Rome, September 2005
The Colosseo stood before her, tall and proud. She felt slightly intimidated by its history. It's certainly impressive. Although, as she took a closer look, a bit distasteful and extravagant. There were four layers and each of them had columns of a different style. Sort of like a cake decorated by a mad baker.
Still, the building was a testament to the intelligence and pride of men and there had been thousands of people who have marvelled at its grandeur for centuries. People who have stood where she was standing. It was extremely depressing to note that her existence was only a blink of an eye. This monument would still be standing proud even when she had already passed on.
Happy thoughts, Rhonda. You're in Rome. You're not being watched by your parents. You have absolute freedom. You're here to make friends and you've met a lot of lovely people.
Friends… Wait, what the… where the hell is everybody?
She frantically looked around and saw nobody from her tour group. Panic started to swell in her chest. She had been so busy taking pictures she didn't realise her group had moved on. Where could they be?
Relief washed over her when she saw a man standing by himself, looking up at the structure. She could only see his back. He was dressed in a brown jacket and old jeans. The man was tall, lanky really. He had a mop of jet black hair and a backpack strapped on his right shoulder. He must be with the tour group.
Please be with the tour group.
She approached him and cleared her throat.
"Scusami," she said in what little Italian she knew.
He turned around and Rhonda's jaw dropped. The young man was just as surprised as she was. When he recovered, he flashed her the same grin he's been giving her since kindergarten.
"Ciao, bella," he greeted. "Fancy seeing you here.
"Curly? What the hell are you doing here in Rome?"
"I could ask you the same, sweets," he replied, adjusting his backpack.
She narrowed her eyes. "I asked you first. Are you stalking me?"
He looked offended at that.
"Stalk you?" he snorted. "Oh yes, I forgot. Welcome to Princess Rhonda Land where everything is about her."
Right. He hadn't shown interest in her since middle school. Curly, or Thad as he preferred to be called nowadays, had dated several girls in high school. None of them had been her. Who knew he only needed to find his niche to be popular? Running away from bullies in elementary and middle school had given him an amazing advantage when he joined track freshman year.
From then on, the rest was history. There was a gradual shift in his popularity. Rhonda never noticed because it happened slowly but soon Thad was getting invited to all the parties she was invited to and had began dating all the girls she was friendly with. It was surreal. It was like everybody was celebrating opposite day. If the early years of their education had been cruel to Cur- Thad, they were certainly warming up to him now.
And by the time they graduated, he had almost been named king. King! Arnold beat him in the end but still! He was almost titled prom king! Rhonda still couldn't believe nor see it. What was suddenly so different? He still looked the same to her.
Granted, he had ditched the bowl cut for a more expensive do. There was the sleek clothes as well. Probably thrift store or secondhand since they were way too expensive for a dry-cleaner's son. So, he had changed. Personally, the attitude was more noticeable rather than the physical. He walked with more confidence. Most of his anti-social tendencies became a thing of the past. If people talked about them, he just shrugged it off and laughed.
But he was noticeably different specifically with her. He'd become grumpier when she was around, less patient with her as they got older, and always happily ready with a snippy remark on how conceited she was. Their relationship has become antagonistic.
She told herself she didn't mind but it bothered her big time. She didn't know if it was pride or wistfulness but she preferred it when he thought she was a goddess who could do no wrong.
Those days were well over.
"Well, history has been said to repeat itself," she growled.
"Not this history," he snapped back.
Great, now they were arguing again. It made her feel as if she was back home, in high school. Although she had already completed a year of college and frankly, more mature. Her recent behaviour says otherwise.
"Whatever. I need to find my group," she said, starting to walk away.
"You mean the ones who left in the bus five minutes ago? Good luck with that," he said, behind her.
She froze. They had left? Without her? How was she supposed to go back to her hotel. Goddamn it. Why hadn't she paid attention? The panic came back. She stopped. She turned around to ask him more questions.
Thad must have noticed her reaction because the concern in his face was apparent. "Are you alright?"
She wished her voice didn't sound as choked up when she replied. How pathetic. "I'm fine."
Her bag was with her, she could go back, if only she remembered the name of the hotel. Why did she think she'd be able to handle herself in a foreign country?
Was her father right?
She shook her head. No. This trip was to prove him wrong. To show how independent she was.
Rhonda saw Thad's confused look. He probably thought she was crazy, just shaking her head while saying she was fine. How had it progressed to this? She had somehow become the neurotic one. He probably wanted to laugh at her.
"Are you sure it was a tour bus?" she asked, just to confirm. No use panicking if her group is still around which she had a feeling is now highly unlikely.
"It said Star Travels on the side," he said.
"Fuck," she cursed. It was her tour group.
Thad laughed. It was a rich sound that filled her ears. Her humiliation grew.
She frowned. When had he become so grown up? He sounded so much more masculine than when they were in school. He was taller than her now. He had been for a while but she still hadn't gotten used to it. She glanced up at him. There was that smile…
"You know, I could give you a ride. Which hotel are you staying at?" he said casually.
That offer was lovely but… "I don't remember the name."
One of his brows shot up. "You don't know where you're staying?"
She sighed. This was what she hated. Being belittled and mistaken for a dumbass but right now he had a point. It was dangerous to not know where she's staying. Immigration officers could detain her if she doesn't know information like that. She could be mistaken for an illegal immigrant.
"Give me a break, I've been here less than twenty hours and I am jet lagged."
