The Holiday Cruise

by Victoria Cooke

  ‘That was absolutely fantastic,’ Ben said as we left the guide. ‘Now, though, it’s down to you – how good are your tour-guiding skills?’

  ‘I’d say pretty good if you count finding a great place to eat.’ I checked my watch – it was after twelve. It had been a long time since breakfast.

  ‘Food. Yes,’ Ben said, obviously thinking the same as me. The midday sun was hot and the air close; a cold beer would hit the spot.

  ‘Follow me.’ I enjoyed taking the lead. In the past, I’d always allowed Daniel to be in charge on the rare occasions he actually wanted to do any sightseeing. We walked towards the Capitoline museum complex and turned towards the Trastevere Church, taking in the ruins of Rome and the other historical buildings surrounding us. I was impressed that I could remember the route along the twisting, turning roads.

  ‘This is stunning,’ Ben announced as we crossed the Ponte Cestio bridge over the river Tiber to Tiber Island.

  Ten minutes later we came to the Della Lungaretta, a small shaded passageway lined with restaurants. I could feel beads of sweat forming at the back of my neck. ‘Take your pick.’ I gestured to the row of pretty little eateries that lined the street.

  ‘It has to be pasta in Rome. The Ristorante there looks perfect.’ He pointed to one about twenty metres away with climbing vine plants and wooden tavern-style furniture outside. The tables were covered with red and white checked tablecloths. Fortunately, it wasn’t busy, and we were soon sitting down, looking at the menu. We ordered carbonara to share and two small beers.

  ‘Ahh, it’s so nice to cool off,’ I said sipping my beer.

  ‘I have to say, I’m impressed with my tour guide so far.’ He smiled. ‘So what else is on our itinerary for today?

  I took out my piece of paper and unfolded it. ‘Hopefully we’ll get around in time, but you have to see the Pantheon, Vatican City, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. There’s so much to cover in one day, and we need to be heading back to the ship by six p.m.’

  ‘I can’t believe I’ve not been here before,’ he said. ‘It’s a shame the ship doesn’t come back during my three weeks. It must be amazing for you to keep coming back to all these wonderful places.’ Of course it was. Sitting there in the sun, I was feeling pretty content with my life all the while enjoying his company. The beer was giving me a happy buzz inside, and the heat of the day was embracing me. I couldn’t think of a more perfect moment. I really couldn’t.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Ben waved a hand in front of my face. ‘You looked a little bit out of it there.’

  ‘I’m fine. I was just thinking about what a lovely day it’s been so far,’ I said with a smile, just as the waiter came out with our food.

  ‘Okay, so my Italian apparently isn’t as good as I thought.’ I looked down at the plate and two forks. ‘I’m sure I asked for two plates.’

  ‘It’s fine. We could re-enact that scene from Lady and the Tramp, you know, the one with the spaghetti?’ He winked whilst jabbing his fork into the pasta and twisting it.

  After lunch, we jumped in a taxi to Vatican City to save time. We got out at St Peter’s Square and walked across the busy plaza, passing the grand colonnades. I pointed out the impressive Swiss Guard in their blue, red, and yellow Gala uniforms to Ben as we approached the beautiful Basilica. Without thinking I linked my arm through his as we strode. It just felt right somehow.

  ‘I actually loved the book Angels & Demons,’ Ben said as we studied the basilica. ‘I’m noticing some of the reference points.’

  ‘Me too,’ I replied, impressed that he read. ‘And that there is the Sistine Chapel.’ I pointed at the building to the right of the Basilica. ‘It’s filled with Renaissance art, and of course Michelangelo’s famous ceiling painting.’ He squeezed my arm tighter.

  ‘If you liked Angels & Demons, you’ll want to see this.’ I pulled him towards the Egyptian Obelisk, standing tall in the centre of the piazza. I waited a few moments until a space opened up in the crowd and moved us closer. ‘Look,’ I said, pointing to the West Ponente tile. He grinned and took out his phone to take a picture.

  ‘This is amazing,’ he said as we walked away.

  ‘Come on, Robert Langdon. Shall we go and find the Pantheon?’

