Chapter 6
SPOV
I was downstairs when a car drove into the parking lot, but I was a bit wary of coming out from where I was just inside the door, because I didn't recognize it as being my father's car. As it came closer, I recognized that the car was actually a taxi, so I assumed that maybe one of the other residents was coming in late, though that did seem strange considering the time that it was. Normally all of the residents were fast asleep by now.
I had to look twice when the rear door opened, and the internal light came on to see my father stood there. Why was he here in a taxi? I'd just assumed that he'd be driving.
"You ready Pumpkin?"
I just nodded my head as I carried my case and garment bag toward him, pleased when he took them from me and placed them in the trunk. Once inside the driver was soon pulling out onto the street with me keen to know where we were going.
"Dad, where are we going. I thought you'd be driving"
"No. We're flying"
I hadn't even considered how we would travel to the wedding, just assuming that we'd be driving. Thinking about it I suppose that it was easier to fly and quicker plus my father wouldn't be so tired. Of course, that meant that this wedding was further away from Trenton than I'd realized. How was it that I hadn't asked more about what was going to be happening, I mean usually I'd be the one badgering for information. Maybe it was because my father was organizing the trip and I had always trusted him in the past or as Lula had said I was disorganized this week. I rested my head against the back seat watching the lights around us from the other cars on the road, it was hypnotic, and it wasn't long before my eyes began to get heavy.
It was someone pushing against my shoulder that had me coming awake with a start. As I opened my eyes, I recognized that we were at the airport and felt the cold air rushing in as a door opened. Yawning I rubbed my hands over my eyes to try to get me to feel more awake and then was climbing out of the taxi. I carried my garment bag while my father took both of our cases and I started to follow him inside, through the sliding glass doors and into the brightly lit terminal. To be honest I was still feeling incredibly tired so blindly followed him as he headed through the crowds toward security. I dutifully placed my case and garments in the plastic tray and walked through the scanner, quite relieved that no alarms started to go off.
My father looked to be on a mission and certainly knew where we needed to be, in other words which gate our flight would be leaving from. All I could think was that I was glad that I'd used a small case that would be allowed onto the plane as cabin luggage. As we approached the gate, I had to juggle my garment bag, as a passport and boarding card were thrust into my hand from my father, and I never got a chance to ask him how he had my passport. I watched as the young man checked those documents before handing them back to me and allowing me to walk through and into the walkway that led to the plane. I soon caught up with my father totally confused with what had just happened.
"Dad, how did you have my passport?"
"It was in the bedroom with mine. Good job really because I needed the information to book you a seat"
I couldn't remember leaving it there, I was sure that it was in a metal box with all of my other documents at the back of the closet in my apartment. I hadn't even thought that I would need my passport so hadn't looked for it. In fact, the last time that I'd used it was on that fateful trip to Hawaii. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind because all it brought back to me were memories of Ranger and the time that we'd spent together there. Almost a week where we'd existed in a fantasy world only to have to return to the normal world and our old lives. I shuddered at the memory of Joe turning up unexpectedly at the hotel where we were staying and the ensuing fight between Joe and Ranger. I'd left on my own determined to forget the whole thing and it seemed that everyone else was of the same mind because it was never spoken about again, at all.
I was brought out of those memories as the walkway ended and we queued waiting for our turn to step onto the aircraft. We were greeted by a member of the cabin crew who took my boarding ticket to read off the seat number.
"Second aisle. Your seat is on the left Ma'am"
I didn't walk very far before the seat number appeared above me and I was stood looking from the boarding pass to the seat when I felt my father subtly push me to sit down. I was totally dumbstruck at where we were sitting. Then I looked again at the boarding pass and started to read it. How the hell had I not noticed the destination of the flight? Why hadn't my father told me before we were actually on the plane? Surely he should have said something even if I was being naive about the whole trip. I turned to him as he started to fasten his seat belt and look through the magazines in the pocket in front of him.
"Dad, why didn't you tell me?"
He sighed knowing that that he owed me an explanation though just how much I would get I wasn't too sure.
"If you'd have known, would you have still wanted to come?"
"I don't know"
Which was as honest as I could be at the moment.
"Your mother, she hates my family and refused point blank to come with me. Then she had this hairbrained idea of you coming with me. Didn't give me much choice really so. I'm sorry Pumpkin I should have told you and trusted you"
That was the least of my concerns at the moment. Yeah, thinking about it, I probably would have agreed to come with him, but what about the other lie that he'd told, a whopping illegal lie as far as I could see.
