by Patricia Mar
But he hadn’t been prepared for what had happened. It had been a real bolt from the blue.
Little by little, it had been Sara who had won over him. She had taught him to open his heart up to the most important and generous emotions, and Daniel had fallen in love without even realising it with the naturalness of someone learning how to breathe. Sara’s name was tattooed on his heart, she was written in his DNA. And apart from that she was also amazing in bed. The alchemy between them was undeniable and their lovemaking was as incredible as it was imaginative.
The most incredible thing was that Sara wasn’t impressed by his fame and his success – she wanted nothing from him but love, and that felt like an unexpected gift. The women he’d been with before had been all too keen to appear in the spotlight, to be associated with him as his presumed girl of the moment. It didn’t matter to them that they had to share him with the rest of the world. They were exhilarated by the way Daniel got undressed in photo shoots and was the object of so much attention because it made them feel important and envied, and they could flaunt him like a trophy.
And once upon a time, he’d been fine with that, too. He never got deeply enough involved to feel offended by their reasoning. Healthy acrobatics in the bedroom, lots of fun and then goodbyes said with mutual satisfaction. But Sara was different: she believed in that one, great love – she believed in a solid relationship, and defended him with honesty and tenacity. And Daniel hadn’t realised just how much he wanted the same things.
Sara could be absurd and stubborn, she could dig her heels in and make impulsive decisions, but it was true: every ounce of her was pure sincerity. She was someone who would give you herself, and who you could trust with your life. He couldn’t give her up: he wanted her with him forever.
He reached out a hand and with his fingers touched the warm, silky skin of her face. With those sweet, graceful features of hers, she looked like an elf or some other some otherworldly creature. He found her beautiful and radiant even while she slept, abandoning herself on the seat with her head slightly to the side and her brown hair that was starting to grow again after she’d had it cut short.
Daniel withdrew his hand, and at that moment Sara spoke. “Why did you take your hand off my face?” she said sleepily. “I like it when you touch me like that.” She half opened her eyes and gave him a mischievous look.
Daniel gave her one of his most disarming smiles. From her expression of pure bliss coupled with the touch of redness on her cheeks, he felt as though he could read her thoughts.
“Maybe I should keep both hands on the steering wheel,” he said. “The road is slippery because of the snow.”
Sara straightened up and looked in amazement out at the road. “Oh wow, it’s snowing! I love it when it snows, especially if I’m on vacation and I don’t have to go to work. And snow at Christmas… Oh, it’s so romantic.”
Daniel turned to look at her: she was like a child, with her nose and fingers pressed up against the window. She was peering out at the landscape, which already spotted with white here and there. Suddenly, she put her hand to her forehead and sank back into the seat. “No amount of snow is going to save us from this disaster, though.”
He couldn’t help bursting out laughing. “Just stop worrying, everything’s going to be fine. I already know Virginia, your aunts and uncles and your grandmother. And they all love me.”
Sara gave him one of her looks. “You’re forgetting about public enemy number one: my mother. She’s been hassling me for months to arrange for you two to meet.”
“It was very cruel of you not to. I told you that I was perfectly happy to meet her.”
“You have no idea what awaits you or you wouldn’t be saying that.”
“Well, I will admit that I’m very curious to meet this woman who brings out the beast in you. Whenever she is involved in something, you completely lose it.”
Sara turned to look at him. “My mother is just a teensy bit too bohemian for my tastes. She lives in her own world and spends her time doing ridiculous zen stuff, meditation – she probably even has visions. And then she dresses like twenty year old, she’s always going on about sex… I mean, come on – what mother actually tells you that you should have more sex?”
“Well, she should be happy with the way things are going then!”
Sara pursed her lips. “I’d really rather not talk about my personal relationships with her, please.”
Daniel started laughing. “Wow, you really are stressed about it… Calm down, baby… Relax, we’re going to have three perfect days. We’ll have fun, you can show you me around, we’ll open our presents and I will become your mother’s best friend.”
