by Anthology
When the bellman showed them to the bath, even Charlotte had to gasp. Like everything else, it was massive, lined in amber-colored marble with gold streaks running through it. The sunken tub and shower were so wide and deep that it required six stair steps to get down into it. Had it been full, it would have been over Charlotte’s head.
Charlotte actually clapped her hands in delight.
“Frankie, get the camera. Margie is never going to believe this unless she sees it for herself.”
Daniel laughed, and the sound echoed within the room, filling Frankie with what could only be pure joy as she got the camera and took pictures for Charlotte.
“It is quite something, is it not?” Daniel said, then he took Frankie by the hand. “May I speak to you alone in the other room for a moment?”
Frankie managed a nod.
“Charlotte, will you excuse us?”
“Don’t mind me,” Charlotte said, as she dug in her purse for money to tip the bellman.
“Keep your money,” Daniel said. “It’s all been taken care of by the people who brought you to me.”
“Oh! Well! This just gets better and better, doesn’t it, dear?” Charlotte said, and then wandered back into the bedroom and sat down on the side of the bed.
Frankie followed her out and saw the exhaustion on her face.
“Daniel, will you give me a minute? I want to make sure Charlotte is…comfortable.”
He understood.
“I’ll be in the drawing room,” he said, and walked out.
Frankie knelt at Charlotte’s feet and began removing her shoes.
“Just lie back, dear. The room is nice and cool, and you can have a good nap. I’ll have food for you to snack on when you wake, and we don’t have to go anywhere tonight.”
“I’m not going anywhere tonight,” Charlotte said. “But if that gorgeous young man in there wants to take you somewhere, I’ll be very disappointed with you if you don’t go.”
“Oh, but—”
“But nothing,” Charlotte said. “You came as a companion, not a nurse. I’m not sick, just tired. I’m not dead, just old. So go have fun for both of us and tell me all about it when you get back. Right now, I just want to sleep and dream of Daniel, and then tomorrow…tomorrow…” Her voice trailed off and tears came to her eyes. She took a deep breath and made herself finish. “Tomorrow I shall go see him, again.”
Frankie hugged her close, then helped her off with her dress, leaving Charlotte in her slip and undies.
“Here, let’s pull the covers back,” she said. “You might get too cool with the air-conditioning.”
“That feels wonderful,” Charlotte said, her head sinking into the pillows. “Oh, Lord,” she added. “The pillows are filled with down. I haven’t slept on a feather pillow since Mama died.”
Frankie grinned. “Sweet dreams, dear,” she said, and pulled a sheet and blanket up over the older woman’s shoulders.
“Go away now,” Charlotte ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” Frankie said, and tiptoed out of the room.
Daniel had opened the blinds and was standing at one of the windows overlooking the village below. At the sound of her footsteps, he turned and was again struck by the sight of her face. He could tell she was self-conscious about her limp, and to save her, he didn’t wait for her to cross the room. Instead, he went to meet her, and when they were face-to-face, he opened his arms.
Frankie didn’t give herself time to think about what she was doing. She just followed her heart and let his arms close around her.
“Welcome to Positano,” Daniel said softly. “Welcome to my world.”
Frankie shivered.
Daniel leaned back so that he could see her face.
“Are you ill? Do you need to rest, too? I can come back later tonight and—”
“I’m not ill,” Frankie said. “As for sleep, I can do that when I go home. For now, I don’t want to miss a moment of anything.”
Daniel stilled. She’d done it again—said what he’d been feeling before he gathered his wits.
“So, you feel it, too, don’t you, bella?”
Frankie looked away. She didn’t want to get hurt, but she felt this was a chance of a lifetime. If the man was kind enough to pretend he didn’t see her flaws, she wanted to make as many memories with him as she could—memories that would last the rest of her life.
She took a deep breath, and then made herself look at him.
“If you’re talking about the rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms and loss of good sense, then yes.”
Daniel laughed, then kissed her.
It was the litmus test that branded them goners.
The kiss sparked a hunger within Frankie that was so sharp she wanted to cry, especially when he finally tore himself away. The absence of his lips was actually painful.
“Starvation,” she muttered.
Daniel cupped her face. “I am sorry. Of course, you are hungry. You already said so once. Come, come. We will go down to the beach. There are some wonderful little cafés. You can eat and I will watch you smile. Then we will both be fed.”
Oh, Lord, it isn’t enough that he’s unbelievably gorgeous. He has to talk pretty, too.
“I didn’t mean I was starving for food,” she said. “But you can feed me just the same.”
After she freshened up, Daniel took her by the hand and escorted her from the room, taking care to lock the door behind them, leaving Charlotte to her rest.
