Part 6

Richard took Stefano out for a stroll in the busy streets of Italy to sample the culture and to get reacquainted with his son. It has been now two weeks since he'd arrived in town, and now he seemed to be at ease and had an optimistic look on life, thanks to his bond with Stefano as it has given him the confidence to approach fatherhood more openly and to realise the importance of being a good father to him. He was enjoying the friendly but care-free cosmopolitan life abroad, and saw this as a refreshing alternative to the busy, workaholic lifestyle in New York, of which for Richard provided so many lows, as well as highs in his life.

After a brief tour of the area, Richard decided to take a breather by stopping by at the nearest cafe and order a cappuccino and a slice of Chocolate cake. It was no Remos but still, the place was busy and the weather was so beautiful as the sun was shining brightly and people were chatting away endlessly, mostly in Italian. He sat outside so he could lap up as much of the atmosphere as he could. 'OK, Stefano, do you know what time it is now?', Richard teased to Stefano, 'That's right- it's flashcard time!'.

He produced a pack of playing cards and showed it to Stefano, 'Who is this guy? yep say it, it's da- da-da-vinci!'; as he held onto him, Richard was keeping his son entertained with his antics when he suddenly noticed a silhouette navigating her way through the streets of Italy.

'That's it! That's the last time I'm gonna people ask for directions! Great! Looks like I'm now lost.'- It was Caroline and she sounded just like the old Richard, who moaned and whined when he was in New York. She took note of a cafe, just a few miles from where she stood and slowly made her way there. As she approached an empty table, Caroline placed her luggage on the floor, took off her jacket and sat herself down. Richard couldn't help but stare at her;

'She came back. Thank God she came back', he mused to himself. Luck was on Richard's side and he knew he was in seventh heaven; glaring in awe at Caroline's curly red locks and sexy legs as he marvelled at her dress. He was interrupted by the waiter, who finally arrived with the slice of cake and cappuccino, which he placed on the table.

'Here is your order, sir', he went; 'thank you' replied Richard, who even managed to tip the waiter; something that he never did before in his life. He took a second glance at Caroline but when she finally saw Richard, he, in turn, quickly looked back down and avoided her glare.

Caroline knew he was trying to make eye contact with her, but at the same time, realised that he probably didn't want to talk to her either. Not after when she had left Richard at the airport. His silence and reluctance to approach her was driving her nuts, as the tension became almost palpable and noticeable. For Richard, he patiently waited for Caroline to make the first move and he waited and waited. When Caroline finally stood up from her seat, she then slowly headed towards Richard; as she got closer towards him, his feelings for Caroline had surfaced in his mind once again.

'Richard?'

'Caroline', he responded in a soft tone. 'What are you doing in Italy, all of a sudden?'

'Well, I came to see you, because i think there are few things we need to clear up in regards to us, if that's alright with you that is'.

'Sure thing', Richard went. 'I was gonna eat this cake, but seeing as you here already, you can have it. Besides, I'm not that hungry anyway'.

'Are you sure?', Caroline asked.

'Yes, absolutely. Go right ahead'. After Caroline finished devouring the cake and wiped her mouth with a clean napkin she picked up from the table, a somewhat assured Richard had been the first to initiate small talk between the two of them.

At first, he came off a little hesitantly: 'Look, I know that you are probably mad at me for what I did... and what I said'

'Mad is an understatement', she snarled. 'Alright, alright. You were probably upset and hurt, and rightly so if i may add also'. But believe me Richard, I felt it was in our best interests that we couldn't continue with this relationship considering you have told me you didn't want a child'.

'And so, why did you decide to fly all the way to Italy to see me, Caroline?'

'Richard, don't change the subject!, she barked. 'I travelled thousands of miles from New York to see you because I wanted to know whether you wrote that letter'

'What letter?'

'The letter that has your signature on it and the one that declares your feelings for me'

'How did you find out about the letter?'

Caroline wanted to be frank and forthcoming to Richard about it :'I saw it lying on Annie's bed. I had assumed that Annie left it there on purpose, just so I could see it'.

'That letter was 4 years old and yes I DID write it. Besides, even if you did find out, you probably wouldn't have felt the same way about me', he refuted.

'Aha, and so you DID write it?'

'You know what?, Richard asked, 'why don't we discuss this further at the Mazzone mansion? That is where I am staying at the moment with my son.' He then drew a map to the house on a paper napkin, which he gave to Caroline, so she could easily navigate her way to the Mazzonne mansion.

'OK, sure', Caroline went.

'Great. and so i'll see you later this evening, Caroline', Richard said, as he put his son back in his buggy and fitted a safety harness around Stefano.

'Yeah, i'll see you later Richard', replied Caroline, and off they went in their separate ways- for now at least.