  It was a good half an hour walk, which took us back across the river and down the narrow, picturesque Via Dei Coronari, lined with its shops and restaurants. Beads of sweat had started to form on Ben’s forehead as we neared the end.

  ‘How about gelato?’ Ben said as we approached a gelateria.

  ‘Oooh, yes!’ I made a beeline for the colourful counter. It was a tough choice – there were at least five chocolate flavours to choose from. Since it was so hot, I decided on something refreshing, but made a mental note to try one of the chocolate ones next time.

  ‘You can get more than one flavour if you like. I won’t judge you,’ Ben said nudging me playfully in the side.

  ‘I think the only way I can deal with this problem is to shove the gelato man out of the way and go at the lot with a spoon.’ I ummed and ahhed for a moment more before making my decision. ‘Amarena. Please just order it before I change my mind.’ Whilst Ben ordered, I wandered to the next shop and looked at the gorgeous white lace clothing. It was hard to imagine a shop back home doing well from selling just one item like that, but it seemed to be attracting plenty of people.

  ‘Here you go.’ Ben handed me my gelato awkwardly, juggling two other tubs. I gave him a quizzical look.

  ‘Well I couldn’t decide either.’ He shrugged. ‘The cioccolato fondente was too hard to resist, and ever since you fired pistachio macaron at me in Nice, I’ve not been able to shake the craving.’ His eyes glinted mischievously.

  ‘For that comment, I’m confiscating at least half of the chocolate one.’

  I ate a spoonful of my own amarena-flavoured gelato. It was heaven in the heat of the midday sun. The strong cherry flavour cut through the creaminess perfectly. ‘I suppose you can try a bit of mine,’ I said. Standing on my tiptoes to level with him, I forced a spoonful towards Ben’s mouth, which he accepted slowly. Our eyes met and we held each other’s gaze for a moment too long before something forced me to look away.

  ‘Ah, amore.’ I turned to see an elderly man and his wife walking past, smiling at us, catching our moment. Luckily, my face was already so hot and red that I didn’t think the embarrassment showed, but on the inside, I was hoping for the ground to swallow me whole.

  We reached the Pantheon soon after, sharing the chocolate gelato whilst Ben held the tub. It felt so natural to be walking through Rome with him, enjoying the sights, eating and drinking. Every so often, I’d catch a waft of his aftershave that brought lightness to my chest.

  ‘Seeing these Angels & Demons locations today has been awesome. If it wasn’t so hot, I’d have chills,’ Ben said, gazing up at the ancient Roman temple.

  We continued our walk towards the Trevi Fountain. It was the second time I’d stood before it, and I was equally as taken aback by the intricate design, grandeur, and beauty of the white travertine façade and the marble statues that decorated it.

  ‘It’s said that if you throw a coin into the fountain that you will return to Rome,’ I said as we admired the structure. ‘I threw one in on my last visit, and voila, here I am, back in Rome on a day I should have been working instead.’

  ‘I do want to come back.’ He took a fifty-cent coin from his pocket. ‘They say Rome wasn’t built in a day – well it can’t be seen in a day either. Not on foot anyway – my feet are killing me.’ He threw the coin into the bright blue water.

  ‘Well at least now you know you’ll be back to see the rest.’ I rubbed his arm gently as he stared at the cascade, crowds of people moving around us. ‘You might get to complete your Angels & Demons tour, and actually go inside some of the buildings too. But for today, there’s just one sight left on my itinerary,’ I said. It was half past four and I wanted to make sure we’d be heading back to the ship in good tim
e.

  ‘The Spanish Steps,’ I announced when we arrived. ‘These are another example of Baroque-style construction, as was the fountain,’ I said, impressing myself with my knowledge retention.

  ‘And that area there, it’s not for the likes of us is it?’ Ben nodded towards the Via dei Condotti, also known as the best but most expensive shopping street in Italy.

  ‘I’m not sure my salon salary would permit me to even window-shop down there, even if I included my tips.’ I smiled. ‘We’ve got time for a drink if you fancy one before we grab a taxi back.’ The sun was starting to lower in the sky and my skin no longer felt like it was burning beneath my factor-fifty lotion. ‘Shall we have a wander up?’ It seemed like we should since it was our last sight to see.

