Serena's plane touched down in the early afternoon. She looked out her window as they landed and decided that Italy was most definitely the prettiest country she'd ever seen. The tour bus was white with multi-colored Dalmatian spots. It appeared to her that it was going to be a very gay tour.
"Hi everybody! I'm David," said the tour guide. "And this is your driver Eduardo and you are 'Gay and Away'." He held up a hat that read Gay and Away. Everyone clapped and cheered except Serena who laughed and covered her ears. "Welcome to your first day of a romantic tour of Tuscany. Now I saw most of you getting to know each other on the plane but I want you all to meet Serena. Now, Serena is straight." A lot of "aw"s were heard from the female passengers. "And she just survived a terrible divorce and according to her friend Michelle she really needs our support right now, so Serena, stand up!"
Even with her resistance she was still forced from her seat where people cheered for her. It was the first time in a while she felt like her world wasn't about to crash and burn. For once, she felt relaxed.
They were serving wine on the tour bus and as much as she hated drinking in the day time Serena had some. Thankfully, they soon stopped in a small market. Serena was browsing in the fruit and asked for a bundle of grapes. She looked around at the different people and her gaze settled on a blonde woman whose hair dangled down to her feet. Something about the woman was...inviting, it made Serena want to get to know her. She began to wonder who the woman was, where she was from, if she lived near by. The blonde rubbed a baby chick on her cheek, enjoying its soft texture. Serena's thoughts were interrupted by the peddler asking for her money to pay for the grapes. After paying she saw the blonde woman leave and she followed her. Serena kept her eyes on the back of the woman's head as she wove in and out of various Tuscans and tourists. She saw the blonde turn a corner and lost her after that.
Serena groaned wit frustration but was quickly adverted from her perplexion by someone to her left asking her "Pretty awesome isn't it?" She recognized the man as someone from the Gay and Away tour.
"Yes. I think you're right." She replied. "Pretty awesome."
"How am I going to get through al of these?" he asked fanning through and stack of postcards. "I mean, how can you even describe all of this?"
"Well, if you have a pen I could give it a shot."
"Are you a good writer?"
Serena thought a moment. "I used to be."
"Alright then." He handed her a pen and a postcard with a sunflower design. "To my mom."
"Dear Mom." Serena thought a moment then looked at her surroundings. She popped a grape she had bought into her mouth. Some nuns fighting over a cell and similar clichés gave some ideas. She began her letter.
Dear Mom,
It's market day in Cortona. The piazza is an on going party and everyone is invited. Clichés converge and you almost want to laugh, but you can't help feeling that these Italians know more about having fun than we do. I eat a hot grape from the market and the violet sweetness breaks open in my mouth. It even smells purple. I wish I could stay here longer but the bell reminds me of the time. Ding Dang Dong!, goes the bell instead of just Ding Dong! I wish you were here. Love......
Serena looked at the man. "Love..."
"Rodney."
"Rodney." She wrote it where she had left off. She handed him the pen and postcard and he read over the letter smiling. Suddenly his smile faded.
"It even smells like purple? My mom would never believe that I wrote this. Keep it." He shoved the card into her hand. "Tch. Ding dang dong goes the bell."
Serena stared after him. She shrugged. "I'm sorry." She called after him.
Serena walked through the streets of Cortona and found herself reading the description of a house for sale. She tried to pronounce the name out loud when someone behind her pronounced it for her.
"Bramasole.(Bramasolay)" Said the voice. Serena whirled around to find the blonde from earlier smiling at her. "From Bramare, Tiempo, and Sole the sun. It's a nice little villa, rather run down but redeemable. Are you going to buy it?"
"No. No, no, no, I'm just a tourist. Here for the day!"
"So?" asked the woman as she took another lick from her ice cream cone.
"Well, I mean, who wouldn't want to buy a villa Tuscany, but, uh, the way my life is going it would be a terrible idea."
The blonde gave a look of under standing. "Terrible idea." Then the blonde gave a childish smile. "Don't you just love those?"
It was all Serena could do but watch the blonde walk away. Then, spontaneously, she chuckled to herself.
Serena looked out the window of the bus. Somehow she had ended up sitting next to Rodney. She pulled the postcard out of her bag and reread it. It sounded fine to her, the description was interesting and she never lost her subject. She sighed and slid it back into the side pocket as she felt the bus pull to a stop. She looked out and saw a flock of sheep in the road.
"Sorry everybody! Unscheduled stop." Called David.
"Oh my God, sheep," emphasized Rodney as he started clicking pictures of the sheep. Serena gave him an odd look then settled back in her seat and looked out the window once more. The bus was parked outside a stone wall. There was a small sign on the wall with a carved picture of a house. Beneath it was the word "Bramasole" in blue paint. Serena felt the bus pull to a start. She jumped up in her seat.
"Stop the bus. Please stop the bus." She had decided to buy it right then and there. No one would stand in her way. Not this time. This time, she was following her own rules.