The Italian Affair (18 page)

Dan smiled a big wide smile and started to laugh at her sarcasm. He ran his hands through his hair and pulled her down next to him again as he started to become serious. He turned her face towards him and said. “Look. You’re still in a vulnerable state right now, trying to come to terms with your dad’s death finally and dealing with all the emotional trauma of losing Jeremy. Starting up some new complicated arrangement with a Neapolitan might undo all the good work, besides which you are no doubt also on the re-bound from Jeremy. I’m only saying this because I mind what happens to you I’m not doing it for any other reason. And you have to believe me on that one.”

Issy looked at him and stroked his face. She was so grateful for his love and the way he cared about how she felt. He’d played a major part in how far she had progressed with herself over the last few days. Things from her recent and distant past had finally started to look like she may be able to start fitting them into place.

As Issy’s mind had become clearer she was sure of one thing and that was, that Jeremy no longer had a place in her heart. I mean how could she still have residual love for a man who had just dis-guarded her after what they’d had together? It wasn’t so much that she was on the rebound rather she wanted to live a bit and be carefree for a change.

“With regard to Jeremy by the way” Issy said “I am totally over him. You telling me all that stuff in Ischia about dad made me realise that the reason why I fell for Jeremy was because subconsciously I think I never really thought I could have him and so it was safe to pretend I was in love just like I pretended that dad wasn’t dead.”

Dan nodded “There is probably some truth in that but I still think you loved him and he loved you. There are different types of love as you’ve told me already, and it is a well-known fact that a lot of people end up marrying or being with people who are just like their mother and father. With regard to Jeremy in my opinion that there was something in his life than made him unable to change the way things panned out. I’m sure he loved you”

Issy nodded “I guess you could be right with some of that. Jeremy satisfied my child-like need to be spoilt and loved and also provided me with an illusion of safety just like my dad. But I never understood his soul and he never understood mine mainly because we never revealed who we really were to each other. I think he felt he couldn’t because of loyalty to his wife or some part of his past. And I didn’t know how to. My mind made me believe it was better to have him than to have no-one. I didn’t understand myself so I didn’t stop to think about my motives for getting in so deep.”

“Ok. Well I’d agree with all of that. But without being rude, don’t try and divert us from the real point of this conversation. What has coming to terms with Jeremy got to do with Bruno and tonight?” demanded Dan.

“Because for the first time in my life I just want to have some fun and throw caution to the wind. I have never done that in my life. When my dad died I went from being a six year old to a grown-up. You know what Dan? I agree Bruno’s job could be seen as being a bit odd and suspicious. But I’ve had one relationship in my life with a married man who was much older than me and totally unavailable as it eventually turned out. I want to just want to be with someone my own age. That is probably all I want right now, nothing more – is that so bad?”

“Ok” said Dan relenting reluctantly. “Lecture over you more than anyone I know deserves some fun. Christ knows you haven’t had much of it. Ok I give in. You can go for a pizza but I am coming too.”

“What?” Issy shouted. “You really don’t have to do that you know. What do you want to come along for? Don’t you trust me to have fun on my own accord?”

“Oh I am sure you will have fun,” Dan replied winking. “But I still don’t trust Bruno and I want to know his intentions towards you are good ones before you go dancing off into the night with him that’s all.”

Issy laughed. “That’s sounds like something my dad would have said had he been alive and been standing in front of me today rather than you.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m saying it as he’s not and this is the first fun date you’ve ever been on so I’m going to watch over you until I know the signals are the right ones. Who knows what the definition of a date is for a Neapolitan man.”

Issy was surprised at how concerned Dan was. “I can’t believe my gay friend who on his own admission has only had casual relationships is being so cautious about me going out with a man of my own age for a pizza.”

“I know” said Dan sheepishly. “But I return to my original point. He sells underpants on a Pompeii market stall. What man in his right mind would do that for a living? There’s something he’s not telling us Issy. And I for one intend to find that out otherwise it might turn out to be a whole lot more fun than you or I could ever imagined it could be.”

“Ok I give in” said Issy laughing at his sarcasm. “See you outside Giovanni’s bar at 8pm sharp as I don’t want you to make me late for my date. Oh and by the way I want you to come to Capri with me at the weekend by way of a deal. We’re going island hopping with Giuseppe and his girlfriend and finishing it all off with Tosca at the San Carlo.”

“Fine” said Dan “in exchange for La Tosca at the San Carlo I’d pretty much do anything including spending time with your crazy student Giuseppe.”

Naples
– 8pm local time 26 September 1986

As Issy crossed the road to meet Bruno, she suddenly felt and looked European. She’d ditched the Oxfam clothing for one evening and dressed herself in a short cotton skirt, pale blue shirt, navy pullover wrapped around her shoulders and a pair of leather loafers.

As she walked she watched Bruno’s reaction at seeing her again from behind a large pair of dark sunglasses. He certainly looked pleased so that was a very good sign.

She pulled at her skirt, it wasn’t really her style but they didn’t seem to do simple, A-line beige cotton designs in Southern Italy and it was as far into the world of Neapolitan fashion as she was prepared to enter.

“Had she sold her feminist soul,” she thought as her mind flashed back to her student union life at Balliol and the rallies for female students she’d led from the front with a large loud speaker. It wasn’t that she’d stopped believing in these things, it’s just that life in Naples demanded different approaches to everything from buying food to going on a date. And anyway all she had ever fought for was equality not hatred and denouncement of the male species.

As she played with the arms of the pullover to ensure they remained strategically in the right place she suddenly felt nervous. “What if Bruno didn’t like her? What if they had nothing at all to say to each other?” One look over at him as she walked was all that it had taken to reduce her to a nervous wreck. “How on earth did she pass herself off as a feminist for so long?”

