Granny here,
Out of the Past by Billie Smith
Chapter 4 Part 1
Daisy opened her eyes and threw back the satin comforter to the sound of the rain bouncing off the streets below her balcony. She stood at the window rubbing her eyes thinking this is a day to read a book, better yet I'll get a newspaper and search for myself a place to call home. She called the front desk to make sure a newspaper was available in English; the clerk said he would send one right up.
Looking them over, she saw several places that sounded promising, the rent was high and space was scarce according to the ads. Most of the places were from three to five hundred square feet and that was about the size of Daisy's old room and bath. She would call about them tomorrow and see if she could get in to see them. she would have to go by taxi or rent a car but she didn't know her way around but she did have her portable navigating system with her.
Daisy spent the rainy day at the hotel, lounging, eating, reading and calling her family at home to give her mother an update. She knew that her mother would be worried for the first few months until she got use to the idea of her being gone. She also called Leslie's Aunt Maria to thank her for the wonderful evening. "You are welcome anytime, Daisy, we loved having you and Leslie needs an American friend she can relate to while she is visiting."Aunt Maria replied as she accepted Daisy's gratitude.
The rain came down so hard it played patty cake on the streets below, Daisy stood at the window and watched for several minutes thinking of all the things she had to do before she would really be settled in Calabria as her new home. she had to find somewhere to live; buy a car, buy furniture if the place she rented was unfurnished, and her head started spinning just thinking of the task ahead of her. But it gave her an adrenaline rush to think she was about to live her dream.
The alarm went off at seven, Daisy jumped in the shower; she couldn't spend as much time as usual, she had a very busy day ahead of her. She called three different places and set up appointments to view them in the early afternoon, the taxi would pick her up at one p.m. She was well on her way, accomplishing quite a bit this morning, she was feeling pleased with herself. She was usually a little slower paced but she was now on her own and had to make the most of her time, she didn't have mom to pull together the loose ends anymore.
Daisy's stomach let her know it was lunch time and she really needed to get that over with before she headed out to look at rentals. She called room service and ordered a large salad with all the fixings, a bottle of water and some coffee. Within ten minutes her lunch was at the door and she was ready for it, she was starving. She barely had time to gulp it down before her taxi would be there, although she had some idea what she was in for, as rentals go , but Daisy had no idea what she was about to experience as far as taxi drivers were concerned. This was going to be an experience she wouldn't soon forget. The ride from the airport was just a prerequisite to what she was about to face.
The taxi was right on time and so was Daisy she was waiting on the curb when he pulled up. She slid in the back seat as the cabbie open the door for her, with his broken English, he ask where to? Daisy felt embarrassed about her lack of knowledge of the area and trying to convey addresses was going to be a challenge since she only knew a few phrases in Italian, she should have paid more attention in her language classes. She now wished she had asked Leslie to come along to give her assistance with some of these problems. To her surprise the cabbie understood English far better than he spoke it so that would make Daisy's search so much easier. She gave him the addresses she had written down on a piece of paper, he seemed to understand and they were on their way.
At first Daisy thought she was going for a ride on a roller coaster, then it turned into a whirly gig, the cabbie sped through the streets of the city with the speed of any theme park ride. He paid little attention to street signs, lights or other traffic, Daisy was wondering if this had been a good idea. She was thankful she had buckled her seatbelt because all she could do now was hold her breath and get a good grip on her nerves. "Mom, that is going to be a major undertaking, I looked at several places today and what you get for your money isn't much. The places are small, expensive and very old." "Well, honey, that region is old and what you to choose from will have to fit your budget and right now that may not be exactly what you want." "I'll find something, I'm going to call my new friend Leslie, she is well acquainted with the area and maybe she will have some ideas, I'll keep you posted, tell dad I love him, we better get off here, this is costing you money, mom I love you." "I love you too, honey, keep in touch." And they hung up.
Daisy had no sooner taken her hand off the receiver when the phone rang again. "Hello", "Daisy, this is Leslie, Tory and I are spending the day in Scilla, would you like to come along? We're going to the festival of St. Roch, the patron saint of the town. There is a great beach for swimming and lovely fireworks at midnight." "Sounds like fun, I would love to go along, I was just getting ready to call you, and I have something to ask you later." "We'll pick you up in about an hour will that be o.k.? Don't forget your bikini." And Daisy heard the click of the telephone before she had time to reply.
Daisy had read about Scilla in some of the travel brochures she had picked up here and there but really knew very little about the area but it sounded like a lovely place and she couldn't wait to go explore. the beaches sounded like great fun, Daisy had a lovely figure and why not take this opportunity to show it off.
As Daisy was packing her tote she began to think of spending the day with Leslie and her brother, Tory. Leslie wouldn't be the problem; it would be Tory who would be cause for alarm. Her heart started racing when she thought of it, he was so intrusive on her emotions and he probably had no idea. Daisy wondered if she had that affect on him. She thought about how handsome he was in street clothes and what was he going to look like in a pair of swim trunks? Being close to him made her female hormones go out of control and made it difficult to keep her mind on the right things. She was anxious to see him again and she would worry about those things later.
