by Helen Mcginn
‘Please stop worrying. We’ll be fine,’ James had said, as they’d travelled up early on the train together that morning.
‘I know you will but it just feels so weird, going off.’
‘Don’t complain, make the most of it.’
‘You’re right, I will. Thank you.’
Sitting on the plane with her sister beside her, in the front row of all places, Annie’s thoughts turned to Rome and of what lay ahead in the next few days. ‘Do you know,’ she turned to Jess, speaking in an almost whisper, ‘I’ve been so preoccupied about the logistics of getting here, I’ve not even thought about what we’re going to do once we get to Rome. I mean, where do we even start?’
‘Good question. I was thinking a stroll down the Via Condotti followed by a glass of something cold and sparkling, looking out over the city from the hotel near the top of the Spanish Steps.’
‘Jess, I mean Mum. How do we go about finding her?’
‘I think we’ll leave that until tomorrow. First, we need to enjoy a drink and watch the world go by.’
‘When in Rome…’ Annie couldn’t help herself.
‘Exactly that,’ smiled Jess. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, the diazepam is kicking in. I might just shut my eyes for a bit.’
‘When did you pop those?’ Annie looked aghast.
Jess laughed. ‘Same time you were pinching the free cashew nuts. Washed them down with champagne. Just to take the edge off. Lovely.’ With that, Jess lowered her sunglasses and tipped her head back.
Annie sighed, picking up the glossy magazine lying in Jess’s lap. A whole two and a half hours lay ahead and the only question she might be asked is what she’d like to drink. The flight alone was practically a mini-break.
As they stepped out of the airport, the wall of warm air hit them with force. The sight that greeted them was one of complete chaos. There were banks of white taxis but none seemed to be moving. Drivers on pavements talked fast and furiously, gesticulating wildly at the gathering crowds around them.
‘Oh God, what’s happening?’ cried Annie.
‘Sciopero. Shit.’ Jess reached for her phone. ‘There must be a strike on, probably the buses or the trains. The roads will be completely blocked with cars. Looks like we’re stuck, at least for a bit.’
On the plane, Annie had been planning an afternoon taking in the sights of the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps with the odd glass of Prosecco thrown in for good measure. Clearly that wasn’t going to happen.
‘What shall we do? I mean, could we call the hotel, see what they say? Or maybe go and get a coffee or something and come back in a bit?’
‘No, we’re just going to have to sharpen our elbows and get to the front as quickly as we can. Follow me.’ Jess grabbed Annie by the arm and together they made their way into the throng.
Julia sat at a table in the shade outside a small bar with a condensation-on-glass of chilled white wine in front of her – and Patrick opposite her. The intense heat of the day had started to ease a little but the sun still blazed, the sky was azure blue, and Julia was very happy indeed. She had arrived the evening before, taking the train from the airport into Roma Termini, the central station. From there, she’d taken a taxi to the hotel – the taxi driver, Stefano, had told her she was lucky to arrive when she did because the following day the train drivers were due to call a one-day strike – and she had enjoyed her first full day in Rome immensely.
On landing, she’d received instructions from Patrick via text to go to a different hotel than originally planned, a small guesthouse tucked on the side of a cobbled piazza in Trastevere, on the other side of the Tiber away from the crowds. Run by a heavenly husband and wife, Antonio and Isabella, the house was stuffed with art and antiques. Barely a patch of paint could be seen for the picture frames of all sizes hanging on the walls. Her room looked out over a piazza and on the roof was a small terrace with a handful of tables and white canvas umbrellas. On checking in, Antonio had handed Julia a note. It was from Patrick, saying that, if she wasn’t too tired, he would meet her for a drink on the terrace at 8 p.m. Or if she wasn’t keen to meet tonight, maybe they could bring forward their original plan and meet the following afternoon by the Pantheon. Julia didn’t see the point in wasting time. She had days ahead of her to explore the city.
