by Melissa Hill
“Just a bit,” answered Maia. “I’m hoping you can fix it quickly—I am close to having a house full of guests and I don’t want to put anyone through any unnecessary discomfort.”
Giorgio shook his head with a smile. “You know in Italy we have survived for centuries without the benefit of cool air—we have never worried so much about air conditioning. All through the ages, we have survived.”
Maia suppressed a grin—she truly loved Giorgio, and was appreciative of everything he did for her, usually at a discount, but just then she didn’t need a history lesson on the superiority of the Italian people compared to other apparently ‘lesser’ ethnicities.
“Yes yes, I know Giorgio—let’s talk Italian history later. Now, come inside the house.” She extended a hand to her friend as if to guide him to where he needed to be when she heard another car pull up. Realising that it couldn’t be Jacob returning so soon, Maia knew that her wish to have the AC fixed before her last guests arrived had been an empty thought—they were already here.
Thinking back quickly to the other reservation – this one for a couple - she recalled the names—Parish. They were also Americans, from Florida and apparently visiting Italy for their wedding anniversary.
“Camilla can you take Giorgio into the house? Some more guests just arrived.”
Following her instructions, the Italian pair disappeared into the house leaving Maia to once again put a welcoming smile on her face as she worked to suppress the stress and nervousness.
“Hello!” she called out, deciding this time to forego the Italian welcome given that they were American and probably more comfortable with English. “You must be the Parishes?”
Maia headed down the walk to where the couple stood. Taking in their appearance, she immediately decided that they had to be in their late forties, probably closer to her in age than either Amelia or Jacob. She wondered what wedding anniversary they were celebrating.
“Hi,” said Lori, “we are - the Parishes that is. And you must be Maia. We are so happy you had a vacancy—this place looks perfect.”
Lori had bright red hair and Maia knew right off the bat that she was a natural redhead, as much because of her pale ivory skin that was dotted with freckles as the fact that the highlights in her hair simply could not be bought in a salon.
Maia smiled at the compliment. “Well, thank you for that, but in the interests of full disclosure, I just want to warn you that our air conditioning is broken at the moment. It’s a new unit though and we do have someone working on it currently. I have no doubt we will have cooler air inside shortly.”
With her comment Hal, the husband of the pair, perked up. “I know something about air conditioning units. For my engineering degree I worked for a heating and air company in Orlando. I can go help if you like.”
Maia shook her head, touched. “Oh, I appreciate it. But you’re on holiday. You don’t need to do that. Besides, my handyman, Giorgio; he’s the one who installed it. I’m sure he can manage.”
Lori looked to her husband, clearly in agreement with what Maia was saying. “Come on honey, she’s right, it’s our vacation. You don’t need to go mess with the AC, they’ll get it fixed.”
But Hal was shaking his head in the negative. “No really, I don’t mind. Point me in the right direction. What did you say his name was Maia? Giorgio?” He pronounced it “Georgie-O” without the necessary Italian accent.
“Um,” Maia said, looking nervously between the pair and feeling immediately worried when she saw the happy expression that had been on Lori’s face disappear. “I mean, yes, Giorgio is his name, but honestly he has it covered. You shouldn’t feel the need to do this— you are a guest after all.”
But Maia’s words had obviously fallen on deaf ears. At that moment, Giorgio emerged from the house, apparently to fetch another tool from his truck, and Hal honed in on the man. Seemed he knew he was the AC repair guy by sight alone.
“Hey man,” Hal called. “You fixing the AC? Need an extra pair of hands? I know what I’m doing in that department.”
Giorgio, who had pulled a rag from his back pocket to wipe grease off his hands, cast a curious albeit confused look at Maia. For a moment, she just hoped that her friend would pretend to not understand English in an effort to deflect Hal’s help—but no such luck.
“Yes. I’m fixing it now, but—“
However Hal didn’t allow Giorgio to offer a protest. He had already dropped the bag that he had been holding on the ground and was walking forward, ready to help the man with whatever he needed.