She filled her tote with towels, lotions, flip flops, a hair brush and anything else she thought might come in handy. she had just zipped it up when she heard the knock on her door. Opening it, her heart fell to the floor, there stood Tory as if he had just stepped down from the pedestal of the Mr. America Pageant. His dark eyes said, you look good to me too, which caused Daisy's heart to beat even faster. She took a deep breath and handed Tory her tote bag, as their hands touched she almost felt faint and forced a smile to break the spell. Why did he affect her in this way? "Come on gorgeous, the day is getting away from us." The sound of his voice brought Daisy back to reality; she shut the door and headed for the elevator with Tory close behind.
The ride in the elevator alone with him almost caused Daisy to have an anxiety attack, being this close to him was bringing her to a place she didn't want to be. His body was tanned and firm in the white tank top and his white shorts accentuated his athletic legs which had caught her attention the moment she opened the door.
Tory stood as close to Daisy as possible without being too obvious. "What man wouldn't count himself lucky to be in an elevator with such a gorgeous woman?" He said as he brushed the hair back that had fallen across her face. Daisy gave him a nervous grin and made light of his comment, she didn't dare let him know the affect he had on her , and certainly not in an elevator.
She was relieved when the doors finally opened and she made her escape, being alone with Tory was very uncomfortable especially in such close quarters. Daisy was glad when they reached the car she knew that Leslie's presence would give her the courage she needed to bring her feelings back into perspective.
"Are you ready for some fun, Daisy? Asked Leslie, we've made reservations at a new restaurant for dinner, hope you like it." "I'm sure I will, Leslie, you haven't disappointed me yet," replied Daisy. Tory listened as the girls carried on their conversation, "I'm a lucky guy to have two dates at once, don't you think?" he butted in. " I wasn't aware this was a date were you Daisy?" laughed Leslie. Daisy was blushing so badly she looked as if she had already been to the beach. She thought Tory was taking a lot for granted but silently she wished it had been a real date. She could only hope that they might have a real date in the future but she really hadn't known him long enough to be thinking of such things.
They arrived at the restaurant which was a lovely place near the beach; it was an outdoor bistro with a three piece musical combo for entertainment. Their table was in a private spot which gave them better views of everything, the beach, the people and it gave them an opportunity to get better acquainted with each other. The music was very soothing and added to the ambiance of the bistro, it was very interesting to watch the customers come and go as they enjoyed their first glass of wine. Daisy caught herself wishing it was just her and Tory enjoying this time alone but was made aware of Leslie's presence as she heard her laughing at her brother's jokes.
Tory did the ordering since he was fluent in Italian, they had no idea what he had ordered but knew it would be delicious. As they were enjoying another glass of wine, Leslie saw an old friend from her last visit to Calabria and made her way over to their table to say hello, leaving Daisy alone with Tory. "Well, what do you think Daisy, will you like living in Italy?" "It will take some time but I think I will adjust, how long was it before you felt at home here?" Asked Daisy in response to Tory's question. She was having a hard time keeping her thought straight with Tory so close, the bistro tables were small and the full view of his big brown eyes mesmerized her and the smell of his cologne intoxicated her. "I've been coming here all my life, so coming here to stay was never an adjustment for me. I've always love the pace of life here and the people's attitude is contagious," he continued as he gazed into her blue eyes, making her feel warmer than she already was. "Are you seeing anyone in particular, Daisy, or are you still looking?" The question caught Daisy completely off guard. "Not right now, Tory, how about your?" "No, I'm foot loose and fancy free but I'm open to suggestions," he laughed. "Well, I can't help you there, Tory, you're on your own." "That's where you're wrong, Daisy, I think you could do a lot to help me out, how about dinner some time?" Daisy was taken by surprise; she was not expecting such a request, If Leslie hadn't returned to the table she would have strangled on her wine. "Looks like I came back just in the nick of time, what's going on between you two?" asked Leslie, as she sat back down to join them. "Nothing, said Daisy we were just enjoying our wine and this delightful view, how was your visit?" "Ok," replied Leslie. "Here comes our food girls, enjoy, remember Leslie's paying the bill." He said laughing out loud, as the waiter poured each of them another glass of wine.
After dinner, which was more than delicious, Tory had excellent taste in food; the three of them strolled around the quaint village. Tory was an experienced guide, he had worked his way through school guiding visitors throughout the region and now was the owner of his own touring business. Daisy was having a wonderful time and didn't want the evening to end but she knew that it would, but for now she would enjoy it and hope there would be more like it in the future.
Tory interrupted her thoughts, "Let's go for a moonlight swim, girls, whatta ye say, I'll race you to the water?" and he ran for the beach. The girls hadn't worn their suits so they headed for the beach house to change into their itsy bitsy bikinis which were just that, itsy, bitsy. Daisy's was a two piece, bright red and white tiny polka dots, Leslie's on the other hand had chosen a simple, black one piece that fit her figure like a glove. They both looked like models for the Sports Illustrated swim suit edition.
By the time they reached the water, Tory had already made his splash into the sea, his physique was something that you usually see in Seaside magazine and Daisy was enjoying the view. As she came running barefoot through the sand Tory gave a wolf whistle that made Daisy aware that he liked what he saw and she knew he wasn't whistling at Leslie, she smiled to herself as she went into the water.
No comments:
Post a Comment