Julia had had time to hang her handful of clothes in the large wooden wardrobe before taking a bath and changing into fresh clothes. To her surprise, as she headed to the terrace, she didn’t feel the slightest bit nervous. Rather, she couldn’t wait to see Patrick, to hear how he’d been and what he’d been doing all these years.
As she made her way up to the roof in the old lift, she checked her lipstick in the mirror and took a deep breath. The lift door opened and there, sitting at one of the tables, his head in a book, was Patrick. His frame slowly unfolded as he stood to greet her. He was tall, despite the slight stoop that age had put upon him, and his hair was thick and grey. His blue eyes matched the faded colour of his gently crumpled blue linen shirt. Still kind eyes, just as they always had been, thought Julia.
‘I’m so pleased you came,’ Patrick said, taking one of Julia’s hands and holding it in both of his.
‘So am I, Patrick.’ Julia looked at him. Tears sat just behind her eyes but they didn’t fall. She opened her arms and they stood for a while, lost in a warm embrace.
Two hours later than they’d hoped, Annie and Jess pulled up in a taxi outside their hotel, just a few streets to the west of the Piazza del Popolo, at the northern end of the Centro Storico.
The building was tall and narrow, with an air of faded glamour. Outside, rows of bicycles and motorini sat on the edge of the cobbled street looking like a suddenly abandoned cycle hire shop. Small orange trees sat in huge stone pots on either side of the heavy black double doors of the hotel. As hassled and hot as she was, the scent of orange was not lost on Annie as she passed them and climbed the steps into the hotel.
But the sight that greeted them was not quite what they had expected: a crowd of bewildered tourists all asking questions in different languages. The two women sitting behind the desk were apologising profusely.
‘Scusi, please can you tell me what’s going on?’ Jess had her best smile on.
The older of the two women cupped her hand to her ear.
‘We have a reservation. Is everything OK?’
‘Unfortunately, the hotel is closed. We have a crack in the wall. The city authority tell us we have to close immediately. I am sorry, there is nothing we can do. We must find you somewhere else to stay.’
‘Seriously? Just like that you’re closing?’ Jess’s raised voice bought the room to silence.
Annie stood at the back of the room, mindlessly looking at the rack of free postcards on the wall. Not exactly what I had in mind for our Roman holiday, she thought. Still, at least she was here and not, for once, picking fish fingers, toys or wet towels up off the floor, which is what she’d normally be doing at this time of day at home.
‘I am sorry, madam, but as I already said, there is nothing we can do. We have to close. We find you another hotel as soon as we can.’
‘Where? Near to here?’
‘Please. Give us some minutes and I can organise it for you. How many rooms did you have booked?’
‘Two. I’m here with my sister. And we think my mother is staying here too.’
‘You think she’s staying here?’
‘Yes, long story. Can you tell me where she’s moved to?’
‘What’s her name?’
‘Shield. Julia Shield.’
The woman pulled down her glasses from her head and slowly ran her finger down the list of names in front of her. ‘There is no one of that name on the list. When did she arrive?’
‘Yesterday, I think. With a man called Patrick… Patrick… Annie!’
Annie turned.
‘What’s Patrick’s surname?’
‘I’ve absolutely no idea.’ Anni
e shrugged.
Jess turned back to the woman, who now had her glasses firmly back on her head. The younger woman was also now interested, along with the German couple to Jess’s right. ‘We don’t know. But there must be a booking for Julia Shield.’
‘I’m sorry, but there’s nothing under that name. I find you another hotel now.’
‘OK, thanks’. Jess sighed. ‘Annie, I’m going outside for a mo. Hang on here until we know where we’re going.’ Clutching her e-cigarette, Jess pulled down her sunglasses and headed for the door, completely unaware of the stunned gazes that followed her.
Moments later, Annie was called to the desk by the younger woman. She spoke softly. ‘So, I have a room for you in a hotel not far from here, it’s called the Mellini. There is a taxi outside that will take you. It’s just a few minutes but you have your bags so it’s easier to go in the car. The room rate is the same as here so you just pay them and we’ll refund your deposit. We are sorry about this.’ The woman smiled apologetically.