“Great. I used to work in heating and cooling—a long time ago, but I know my way around a repair, you know? So what are you dealing with? How many BTUs? Is that how an Italian system works? I wonder if the output is the same as American units?”
Giorgio shrugged and looked at the women who were standing behind Hal. “Yes, I think so. I just need to grab some tools.”
Getting what he needed, Giorgio turned back to the house with Hal following in his wake. The bag he dropped hadn’t moved, and Hal hadn’t come back to fetch it. Apparently, that was to be left to his wife, who was now looking despondent and completely crushed by her husband’s actions.
Maia wasn’t quite sure what to say, so she made the simplest of offers.
“Can I help you with the luggage?” she asked quietly.
Lori looked close to tears and she bit her lip, casting her eyes downwards.
“Ten years. This is our tenth anniversary. We honeymooned here - in Sorrento. I thought that coming back here would…” Lori swallowed hard. “But no, he wants to fix the goddamned air conditioning.”
Maia leaned forward and picked up the bag that Hal had dropped. “Maybe he just wants to be helpful?”
But Lori rolled her eyes. “Right. That’s what it is. Him being helpful. Because at home if I have a sink clogged or need something done around the house, he simply jumps at the opportunity to help me.” Lori’s voice was thick with sarcasm and Maia felt immediately awkward. She had just met them after all, and was unsure what to do with Lori’s candidness about her marriage.
“Well all marriages have their rough spots,” Maia said kindly.
“Really, it’s okay. I’m used to this crap.” She looked at the scenery around her, as if noticing it for the first time. “This place is gorgeous though…”
“Is there anything else I can do to help?” Maia asked - it didn’t seem as if they had any more to carry inside, just the two bags.
The woman smiled. “Possibly, yes.” She looked over Maia’s shoulder at the house. “Do you by chance have any wine?”
Maia emitted a laugh.
Errant handyman husband aside, she knew she would get along with Lori Parish just fine.
6
Hal looked very satisfied with himself as a little later he pronounced that the job was done and that they would once again have cool air in Villa Azalea. Giorgio on the other hand, looked frazzled and weary. Maia was betting that Hal wasn’t as big of a help as he thought he was.
“Well, that’s fantastic news,” she said as she placed a hand in front of a vent—feeling immediate relief when cold air hit her skin. She turned to where Lori was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking her requested glass of wine.
Maia had learned an awful lot about her new guest in the time that it had taken for Hal and Giorgio to do their work. She had discovered they were indeed the same age, both were childless, and both were of Irish descent, although Lori had lived in the United States her entire life.
However, there was one major difference between the two of them—where Maia had a happy marriage; it seemed that Lori had spent the last couple years of her relationship with Hal sailing troubled seas. As she had drank her wine, she was more than happy to divulge the fact that her marriage wasn’t blissful and that she was using this trip as a last ditch effort to reignite the spark—or else.
Maia wasn’t entirely sure what “or else” meant, but she knew that its connotation didn’t bode well for
the future if Hal didn’t turn into a devoted and attentive husband.
“Anyway, now that’s fixed, I’m sure you are both ready to have some fun.” Maia had discovered that the couple didn’t fly in to Italy that day—therefore, neither one should be suffering any jetlag from their journey. If anything, she was well aware that Lori was eager to get out and see the sites. “We have some bikes here that you can borrow if you would like —those are great for getting around the area. Or there is a vineyard actually right down the road within walking distance.” Maia smiled at the couple hoping she was effectively pulling off the role of hospitality manager and tour director. “What do you think? It’s a beautiful day, perfectly for exploring.”
Lori was nodding eagerly in agreement, but when Maia looked at Hal, she was met with a wide yawn.
“Yeah not right now,” he said. “I’m beat. I think I’m going to go take a nap or something.”
And Lori’s face once again fell. Maia immediately felt sad for the woman—disappointment was clear on her face.
How could her husband not see how uncaring he was being?
Seeing Lori swallow hard, Maia clasped and unclasped her hands, wondering what to do. But then Lori spoke. “Hal, you slept late today. Why don’t we go out and do something. There’s no use wasting our time—not that this house isn’t lovely—but I thought we were going to find that little trattoria that we visited on our honeymoon? Why don’t we do that? Maia said we could borrow the bikes—it won’t be far from here.”
