The next day found Fabrizio out taking a walk. He needed to clear his head some after last night's dinner. It wasn't that anything was bad, or wrong for that matter. The problem was that...well he felt guilty like he had cheated on Helga somehow because he found himself liking Sarah Hockley. The girl's interest in his home country had charmed him, he had to admit. He would have liked to have done what Tommy did with Leah and found some space and time to themselves and tell Sarah all about Italy and his hopes and dreams for the future. Tommy came away last night with not only a friend but maybe a new love interest, whereas Fabrizio had spent the rest of the evening avoiding Sarah and drowning in a mixture of feelings of guilt and grief. He shouldn't be feeling any interest in Sarah, not when his heart belonged to Helga...or should anyway.
Fabrizio sighed, finding a park bench and taking a seat. He knew that his friends meant well. That they were concerned and wanted him to move on and be happy like they were and probably hoped that Sarah would be a gateway to that happiness. They just didn't understand. He loved Helga so much. He had included her in his dreams of America. He had wanted to marry her and then become a millionaire. But Titanic had destroyed that dream. It now lay drowned at the bottom of the sea and there it will stay. He couldn't picture himself feeling that way for anyone else. Helga had been it. How could she not be, when she had been the only woman he had felt that strongly for?
His friends just couldn't understand...well maybe Jack would...if Fabrizio made it more than clear, but not Tommy. Perhaps, not even Jack's beautiful Rose and he did not feel like convincing them of his beliefs. They'll see it for themselves someday, he was sure.
"Why hello, Mr. DiRossi. What a pleasure to find you out and about today."
Fabrizio turned around and his stomach and heart dropped to see Sarah Hockley standing there, looking lovely in a light yellow day dress, carrying a parasol along with her. A dainty hat sat atop her head, hiding her ebony curls. She was certainly one of the prettiest ladies he had set eyes on and if he wasn't so determined to ignore his attraction to her, he would definitely try to court her, despite the obvious difference in their social status.
"Hello, Miss. Hockley," Fabrizio nodded, fighting the urge to get up and offer his seat.
Sarah didn't seem to mind. She just smiled, her brown eyes sparkling with laughter. "May I sit next to you or are you expecting someone."
"You may sit. I not expecting anyone," Fabrizio inwardly winced. Why was this girl here and why was she always paying him attention? Were there not any other men she could be talking to? Why not Tommy? Why not Jack's friend from the market?
"It is a lovely day, isn't it? A nice day to take a stroll in the park. I had asked Leah to accompany me, but she said that she was much too tired. I tell you, that girl can be a lazy bone at times," Sarah continued to talk, seemingly unaware of Fabrizio's reluctance to talk to her. "Do you like the sunshine, Mr. DiRossi? Or do you prefer the snow or rain? Some people love the rain. Take my mother for example. She loves the sound of the rain on the pavement and how fresh the air smells afterward. I, of course, disagree. The rain makes it nearly impossible to go outside."
"I like the sun," Fabrizio found himself answering the question. He couldn't help himself. His mother taught him never to be rude. Always answer a question if asked.
"I knew it. I hear it's always sunny in Italy. Is that true? I bet it is. I bet it is just so lovely over there. I wish I could see it."
"It is very lovely. But it rains sometimes too."
"I guess it's the best of both worlds, huh?"
"I suppose," Fabrizio sighed, looking down at his hands. It was safer for him that way. If he looked at Sarah for too long, he'd start thinking about how pretty she was. How her dark hair and eyes reminded him of Italy, or how soft her porcelain skin must be. That way leads to trouble. He didn't want to think about how pretty a girl was...especially when that girl was not Helga.
"Rain is nice too, I suppose. Mother is right. The earth does smell fresh and new afterward and there is something comforting about the sound of it hitting the ground. When I was a girl and it was raining, the nanny would let me curl up in bed and nap. Then I'd wake up and have some grilled cheese and tomato soup. Such fond memories."
"My momma makes Italian soup with sausage and pasta on rainy days. It's nice and warm, especially with bread. I even remember the recipe," Fabrizio found himself adding to the conversation, despite his reservations. "I may make it next time it rains, especially for Lily. It's really good."
"It sounds good. You wouldn't mind if I should come over and tried it?" there was a tinge of hope in Sarah's voice. She couldn't help herself. She found Fabrizio utterly fascinating. She had never met anyone like him before. She could just look at him all day, really, and hopefully, listen to his beautiful voice speak Italian.
"I wouldn't mind. I like cooking for people. I'd do it all the time if I could."
"Wow, a man that cooks. Where I come from, that's quite unusual...or at least the men pretend that it is. Well...I guess if you're a businessman, you wouldn't have time to cook…"
"Right. But people like me and Jack and even Tommy, before Rose it was just us. We had to know how to cook for ourselves. And I love Rose, but she's just now learning. So it's still good for us to know."
Sarah giggled. "Oh dear, I bet it is! But dear Rose is determined. She becomes excellent at what she sets her mind to. If she sets her mind to learning how to cook, she'll do fine. It's me that's going to be a total disaster."