"The name on the boarding card says Stefania Paulumi"
I was quickly rummaging through my pocket for the passport not surprised when I found the same name printed inside. It was a photo of me, and it had my birthday right, but everything else looked foreign to me. I held it open on my knee for my father to see and then waited for an explanation.
"Your grandfather was called Paulumi, so that was my name as well. He always intended to go back to Italy one day, so he made sure that his passport and then mine were always kept up to date with the Italian embassy. There was a mix up when he entered America, so many people and not enough paper pushers so some idiot ended up misspelling his name. He ended up with two passports but let it go. When your mother and I married she refused point blank to take on the Italian name, insisted on using Plum. I occasionally wrote to my cousins in Italy back then and eventually they came to see us. You must have been a baby then, but my father had decided that he didn't want to go back to Italy"
I knew that I was staring at my father because this whole thing seemed so incredulous to me. Of course, no one had ever spoken about relatives in Italy even though I knew that my father's father had come from there.
"Let's just say that your mother did not get on with my cousin. Both hot headed, both stubborn and some very unpleasant words were exchanged"
That had me frowning because while I knew that about my mother, I had never known her to be rude to guests.
"Why would they hate each other so much?"
This was the first time that my father had ever said so much about his father and family so I was hoping that he was of the mind to actually let me in on some of our family secrets. It might also give me the answer to what I'd wanted to know in the first place and that was why my mother had refused to accompany my father to this wedding.
"My cousin criticized how your mother dealt with you, criticized how she wanted to live her life. I suppose though your mother hated that my cousin and family had a lot of money and that we had nothing. Your grandfather left everything behind in Italy to give my mother and me the opportunity to live our lives freely"
America, the land of opportunity and I suppose with the way things were in Europe at the time then a lot of people had taken the same decision. That my mother had behaved the way that she had didn't surprise me, after all she was entrenched in the Burg way of life and would have hated that someone would be bold enough to criticize her. That she was jealous did surprise me though I suppose having her nose rubbed in it wouldn't have gone down well.
"So how do I have two passports?"
"Gaia, my cousin who visited, insisted that I used my dual citizenship to get one for you, she argued that one day you might need it or want to return to your roots. So, I did it, even renewed it over the years"
"But why not just use our our American passports?"
I sat back in the seat as the information seeped into my brain. I was sat in a first class seat travelling under the name of Stefania Paulumi on my way to Milan, Italy. I didn't want to ask any more questions, like how this trip had been paid for, though I had the feeling that maybe us using Italian passports had something to do with that.
"Gaia booked the flight for us, even insisted on paying for it, and used those names"
No wonder my mother had refused to come, she would have hated that, one more thing that my mother would have been critical of had she known.
"It's an eight hour flight Pumpkin, relax and sleep while you can"
I watched as my father lowered his seat and as he pulled a blanket over himself. I had so much going through my head that I was wide awake now. If I'd have known where we were going would I have said yes? I suppose that I would. How many women like me get an opportunity to go to somewhere like Italy? I was actually starting to get used to the idea and kind of liked it. That I had family who lived there intrigued me and whilst slightly nervous at meeting them I was glad that I would have that opportunity. It would certainly be interesting to meet this cousin, Gaia.
There were still questions though that concerned me. Would my father have ever had told me about him having an Italian passport? Then there were questions about my mother. Had she always carried a hatred for my father's family? Yet she seemed happy enough to live in an area where Italians had predominated the area, though that had changed over the years with more outsiders moving in. I'd never heard her criticize Italians, she cooked the food, shopped in their grocery stores. Hell, she'd even seen Joe as a suitable husband for me and he was of Italian descent. Was she some kind of snob, as though seeing herself above everyone else because she knew that my father's family were well off? If that were true, she must have been boiling up inside knowing that she could never tell anyone about it. Then there were stupid questions, like how was Vinnie actually related to us?
I accepted the drink from the young woman as she passed through the cabin and decided that once the safety films had finished that I'd skim through the films on offer. Of course, the whole experience of taking off had me feeling nervous but once we'd levelled out, I began to settle. As I ate the meal offered, I laughed to myself, wondering what Lula would think if she knew where I was now and where I was going. At least I had clothes that were suitable.
It was again the feel of something on my shoulder that had me waking up. I was confused with the sound of talking and music until I realized that it was coming through the headphones over my ears. That I was laid down, feeling warm and snug, had me wondering where I was, that was until I opened my eyes. There was dim lighting around me and then the feel of a slight juddering that reminded me where I was. Even as I turned to look around the lights began to brighten around me. I fumbled with the headphones as I made to sit up, thankful that somehow the seat I was on was slowly moving to an upright position.