Sara shook her head. “Oh yeah, great. I can already imagine you two discussing me. You’ll probably both end up suggesting that I should loosen up a little and let myself go.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll tell her that you’ve already loosened up a lot.”
“Daniel!” She punched him on the bicep and pouted like a little girl.
“You are such a weird woman, do you know that?”
“I know, I know… how could I forget it, you’re always reminding me!”
“It’s been a while since I told you, though,” he said. He loved teasing her, and Sara fell for it every time.
“Daniel, I’m being totally serious now: please tell me that you’ll still love me even after you’ve met my mother and my nephew Tommaso.”
“Okay, Geronimo.” Daniel wouldn’t let her forget the time when, while she’d been speaking to him on the phone from her grandmother’s house, where she’d gone for the old lady’s birthday celebrations a few months ago, her nephew Tommaso had cut off some of her hair as a joke, forcing her to cut short what remained of her ravaged locks.
“If you come anywhere near me, I’ll grab you and…”
Daniel put his hand on her leg and stroked it slowly, and Sara went quiet. He felt her muscles relaxing under his fingertips. “You’re too tense. Everything is going to be fine. We’re strong together, and we can announce our engagement in person. It’ll be amazing, you’ll see.”
Sara smiled and raised her hand to admire the solitaire set in its precious platinum setting which sparkled on her finger. “You’re right, what more could I want? The man I love sitting next to me, the snow, and my grandmother Glicine. It’s going to be a fabulous Christmas.”
“Good. So relax.” He stopped massaging her thigh and was about to withdraw his hand when Sara grabbed hold of it.
“I’m sorry about your mother – she must be disappointed that you won’t be spending Christmas with her this year.”
“No, it’s fine. She understands, and she’s happy for us. She can’t wait to meet you.”
“And I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Don’t worry, some of her relatives have come over from England so she’s not going to be on her own. And when we get back to Rome on the twenty-seventh, she’ll be there waiting for us.”
While they were talking, a road sign announcing they had arrived at the town of Gubbio appeared at the side of the road.
“Here we are,” exclaimed Sara, as she pointed out the street they needed to take. After they had parked, Daniel unloaded the two suitcases and a large colourful bag full of presents, and with Sara numb from the cold at his side, he walked slowly through the streets of the old town under the soft, falling snow, ready to celebrate his first Christmas with her family.
4
All That’s Missing Is Antonio Banderas
Virginia opened the front door and greeted them with a huge smile, and the festive melody of Michael Bublé’s version of All I Want For Christmas Is You welcomed them into a warm, Christmas atmosphere.
“Here he is at last, my favourite man,” exclaimed Virginia, who was wearing scruffy jeans and a slightly shapeless red sweater, as she pulled Daniel towards her and hugged him.
“Great to see you.”
Sara rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. “Hey, I�
��m your sister. Don’t I deserve a hug, too?”
Virginia let go of Daniel and grinned. “First of all, we only saw each other yesterday, and secondly, I’m still annoyed with you. Thanks to you, I have to sleep at our parents’ house.”
Sara smiled in satisfaction. “I needed the room and I certainly couldn’t bring Daniel home to Mom and Dad’s. I had to save him from that.”
Virginia took Daniel’s arm, he was smiling with amusement. The two sisters were having a good time together. “Sure, but to get your own way you threw me under the train!”
“You should be annoyed with Daniel, not with me,” said Sara. “After all, it’s him who’s pinching your bed.”
“I would, but he’s better looking than you are and he satisfies my aesthetic needs,” said Virginia with a raised eyebrow. She dragged him off inside, leaving Sara with the suitcases and presents.
Sara followed them in and the smell of the orange pomanders tickled her nostrils and evoked pleasant memories of past Christmases. The entrance was decorated with festive garlands and seasonal knick-knacks, the fruit of Aunt Nora’s imagination. Through the half closed door, Sara could see the part of the living room where the colourful Christmas tree, emblazoned with lights, stood majestically, so tall it almost touched the ceiling. It was a scene that gave her a sensation of peace… at least for the time being.
