by Kevin Kwan
Shaking off the memory of those days, Isabel continued. “You know, Dolfi and I thought that fewer people would come if we had a destination wedding, and we could do something very intimate. But we made the mistake of picking Capri. Everybody wanted to come!”
“How many guests are you having?”
“The head count as of yesterday was four hundred and eight.”
“Four hundred and eight!” Lucie squealed.
“I know, crazy, right? This is why every hotel is booked up in town. But if the wedding had been in Taipei, I would have been forced to invite over a thousand guests, easily. So I’m taking consolation in that.”
They reached a fork in the road, where Lucie noticed a small ceramic plaque affixed to the stone wall with the words DA LUIGI BEACH CLUB painted on it. Isabel steered them onto the lower road, which quickly became a steep pathway that wound all the way down the hill. Halfway down the pathway, they rounded a corner and Lucie gasped audibly, stopping dead in her tracks. Before her was the most astonishing view. Three towering rock formations jutted out of the sea, just off the island’s coast, and in front of the rocks was a private bay where the beach club was situated. The waters all around the shoreline shimmered from the lightest hint of turquoise to the most intense shade of azure blue, beckoning all to come bathe at the foot of the rocks.
“This is the most beautiful place I’ve seen in all my life!” Lucie said, as she took in the landscape. “These are the famous Faraglioni rocks, aren’t they?”
“Yes. Legend has it these were the rocks on which the sirens would meet, where they would sing their songs to bewitch sailors,” Isabel informed her.
“I believe it! The rocks look totally enchanted. I’d jump off a ship and swim straight for them!”
“You see the one that’s farthest away?”
“That’s the home of a species of blue lizard*1 found only on that rock,” Lucie said with a smile.
Isabel laughed. “I forgot who I was with. Of course you’d already know far more about this island than I do!”
“Not really, I just read the whole Fodor’s guidebook on the plane.”
They arrived at the club and checked in with the hostess standing by the entrance to a rustic, whitewashed building where the restaurant was. Deck chairs with bright blue cushions and matching blue umbrellas were placed all along the different sections of rocks leading down to the sea. Isabel made a beeline for her friends, who were clustered around the highest point overlooking the water, sunning themselves. There were about a dozen girls from around the globe, all from different eras of Isabel’s life—some from her college years, some from her work, a few from her time in Taiwan. Isabel made sure to introduce Lucie to everyone.
“Where’s Dolfi?” Lucie asked.
“The guys chartered a boat and went fishing this morning,” Isabel announced.
“Thank God we’re rid of them for a while,” said Amelia (Taipei American School / Northwestern / NYU Stern), Isabel’s friend from Taipei who was also the maid of honor.
Isabel quickly removed her Missoni cover-up, while Lucie stripped off her shorts and unzipped her light cotton hoodie. Underneath was her new blue-and-white-striped plunge V-neck one-piece swimsuit. She had thought that it looked sort of retro cool when she bought it at a little boutique in Nolita, but now, standing among these older and more sophisticated women, she wondered if it looked a little childish. All of them were sporting swimsuits far more fashionable and revealing—Isabel in a lime-green-and-purple Emilio Pucci bikini, Amelia in a plunging Eres one-piece, Daniella (Gan Israel Kindergarten / Wilbur Avenue Elementary / Portola / Taft / Beverly Hills High / Cal State Northridge) from Los Angeles in a black Norma Kamali with asymmetrical cutouts, Sophie (Woollahra Preschool / Queenwood / Brown) from Australia in a barely there red Valentino bikini, and one of the Italian girls, Talitha (British School of Milan / ICS / Saint Ann’s / Le Rosey / Parsons), was even topless.
Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Lucie wandered down the steps to the concrete platform at the edge of the water. At last, she was here. She loved nothing more than swimming in the sea. From where she was standing, the glacially clear water appeared like it could be freezing. How cold would it actually be? Only one way to find out, she thought. Taking a deep breath, she plunged in.
“How is it?” Isabel shouted down at her.
“Heaven!” Lucie shouted back. “It’s the perfect temperature!” This being July, the Mediterranean had been warming nicely throughout the past few months, and Lucie loved gliding through these waters. Most of her summers had been spent swimming in the frigid ocean off Long Island, and this seemed tropical by comparison. She swam out quickly to the farthest point, where a rope and buoy indicated the outer perimeter of where the current was safe, and flipped onto her back.
This was absolute bliss. The sea was so buoyant that she could simply float along without much effort at all, and she stretched out languorously, staring at the Faraglioni rocks looming above her. One of the enormous rocks had formed an arch perfectly through its middle, and she wondered whether she could swim all the way out there and through the arch. A small boat suddenly came speeding through it, leaving a violent wake and making Lucie think better of her notion.
As she bobbed along quietly, she began to hear the splish-splash of an approaching swimmer. “Lucie! Lucie in the sky with diamonds!” a voice said, and she turned to see Auden Beebe bobbing along next to her. “Or should I say, Lucie afloat in the ocean blue. You are quite the little mermaid!”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you seemed to glide over the water in record time. Took me twice as long just to catch up,” Auden said, catching his breath as he hung on to a buoy.