But Hal was already shaking his head. “I really need a nap. Why don’t you go?” he said, turning toward the hallway. “Which way is our room? You brought the bags in, right?”
Maia felt herself holding her breath. If Jim ever pulled something like that, she would have exploded.
But Lori didn’t offer fireworks; instead she took a slug of her wine and turned to look out the window. “Yeah. It’s that way. Down the hallway, second door on the left. Enjoy your nap.” Lori looked back at Maia pointedly—she was refusing to meet her husband’s eyes. “I hope you don’t mind if I go take a walk. I need some air.”
Camilla joined Maia in the kitchen shortly afterwards. She had contemplated going out and keeping Lori company, but it seemed clear that the woman needed some alone time.
“How is everyone getting on?” Camilla asked.
Maia shrugged and looked out into the garden, where Lori had found a home with her glass of wine. “I don’t know really—I feel like this current group might be good for reality TV, truth be told.”
Camilla joined her at the window and peered out. “Is she out there by herself?” Maia nodded. “Well, that’s not much fun. Come on. Let’s get to know her.” Maia was about to call out and tell her friend that she suspected Lori might need time to organise her thoughts, but before she knew it Camilla was out the door, calling out an introduction.
“Oh bloody hell,” Maia cursed quietly. “Well, if you can’t beat them …” She grabbed the open bottle of wine.
Moments later, the trio found themselves in the middle of comfortable conversation. Whatever melancholy Lori had been feeling obviously started to dissipate once Maia offered her another glass of wine.
“So tell me Maia, how did you end up here?” Lori inquired.
Clearing her throat, she offered the short version and Lori murmured her condolences when she got to the part about Jim’s passing.
“He sounds like he was a great man,” she said with a small smile. “Anyone who follows a dream like this …I really admire you two. I can’t imagine ever living anywhere else except Florida.”
Maia shrugged. “I always thought that about us too. It was hard for me to wrap my head around leaving the place I had lived for my entire life. But now, I don’t know if I could ever go back. This is home now.”
Lori nodded and sat back in her chair, getting comfortable. “Not a bad place to hang your hat, if I do say so myself.”
“You are from Florida?” said Camilla excitedly. “I have always wanted to go there.”
“To visit Disney World I suppose?”
But Camilla tilted her head. “No no to Miami Beach. I am not a child after all.”
Maia laughed. It was true that she often forgot that Camilla wasn’t a teenager, but a woman in her mid twenties. “But I mean, maybe I will go to Disney too. I love the princesses.”
“There’s a lot of fun things to do in the Sunshine State,” offered Lori. “Not that I do many of them anymore…”
“So how did you and Hal get together?” Maia asked, hoping to change the subject to a happier topic.
With that question, Lori’s eyes took on a faraway look—and Maia knew that she had asked the right thing. It was apparent that she still very much loved her husband, but was living vicariously through her memories.
“It was eleven years ago,” Lori said. “We didn’t date for long or have an extended engagement. I mean, we were both already in our mid-thirties. And when you get to be that age, you know when it’s right. You don’t have to spend years trying to figure it out. With Hal, from day one, I knew it was right. He used to be awfully romantic.”
Apparently, Hal and Lori had met on Miami Beach—and she did a good job of painting the location for Camilla. But while Camilla wanted to know about the city’s party scene, Lori was frank that she couldn’t really offer knowledge about that because while she had been planning to go out with her girlfriends that night, those plans had been derailed—as she had instead went out for a beautiful sunset ride in his boat.
“By the end of the night, I just knew. He was so spontaneous back then. Nothing would have stopped him from saying, ‘Hey, let’s take the boat down the coast to Key West,’ or ‘why not a trip to the Bahamas this weekend?’ Even our wedding was a bit spur of the moment. We flew to Vegas and eloped.” Lori smiled with the memory. “We didn’t want a big wedding—we wanted to keep it small and spend our money on the honeymoon. Here. It was perfect.”