"Not far now Pumpkin. They're going to be serving something to eat soon"
I watched as my father continued to push the button in front of me until the backrest was vertical and then as the footrest lowered to the floor. I really needed to use the bathroom so unfastened the belt that was laid loosely across my hips before negotiating myself into the aisle. I felt stiff so stretched my arms above my head whilst looking to see where the restrooms were. It was incredibly hard trying to navigate down the aisle, so I held onto the seats on either side of me, trying to get my legs to work. Some people were still asleep whilst others, like me, were just waking up. The toilet was compact but served its purpose and then allowed me to rinse water over my face before using the paper towels to dry myself. A look in the mirror had me feeling okay with how I looked, maybe sleepy, but at least my hair was still straight.
Once back in my seat I felt ready for something to eat and a look at my watch confirmed that I must have slept the entire time of the journey. It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon so I was surprised when a tray that looked like lunch was handed over to me. Some sort of sandwich, a pot of yoghurt and some cheese and crackers but it was the coffee that hit the right place. Once the tray had been cleared away, I tidied away the pillow and blanket and used some lip gloss to moisten my lips, I might have added a coat of mascara in preparation for what was waiting for us when we landed but I wasn't sure of doing that now that the plane was starting to slowly descend.
"Steph?"
I tore my eyes away from the window to see my father holding something in his hands wondering what was wrong.
"This is a bank card in your Italian name and some Euros in case you need to buy anything. Gaia also sent us a sim card for our phones. It would be very expensive to use ours here"
I took the items from his hands not surprised that he was so well planned for this trip. I suppose that he would have been excited to be meeting up with relatives that he'd not seen for years and maybe this visit to where his father had been born would be nostalgic for him. That had me remembering that my mother hadn't wanted to come to this wedding, so did she know exactly where we were going?
"Does mum know where we'll be?"
"No, and I'd like to keep it that way. I have a feeling that she thought that if she didn't ask then she could happily imagine that we were still in the country but further south"
I knew how that felt, denial was always easier to handle. It also meant though that I couldn't let on to anyone I knew where we were because the gossip would be sure to spread like wild fire and reach her. No wonder my father hadn't told me very much about this trip just in case I said something. I was quite relieved that I had a new sim card because then there was no way that anyone from Rangeman could trace me should someone get curious as to where I was. Then again, I doubted that would be happening because it seemed as far as Ranger was concerned, out of sight and trouble meant out of mind. That had a feeling of sadness come over me. Was that why it had been Hector who had helped me out with Huckby, because Ranger didn't want to?
Finding my wallet in my bag I pushed any cards or information that identified me as Stephanie Plum into a small zipped section inside, adding my sim card once that had been changed. It felt really strange to be hiding all things Stephanie Plum to become Stefania Paulumi but if that was the way that my father wanted it then I'd go along with it.
I took comfort from my father holding my hand as we started our descent and especially as the plane seemed to jerk and shudder before I was pushed against my belt. Looking out of the window the scene around me was similar to any airport, lots of planes and large buildings. Once the plane had finally stopped, we were one of the first passengers to disembark and after walking for what seemed to be miles were the first to approach passport control. I followed my father through saying a polite grazia as I was handed my passport back and sighed, relieved that the passport was official.
My arms were aching as we eventually passed through the customs area and out into what can only be called a throng of people walking and talking as they went about their day. I felt rather than saw my bag suddenly being lifted from my arm and came face to face with a perfect stranger. I had my mouth open to start shouting at him when he must have realized my dilemma.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. I'm Dario, my mother and I have been expecting you"
I had no idea what to say and chastised myself that I hadn't picked my father's brains for information on who we would be meeting, or even who else of his family he would be introducing me to. Turning I saw my father embracing an older woman so assumed that she must have been Gaia, his cousin. Again, I was blindly following my father as he wove his way through throngs of people next to Gaia and out through the doors. Dario stayed behind me until we came to a white SUV parked in front of the terminal. Our luggage was stowed away into the trunk and that was when I found myself being hugged tightly by Gaia. As she stepped away from me her hands still on my shoulders, she was certainly giving me the once over. I was almost cringing at what she might be thinking.
"Oh Stefania, you've grown up into a beautiful woman and you still have those beautiful blue eyes that I remember when you were a baby. Come, you sit up front while I talk to my cousin"
I found myself sat next to Dario as he started the car and pulled out into traffic. Okay it was really weird being sat in an SUV with someone other than a Merry Man driving but looking across to Dario he was just as focused on his driving as they would have been, which he needed to be considering the chaos of traffic around us. In some ways he almost looked like a younger version of my father from some of the older photos that I'd seen of him. His hair was wavy and a dark brown, surrounding an angular face, with prominent cheek bones and jaw. I was slightly embarrassed when his pale brown eyes caught me watching him so turned to look out of the window.