"Doesn't excuse the fact you don't know which hotel you're staying at."
"I know it by sight," she said through gritted teeth.
He laughed, it was a sarcastic one. "That's useful. You only need to drive around Rome for two days to find it."
Suddenly, she remembered something. "Look, I'll accept the ride. If you can bring me near a telephone, I'll be out of your hands. I'll call the tour guide. I have his number."
Rhonda lost her cellphone while walking around last night. She had been warned of pickpockets but had no idea they would be so prevalent. One moment her phone was in her bag, the next moment she dug around, it wasn't.
This trip was becoming a nightmare. And now, there was her childhood nemesis on top of the trouble sundae.
He tilted his head in consideration. "You ever ridden a Vespa?"
Rhonda had never but she'd dreamed of it. She was excited by the prospect.
"No, do I get to ride one?"
Maybe the trip wasn't going to be that bad after all.
He smiled. "Do you still want to look around or do you want to go back? I've taken all the photos I wanted." In his hands was a sleek professional-looking camera.
She suddenly felt self conscious of her Polaroid.
"Me too. We can go back."
Rhonda observed the iconic Roman wonder for a while. Thaddeus did the same thing. It was so odd. Both of them just admiring the building together. It felt intimate.
"It's really magnificent up close," she said quietly. She didn't mean to. The words just escaped her lips.
"Yeah," he whispered.
They stood there in silence for quite some time.
He spoke first. "You ready to go now?"
She nodded. She didn't know when she'd be back but it felt wonderful to finally go to the places she only saw in her art history books.
The walk to the parking spot was quiet. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him like "why was he here?" but she figured they could wait.
"We're here," he announced stopping in front of a beat up Volkswagen. She couldn't see a Vespa anywhere. There was only this old car. The bastard took the keys from his pocket and winked at her. It all made sense. She wanted to strangle him.
"I hate you," she said.
He laughed once again and she had the desire to punch the corner of his mouth.
"You make it too easy to trick you. Why the hell would I zip around the city in a Vespa? I'm not in a romantic comedy."
That was for damned certain, Rhonda thought. He couldn't be her leading man. Grudgingly, she opened the door and hopped in. She hopes no one finds out about this. Her and Thaddeus Gammelthorpe, together in Rome, one of the most romantic cities in the world. How ironic.
…
During the ride, the jet lag had started to catch up to her. She fell asleep with her head leaning on the glass. She woke up only when she hit her head on the window as he made a sharp turn.
"Argh!" she yelped. "Damn it!"
"Sorry," he said. Rhonda noticed how focused and alert he was behind the wheel. It was sort of… she hated to admit it, attractive. Oh great, now she was finding Thaddeus bleeping Gammelthorpe attractive. She must have hit her head harder than she thought. Or it's just the effect of being in Rome.
Then, she wondered how he has a license to drive around.
"Do you at least know what street your hotel is in?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
She yawned and looked out. They were in the center of the city now. It was extremely crowded, filled to the brim with tourists and locals. They were going around a cul-de-sac.
"No, sorry. Can you just bring me to your hotel? I can use the concierge desk's phone."
"Why? Don't you have a cell phone with you?" he asked, making a left hand turn.
"I lost it," she said quietly but he heard her.
"What do you mean you lost it?"
"Exactly what it means, I had it and then I lost it." She didn't mean to sound so flippant, like a petulant child, but he was getting on her nerves. He was a constant reminder of her incapability. It was the opposite of her goal. To prove to her parents that she was an independent young woman fully capable of taking charge of her own destiny.
"How are you so hopeless?" he muttered under his breath.
"Well, you didn't have to help me," she snapped.
"Really? You're kidding, right? If I didn't, you'd probably still be at the Coliseum looking lost, attracting con artists ready to exploit a tourist."
"I could have taken public transport," she argued.
"Without knowing a word of Italian and not knowing where you're staying. Yeah, you would have been just fine."
She was starting to miss older Curly. The one who was obsessively in love with her. This mocking version of her childhood enemy was unsettling. It also pains her he was bringing up a lot of good points. Points she were already aware of.
"Just take me to your hotel," she sighed.
"I've never met anyone so forward," he teased.
She stopped and looked at him. He had a small smile on his face, as if he was stopping himself from releasing a full blown laugh fest.
Rhonda let out a laugh. She hadn't had much to laugh about recently but seeing that dumb expression on his face made her break. It felt good.
"Do you ever turn it off?" she asked.
"What?"
"That annoying sex appeal."
That made him laugh even louder. She was glad the animosity between them had almost dissipated.
"Thank you for your help," she said.
The light was red. He gave her a long look before saying, "No problem."
The car moved again.
Her stomach did a flip. Not just out of hunger. There was something about that look that spooked her. It woke her up and made the tips of her fingers tingle. She kept her mouth shut after that.
He didn't say anything either until they pulled up in front of an old brick building. Rhonda narrowed her eyes. Wait a minute, there was something familiar about this street. That shop they'd pass by, she'd seen it before.
"You can use the phone now. I'm staying here. I'll park the car while you talk to the concierge."
Rhonda stared up at the sign.
"If I talk to the concierge, it'll be about room service," she whispered and got out.
He hurriedly got out of the car too. She didn't pay attention to him, she was looking up at the giant letters.
Forum Hotel.
"You're staying here too?"
Out of all the cheap hotels in Rome… She nodded before saying, "Weird, huh?"