"If we were only meant to have this week, then let us make the most of it. We should not let the next four days pass regretting we have so little time. We will get to the end and feel worse than we do now for wasting the time that we had," the young man said in tender earnestness.
Karl looked into his eyes. "You're right. We have four days." He nodded his head in agreement. "They're ours to enjoy."
And they did, starting at that moment. They spent the afternoon making gentle, tender love and enjoying each other to the fullest. They took a luxurious shower. That evening, they left the hotel, walking hand in hand to explore the nightlife of Florence.
They discovered the Piccolo Café where they joined the crowd of like-minded men and women. There they celebrated their love with dancing, wine and a candlelit dinner on the terrace. Returning to The Colorado, they slept wrapped in each other's arms, following another time of precious intimacy.
The following evening they went to the opera. There they sat next to a young American couple, Dave and Ted. The two men were touring Europe following college graduation. After the performance of Puccini's La Bohème the four men went out for drinks and dinner. The pair invited Karl and Tonio to tour with them. When Karl translated what they said to his companion. Tonio smiled, leaned across the table and kissed Karl. "Vorrei che si potesse essere così. Would that it could be so," he whispered.
* * * *
The next morning and those following, they woke to make love and eat a leisurely breakfast in the hotel. Then they would tour the city. The lovers found parks in which to walk, stores in which to window shop, places to eat and in general lived as if this were the pattern for the rest of their lives.
Returning to the hotel each day, they shared their love totally. Never once did they mention that the day of Karl's departure drew nearer with each hour. They were true to their pledge to one another: to enjoy each other and each day to the fullest.
* * * *
But that day of departure could not be pushed back. It came. That morning Karl lay awake looking at the sleeping face of his lover. He bent and kissed his forehead, brushing the dark curls away with his hand. Tonio opened his eyes and smiled.
"Make love to me," Karl said. "I want to feel you inside me, as I have been in you, once before I..." He could not finish the sentence.
"Of course," came the reply.
Tonio pulled Karl down beside him. Gentle kisses, warm caresses, whispered endearments brought both men to full arousal. They prolonged their foreplay. Finally, Karl rolled onto his back. Having been tenderly prepared for his union, Karl had no fear of pain, only longing to consummate their love. He raised his legs to Tonio's shoulders.
"I love you, Tonio, now and for always."
"I love you, Karl, now and for always," Tonio repeated as he eased his manhood forward, seeking entry to Karl's waiting body.
Karl ignored the pain. He knew only the fulfillment of being one with the man he loved, the rhythm of their bodies carrying him to a realm of emotion he had never even imagined. Their climax was simultaneous, the afterglow ethereal. Karl held his Tonio for the last time.
* * * *
Inside La Galleria Del Academia the two men stood outside the cordoned off Tribuna of David. Hand in hand they looked at the empty plinth.
"What do you think will happen to you when I leave?" Karl asked hesitantly.
"I don't know," came the reply.
"Are you frightened?"
"Yes." Tonio turned to him. "But what we have shared gives me the courage I need."
Karl took his hands in his. "I wish I could take you with me."
"I wish it, too." Tonio smiled and looked at Karl intently. "We have wished before. Who knows? Maybe we are allowed more than one wish."
They embraced and left The Galleria. They took a cab to the Amerigo Vespucci Airport, where Karl would take the 4:25 Alitalia flight to rejoin the tour group in Naples for the trip back to New York. Standing outside the final security checkpoint, they held each other one more time.
"Arrivederci, il mio amore," they said in unison.
Karl turned and walked through the security arch. On the other side he turned and waved. Tonio waved back. Karl walked away to the concourse.
* * * *
Sitting next to the window, Karl watched as the city dropped away below him.
The afternoon sun glinted off the domes of the ancient buildings. He wondered which one was the Accademia. He wondered where his Tonio was now and if the plinth was still empty?
The man sitting next to him pulled out his laptop and flipped it open. Karl looked back out of the window. The city was behind them now.
"Holy shit!" the man exclaimed.
Karl turned and looked at the screen. There, in the center, was a picture of the David. The banner read, Michelangelo's Masterpiece Mysteriously Returned.
Karl read the first lines of the article.