"We're heading straight back to the villa seeing as it's late. I think mamma wants you to relax before the mayhem starts tomorrow"
I had to admit that I was confused seeing as the light from the day was waning giving way to evening.
"What time is it?"
I asked as I looked at my watch seeing that it only read 3 o'clock.
"9 in the evening. We're six hours ahead of you"
Damn, I hated when time changed like that, it felt as though I'd lost a day. Travelling further I noticed as the lights from the streetlights disappeared and as the number of cars around us dwindled. It wasn't long before we were travelling along a narrow road, and I was unable to see beyond the lights of the car. I wasn't sure how far we travelled before I heard and saw an indicator light come on. Dario was driving through large metal gates that just seemed to open ahead of us. No doubt he had a fob similar to the one that I had for Rangeman. Which reminded me that maybe I needed to return it when I got back home.
The rest of the journey was over gravel before we swept up and over a small hill. I have to admit the scene before me took my breath away. Nestled at the top of the next small hill was a white building lit up from external lights. A two story building with at least six windows set either side of a central door. Then as we swung around a bend another, lower building came into sight. We looked to be heading for the smaller of the two buildings, but it wasn't any less impressive. Dario drove around a huge ornamental fountain before coming to a stop and opening his door.
A man appeared at the trunk of the car and lifted out our bags before disappearing through a door to the left while I just stood there looking around. I wasn't even aware that the car had moved until I felt my arm being lifted to link through Gaia's.
"The main house over there is where we live but we use this building as a wedding venue. You and your papa have the end property closest to the house and the rest of the building will be occupied with other guests. Come, ley's have a brief look around to orientate yourself"
I allowed Gaia to lead me around the building to the back along a cobbled pathway watching as yet another building appeared. This was at right angles to the one we would be staying in and faced a large courtyard that had sculptures and seating in it. The building itself was totally open at the front with tables and chairs arranged inside.
"That is where we serve food from and where you can obtain any refreshments that you like. We have a team of chefs on site who will provide breakfast and lunch"
We continued walking past the courtyard and through an opening between a hedge and then stopped. Down some steps that had lights following the pathway was the silent and serene setting of a pool. It certainly looked inviting with the underwater lights and areas of loungers and umbrellas.
"Mamma"
Came from behind me so turning I watched as a petite woman barreled toward us. She had short spikey blonde hair and in the jeans and T-shirt that she was wearing looked to have a stunning figure. I immediately had her hands on my shoulders as she air kissed each side of my cheeks and then she was practically bouncing in front of me.
"I've been so excited to meet you. You and I are going to have a whale of a time. I'll show you the local village and we can people watch at the cafes in Milan. Maybe even hit a night club"
"Allegro, let the poor girl go. You're going to frighten her"
I shook my head as I smiled because she sounded like just the anecdote that I needed.
"Stefania, this is Allegro, my daughter. The wild one of the family"
Even as Gaia said that she winked at Allegro showing that I was possibly seeing a good relationship between the mother and daughter.
"It is nearly ten Allegro, maybe not early for you but Stefania and her papa have been travelling for hours. They'll want to get their bearings and settle into their rooms. Tomorrow you can show her around, but remember we have other guests arriving after lunch"
With that said I was soon turned around and Allegro's arm replaced her mother's as we walked back toward where I would be staying. Gaia was ahead of us deep in conversation with my father and they only stopped talking when we reached a door at the front of the building and left us to ourselves. The door was soon shut behind me as we faced a kitchen and lounge area. The kitchen had old looking wooden units but with modern appliances on top. There was only a microwave but as food would be provided that didn't seem a hardship to me. The floors were old dark grey slates, and the walls and floors were beamed. It had a rustic feel to it even down to a wood burning stove in the lounge area. Passing the floral couch and chairs I followed my father up some wooden stairs, each of us carrying our luggage. There were two rooms each with a double bed and an old fashioned dresser and cupboards and their very own well appointed bathroom with bath tub and large enclosed shower.
"I'll take the one at the front Pumpkin"
I took my things through to the second room deciding that my dresses probably needed to be hung up. The large cupboard held a rail so one by one I hung up my new outfits and turned to the set of drawers in the dresser where my underwear and other clothes went. All my items for the bathroom went on the shelves above the sink or inside the shower. Back in the bedroom I was surprised to see my father stood in the doorway with a box in his hands.
"I brought some of these, fancy a hot chocolate?"
Back downstairs, while my father filled the kettle with water, I searched the cupboards for two mugs. To be honest there was very little in the cupboards but enough for what we would need. I had a feeling that my father wanted to talk so wasn't surprised when he sat in the chair opposite me at the small kitchen table.