  ‘Let’s do it,’ Ben said, and we proceeded to climb with the crowds, up the first tier. At the turn of the steps I felt an unusual tugging sensation on my bag. Thinking it was caught I stopped to look. To my horror, I saw a hand reaching inside. It all happened so quickly, blood pounded around my eardrums deafening me and my heart beat heavy, fast beats like it was trapped and wanting to get out.

  I yanked my bag away from the hand but a violent force shoved me back into the wall, banging my head. I caught a glimpse of Ben, frozen. The corner we’d turned into was discreet and a man, dressed as respectably as anyone else, approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder looking me in the eye.

  ‘Dammi il tuo portafoglio.’ His voice was low and gruff. I glanced at Ben who was looking down towards my stomach in horror. I followed his gaze to see the glinting silver blade held close to my dress. I was aware of my whole body shaking. I had to act.

  Remembering my self-defence class, I knew what I had to do. I nodded desperately at the attacker to indicate I’d give him my wallet, then as I reached my left arm across to access my bag, used all my strength to block the knife as fast as possible, throwing all of my weight into a right hook just a split second later. My fist connected with his face, sending a surge of pain through my knuckles. It was much worse than when I’d accidentally punched Britney. The attacker fell backwards onto the steps and then ran off.

  I allowed my trembling body to sag against the wall before bursting into tears. By that point, a few people wandered past as if nothing had happened. I felt two strong, safe arms pull me into a firm chest and I sobbed. The harder I cried, the tighter he squeezed me, repeating the words ‘I’m sorry’, several times and rubbing my back until I calmed down.

  Eventually I pulled away, my face, eye level with a soggy patch on Ben’s T-shirt. I dried my eyes with the back of my hand. He placed his hand gently under my chin to tilt my head up to face him. When our eyes connected all I saw was remorse. I shook my head.

  ‘I’m okay.’ The shaking started to leave me but my chest was tight as anger set in. I couldn’t believe the audacity of the man in broad daylight in a busy area.

  ‘I should’ve done something,’ Ben whispered. Not for a moment did I even wonder why he didn’t jump in, but in hindsight, it didn’t make much sense. The attacker was about half his size.

  ‘It’s okay. I’m okay. Can we get off these steps though?’ He nodded and placed a protective arm around my shoulders as we walked back down the staircase in silence. There were some police officers near the fountain and Ben gestured to them.

  ‘We should go and speak to them.’ He started leading us towards them but I shook my head.

  ‘There’s no point. The guy has gone; there isn’t time to give a statement or description and apart from a sore hand and some immense anger there’s no real harm done.’

  He looked at me, surprised. ‘If that’s what you want.’

  I nodded. ‘What I want, is a drink.’

  We found a bar just off the Spanish square and sat outside and I took a moment to relax into the cushioned chair and process what had happened. As my heart rate calmed, I even allowed myself to feel a little smug about how I’d handled myself.

  We ordered two large beers and took a sip as soon as the waiter placed them down.

  ‘I can’t believe I stood back and watched,’ Ben said, rubbing his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. ‘I froze.’ He sipped his beer again.

  ‘There’s no harm done. Don’t worry about it.’

  ‘Everything just came flooding back to me: the accident, the fear of being alive one minute and gone the next.’ He shook his head and I reached across the table and placed my hand on his.

  ‘You don’t have to explain – I get it. I froze too and I haven’t been through what you have.’

  He twisted the corner of his mouth in disagreement. ‘You handled yourself really well. If it wasn’t for you, who knows what would have happened.’

  I allowed myself a small laugh. ‘It’s bizarre. All I could think of was: “There’s no way this cheeky bastard is taking my money.” In hindsight, it was probably a bit reckless.’

  ‘Well I thought you were pretty awesome.’

  ‘I did a self-defence class a couple of months ago. They were practically the only two moves I can remember.’ I smiled.

  ‘Well I think you may have helped him reconsider his career choice.’ He smiled, and it looked like he’d started to relax.

  ‘I just don’t want it to have spoilt a really lovely day.’