‘It’s fine, really. It’s not your fault, just one of those things. Thank you.’ Annie scooped up her bag, grabbed Jess’s suitcase and made her way outside. ‘That’s our car,’ she said, nodding to the taxi as she passed Jess on the steps. ‘Come on, hop in. We’re off.’
Soon they were speeding through narrow cobbled streets before crossing a bridge, the murky yellow-green water of the Tiber snaking steadily below them. Turning left onto a wide street, they pulled up outside an enormous, anonymous-looking building. Only when the taxi driver opened the door did Annie see the name Mellini across the plate-glass door. Realising this was, in fact, their hotel, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. The Locarna had looked every inch the hotel of her dreams and now they were staying in what looked like a government building.
‘Brilliant!’ Jess looked up.
‘Really? Don’t you think it’s a little drab?’ Annie was surprised by her sister’s calm acceptance of it all.
‘The wifi will be good, as will the constant supply of hot water. Unlike the Locarna, no doubt. And we’re closer to one of the best coffee places in Rome here; it’s just across the next bridge down. Anyway, we’re not going to be here much. We’ve got shopping to do.’ Jess grinned at her sister.
‘And finding our mother, Jess. Don’t forget about finding our mother. At least we had some hope of doing so if we’d been in the same place.’
‘Oh, yes. Of course. That, too. Now, shall we throw our bags in the room and go and get a drink somewhere?’
Given the stressful journey they’d had to get there, the functional nature of the Mellini did indeed turn out to be a blessing in disguise. After the chaos of the previous three hours, Jess and Annie were checked in within minutes. With their bags hastily dumped on enormous beds, they headed out into the city, ready to fill their senses and stomachs with whatever Rome had in store for them. As they crossed the bridge, heading back towards the heart of the city, the heat of the day now seemed to lie in the cobbles below their feet. The air was still warm, the sky pale blue with a whisper of pink creeping in from the edges.
Jess grabbed Annie’s hand as they raced across a busy street, narrowly avoiding being mown down by a couple on a Vespa. They seemed to be travelling against the tide as workers passed them, walking back to their homes with soft leather briefcases in hand.
‘Where are we heading?’ Annie could sense Jess was on a mission.
‘About halfway up this next street,’ Jess replied. They came to a small door. ‘Ah-ha, just as I thought. Negroni?’
‘It looks like a bank, Jess.’
‘Look up.’
Annie raised her eyes, spotting corners of beautiful thick canopy umbrellas above. The gentle hum of the crowd reached them in the street below. ‘Definitely time for a Negroni,’ she said, following her sister through the door.
The waiter placed the glasses on the table, each small tumbler filled with drink the colour of blood oranges, along with a bowl of indecently green olives and a small plate of bruschetta topped with basil.
‘Grazie.’ They reached for their glasses.
‘Prego.’ The waiter smiled at them both, before snaking off between tables. Annie took a small sip and felt the bitterness of the drink take hold of her taste buds immediately.
‘Oh my God, that’s good.’ Jess shivered in her seat.
‘Like a short, sharp slap across the tongue.’ Annie was more used to the gentle lemony notes of a nice-enough Pinot Grigio on hers but right here, right now, this little aperitivo was perfect.
‘So, how are the boys?’ Jess loved them madly and they, in turn, adored their favourite aunt.
‘Oh, all good. Rufus is doing really well at school. Ned is yet to realise that there is no coming-back-to-life potion. I have tried to explain that if he runs into the road or climbs a really big tree, and something goes wrong, then that’s it, game over. But he doesn’t get it.’
‘Well of course he doesn’t! He’s five!’
‘Six, actually.’
‘Near enough… Shit, did I miss a birthday?’
‘No, not unless the remote-controlled car that got delivered that day wasn’t from you. I mean, honestly, Jess. That must have cost a fortune.’