"It's an amazing place here, isn't it?"
I nodded my head as I blew across my mug to get it to cool down.
"It was good to chat with Gaia, for us to catch up with each other's lives"
I could almost hear the melancholy in his voice as he said that and was worried about what to say.
"Do you regret not coming back here?"
"Not really. I do love your mother and I have two beautiful daughters and four amazing grandchildren. I've had a good life and wouldn't change it, though it does have me wondering what life would have been like if my papa had returned home. What about you, do you feel more relaxed than you were?"
I hadn't realized that I'd seemed anxious to anyone, was I anxious before in Trenton? Maybe. I mean my life was never stable, worry over my money or who I would need to be looking for. Worry over finishing with Joe and the repercussions from that. Then there was Ranger. I suppose worry wasn't the problem there it was more a matter of feeling rejected, something that I think I was coming to terms with.
"I suppose that I do. I don't have any worries here so of course I feel more relaxed, though I'm not sure how I'll feel when all of the other guests arrive"
As we both laughed, I was sure that my answer lightened the mood. I watched as he took his mug to the sink and rinsed it out.
"I'm heading up to bed, so I'll see you in the morning"
Maybe my father hadn't slept very well on the plane which was why he looked so tired. Me, I felt wide awake. A look at my watch told me that according to US time it was still early, while here it was nearly midnight. Maybe a quick look around outside and some fresh air would exhaust me?
Closing the door quietly I wandered over to the building that provided food and drink, opening a large fridge to pull out a bottle of water. The fridge was full of all sorts of food from cheeses to meats and fresh salad and veg. I was feeling hungry which didn't surprise me, seeing as I'd only eaten food on the plane, so I helped myself to some cheese and an apple. I didn't want to go back into the house so started down the path as I ate my snack. The air was warm and there was no breeze, so I made my way over the grass to the top of a small hill, seeing the lights glimmering from what I assumed was a nearby town. Then turned and found a seat down by the pool.
It was a weird feeling as I became aware of being awake, though somehow, I was pretty sure that the feeling of being watched out here in Italy was totally wrong. I looked through slitted eyes almost afraid of what I'd see. Surely my luck with stalkers couldn't have followed me, though that wasn't exactly what it felt like. Seeing a figure sat on another lounger watching me had me taking in a quick intake of breath and I was soon sat bolt upright. In that moment I'd seen someone sit forward, their elbows on their knees and their hands steepled under their chin exactly how I'd sometimes seen Ranger when he used to sit in my bedroom at night and watch me sleep.
As soon as the figure moved forward, I knew that it wasn't Ranger, no tingling down my neck that I got from him, no smell that was unique to him. I was sorry to feel the disappointment wash over me realizing that forgetting about Ranger was going to be much harder than I thought it would be.
"Mi dispiace, non volevo spaventarti"
I sat up with a scream wrestling to leave my mouth, but nothing came out and as the features of the man became clearer, I saw him back away, holding his hands out in front of him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"
What the hell did he think he'd do by sitting there watching me? Of course, he had scared me.
"I noticed someone sitting out here so thought I'd see who it was and then finding you asleep stayed to make sure that you were safe"
Safe. It had never even occurred to me that I wouldn't be safe sat out here.
"Isn't it safe out here?"
I asked trying to stop myself from looking around me as though someone might come flying through the bushes.
"No. I mean yes it's safe. Look, how about we start this conversation again. My name is Enzo and I'm good friends with the groom, Dario. I saw you from the house so came down to check on who was here"
"And watch me sleep?"
Yeah, that embarrassed him but not for long. He sat back and smiled at me as though weighing me up.
"You looked so peaceful, so I hung around. You must be the woman from America that Gaia has told us about"
I started to play with the hem on my T-shirt because I wasn't too sure what anyone knew about me and to be honest, I didn't want to be known as Stephanie Plum the bounty hunter, I'd left her in Trenton.
"Stefania. Sorry but waking up and seeing you there did kind of scare me"
I watched as he stood up and held his hand out to me as he spoke to me.
"Come on, I'll walk you back to your accommodation"
I took his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet before letting go and walking ahead of him up the pathway. Way to go, he must think that I'm a nutcase for being asleep out here in the dark.
"I'm still trying to catch up with the time difference so was wide awake. It was warm and peaceful down by the pool"
As though that explained my weird behavior. Nothing more was said until we reached the door to where I was staying and as I opened it, I heard him whisper.
"Good night Stefania"
I made as little noise as possible going upstairs and changing into some nightwear, I was surprised that I managed to fall asleep so quickly.