Fabrizio frowned. Why would this pretty girl be so down on herself? He didn't understand. "Why do you say that? If Rose can learn to cook, you can too. It's easy. You just follow the recipe."
Sarah shrugged and looked down at her hands, her voice turning a bit sad. "I'm not as...intelligent as Rose. Rose picks up on things quickly. Nothing can get by her. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for me. My brother and father say I'm a bit of an idiot...even though my nanny and mother say that I'm a bit slow on the uptake, but if given the chance I eventually figure things out."
"Everybody is different," Fabrizio found himself placing a comforting hand on her arm, feeling the need to comfort her. "I don't think you are idiot. You just learn at your own speed. That is okay. If you want to learn to cook...I can teach you. I am off on weekends and evenings. I can help you learn if you want."
"You don't have to do that. Not if you don't want to," Sarah stared at him with wide brown eyes.
"I do. Besides, you are new to this life. You'll need to learn. I like to help."
Sarah's smile was warm and sweet. Her eyes shone with her gratitude. "I'd like that very much, Mr. DiRossi…"
"Fabrizio."
"Fabrizio. Thank you very much, Fabrizio. I look forward to our lessons."
Fabrizio found himself smiling as well. He also looked forward to the lessons. He felt like he was actually going to help someone and that was indeed a good feeling to have. He didn't think that the lessons would lead to anything else, but friendship. Why would they? It wasn't like he was going out of his way to court the girl. He was just helping a girl in need.
Kind of like how Jack had helped Rose when they had first met. He was just a young man helping a young lady in need of assistance. Social status be damned.
…..
Tommy stood out of sight as he watched Fabrizio and Sarah talk on the park bench. At first, it looked as if his Italian friend was going to ignore the ebony-haired beauty, but Fabrizio soon enough seemed to be warming up to her, much to Tommy's relief. He understood Fabrizio's reluctance to get close to the Hockley lass. It's been a year since he had lost the Norwegian lass and it probably felt like a betrayal to be talking to a new girl. Fabri probably felt that he should mourn Helga forever. But that wasn't feasible. The man would have to move on sooner or later if he was going to have any kind of happiness, which meant he was going to have to open up and get to know someone, even if it wasn't Sarah. But it seemed like the girl was chipping away at that wall Fabrizio had built around himself and Tommy was glad to see it. Jack would be pleased too.
"So do you normally hide behind trees and spy on your friends?" Sarah's friend Leah was suddenly standing behind Tommy, watching him with amused blue eyes.
Startled, Tommy glared at the girl. "Don't just walk up and startle a bloke like that, lassie. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Leah smiled, her amusement increasing. "You look nowhere near old enough to have a heart attack, sir."
"Well, I could! If startled badly enough," Tommy crossed his arms indignantly. "Do you make it a habit of startling men?"
"No. Just as you probably don't always hide and spy on Mr. DiRossi."
"I was just checking up on him. Making sure he's okay. It's been a rather...rough year for him. For all of us really."
"That's right, you were on the Titanic with Jack and Rose…"
"That I was, but out of all of us, Fabri had lost the most. I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't drowning in his own grief again. Thankfully, he seems to be coming out of it now, thanks to your friend there."
Leah smiled fondly in her friend's direction. "Sarah has that effect on people. You can try to ignore her, but if she's taken an interest in you, she'll worm her way into your life sooner or later. It's inevitable."
"That could be a good thing for Fabri. It's been a year. It's time for him to live life again. After all, we're in the land of opportunity now. We came here to make a life for ourselves, not languish away in misery."
"Sarah seems fond of him. She may be just what he needs. And vice versa. I love Sarah, but she can be a touched spoiled. She needs someone to...help her grow out of that."
"And you're not spoiled? The last I checked, lassie the two of you came from the same world as Rose. I love the lass, don't get me wrong, but even boy-o's girl has her moments," Tommy gave a teasing wink.
Leah just laughed. "We all can be a touched spoiled I suppose...but there are worse than us. Believe me."
"Oh, I believe it."
Tommy eyed the girl speculatively. She was a pretty lass, with her blond hair and blue eyes. He had no inclinations towards her though. She was still from the first class, part of Rose's ex's world. The bloke will probably come looking for his sister and be ready to drag both lassies back to Philadelphia. But who knew when that would be. In the meantime, he should get to know the girl some. Enjoy a little flirtation while he could. After all, it's been a lonely life romantically so far. He could do with some female company.
"You know, I'd like to get to know you better. See just how spoiled a lass like yourself may be."
"Is that so, Mr. Ryan?"
Tommy just nodded. "How about a picnic in the park this coming Sunday? You, me...and even Fabri and your friend Sarah? Make it an outing for the four of us?"
"What about Jack and Rose?"
"Those two and the wee one will probably have their own thing going. They always do."
Leah smiled, liking the idea of spending time with the handsome Irishman. She didn't know if anything could come out of it, but she was willing to explore the possibility.
"Alright. Sunday it is then. We'll have a grand time," Leah happily agreed. Looking into Tommy's brown eyes, she had a feeling that this may be the start of something unexpected, but nice.