‘Oh, thank God for that. For a minute I thought I’d forgotten.’
‘You never forget, Jess. It’s just a shame that you’re not often there. They love you so much.’
‘I know, I know. But work, it’s insane at the moment. Actually, it’s like that all the time. Which is why I’m looking for someone to help me.’
‘Jess, that’s great! You are the world’s worst delegator and you can’t expect to keep working at the pace that you do and not keel over with the stress of it all at some point.’
‘I know, but it’s so hard even imagining handing someone my baby. But if I’m going to keep the business going, I’ve got to find someone who can work with me and then, one day, take over.’
‘Look, I can’t pretend to know what it’s like. I paint furniture for a living…’
‘And you’re raising two kids! Come on, Annie, what you do is amazing…’ Jess downed the other half of her drink and signalled with a dazzling smile to the waiter for two more.
‘I’m not belittling what I do. It’s bloody hard work. But it’s also really, really boring sometimes. I mean, at least I get time to myself now they’re both at school and that’s very different from being at home with two small kids all day. But still, I can’t help but think what might have been if I hadn’t jumped off the career ladder.’
‘You can always get back on it, though.’ Jess realised she was on shaky ground.
‘It’s tough, Jess. The cost of childcare is eye-watering and the jobs that fit round school hours are hardly abundant. I do everything I can with the furniture but, to be honest, it’s a slog. I’m just so tired. All the bloody time. Apart from now; with this in my hand I feel I could take on the world and win.’ Annie drained her glass and noticed the Negroni doing its work.
‘Well, the grass is definitely not greener from where I’m standing. Honestly, I hate to think I’m defined by my job but that’s how it feels sometimes. As if not being married or having children by now means that I had no option but to throw myself into work. Which really isn’t the case. I do it because I love it. Anyway, considering you were going to marry what’s-his-name, the lead singer from that boy band you didn’t do so badly.’
‘I was not!’ Annie look genuinely horrified. ‘It was the other one, who was, by the way, the best dancer, if you must know. And I know we would have been very happy together.’
‘Enough about what might have been. What we really need to talk about is what we fancy doing tomorrow.’
‘You mean finding Mum? We haven’t much to go on...’
‘No, not that, we’ll work that out tomorrow. For now, I can’t think beyond a plate of antipasti. Let’s walk up to the Spanish Steps after this one and find somewhere to eat. It’s gorgeous at this time, n
ow it’s not so hot.’
The bar was busy, humming with the sound of Romans decompressing after a day spent in sweltering offices. Together, they soaked up their surroundings, enjoying the noise of people talking in Italian, fast and with feeling. The men were mostly without ties; the women immaculately dressed with expensive-looking sunglasses either covering their eyes or placed on their heads, keeping back their manes of luxuriously shiny hair. Annie couldn’t quite put her finger on it but everyone looked both seemingly desired and desirable. Maybe that was just the Negronis.
‘Come on then, I’ll get the bill.’ Jess looked round to catch the waiter’s eye. ‘Oh, just look at that sky!’ Behind her the sky was pink as the sun prepared to take its leave for the day.
Annie sighed. ‘It really is beautiful here. And after those drinks, I’m starving.’
The waiter placed a dish on the table with the bill, along with a card and a scribbled number under the name Mauro.
‘Oh my God, I think he’s given you his number. I mean, how? You’ve been here for less than half an hour and didn’t even speak to him?’ Annie looked at Jess, wide-eyed.
‘Maybe he’s just being friendly?’ Jess placed a note on the dish and slipped the card into her bag. She smiled at Annie, grabbed her sister by the hand and together they headed further into the heart of the city.
5
Julia awoke to the sound of church bells and the low morning hum of human life on the street below. Wheels on cobbles, cheery greetings and teasing exchanges between locals; words she didn’t fully understand but got the gist of. She reached for her water, suddenly regretting last night’s final grappa – on the house, obviously – but as the previous day pieced together like a simple jigsaw in Julia’s mind, she couldn’t help but smile.