Today at 4:25 PM tourists and staff at the famed Galleria Dell'Accademia were startled by the sudden reappearance of the missing statue of David, King of Israel by sculptor, Michelangelo. Authorities have no explanation of how the immense work of art could have suddenly...
"Can you believe that?" the man sitting next to him went on.
Karl nodded, smiling, and said, "Oh, I think I can."
The man looked at him strangely, but didn't continue the conversation. Karl turned back to the window to watch the sun shining on the ripples of the Mediterranean far below. He smiled.
"Arrivederci, il mio amore."
* * * *
"So, whatcha do with yer time back there in Florence?" Myrna questioned Karl.
"Musta been borin' there all by yerself."
Karl stretched out in the seat next to her as the plane lifted off from Naples'
Capodichino Airport.
"Actually, I had a great time," he replied with a wistful smile.
"Well, ya probably had a better time than I did," Myrna moaned. She launched into a long tale of how bad the buses were, how all the museums looked alike and how they made ya pay through the nose to visit some old ruin where God fearin' Christians were eaten by lions. "And the pizza weren't fit to eat."
Karl smiled. His Italian adventure ended where it had started, with Myrna prattling on and on with every conceivable complaint under the sun about the trip.
But it wasn't really the same. He had changed. He no longer thought of himself as an over the hill, has-been of a schoolteacher whom no one would ever want to love.
Italy had changed that; Tonio had changed that. So, as he bade Myrna goodbye so she could connect with her flight to Alabama, he could honestly respond positively to her request that he stay in touch, and maybe they could travel together again sometime.
As he made his way to the baggage claim, there was a spring in his step. He whistled and nodded at passers-by. He even unabashedly turned to take a quick look at an extraordinary set of buns that passed him on the concourse, sucking air through his teeth.
I know what Myrna would be saying about now, he thought with a soft laugh. He waited for his luggage, and when it came in sight, he deftly lifted it off the carousel and began to make his way out of the terminal.
"Hey, sir. Mister. Excuse me," came a deep, melodic male voice. "I think you picked up my bag by mistake?"
Karl turned and looked into the eyes of an extraordinarily handsome young man with deep blue eyes and black curly hair. He smiled. "I'm sorry," he said and looked down at the tag on the bag. Antonio Liberatore, it read.
"Why am I not surprised?" Karl asked out loud.
"Sorry?" the young man said.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud," Karl responded.
"You look very familiar," said the young man. "Do I know you?"
Karl smiled again. "Yes, Tonio, I think maybe you do. You don't mind if I call you Tonio, do you?"
"Tonio? How did you know my nickname? Only my mom calls me that."
"Interesting," said Karl. "Let me buy you dinner and mayb
e we can recall just how it is we know each other."
The young man smiled, "Hey, that would be very nice."
"Yes, it would," Karl agreed. "Tell me, Tonio, where are you from?"
"Italy. Florence, actually, but now I'm going to live in New York."
"How nice," said Karl. "You speak English very well."
"English? I don't speak English. Not yet, anyway. You speak Italian fluently," he said to Karl. "Maybe you could help me learn?"
"I'm sure I could," Karl agreed, with a grin. "I'm sure I could."
Karl and Tonio turned and walked off down the concourse. As they walked away, Karl put his arm around the young man's shoulders. The young man smiled at him.
Karl's American adventure had just begun.
IL FINALE
ABOUT TERRY O'REILLY
Terry O'Reilly is a retired school teacher living a quiet life in the Midwest with his three dogs and his horse. He began writing several years ago at the urging of a friend and fellow author. He has books available through several publishers, including Amber Allure Press, Aspen Mountain Press, eXcessica Publishing, and JMS Books LLC.
Writing has become an important part of his life, allowing him to explore his own thoughts, needs, and feelings, as well as learn about other cultures and eras as he researches his stories.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
Founded in 2010, JMS Books LLC is owned and operated by author J.M. Snyder.
We publish a variety of genres, including gay erotic romance, fantasy, young adult, poetry, and nonfiction. We are an invitation-only small press. Short stories and novellas are available as e-books and compiled into single-author print anthologies, while any story over 30k in length is available in both print and e-book formats. Visit us at http://www.jms-books.com for more information on our latest releases!
Karl's Italian Adventure Page 5