‘It’s beautiful, brilliant, gorgeous, inspiring – just like you. Exactly like you,’ he repeated with conviction, and Beth felt her heart soar. ‘I could secrete you away into some loft over the canal, listen to the sounds of the water sloshing against the building and lie in your arms for the rest of my life. Perfectly content. Perfectly happy.’
She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Not out of sadness, but because of the pure, unadulterated joy that she felt at that moment – indeed, every moment she spent with Danny. She truly believed they were on the same page. They were soul mates and he was her ultimate Hollywood hero. There was no other way to describe it.
‘I love you, Danny,’ she said simply.
‘And I love you, Beth. Always you.’ He pulled her into a secluded doorway off the small alleyway they were on and kissed her again. When they pulled away from their embrace, Beth felt as if her head was spinning. This was it. This truly was the real thing. Bridie would have adored Danny, she knew that. He was exactly the kind of leading man her grandmother would have chosen for her.
‘Getting hungry?’ he asked, once they had resumed walking.
‘Amongst other things,’ she grinned mischievously.
‘Woman, you are insatiable.’ Danny laughed as she walked in front of him to allow pedestrians on the other side of the narrow path to go in the opposite direction.
Then she suddenly stopped to consult her map. ‘Do you want to try one of the restaurants the hotel recommended? It looks like one is right around this corner. At least I think it is.’ She looked at Danny for input, still slightly bewildered by the city’s impossible-to-decipher waterways.
He smiled at her and gave a brief bow. ‘Lead on, navigator. By the way, did you make a note of that shop with the Venetian mask you liked? I know you didn’t want to carry a bag around, but if you want it, we should pick it up on our way back.’
She nodded and pointed. ‘We’ll be able to find it again, I think. And it looks like the restaurant is just here.’ But then as they rounded the corner of thestradaon which their intended restaurant was supposed to be, Beth’s attention was diverted from food as they were faced with a tiny bridge over a small subset of the canal.
And while there were dozens upon dozens of such bridges in all of Venice, this one was unique. It was nondescript in every way except one – its ornate iron railings were decorated with padlocks of various colours, shapes and sizes.
‘Oh, Danny, look. What is this place?’
‘I’m not sure but—’ He stopped speaking and then watched a couple who approached the bridge from the other side, hand in hand, smiling happily. The couple stood with their heads bent together for a moment. They appeared to be writing on something the man held in his hands – a padlock, Beth realised. Then when the woman was finished with her inscription, they found an empty space on the bridge and fastened the lock in place. A moment later, looking into each other’s eyes, the couple kissed and tossed the key into the canal water below.
Captivated, Beth walked onto the bridge. ‘Look, Danny. Years and years of these padlocks. Here’s one, you can barely read the names, but the date is 11 August 1978. And another one: 1950… it’s scratched on there. So many names. Amanda and Kevin. Denise and Bill. Susan and Tony. Lindsay and Bryan. Sadie and Robert. So many love stories.’ So many hopes, dreams and love stories all tied up in one place.
She felt herself become overwhelmed by the romance of it all. She had never imagined that there could be a place so special, tucked away in a tiny corner of such a romantic city. ‘Where can we find one for ourselves, I wonder?’ she asked, looking towards the now-departing young lovers. ‘Oh, Danny, we have to do this – it’s like something you’d see in a…’
Her words trailed off as they were approached by a young vendor with a convenient variety of padlocks for sale. Danny engaged in a quick round of negotiations, handed over the money, and then returned with the lock to Beth, who was still absorbed in inspecting other people’s promises.
‘What a magical place,’ she whispered, truly awed. ‘So many people have stood where we stand. Have been in love, right here, in Venice. Have wished and hoped and dreamed with someone special. Right in this place.’
Beth breathed deeply, as if she could somehow absorb the romance and wonder she felt at that moment.
Danny offered her the lock. ‘We can add to it if you like. I know how much you love this cheesy Hollywood stuff.’ He grinned and gave her the inscription tool he’d procured from the vendor.
‘It’s not cheesy. It’sromantic,’ she protested, but she knew he was just teasing.
Beth carefully etched her name then handed the lock back to Danny, allowing him to do the same. ‘And the date, too,’ she instructed.
Taking her direction, he inscribed the date and year beneath their names. Then he turned the key and the padlock popped open. ‘Let’s do this together then,’ he suggested. ‘Where will we put it?’
‘Here.’ She moved a few padlocks around and found a space where their token would fit. It was almost like a secret place, an enchanted location where she and Danny would stay huddled safe together for ever.
Silently, both kneeling alongside the rail, their hands worked together and closed the padlock around the iron bar.
Beth’s hands stayed on it for just a second longer, as if committing the memory to touch, and she suddenly felt a little dizzy at what they were doing. Since meeting him six months before, this man had truly swept her off her feet, and the idea that she and Danny would be leaving a part of themselves – of their hearts – together in Venice seemed especially significant, somehow; that their love would exist here, in spirit, for ever.
Finally she took her hand away and allowed the neighbouring padlocks to right themselves against this new addition. Danny pulled her to her feet and their eyes found each other’s.
He winked and held the key up to eye level, grinning. ‘Now. Make a wish.’
‘You first,’ she smiled.
He thought for a moment before speaking again. ‘OK, so how would they do this in Hollywood?’ He laughed at her outraged expression. ‘Sorry, sorry, I’m just joking.’ Then his voice grew more serious. ‘I wish…’ he began, in a tone that she’d never heard him use before and, despite his earlier teasing, his words now sounded heartfelt. ‘I wish for our lives… our destinies… to be forever entwined. I love you, Beth Harper, and this lock represents that promise of a lifetime.’
A lifetime…