Bruno‘s eyes continued to scan. It was going to be difficult for her to remain cool, calm and collected in these circumstances not least because Bruno looked much better dressed for his evening out than he had done during the day and his attire was immaculate – pink Polo shirt, dark blue jeans, and leather loafers – a look that only European men can truly pull off.

“He may only sell underpants,” Issy thought to herself “but he kept himself very well groomed.” His hair was gelled back from his face, highlighting even more strongly his perfectly chiseled features.

When finally Issy stood before him, she hoped he couldn’t hear the blood pumping through her arteries and up into her heart which had started to slam against her chest. Not even Jeremy had done this to her. The feelings she’d had for him were immediate but mysterious and rather furtive. Bruno on the other hand made her feel a zest for life and for living. And nothing not even Dan’s caution was going to ever diminish that.

As the Adonis leant in to kiss her on both her cheeks, he took both her arms and brought her slowly towards his torso. After the second kiss on her cheek, Issy lingered in the small of his neck drawn in by the same seductive aroma she had been intoxicated by the first time they had met. “How odd,” Issy had thought to herself “that she could change from being emotionally fractured because of Jeremy and feel like this so soon afterwards.”

Jeremy’s attraction had been his presence his voice and an imperious aura that always made him seem more sophisticated than other mortals, someone towards whom men and women were both sexually and intellectually attracted.

And here she was today beginning to feel totally infatuated with Bruno who was definitely more Heathcliff than Charles Ryder, with his dark brooding looks and slightly wild and impromptu way of behaving.

“What was Bruno’s smell?” Issy wondered as it lingered in the warm air around them. She wanted to bottle it up and keep it with her at all times. He smelt as if he had been marinated in citrus oils with a hint of something spicy over-layered with nicotine and coffee.

A highly seductive and sensual aroma – that drew her into the web he seemed to be spinning to catch her. Given the looks Bruno was giving her she dared to believe they were now involved in the Mediterranean process of seduction which was highly charged and exciting. Not too quick and not too slow, there were flirtatious and sexually loaded glances followed by touch at the right moment to get the pulse racing just that little bit faster.

And that night the seduction process had not taken long to work its magic. Issy was already his after that first embrace. He really did not have to do much more.

As they stood talking, Bruno ran his fingers down her bare arm and lingered a bit longer than he needed to as he reached her hands creating a highly charged static between them.

Issy just wanted to stay attached to him like a piece of velcro, but they were in full public gaze, in front of her language school and no doubt some of her students were milling about as they always did talking, smoking and reluctant to go home.

As she prised herself away from his arm she got an eye-full of his chest.

It was masculine and strong and a deep shade of chestnut from years of sun. She wanted to touch it and own it but out of one corner of her eye she could see Dan arriving on his yellow Vespa. “What incredibly bad timing,” Issy thought as she watched him look over at them both with a reproachful look on his face.

Bruno turned round as he followed Issy’s eyes. On seeing Dan, his body arched and his face started to resemble that of un-castrated male cat on the prowl.

In retrospect, and given the amount of static between the both of them, which had not yet subsided, Issy had to silently admit it was probably not the ideal date for Dan to be acting as chaperone. However close they had become.

Issy noticed the knitting of Bruno’s eyebrows and the deepening of three or four furrows across the centre of his forehead – a glimpse of her father’s face in times of worry. She decided it was probably best just to act as if it was still a perfectly normal English custom, to invite someone else along on a date.

“Bruno, I‘d like to introduce you to my very dear friend Dan, who works at the school with me I hope you don‘t mind but he wasn’t busy tonight so I invited him along?”

“God,” she thought. “What the hell was she saying? She sounded like someone who’d just walked out from the pages of a Jane Austen novel.”

“Ciao Dan. It is a pleasure” Bruno said his face looking like he was anything but pleased.

Issy sensed the stand-off and anxious to get the evening started said. “Ok. Where are we going Bruno? You mentioned pizza, Dan’s favourite, which is why I didn’t think you’d mind if he came along.”

To give Bruno credit he didn’t look aghast for too long. After briefly looking down to clear his throat he started to usher them both in the direction of a dark blue clapped out but convertible Cinque Cento and in the spirit of friendship he replied. “But of course. We go now together in my car to my restaurant.”

“What a cute little car,” said Dan as he slid onto one of the tiny cracked red leather seats in the back, putting his knees up under his chin to allow Issy to get into the front beside Bruno. “It’s exactly the sort of car I would like to own in fact” he added.

“You like?” answered Bruno putting the car into gear and revving his accelerator. “Ok, we now go to the best restaurant in Napoli “Le Stelle delle Notte“ it eez not the pizzeria Dan … is it still ok for you?”

“Fine for me” said Dan hastily “I‘m really looking forward to it – the Stars of the Night sounds like a great restaurant and I don’t mind skipping pizza for one night so let’s go. It sounds just what the doctor ordered after a long day in the classroom.”

“You need a doctor” asked Bruno stopping the car and looking hugely confused as he dragged on a cigarette he’d just lit.

“No, no,” Dan laughed. “It is just a strange English saying and probably doesn’t translate. I don’t need a doctor. Not yet anyway. Let’s get going.”

As Bruno continued to reverse the Cinque Cento he displayed the same kind of driving technique as Gennaro – best described as totally crazy.

The car shook into life as he changed gears to go forward driving past the bar and down Via Maria Magdala – the recent events of which no-one mentioned – and then into a tree lined avenue with a steep incline with refined looking palazzo’s standing tall on both sides.

The tiny Cinque Centro started to struggle again as Bruno pressed hard on the accelerator once again this time to get it to climb all the way to the top of the city. “Do you think we’ll get to the top?” Dan asked as the engine tugged and the car almost came to a standstill.