“Anything you want.” I nodded.
We took the scenic route on the coast, and it was peaceful. There was something about the vibrant blue sea that I enjoyed.
“I wished I came up this way more often growing up. But seven hours is a long drive,” Giovanna said.
“You don’t fly?”
Her eyes went wide. “No. I don’t like to fly. Do you?”
“It gets me places faster. I can travel all over Italy in just a few hours.” I took her hand and looked at her short nails. There was nothing flashy about Giovanna, and I found I appreciated herelegant yet simple appearance. She didn’t wear a ton of makeup and bright lipstick. She was sophisticated despite her young age.
“Have you been to other countries? Some of my friends travel a lot. Even to America.”
“I’ve been everywhere. Papà made me go out to experience life.” If I wasn’t careful, we could head down a direction I didn’t want to go… Women. I wasn’t like some men who had many conquests, but I had enough.
At twenty-six, I was ready to settle down and start a family. I could have requested to marry Giovanna as soon as she turned eighteen. But I wasn’t ready. Now having met her, I wished I had. We could have started our lives two years ago, and I wouldn’t have gotten so close to Cara.
Many times, I’d considered rejecting my father’s arranged marriage. I thought I loved her and could leave my famiglia. My father would have disowned me, of course. Maybe even killed me if I’d turned my back on the family.
Everything worked out for the best though.
We spent hours driving and stopping to go into shops. Giovanna had found many things to purchase, and the trunk of the car was fuller than I’d ever seen it. My new wife might not be flashy, but she sure could shop and spend a lot of money.
“Why are we waiting?” she asked. “I’m starving.”
“Aaron needs to check us in.” I didn’t want to tell her he needed to pay the manager a hefty sum for my private booth close to the exit. As I’d said, this was a last-minute excursion, and we didn’t have time to make my special arrangements.
“There he comes.” She pointed and clapped her hands.
The door opened. “All good,” he said.
“Grazie.”
The place was bustling as always. The server guided us to our seat. I waved to a few familiar faces. People stared at Giovanna. I had my arm around her to keep her close. The many strangelooks bothered me more than I expected. It occurred to me that they were used to seeing me with Cara. How stupid could I have been to come here?
“Ciao Alessio.” Cara appeared in front of us. Speak of the devil. Now I understood the strange looks we were getting. “Is this your new wife?”
“She is. Pardon us.” I tried to nudge Gia along, but she wouldn’t get out of our way.
“Alessio, introduce me,” Gia whispered. “Don’t be rude.”
I cleared my throat, cursing myself for selecting this place. “Giovanna. Cara. Cara. My wife, Giovanna.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Gia said, extending her hand in a gracious manner. I admired her confident posture. She reminded me of pictures I’d seen of the Queen of England on magazine covers, greeting her guests at the palace.
“You’re not what I imagined,” Cara replied while shaking hands. “Not at all.”
“Interesting because you’re exactly what I imagined.” Gia’s sarcasm wouldn’t be denied. “Have a nice evening.” She swerved around Cara, following Aaron’s guidance. I appreciated him trying to help defuse the situation.
“What did she mean?” Cara asked as I was passing by her.
“Don’t know.” I shrugged.
“Wait!” Cara grabbed my arm, stopping me. “Did you tell her about us and how you want me to continue being your lover?” she asked loud enough for patrons to hear. She’d never shown any tact or discretion when we’d gone out. Why would I expect any now?
“I never said that.” I gave her a stern look. What was she doing? I’d told her I was going to make my marriage work and what we had was over. “Take care, Cara.”
Giovanna was already in the booth. Rather than sitting across from her, I slid in next to her. I put my arm around her shouldersand turned toward her, shielding her from everyone’s view. Especially Cara’s.