  ‘No, not at all. I’m angry with him, and myself, but today has been great. I do just feel a little bit guilty for making you come today.’

  ‘I’ve had a lovely day. You’ve nothing to feel guilty about.’

  ‘Okay.’ He didn’t look convinced. ‘Here’s to Rome and all the good stuff it has to offer.’ He raised his beer. ‘And to an awesome tour guide – my feet will never be the same again.’

  ‘Oh give up, you big softie. Besides you’ve not seen Venice yet.’ I winked.

  ‘You’re a really strong person you know,’ he said, surprising me. ‘I don’t just mean your right hook, which now terrifies me by the way, I mean just being here in the first place, moving on after your husband left.’

  ‘Wallowing doesn’t help.’ I gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘You know what does help?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘This.’ I gestured all around us. ‘Being immersed in this, something much richer and greater than your own little bubble. When I left to work on a ship, some of my friends thought I was running away from my problems. Perhaps I was at the time, but having seen so many places and met so many people, I’ve come to realize how insignificant my little old life was. I can look at it like that now. When Daniel left, it seemed like the biggest tragedy I could encounter. The world stopped. Now I realize, the world didn’t stop – I stopped. All this carried on, now I’m choosing to live it.’

  ‘You’re right,’ he said, nodding. ‘Life is bigger than you or me. We only live once, isn’t that right?’

  ***

  The car turned a sharp corner, waking me. My head was resting on Ben’s shoulder.

  ‘Sorry,’ I croaked when I came around.

  ‘It’s okay. Fortunately, your snoring kept the driver awake,’ he said laughing softly.

  ‘I do not snore,’ I said without conviction. I sometimes did.

  ‘You jump out here, I’ll go around to the taxi rank and walk back,’ Ben said, reading my mind.

  ‘That’s really kind of you.’ Normally, I’d protest but I was so tired.

  ‘It’s the least I can do – I need to regain some of my gentlemanliness,’ he said. I pulled the handle of the door but felt a hand on my shoulder pull me softly back.

  ‘I was an idiot earlier and seeing you have to respond like that has shamed me. I thought I’d come a long way since the accident, but that wasn’t old me today. In the past I wouldn’t have hesitated to jump in. In a weird way, seeing you in action has brought back that memory of my old self – my reaction scared me more than the attacker. There’s no way I would stand by and let anything like that happen again.’

  It didn’t feel right getting out of the car on that note. ‘Don’
t feel guilty – he came out of nowhere and we were in shock. Please don’t beat yourself up; I’m fine. Forget about it now,’ I scolded before softening my tone. ‘It’s Naples tomorrow and since it’s the place to eat pizza, how do you fancy meeting up for a late lunch?’ I was playing a dangerous game, especially if I did want to reapply for a cruise job. Getting caught would burn my bridges but I couldn’t help it.

  ‘I’m on the Pompeii tour in the morning if my legs work after all the walking we did today but I’d like to meet after?’

  ‘Pompeii is unforgettable. You’ll be amazed, but take plenty of water because it will be hot. Oh, and wear a hat. As for your legs, get to the morning HIIT classes to build some stamina!’

  The driver cleared his throat, indicating he would like to go.

  ‘Yes, Mum,’ Ben replied, the corners of his lips lifting. ‘I’m hoping tomorrow’s tour guide goes a bit easier on me. I can already feel my legs stiffening.’ He leant forward and rubbed his calf muscles.

  ‘Meet me here at four-thirty.’ I scrawled the name ‘Trattoria E Pizzeria’ and its rough location on the piece of paper I had in my bag and handed it over.

  ‘Sounds like a plan,’ he said, then leant over and wrapped an arm around my shoulder before placing a gentle kiss on my cheek. ‘Thank you for a really amazing day. Goodnight, warrior princess, I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  ‘Goodnight, Ben.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  By the time I got back to the cabin I was longing to soak in a hot bath. I contemplated going for a swim or a dip in the Jacuzzi, but once my sandals were off and I’d sat down – that was it. I was done for. I lay back on the bed, trying to push all thoughts of the attempted mugging and Ben to the back of my mind, but the latter was hard to do. My hand fell to my cheek where I could still feel the warmth of his kiss.