Just then Uncle Sauro arrived and she turned her attention away from her surroundings.
“There you are,” he called in his booming voice. He was a round faced man, slightly bald with two almond shaped blue eyes. He was well built but carried a prominent paunch, thanks to Aunt Nora’s cooking. He didn’t hesitate to give Daniel a loud slap on the back.
“Good to see you again!”
Sauro came over to hug Sara, who promptly disappeared into his large, enveloping arms. “Uncle Sauro!”
“I see you’re walking now – they tell me that last time you were here, you ended up being carried up the stairs!” he said, winking at Daniel.
Virginia burst out laughing, as did Daniel who seemingly already felt at home there.
“Hilarious,” said Sara with feigned offence, but the truth was that she loved the carefree atmosphere that she found there.
While Daniel and Sauro carried the suitcases upstairs, Sara and Virginia joined Aunt Nora and Grandma Glicine in the kitchen. The two women were busy at the stove, as always, and a wonderful smell of roast fish filled the room. All I Want For Christmas Is You had finished, and the musical accompaniment was now I’ll Be Home for Christmas, which played in the background while they kissed and hugged in greeting.
“Try these biscuits, love,” suggested Nora, who was wrapped up in a multi-coloured apron two sizes too big for her. She handed her a plate full of biscuits shaped like snowmen and Christmas trees.
“Ooh, they look lovely!” Sara didn’t have to be asked twice, especially because she was pretty peckish. How fortunate that her body allowed her not to have to subject herself to the torture of a boring diet.
Virginia beat her to it, snatching a biscuit off the plate. Through a mouthful of biscuit crumbs, she proclaimed, “I keep expecting to see Antonio Banderas come in through that door – we look like the family on those biscuit adverts he does.”
Everyone burst out laughing except Aunt Nora who shook her head. “You shouldn’t talk with your mouth full,” she said, and then gave her an indulgent smile.
At that point Daniel made his entrance. He had taken off his jacket, and he was wearing a bottle green sweater that adhered to his sculpted abs like a second skin. God he was handsome, thought Sara, while she tried to remember to breathe.
“Can I give you a hug too?” he said shyly.
“Of course you can, young man – come here.” Grandma Glicine squeezed him in an affectionate embrace and Daniel reciprocated gladly. They had been kind to him from the start, from the time when he had unexpectedly appeared at their home to sort out a couple of little problems with his girlfriend.
“And nothing for me?” said Aunt Nora almost resentfully, only to end up embracing young Gant without restraint.
“Okay, it’s getting a bit much with all these hugs,” exclaimed Virginia, taking another biscuit. “Seeing as there are no more relatives to cuddle, can I take him on the grand tour?”
“He’s my boyfriend!” protested Sara with a laugh.
“And we are sisters – don’t be so selfish.”
Right at that moment, a loud shout interrupted their conversation.
“Grandmaaaaaa!”
Daniel glanced at Sara and grabbed her by the waist, drawing her to him and ready to defend her. “Don’t tell me,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s Geronimo.”
Enjoying being close to her boyfriend, Sara nodded. It was wonderful to have him there, with her family, relaxed and happy. What a memorable Christmas it was going to be.
Meanwhile Tommaso – who in recent months had grown a few more centimetres, stopped in front of them, all out of breath and waved a hand distractedly. “Where are the biscuits?”
Alessia came in, carrying in her arms little Luigi, who was chubby and possessed an enviable mass of hair. “Tommaso, I told you – no biscuits before dinner.”
“Just one!”
“Hi, Alessia,” Daniel said, going over to look at the baby in his mother’s arms, sucking on a finger. He patted Luigi’s nose and looked at him tenderly. The unexpected image made Sara’s legs tremble, while her heart – as was so often the case – skipped several beats. If she were a clock, they would have scrapped her for her absolute inability to keep time.