Maia nodded in agreement. “Jim and I were the same way. Small wedding, just our family and close friends. And then a wonderful extended honeymoon.”
But Camilla tisked. “Small weddings. When I get married, I will have a huge wedding. If I tried to do something small, my family would disown me,” she grinned. “I want a dress with a thirty foot train. It will fill the aisle of the cathedral.”
“And I have no doubt that the cathedral will be St. Peter’s Basilica,” Maia chided and the trio laughed loudly. “Do you want some more wine?” she asked Lori.
But before the other woman could answer, Amelia stepped outside.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry Amelia, I hope we didn’t disturb you, I’m afraid we were being quite loud.”
“Not at all. It was time for me to get up anyway—I just wanted to get some fresh air.”
Quickly, Maia introduced her guests to each other and taking a seat, Amelia appeared much more relaxed than she had been earlier that day.
“So what brings you here honey?” Lori asked.
Remembering the conversation from earlier, Maia quickly tried to figure out how to deflect the topic—it had been apparent that Amelia wasn’t overly excited to attend her friend’s wedding.
But Camilla, who had obviously forgotten the young woman’s discomfort, spoke first, “She is here to attend a friend’s wedding,” she said simply.
Amelia looked pale
“Well, what a perfect place to get married,” Lori noted.
Amelia looked around and shrugged her agreement. “I suppose. But no offense, it wouldn’t have been my first choice.”
Camilla shot a knowing look at Maia. “Well then it’s lucky, yes? That you are just friends with the groom.”
A cloud passed over Amelia’s face, and she turned away from Camilla’s inquiring eyes, casting a longing look to the Bay of Naples. She looked as if she wanted to be anywhere except there.
“Well actually, that’s the thing.... It was …supposed to be me. My friend, the groom, he’s… he’
s actually, my ex. And that’s why I am here, to watch him marry someone else.”
The three woman stared in silence at Amelia, all (except Camilla it seemed) surprised by what she had just revealed. Amelia on the other hand, suddenly looked light as a feather—as if she had been looking for a way to get that little revelation off of her chest.
Lori was the first to speak. “He’s your ex? And you are attending his wedding?”
Amelia took a long slug from the wine glass. She seemed to take a minute to ponder the taste of the red liquid, and once again threw a look out over the Bay, as if debating whether or not to answer the question. Finally, she nodded. “Yes. Aaron. He and I were engaged actually. And now he is marrying someone else. She’s his co-worker. They were always good ‘friends’ when we were together.”
“Are you saying he cheated on you with this woman?” inquired Camilla, disgust thick in her voice.
Amelia shrugged and brushed a loose strand of blonde hair from her face. “I really have no idea. It’s just awfully convenient, I suppose. All I know is that he ended it with me—he said he wasn’t ready to get married. I’d just bought my dress the day before. Everything was set. And he said he wasn’t ready. You would have thought this might have dawned on him before he proposed to me, don’t you?”
Camilla was nodding her head vehemently, agreeing with everything that Amelia was saying. “So what happened next?” she asked, seemingly on tenterhooks.
Taking a deep breath, Amelia continued. “He had asked me to be his ‘friend’. That he still loved me. That I was still the best person in his life.” Then she let out a small shudder. “But within six months he was engaged to her.”
Maia sat silently shaking her head. She sometimes couldn’t believe the drama in some relationships—and she knew that she had been lucky. Her relationship with Jim had always been drama free. Quietly she asked the question that all of them were thinking.
“So Amelia, then why are you here?”
The British girl shrugged. “To be honest, I really don’t know. When the invitation showed up in the post what I really wanted to do was put it through a paper shredder. I honestly saw red. But I didn’t want to be that person. I decided at the last moment to come. But I couldn’t stay at the hotel with the wedding party. His parents would be there, and I always loved his parents. I knew I would see the pity on their faces. I suppose to answer your question, I came because I needed to see it happen. I needed the visual confirmation. I suppose I am a glutton for punishment really, voluntarily attending a wedding to watch the love of my life marry another woman.”