one to be shy, or even intimated. In spite of being in a foreign land, or even unsure of where she was, she was a still a Newpsie and was raised to be amongst the most fashionable, richest and elite. Why should this be any different? And yet for a moment Summer was a bit taken back. She blinked a few times. Did she just hear her correctly? An hour? She just shook her head, that just wouldn't do.
"I am sorry, I don't think that you heard me correctly." She stood up tall, and placed both of her hands on either end of the hostess podium, leaning forward slightly. "My name is Summer Roberts, and I DO have reservations. I am most positive that if you check with Mr. Fanntinelli, he will assure you that I am very important and should be seated right away." Her voice was certain and strong, and she gave her a look that screamed 'don't mess with me.'
The hostess was unsure of what to say or do, she wasn't expecting a retaliation. For a moment she opened her mouth to speak, but Summer raised her brow as if to say, 'I dare you to second guess me.' And then she held up her index finger and walked away.
Summer stood there and turned around to face a young couple who had just entered the restaurant. She smiled sweetly and stepped to the side to let them pass. A few moments later the hostess returned, ignoring the people who were standing in front of her and peeked her head around them. "Signora Roberts, right this way."
Moments later Summer was sitting not only at a table, but it seemed to be one of the better tables in the place; on the second floor, right by the window over looking a gorgeous Roman street. She smiled to the hostess, and took her seat. The hostess grumbled under her breath, gave her the menu and then disappeared. Summer sat with a satisfied smile upon her face.
Before she could even look at the menu, Marcello dressed all in black popped his head over the laminated paper and smiled. "Ciao la mia ragazza bella." He took the menu from her and stood up tall, with an excited smile plastered upon his face.
"I wish you would stop calling me things in Italian. I don't know if you are calling me gorgeous or the creature from the black lagoon."
Marcello rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I would never do such a thing, and maybe if you learned a bit of an Italian it wouldn't be a problem." He reached into a cold bucket and pulled out a bottled water, setting it on the table. "You Americani, so self centered, you don't think you need to learn anything beyond English."
Summer opened her mouth for a rebuttle and then closed it once again, knowing it was pretty close to the truth.
"See, told you."
She leaned over and swatted his arm playfully. He mocked a fake pout and the two of them laughed. It didn't take them long to fall back into playful banter. Summer scolded him for causing her to spend a half an hour in front of the computer trying to figure out what Kinsley Six was, and he complained that if she was savvy enough she would have already known Summer couldn't believe how easy it was to get comfortable with him; they just clicked.
After a few minutes Marcello said he had to get back to work and went to order her his favorite dish. Throughout the next hour and a half Summer experienced the most amazing food and great music. Every chance he got, which wasn't as often as either would have liked, he came to chat it up with her. But before they knew it, his shift was almost over, and Summer couldn't wait to spend the night on the town with him.
He of course wouldn't let her pay, and they had to argue about that for a good five minutes. But in the end Marcello won, but only because Summer promised to buy him a drink later in the evening. It was almost midnight and Summer was well rested and now stuffed with pasta. She was ready to burn some of the carbs.
After changing back into his street clothes, Marcello came back out of the kitchen and linked his arm with Summer's. "Let's go my love. We have places to see and people to do."
Summer joined her new friend and started walking towards the front of the restaurant. As they descended the stairs to go towards the front door, Summer looked ahead of her and unexpectedly stopped right in the middle of the stairs, causing the people behind her to knock into them.
"I'm sorry... umm you can go around me." She looked around in a bit of a panic and she could feel her heart beat fast. The people looked annoyed but continued to move around her without hesitation. She paused and tried to take a few steps back up the stairs backwards and out of view of the hostess stand. She tripped and almost fell on her butt again, but caught herself and stood back up. The look on her face resembled a little girl who just walked in on her parents doing the deed. She wanted to get out of sight fast.