“I swam varsity at Brearley.”
“Obviously! I’ve never seen anyone execute the trudgen more perfectly.”
“Thanks. I take it you were on a swim team too?”
“Until I dropped out, yes. Are you on your college team now?”
“No. It’s not really the sort of thing one does at Brown.”
“Ah yes. I recently heard someone call it ‘an excellent school for people who want to read a lot and have feelings.’ ”
“Haven’t heard that one,” Lucie said, rolling her eyes.
“So…what does one do at Brown?”
“Well, mostly I read a lot and have feelings.”
“Ha!”
“Sorry, hope that didn’t come across as rude.”
“Lucie, don’t ever apologize for a perfect comeback. Besides, I’m in the business of having feelings, remember? I remember how excited you were last year to start college. So tell me, what was the thing you loved the most in your first year?”
“Hmm…probably my painting class.”
“What sort of things did you paint?”
“Mostly abstract stuff. I’ve been painting on unprimed canvases, and I love the feel of that.”
“Do you know the work of Morris Louis? He did his best work on unprimed canvases.”
“Of course! I love his veil paintings. I did a few earlier this summer inspired by him, and also by Helen Frankenthaler’s work.”
“That sounds marvelous. I’d love to see them sometime.”
“I have a few photos on my phone, but you can always see the real thing when you’re out in East Hampton next.”
“Let’s do both. Have you been around to any of the art galleries in Capri yet?”
“Not yet, but I’m hoping to.”
“Isabel’s got us all on quite a schedule with all the fetes, hasn’t she?”
“I’m loving it. The only thing I really want to do that’s not on the schedule is go swimming in the Blue Grotto.”
“That one’s going to be tricky. They don’t allow swimming in there anymore, but what they do now is row you into the grotto in a little boat.”
>
“Well, if I’m in a little boat, can’t I just jump in for a few minutes?”
“Spoken like a true rebel.”
“Have you been to the grotto?”
“Yes, many years ago.”
“And was it as spectacular as everyone says it is?”
“It was incredible. You really ought to go, especially since you are a mermaid. Also, make sure you don’t miss Villa San Michele.”
“That’s Axel Munthe’s house, isn’t it? I hear the art is amazing.”
“It’s more antiquities than paintings, but I think you’ll love it. The house and gardens are so beautifully situated, I’m sure it will inspire you. So, tell me, why did you choose Brown instead of going to RISD?*2 I mean, it’s literally across the street in Providence.”
“Oh, you know, I’m trying to balance things out by being a biology major.*3 I don’t think my mom would be too happy if I had just gone straight to art school.”
“Has she told you that?”
“Not in so many words, but I know she’d want me to do something more practical.”
“I think the most impractical thing one can do is not follow your passions.”
Lucie considered his words as she lay floating, looking up at the cloudless sky. After a few moments, she turned to Auden. “I think I’ve left the others long enough.”
“See you back on dry land,” Auden murmured, his eyes closed as he treaded water meditatively.
Lucie arrived back at the shore just as the girls were getting up for lunch. She quickly toweled herself off, put on her clothes, and joined the girls upstairs at the restaurant, where they were seated at a long table on the outdoor deck overlooking the bay.
“You were out there with Auden for quite a while. I’m so jealous!” Isabel declared.
“Why?” Lucie wondered.
“Don’t you think he’s amazing? Every time I talk to him, I feel like I’ve had a decade’s worth of therapy.”
“He’s an interesting guy,” Lucie volunteered.
“He never gives anyone that much one-on-one time. Do you know how much he charges for his private coaching sessions?”
“Well, we weren’t having a session. We were talking about swimming.”
“Yeah, you sure swam out far! Let’s hope you’ve built up an appetite!” Isabel said, as a battalion of waiters arrived right on cue with the food.
Before long, the table was laid out family style with the most delectable array of dishes. There was insalata caprese—the island’s namesake salad of sliced buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil—deep-fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, sesame-crusted tuna over a bed of arugula and cherry tomatoes, fresh langoustines, risotto with squid and shrimp, gnocchi with radicchio and caciocavallo cheese, linguini with clams, and what turned out to be Lucie’s favorite—spaghetti with pistachio pesto, clams, lemon, and basil.
“Oh my God! I think I’m going into a pasta-induced coma!” Isabel sighed, finally surrendering her fork.
“I’ve eaten at some great restaurants, but this is one of the best Italian meals I’ve ever had in my life!” declared Daniella.
“Does the food taste better because we’re sitting here surrounded by this incredible view, or is the food really that good?” Isabel wondered.
“I think it’s definitely both. Atmosphere is everything. I mean, look at the water! And the rocks! And up there is my dream house,” Sophie said, pointing up at the beautiful white-columned villa perched high on the edge of the cliff.
“Isn’t it spectacular? I’ve been eyeing it all morning,” Daniella said.
“I wonder how prices are here compared with Sydney. You can’t get anything on the water anymore for less than ten million,” Sophie said casually.
“I bet it’s pricier than Sydney. Capri is one of the most expensive property markets in the world because they stopped allowing people to build anything new on the whole island back in the sixties. There’s so little inventory, you basically have to wait for someone to die,” Daniella replied.
