Orvieto

CHAPTER THREE

A large glass of red in her hands, Alessandra gulped down half of it. The jumbo jets rumbled along the runway. Magnificent beasts. They towered above the air crew, making them look like plastic soldiers.

There was a slight drizzle of rain smeared across the windows. She wrapped her arms around her body. It seemed such a good idea to wear the sleeveless dress in her favourite shade of sapphire, it was only when her goose bumps steadily started to raise that she was glad of the warm cardigan her mum made her bring.

‘You’ll be fine,’ Barbara gently squeezed her shoulder, ‘It’s no different than going on a roller coaster.’

Alessandra finished her wine and her face paled. ‘At least you’re strapped in securely on those rides. What if Mum is right? Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.’

‘They will love you on sight.’ Barbara gave an assured smile.

‘I hope so. It’s just Mum . . .’

‘She will come around.

Alessandra emptied her glass in one go. ‘I’m not so sure.

‘Hasn’t she spoken to her father in all this time?’

‘No, she was pregnant with my brother. It wasn’t accepted before marriage then. Mum said, it was made worse because of Dad being English. When she told him she was pregnant, he wanted nothing more to do with her. She stayed with Grannie and Grumps until they got a house together. When her mum died, she tried again, but he wouldn’t listen,’ she said, thinking about her mum’s letters. The other given just today, with Bella handwritten on the front. She wanted to read them, to understand more of her mum’s past, but couldn’t betray her trust. ‘She tried to speak with him, the last time we visited, but he refused to even see her.’

‘He doesn’t sound very nice,’ Barbara said, squeezing Alessandra’s hand, ‘and don’t you worry if he refuses to speak to you. It’s his loss not yours. You shouldn’t think twice about it.’

‘I won’t,  Mum and Dad, anyone who saw them, would realise they were meant to be together. It’s just I hate to see Mum so unhappy.’

Her thoughts turned to her dad; fifteen when he died, she barely got time to know him properly. She watched as he turned from the strong, immense man to someone who withered before her eyes.

He would have wanted this to happen; there was a sense of guilt he always bore when she asked about how they met. She didn’t understand it, not as a child. Now, to lose your family and them still be alive must tear her mum in so many pieces she couldn’t patch them together.

‘Flight 236 to the departure gate.’

‘That’s me,’ Alessandra said, picking up her suitcase.

Two hours later, she stepped into a different type of warmth. A large cardboard sign with her name written in gold pen was the first thing she saw when she walked on to Italian soil.

Bella, there were so many likenesses to her mum.

‘Alessandra!’ Bella’s thick Italian accent was full of love, ‘Sei Bello, proprio come tua madre.

One look at Alessandra’s confused face and Bella gave a little smile. ‘You are beautiful, so much like your grandmama.’

Tears of happiness mingled with the memory of her dad. ‘Ciao Zia,’ she replied, in stilted Italian.

‘It is good to meet you finally, I am uncle Leonardo.’ Her uncle kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Giuseppe is waiting outside.’

Alessandra tried her best to keep up with her aunt’s mixture of Italian and English. She hoped she was nodding in all the right places. They gripped on to each other’s hands – Bella’s tears in a constant flow.

At home in the energetic city, each sound amazed her. As they left the protection of the airport, the sights and smells overwhelmed her senses. Blazing white taxis, rushed around the city like snowflakes breezing by on a wintry morning. In the far distance, a monumental statue of Jesus towered over the inhabitants, shielding them with outstretched arms; its soft shadow engulfing everyone in its path.

‘Bello,’ Alessandra tried her best to find the words. She was enchanted with the visions.

Giuseppe, who was leaning against his Bravo Hatchback benefited from the healthy lifestyle his surroundings had brought. His broad shoulders melted against the sunlight. He was nothing like the annoying boy, Alessandra remembered from her last outing to Orvieto. He still gave a little grin as if he were remembering his childhood antics.

Within minutes, his car was packed full of luggage and people. Although it was a squash, Alessandra felt it was big enough to hold the whole family. The deafening sounds of the city were all around them, yet only historical echoes were heard in the back seat of the car.    

Bella refused to part with her.

A magnificent cathedral overshadowed the Olive trees, which stood side by side, paying homage to the sun. Mazes of triangular towers and stained glass windows glittered, permeating the sky with flashes of brilliance. It was like the sun was on a mission, to bring rays of light to this splendid building.

She was in a different world, where uncertainties were brushed away with the breeze. Optimism could venture free of its shackles. In Bella’s infectious company, she allowed the charming aroma to spread through her veins.

Orvieto wasn’t like any English village she visited as a child. It was a multi coloured maze of stone houses and cobbles. The roads rose and fell like waves and constantly changed direction. Bella’s home resembled all the other cottages, with hanging baskets; full of Marigolds and Lilies  suspended on either side of the pure white door. She imagined Mariette living in this house.

Sisters playing in the sun, while their mama looked on.

While her uncle carried the cases inside the hallway, Alessandra’s gaze fell to the daffodil coloured walls. Pictures of her aunt and uncle’s children, filled every available space. On the window sill was a photograph of her as a young child with her mum. The sun’s shafts of light, illuminating their faces.

‘Voui, une caffe?’ Giuseppe enquired, ‘So sorry, I must remember to speak English.’

‘I would love a coffee. I am rather parched.’ Immediately sensing the confusion, she added, ‘It means I am really thirsty.’

‘Come sit with me,’ her aunt Bella said, patting the soft leather sofa. ‘You look so much like your grandmama, so pretty.’ Bella’s eyes bubbled with excitement. ‘But you have your mama’s smile and your papa’s eyes.’

Alessandra blushed and edged in closer to her aunty. ‘I wish mama could have come, it would have made her smile again.’

‘She is still hurting, as we all are.’ A momentary glance at a picture, of two little girls, she wiped her hands across her dress.

Now didn’t seem the time to hand over her letters.