Chapter 3
If any of you are from England, please correct me if I'm wrong on any facts. I'm just going off of some research I've done.
(And yes, this is somewhat based off of the movie Chasing Liberty.)
-Milan, Italy-
Tris didn't wait for Four to start heading off of the train. She rushed off with her drawstring bag, and was immediately breathless.
Four came out and stood next her, also in awe. "Where to?"
Tris took a breath. "I've always wanted to see the Duomo…"
Four smiled. "Let's go. I can see it from here."
She squinted and saw it.
"What all do you want to see today?" he asked. They still stood by the station.
"Well after the Duomo, I want to see the Sforza Castle. Its natural foundation dates all the way back to 1358. It wasn't until 1450 that Francesco Sforza—who was a military figure high up in the government—decided to reside there for good. He had so many construction workers come in to expand it, and his fourth son, Ludovico Sforza, even called in Leonardo Da Vinci, and handful of others. It's amazing. Then I want to see Italy's oldest mall, 'The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.' Not because I like shopping, but because there are four sets, per se, of tile. They represent four major cities in Italy—Turin, Milan, Florence, and Rome. For Turin there's a bull, for Milan there's a white flag with a red cross, for Florence there's a lily, and for Rome there's a wolf. On the Turin, the bull, the tile is worn out on the bull's… you know. Because people spin on it for good luck. And then there's "The Last Supper" painting by Leonardo da Vinci at the Santa Maria delle Grazie church. That's it for me. The Last Supper line will probably take three hours. Is that okay?"
"Of course. You really know all your history, huh?"
She shamefully smiled. "I think all of this is much more interesting than America. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome, but this has so much more culture and depth, and legends and… I love it."
Four smiled down at her. "We need to check what time to board the train to Florence. Florence's next on your list, right?"
"Yep. Good thinking with the tickets so we know what time to be back."
They walked over to the booth with the screen and searched trains to Florence.
"Okay," Four said. "There's one that leaves for Venice at 11:17 P.M. and arrives at 7:09 A.M. There's a layover Florence for four hours. How about that one? Cause we can sleep awhile, go to Florence, the sleep again. Then we get to Venice."
"Perfect. Let's buy em."
"Alright." He placed two tickets for the order, and insisted he paid. She gave him the cash for it, but he wouldn't take it.
"Four!" she said. "Take it."
"No. Now let's go to the Duomo."
When they arrived, Tris was in awe. She lifted her sunglasses from her face and set them on her head. She'd always seen the pictures, but never did she imagine she'd actually see this.
"Did you know," she whispered, "that there are one hundred thirty-five pinnacles and spires?"
"Yes, actually, Ms. History," he said chuckling.
Tris smiled and reached for her phone. She felt nothing in her pocket though.
"Shit. I have nothing to take a picture with now," she sighed.
"Good thing I bought a disposable camera." He smiled and took it out from his pocket, then gave it to her.
"Four. You did not have to do that." But she took it anyway. She loved photography, and she was so glad that she could take some pictures. Even if it were with some shitty disposable camera. She took a few pictures, then motioned for Four to join her. She lifted the camera and got their faces in along with the cathedral.
"Here, here, let me take a picture of the lovely couple," said an old Italian man with an accent.
"Oh, no, we're not—," Tris began, but Four cut her off.
"Thank you. We'd really appreciate it." Tobias smiled and Tris handed him the camera.
Four stood there and wrapped his arm around her waist, and then smiled for the camera. Tris did the same.
"Ah, yes, perfecto," the man said, handing them back their camera.
"Thank you," Four said.
"Questo è bello, grazie mille," Tris said. "Terrò questo per sempre."
"Ah, you speak the language?"
"Yes," she said with a smile. "Your language is a beautiful one."
The man smiled and turned to Four. "This one's a keeper." He winked at the two, then walked away.
Four and Tris smiled at each other, and Four said, "What did you say?"
"Thank you." She winked at him and started to walk in.
Four followed, quickly catching up with her.
"Holy…," Tris trailed off.
"Yeah."
"These glass windows are amazing." She put her fingers on the window and slid them across.
Tris was amazed by the beauty. She couldn't believe what she was missing out on all this time. She wished she escaped sooner. She didn't think anything could top this beauty, but she still had seven more cities to go.
They walked up the stairs and toward the roof. She stepped outside and said to Four, "You don't have the follow me. I know you're acrophobic."
"Of course I have to follow you," he mumbled.
He and Tris climbed to the roof, and walked alongside the spires. And annoyingly enough, the people up there too.
"These are beautiful."
Four stepped closer to the spires, and also closer to the edge. "Wow," he said confidently. "Almost as beautiful as London."
Tris smiled. "I take it you grew up there?"
He smiled, most likely from the memories. "I was actually born in the U.S. Moved to London with my mother when I was twelve. Picked up the accent."
She nodded. "I've always loved British accents. Sounds so fancy. Oh my gosh! Say basil. Like, you know, the herb."
"Basil." But when he said it, he said it like "Bazzel."
"What about… adult."
"Adult." He pronounced it "Ahdult."
"Oh, oh! Do mobile." Tris pronounced it "Moebull."
"Mobile." But he said, "Moebyle."
Tris laughed during every pronunciation.
"Are you done?" He grinned.
"One more. Say aluminum."
