Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
After I got in bed, I placed a video call to Tory and pointed the phone at the eggplant, which I’d tucked in beside me. He chuckled when he answered the call, and I turned the screen toward me and said, “I’m home and in bed. Happy?”
“Yes. Did you find something to eat?” I held up the plastic bag, and he asked, “What is that?”
“A half-inch-thick slab of pepper jack.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“It’s a piece of cheese, and the best I could do.” I propped up the phone with a fold of the blanket and unwrapped my makeshift dinner. “Since you’re here, tell me a bedtime story.”
I’d been joking, but he said, “Okay. What kind of story would you like?”
“Tell me about growing up in Italy. It can be real or a lie, either way.”
“I guess I’ll start at the beginning.” He took a sip of red wine before saying, “My mom grew up in a small town in Sicily, but then she fell in love with my father, who was an artist and a musician. Against the objections of her family, they got married and moved to Rome. He was hoping for his big break, but he ended up playing the piano in tiny supper clubs, and selling his paintings to tourists for a fraction of what they were worth.”
Tory shifted around and continued, “I was born two years into their marriage. They were so young, just twenty-two and twenty-four, but they were wonderful parents. There was always music in our home, and love, and laughter. We lived in a tiny, decaying apartment in Monti. Back then, it was a fairly run-down neighborhood. Now, it’s become posh and trendy. But it was always crowded with tourists, because it’s a stone’s throw from the Colosseum.”
“Wow,” I said, “it must have been so cool to live someplace like that.”
“I took it for granted as a kid. But in my early teens, I started to appreciate the city’s uniqueness—the way the modern world and the ancient wove together to make up the fabric of Rome. I also learned to like the tourists, believe it or not. Sure, they could be loud, entitled, and obnoxious. But I enjoyed sitting in front of the Colosseum when the guided tours would come through.”
He took another sip of wine and continued, “I loved listening to the tour guides, because I desperately wanted to travel back then. I thought I wanted that more than anything. Since I grew up poor, getting to see the world seemed like an impossible dream. But I could close my eyes and daydream as I listened to the guides reciting the same facts, over and over again in French, German, English, Japanese. I loved hearing all those languages being spoken. I thought that might be the closest I’d ever get to traveling.”
I finished my piece of cheese and smiled at him. “But you did it! You ended up getting to travel all over the world.”
I didn’t expect him to suddenly look devastated. He murmured, “It came at too high a price. My parents died in a car crash when I was fifteen. I got to travel because my uncle took me abroad after that. If I could…”
His voice wavered. He closed his eyes and took a breath before starting again. “If I could have one wish, I’d choose more time with my parents—staying in that tiny apartment with them and never going anywhere. I’d choose that a million times over.”
I whispered, “I’m so sorry, Tory.”
He opened his eyes and tried to smile. “Next time you ask for a story, I’m going with a lie. The truth is much too hard sometimes.”
“It really is,” I said softly.
“It’s getting late. I know you’re tired, so I should let you go.”
“Okay.” I tried to smile too, even though my heart was aching after what he’d told me. “Thanks for convincing me to come home and sleep in my own bed.”
“Thank you for actually listening to me and taking care of yourself.” He kissed two fingertips and touched them to his screen. “Good night, Arie.”
“Good night, Tory.”
After we ended the call, I curled up under the covers and hugged a pillow to my chest. The comforting scent of his cologne lingered faintly on my wrist. I breathed it in and closed my eyes.
Even though I was tired, I started to replay the events of the last few days. So many huge, important things had happened this weekend, between my son getting married and meeting Tory. Even leaving my diner in someone else’s hands for the first time had been a big deal.
It felt like everything was changing. While that was definitely unsettling, I had a reason to be excited, too. I had no idea where this thing with Tory was going to end up, but I was looking forward to finding out.