Ginny explained how she’d originally found her ability to tune into other people’s emotions to be a painful affliction, and that it’d taken her a long time to embrace it as something positive. “I initially worked as a counselor, helping couples with relationship issues, face-to-face, but I couldn’t help absorbing their upset like a sponge. I carried their distress around with me and couldn’t squeeze it out. So, I took up an advice columnist position on a local magazine instead, solving problems from a safe distance. That job led to the one with Talk Heart FM.”
“It sounds like a huge responsibility, similar to being a teacher,” Heather said. “You’re an oracle, a solid rock, a sea wall offering protection against the crashing waves of life. You’re so inspiring.”
After Adrian’s request for divorce, Ginny felt more like a blob of blancmange. She was grateful that Heather saw her in a more positive light.
Soon the noise from everyone’s rumbling stomachs overtook the sound of birdsong in the countryside. “We should stop for the breakfast,” Nico called out to Eric, halfway up the hill. He handed out paper bags full of bread and fruit when they stopped.
Ginny sat down and took in the view of Vigornuovo. Its winding river twinkled blue and silver, and houses were like tiny jewelry boxes. Poppies swayed around her on a breeze and the grass was warm and still a little damp from dew. She was surprised when Eric sat down next to her. Although he didn’t speak, she felt comfortable with their silence. When she noticed he was wearing the pink collar around his wrist, she asked, “What was your dog’s name?”
“Bess.”
“That’s lovely. What kind of dog was—?”
Eric smiled tightly. “Sorry, I’m not ready to...”
“Oh, okay.” She tried not to take his rejection personally. “I’m here, if you ever want to talk.”
“Cheers.” He stared off into the distance.
Everyone’s moods picked up after eating and they started to hike again. The higher they climbed, the more Ginny’s thoughts about Adrian fell away. She caught up with Nico and they talked about Loretta’s plans for college. She learned from him that students typically entered college or university at age nineteen in Italy, one year later than in England.
At the top of the hill, Ginny’s mind felt clearer than it had in several weeks.
Nico waited for everyone to catch their breath then beckoned them to follow him. “I will show you something wonderful,” he said.
He led the way across rocky ground until Ginny saw a small simple chapel partially built into the hillside. It had whitewashed walls and a turquoise-painted door. It was so sweet it looked like it belonged on a Christmas card. “Are we allowed inside?” she asked.
Nico nodded. “Our shoulders and knees should be covered.”
Heather passed a scarf to Eric, to wrap around his shoulders before they entered.
Nico opened the door and the air was cool and still inside. The walls were painted in earthy shades and there were a few simple benches. A mosaicked floor led to a wooden altar where he lit a votive candle and dropped money into a small box. The others did the same.
Ginny wouldn’t call herself religious. As a girl, she’d chanted the Lord’s Prayer in school assembly and had believed all the stories in the Bible. As she grew older, her beliefs had fallen away, just as they did about the tooth fairy, Father Christmas and the Easter bunny. When adults concocted so many stories, how could children differentiate between what was real and what wasn’t?
The truth was, Ginny wasn’t sure who or what created the universe, and thinking about it tangled her brain. Surely, there couldn’t possibly be a colossal man or woman sitting in the clouds looking over everyone and everything. She supposed gases mingling together could be seen as God, but then asked herself where the gases had come from in the first place.
Although she didn’t have a firm faith, Ginny had meant every word of the marriage vows she’d shared in church with Adrian. They’d made a promise to each other that was supposed to last a lifetime and it devastated her how readily he was willing to break his. After the instability of her parent’s relationship, Ginny had vowed her own marriage would be constant, supportive and true. She and her husband would meet each other’s needs and not have to look elsewhere.
Ginny found her time in the little Italian chapel to be incredibly moving and she even whispered a small prayer. A feeling of peace came over her, making it easier to accept she couldn’t control the forces at play between her and Adrian.
The others appeared to be affected, too. Curtis didn’t look at his phone once and Eric stood with his head bowed and hands clasped together. It was as if a thick fog was lifting for them all, allowing sunshine to sparkle through.
After a while, they made their way outside to where a pale brown dog sat, as if waiting for them. He was slightly smaller than a Labrador and had a diagonal scar on his side and a slice out of one ear. Eric knelt down and offered him a piece of bread from his rucksack. The dog ate it hungrily and accompanied them back down the hill.
Ginny was glad the journey was much easier than the climb up. She welcomed her new feeling of repose and even overheard Eric talking to the dog. When they reached the village, he crouched down and pointed back toward the medieval arch. “Go on, boy. That way,” he said.
The dog turned its head and looked along the street before reluctantly trotting away.
They found Edna sitting outside a café where she nursed a tiny cup of coffee. She greeted everyone with an unexpected smile. “You are correct,” she said to Nico. “Tim Vincenzo is smaller than the filmmakers lead us to believe.”
“I told you this is the case,” he said. “Why say you are tall when you are not? There is no point lying because the truth will always be revealed.”
Ginny’s face speckled when she thought about her dating profile.
“What is next on our agenda?” Edna asked. “May I suggest something?”
“Go for it,” Curtis said.