"Way to be stealth Summer." She spoke to herself and finally made her way enough up the stairs to be out of view of anyone downstairs. "If Seth could only see you now, he would be lecturing you on how he should have been her to help... gawd!"
Marcello watched the spectical fold out in front of him, and had to hold his hand over his mouth to keep in the laughter. "Summer, what is it that you are doing? The sites are that way!" He pointed back towards the door, but when Summer didn't look back he followed her back up the stairs. Now Summer was bending her head down so far that she was practically standing on her head so that she could see the patrons below her. She was practically hanging upside down.
"It.. it's her. I can't believe it's her!" Summer shook her head. She had been searching so hard for three weeks, and she just stumbles upon her like it wasn't difficult at all. She continued to look back at her, to make sure that she wasn't just seeing things.
Marcello tried to figure out who in the world his newest friend was talking about. He looked back down towards the crowd running his eyes through it. Then his gaze stopped on a firey red head. Among all the Italians, she definitely stood out. Her brightly colored outfit screamed loudly among the sea of black. He rolled his eyes, surely Summer couldn't be talking about her.
He looked back to her, and back to the crowd, trying to follow her gaze. "You know Julie Cooper?" He looked back to Summer, and just when she thought she couldn't be shocked more, her head snapped around towards him and she gasped.
"You do!"
Marcello just laughed and shrugged. "Well if you qualify her barking out orders at me some kind of association, then yes I know her quite well."
Summer couldn't believe her ears. It was fate. She had made friends with someone who knew Julie! Suddenly her faith and determination was restored to its fullest and the wheels started to turn in her head. She continued to watch her best friend's mother, seeing her as she yelled at the hostess. Summer stood there smugly, well at least she was doing something right.
As soon as Julie starting heading towards the stairs Summer panicked and grabbed Marcello by the hand. "Quick you have to hide me!"
Marcello laughed as she dragged him back up the rest of the stairs and found the nearest door. Without even asking if it was ok to go in, she opened it up, and dragged the two of them in. The door slammed shut and it went pitch black.
"Summer I already told you I came out of the closet when I was 21, what are you doing dragging me back in!"
Before he could say another word a loud wack could be heard and Marcello screamed. "Ow!"
"Would you shut up, I don't want her to see me yet!" Summer didn't know what to do. She didn't know the lay out of the restaurant, but there had to be another way out. Although she had it all planned out just exactly WHAT she wanted to say to Julie once she confronted her, she wasn't expecting her this soon. She wasn't prepared mentally, she needed time to recoop.
"Well you didn't have to hit me! If Joe finds me in the closet with some girl, an American one no less he is going to think I've gone mad... then again, he is banging one himself, maybe it will get me another raise." Marcello continued to ramble on in complete darkness, and if he could see Summer's big brown eyes he would see them roll.
As they stood there, a weird silence fell over them. As he rubbed his shoulder where Summer surely left a bruise, Marcello was trying to figure out why they were hiding out in a closet. In the mean time Summer was coming up with a plan. Thirty more seconds passed and Summer flipped open her cell phone. A bright blue light suddenly flooded the closet and Summer could see that there faces were merely inches apart.
"Ok Marcey, here is the plan..." She looked him straight in the eye, the eery glow casting upon Summer's assertive face made her look like an ice queen. "First, you are going to get us out of here, with OUT Julie seeing me."
Marcello opened his mouth to speak, first to complain about the new nick name she created for him out of no where, and then to ask why she couldn't be seen by Julie. However, he was cut off before he could even utter a sound.
"Shut up, I'll explain everything later. Then we are going to go back to my hotel room. I need to know everything that you know about her. Where she lives, what she does, everything." Summer stopped for a moment, fleetingly realizing just how rude she just was. But before she could apologize Marcello spoke up.
"I like a woman who knows what she wants." He smirked and the cell phone light faded out. He didn't know what was going on, but he was always up for an adventure.
"Come on let's go."