“It’s so nice to see you again!” said Alessia with unusual animation while her cheeks blushed dramatically. She took a moment to compose herself and then her eyes fell on Sara’s engagement ring, its diamond standing out on her finger like a grape. “Oh my God,” she cried in astonishment. “You’ve got engaged!”
Everyone’s attention went immediately to Sara, who – now that the stress of actually making the announcement had been dealt with – happily raised her hand to show them her ring. “Yes, we did,” she cried happily.
In an instant she and Daniel were overwhelmed by good wishes. If it was possible, the atmosphere had become even more cheerful and relaxed – so relaxed that Aunt Nora burned the roast that had been forgotten in the oven. Exactly the type of mistake that Antonio Banderas would never have made.
*
Sara was hiding behind her glass of white wine. Crisp and delicious, it was a real panacea for her strained nerves. Her eyes protruded over the edge at periscope height, carefully studying the situation and ready to come up with a plan of action, just like a ninja hiding in the shadows. Too bad that handy tool was such a fragile little barrier. She gulped down another sip while she tried to decide whether to intervene or not. She wasn’t tipsy, she didn’t want to be tipsy – well, okay, maybe a little. Just enough so that her mind would become clouded and lose its clarity. Everything was going well. Really well…
It was a disaster… or maybe not quite a disaster, more of a ‘I’m standing on the cliff edge and the tiniest gust of wind will blow me off’ situation.
She ought to be totally, thoroughly ashamed of herself. She was sure that her cheeks must be bright red, and it certainly wasn’t because of the number of glasses of white wine she had downed. What was the most awkward thing a daughter could be subjected to? Maybe to being indelicately discussed in front of all the relatives present at dinner on Christmas Eve? Watching her mother flirting with her wonderful boyfriend who, as patient as a saint, had taken it upon himself to act as sacrificial lamb to save her?
All the wine on the table wouldn’t have been enough to calm her down. Not that evening, not after she’d been dreading that unhappy encounter for months. The long awaited moment when she presented to her mother her wonderful fiancé, the only man in the world she could ever love. What the hell was going through that stupid head of hers? Daniel wouldn’t leave her just because her mother was a
bit silly. She must be more drunk than she’d realised to be imagining herself, decrepit and alone, in an old people’s home reading the biography of the famous British model who had married the daughter of the queen of England. Nightmares with her eyes open, a very bad sign.
Sara stopped sipping her wine. She knew she had to put the glass back down on the table. It was a pity that it meant going back to the front line. How had a family reunion managed to turn into what felt like a war? She was going over the top, she knew she was: Daniel was always telling her to calm down. But how could she, when her mum, Caterina, made all of her insecurities re-emerge? Sara was a little girl again – that timid little girl of the past, the little girl who was insecure about her appearance who had grown into a woman who, via her need to control things, was always looking for some kind of equilibrium.
A hand rested on hers and helped her to lower the now empty glass.
“Never mind him and calm yourself down!” exclaimed Virginia, sitting down next to her sister.
“They’re talking a lot!”
Virginia turned to look at Daniel and Caterina. “Well, maybe they’ve got a lot to say to each other.”
“I’m trembling.”
“Oh, stop it – Mum will be so taken by the charms of your boyfriend that…”
“That she’ll start playing footsie with him under the table,” Sara concluded in terror.
Virginia burst out laughing. “You are off your head. Here, have something to eat instead,” she said, pointing to the plate on the table.
Sara tried to follow her sister’s advice and, reluctantly, refocused on the conversation that was taking place at the table. They were all sitting there commenting on Aunt Nora’s dinner, which consisted of salmon canapès and lumpfish roe, baked sea bream, new potatoes and a delicious shrimp flan, passing round the dishes with amused expressions on their faces as they made conversation – of which she was often the subject – or at least that was what it sounded like to her.