April 11, 1994

Caro diary,

This morning when all of us had woken up, we decided to take a walk along the plaza. It was a nice day and the sun was out and I felt happier then I have for the longest time. When we returned home for lunch, Andria asked me to come with her to her bedroom because she needed to talk to me about something. Concerned, I asked her if anything was the matter.

"No, Mama. Just come, please."

We went into her room and she sat down on the bed and pulled me down her. Then she just looked at me.

"Andria Mia, che cosa è la materia? Potete dirmi."

At that, her expression changed.

"Nothing's the matter Mama. It's just that, well, Sono nell'amore."

Now, it was my turn to be shocked. "What do you mean you're in love? Quando questo è accaduto?"

She smiled and then her expression became serious. "It happened last night when Dante and I were out. I was at a club and a man hit on me. He was good looking, and apparently was a little used to drink, so I didn't catch on to the fact that he was drunk at first. We started talking, and then he invited me into one of the back rooms. Then, once we were there, he gave me a drink. The food had made me thirsty and I hadn't had anything all night so I drank it. Then, I began to feel drowsy and I managed to make it on to the bed before I passed out.

"When I woke up, I was naked and the man was on top of me. Soon after I woke up, another guy burst into the room and pried the first guy off me. Then, they got into a fight and the man who raped me was knocked unconscious. Then, my rescuer gave me my clothes and told me to put them on so he could take me to the hospital and I could be checked out.

"When we got into his car, it finally occurred to me to ask my rescuer his name. He said it was Romeo, Mama. Can you believe that? I was so scared, and then, I was rescued by a Romeo!" at this, she burst into sobs.

"Bambina, are you really and truly all right? How did he know how to find you? And could you please tell me where the hell your brother was when all this was going on?"

She looked up from my shoulder where she had buried her face.

"Yes, Mama, I am all right. I feel so damn lucky. As for how Romeo knew how to find me, he told me that I had caught his eye the second I walked into the room, but he was too shy to ask me to dance, so he just watched me, kind of like a secret chaperone. So naturally, he saw when I went into the back room."

"And what about your brother?"

"After we left we agreed to separate. I know it was stupid and I know we shouldn't have done it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"It's all right. The important thing is that you're safe." I said, rocking her back and forth.

Pretty soon she quieted, and then the bell sounded from the front of the house.

Andria smiled at the sound. "I'll get that Mama. Do you want to come with me?"

I nodded and followed her. She opened the door to reveal a tall, bronzed young man with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. When Andria saw him, she smiled.

"Romeo, what a pleasant surprise! Come in."

And he came in. he looked at me, and said "Andria, who's that?"

And she didn't speak for a moment. Then she said, "Romeo, this is my twin sister Bella."

He grinned. "Charmed, I'm sure."

I studied him. He didn't sound Italian.

"So Romeo," I asked, "are you from around here?"

He shook his head. "No, my father was born in Kassel, Germany and my mother is American."

"Oh. So how did the name Romeo get bestowed on you?"

He smiled. He had a sweet smile.

"It's actually more of a nickname. My real name is William Falkstein."

And when I heard that, I was rendered speechless for the first time in my life.

Fino a che non veniamo a contatto di ancora,

Selina

Sarah- The reason why there's so much Italian is because Selina is Italian.