He smirked. "Aluminium." Since British spell it differently, he said, "Al-loo-mini-um."
Tris laughed again. "Oh my."
"I love it when Americans say winklepicker." He said "whinkle-pickah."
"Winklepicker. What is a winklepicker?"
"A shoe with a pointed toe. Winklepicker."
"Winklepicker," Tris repeated.
"I love it when you say that."
Tris was somewhat surprised when he said "you." He could've said, "I love it when people say that." But it was more directed towards her.
"Well I love it when you say aluminum."
"Me specifically?"
"I could say the same to you," she said matter-of-factly.
He just chuckled. "It's cute. You seem so… I don't know. Just the way it rolls off your tongue is so adorable." He smiled, looking out at the city.
"Because the word winklepicker can really turn a guy on," she laughed.
Four laughed too. "I never said that you turned me on, I just said that I think that your accent is cute."
"Hey," she said, "technically, you're the one with the accent."
"Agree to disagree," he said, then winked at her. He looked out on the city, then gulped. "I think I'm done up here. Shall we?"
Tris cast one last glance toward the city, and then turned away. She stepped into the door that led them there, then started going down the steps.
Tris said, "Ready to go to the Sforza Castle?"
"Welcome to Castello Sforzesco," the woman said in Italian. "You are free to wander around wherever, but please know there are security guards all around." The woman handed them pamphlets, and then smiled.
"Grazie," said Tris, then nodded at her.
Four and Tris began to wander the halls that seemed infinite.
When they reached a big, square, patch outside that was coated with tile, Tris said, "Sala della Balla."
Four raised an eyebrow at her, confused. "Translate, please?"
"The ballroom." She walked around a little since no one else was out here. No one probably read the pamphlet or even knew what this little patch was. "Galeazzo Maria was Francesco Sforza's first-born, so he inherited everything. He often used this ballroom for what we know today as tennis."
Tris continued on rambling just like a tour guide as they walked through the castle.
"So," Four said, "I know you said 'grazie' to the woman who handed us the pamphlets, but what did you say to the old Italian man at the Duomo? I know you didn't just say thank you."
"I said, 'This is so nice, thank you very much. I will keep this forever.' Satisfied?"
He shrugged. "I was just wondering. No need to get your winklepickers in a twist."
Tris chuckled. "You…" She shook her head.
"I… what?"
"I don't know. You're just quirky and weird. But it's funny." Tris pulled out the disposable camera from her drawstring bag and snapped a picture of one of the frescoes. Then she turned it to Four and snapped a picture real quick. He was quick to tell, though, so he crossed his eyes and made fish-lips.
Tris laughed a beautiful laugh. She wondered if he thought it was beautiful. If it was more beautiful than the Paris lights, than the Duomo's spires, than Sforza ballroom, and maybe even more beautiful than London. Tris thought Four was an attractive man; she did. And his accent even more.
She must have been looking at the picture for awhile, because Four said, "What, are you going to hog it all to yourself?" He snatched it out of her hands and snapped one of her. All she did was smile, showing no teeth. She didn't even mean to give a good smile, but since she was laughing, it was a real smile, not a picture forced one. She still had her sunglasses on, so he wouldn't have been able to see the happiness in her eyes.
But it was there. It was most certainly there.
Four grinned at the picture, then put the camera in his pocket. "I think I'll be keeping this for now."
"Four!" she whined. "Give it."
"Technically it's mine. I bought it."
She sighed. "Fine. Whatever."
"Shall we get to the mall?"
"You say mall funny," she giggled. "It sounds like 'mool."
"Not as weird as aluminium though, right?"
They ended up at the mall about thirty minutes later, then found the four sets of tiles.
Tris happily gazed at them. They first went to Florence's lily, Milan's white flag with the red cross, Rome's wolf, and lastly Turin's bull.
Tris put her tiptoe on the worn out divot, then spun. When she was done, she smiled.
"What are you doing?" Four asked.
"It's good luck to spin on the bull."
"So… To 'The Last Supper' then?"
"Not until you do it."
"Tris."
"Four, just do it. What harm can it do?"
He mumbled something, then spun on it. When he was done, his was dizzy. He almost ran into her, but she steadied him by grabbing his shoulders.
"Are you okay?" she laughed.
He shook his head, as if to shake the dizziness away. "Yeah. I'm good."
"Let's go eat our last supper," Tris said, snickering.
"You did not just say that," he chuckled.
"Well you're laughing, aren't you?"
When they arrived, the wait was two and a half hours, which was better than they expected.
"So, what do you want to do in Florence at 3 A.M. in the morning?"
"Well first I want to walk the Lungarno. The Lungarno is a river there, and they have a beautiful pathway along it. During the walk, I want to eat some gelato."
"That's it?" he asked.
"I'm a simple woman," she chuckled.
He laughed.
Tris and Four made it to "The Last Supper" at 7:45 P.M., and it ended up taking three and a half hours to get there, not two, but it was definitely worth it. There was zero photography permitted, and they only got five minutes to look at it. Tris was somewhat disappointed, but glad she got to see it.
At 11 o'clock, they were headed back to the train because it left at 11:17. Tris handed the man the ticket, and she boarded the train to Florence.
"Departing at 11:17 P.M., we are headed for Florence, Italy."