“Daniella, you’re such a property goddess! I bet the first thing you did when you got here was head straight to the property agent!” Isabel teased.
“No, the first place I headed to was Il Laboratorio, the boutique. Then I went to the property agent!”
“How do you even get up to that villa? I don’t think there’s a road anywhere near it,” Talitha wondered.
“Can you imagine the view from up there?” Daniella said.
“Ladies, stop looking up there. You’re missing quite a view down here. Delicious dude alert!” Amelia suddenly declared. All the heads at the table swiveled to where she was pointing.
Lucie’s eyes widened. Walking toward the water’s edge was George Zao, wearing nothing but a white Speedo.
“Stop it! That’s my cousin George!” Isabel shrieked.
“OMG! That slice of chiseled heaven is your cousin?” Amelia gasped.
Isabel gave Amelia a look of disbelief. “Second cousin, actually. You think he’s cute?”
“Um, yeah! He’s a total snack! You could cut diamonds on that jawline. And check out that six-pack on him.”
“More like twelve-pack!” Talitha gawked.
“You know, for so long he was just this scrawny kid, I hadn’t really noticed his transformation. What can I say, he’s got great genes,” Isabel deadpanned, flicking her hair for effect.
The girls watched as George climbed up to a high rock, stretched out his arms, and executed a perfect dive into the sea.
Amelia clapped her hands. “I’ll give that ten points!”
Isabel turned to Lucie. “I think you and George are at the same hotel. Have you met him yet?”
“Um, we’ve crossed paths,” Lucie said, feeling her face flush. She hadn’t told Isabel about switching rooms with the Zaos yet, and now she didn’t think she was ever going to.
“He’s maybe a year ahead of you, I think. Goes to Berkeley,” Isabel continued.
“Does he? He doesn’t say much,” Lucie said, feeling a mix of emotions begin to well up inside.
“He’s very quiet, isn’t he? He’s always been that way,” Isabel said, watching her cousin as he swam back to shore. He padded over to the outdoor showers directly opposite from where they were sitting on the terrace and began rinsing himself off.
Amelia stared brazenly at him. “Yes, definitely a ten!”
“I’d give him a nine, minus one point for the Speedo. I’m not a huge fan of them—you can practically tell his religion, even from up here,” Daniella commented.
“Speedos are disgusting! They remind me of my fat uncles or Don Johnson on Miami Vice,”*4 Talitha chimed in.
Sophie giggled. “In Australia, all the lifeguards on the beach wear them. We call them budgie smugglers.”
“More like a falcon smuggler in his case,” Amelia said.
Lucie stole a quick glance at George and then looked away. She felt so embarrassed for him, and at the same time she felt something else, something unexpected that took her by surprise. Anger. What in the world possessed him to wear that ghastly Speedo? Why would he want to put himself on display like that? To open his body up to assessment, to ridicule? And then to show off to the whole world with that attention-seeking dive. Obviously, he thought he was God’s gift! Why was she even surprised that George Zao was just like his crazy mother?
*1 Podarcis sicula coerulea, the famous blue lizard of the Faraglioni that scientists believe developed its distinct color to camouflage itself with the surrounding waters and blue sky.
*2 Rhode Island School of Design, which, incidentally is where three members of the Talking Heads—David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz—first met.
*3 Even though Emma Watson majored in English literature, Duncan Sheik studied semiotics, and JFK Jr. chose Ame
rican studies, biology is tied with economics as the most popular major at Brown University.
*4 Don Johnson, to my knowledge, never wore a Speedo on television. Talitha is obviously confusing him with David Hasselhoff on Baywatch.
VI
Da Costanzo
CAPRI, ITALY
Olivia insisted on taking Charlotte and Lucie shopping for sandals when they had mentioned it the previous evening, but at the appointed time after lunch, only Lucie appeared in the hotel lobby.
“It’s just going to be me,” Lucie said as she got out of the elevator.
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “That bad, huh?”
“She can’t even get out of bed. I’ve never in my life seen Charlotte hungover until today.”
“Should we even be going out when she’s like this?”
“Yes, she urged me to go. She said she just wants to sleep.”
“Poor Charlotte! Now I feel awful. I should have stopped her,” Olivia said with a little laugh.
“How much did she have to drink last night?” Lucie asked. She had been seated at Isabel’s table during dinner at Le Grottelle, a restaurant set partially inside a cave at one end and on a hillside terrace with sea views at the other, so she had no idea what Charlotte and Olivia had been up to at their end of the party.
“Oh, I can’t remember. You know when wine is that good, it just tastes like candy and you lose track of how many you’ve had.”
“I only had a few sips.”
“A few sips? Lucie, they served two Château Lafites and a Haut-Brion last night! It was brought in specially from the De Vecchi cellars. Don’t tell me you only had a few sips!”
“Well, I don’t have much of a tolerance. Unfortunately I inherited the Asian flush gene from my mom,” Lucie joked.
“I see,” Olivia murmured, not understanding what Lucie meant and thinking that Charlotte had been right when she said last night that Lucie was “a good kid.” Her own college years in Paris had been quite a different story.