Careful not to go too fast, Daniel held tight to her arm as they walked all the way down to the beach. They strolled past a church and bell tower, as white as the clouds above the horizon.
“Oh, my gosh!” Frankie exclaimed with delight. “It looks like something out of The Godfather.”
“What is this godfather?” Daniel asked.
Frankie grinned.
“Sorry. It’s an old, but very famous American movie made about Italian immigrants who came to America and who were part of the Mafia. I was speaking of the church. There is one just like it in the movie.”
Daniel nodded. “Yes, I believe I do know of this film. I had just forgotten the name.” He glanced at her and smiled. “Americans are very fascinated with the Mafioso, are they not?”
“Yes, I suppose we are,” Frankie said, looking all around her. “This village is marvelous. So many different styles of architecture.”
Daniel nodded.
“Just about every country in ancient Europe with an army and ships raided these shores. The faces of our people and the architecture of our homes and buildings are evidence of these invaders.”
Frankie couldn’t quit talking and pointing, and Daniel couldn’t quit looking at her. Even as they were seated at a table underneath a colorful awning and sipping cool drinks, he was trying to come to terms with the truth of what had happened to him today.
He’d known the first moment he saw her, head bent to the needs of another, laughter only a whisper away, that he’d found the woman he’d been looking for. His mother had been right. There was such a thing as love at first sight. Daniel knew he’d been smitten, and he had only six days to do something about it.
They ate and they laughed and watched the sun go down behind the mountains. Then Daniel took her by the hand and walked her back up the winding paths. The streetlights cast shadows on her delicate features. He wished he didn’t have to say good-night.
All too soon, they were at the hotel. He escorted her through the lobby, then up the staircase until they were standing outside the suite.
Frankie turned to Daniel and put both hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating steadily beneath her palms.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” she said softly.
“I do,” he said, and cupped her face with his hands.
The kiss was tender, yet the depth of emotion behind it was anything but. This bond between them made no sense, and yet there it was.
Frankie’s hands slipped up around his neck and suddenly she was kis
sing him back, but when Daniel slid his hands to the back of her neck, she flinched.
The scars. He’d felt the scars. Surely he would be disgusted. She pulled away from him first, unable to bear the hurt and embarrassment of his rejection.
Daniel knew what had happened, but he wouldn’t let her go. He continued to hold her, his fingers locked at the back of her neck and his thumbs rubbing against the curve of her cheeks until she was breathing easy. Only then did he bend down until their foreheads were touching.
“I will dream of you tonight,” he said softly, brushing a second kiss upon her brow. “Sleep well. Tomorrow I will take you and Charlotte to see Daniel’s grave.”
Frankie waited as he opened the door, then handed her the key.
“Lock it after I leave you,” he said.
“Yes, I will.”
“Until tomorrow.”
Frankie sighed. “Until tomorrow.”
Inside the room, Frankie listened to the fading sound of his footsteps. She was setting herself up for a great big hurt, but God help her, she didn’t care. She wanted whatever he would give her, even if it didn’t mean anything to him.
Blissfully tired, Frankie quickly showered and got ready for bed. She checked on Charlotte, who hadn’t seemed to have wakened since she’d left, then gratefully crawled into her own bed in the next room and closed her eyes.
Breakfast was a hasty affair. Charlotte had been so distracted that morning she’d put on two different shoes, and it was all Frankie could do to get her to settle down and eat.
“You have to eat something,” she argued. “You skipped dinner last night, so you don’t have a say in the matter.”
“Oh, pooh,” Charlotte said as she slathered a soft cheese on some warm bread and took a bite. “Umm, good.” She took a piece of melon that Frankie had put on her plate.
Frankie ate without tasting. Her thoughts were filled with Daniel, and she was afraid. She’d let herself become infatuated with a man she hardly knew. She could only imagine what he must be thinking of her. She was a novice when it came to worldly men, but as she’d told herself last night, she wouldn’t regret the sadness she might feel later. Even if she did wind up getting hurt, she wasn’t going to deny herself the luxury of Daniel’s company.
Just as they were finishing up, there was a knock on the door and a bellman was on the stoop, telling them that Daniel was waiting for them below.
They gathered up camera and film and hats for the bright Italian sun, then as soon as Charlotte took her daily meds, they were off.
“Buon giorno,” Daniel greeted them in the lobby. “Forgive me for not coming up myself, but I’ve been on the phone all morning with an unhappy customer.”
Frankie frowned. “If there’s a problem with you taking time away from your work, I’m sure we can—”
Daniel put a finger on her lips, then shook his head.
“There is no problem. Only the wishes of two beautiful women to grant.”
Charlotte smiled and clapped her hands lightly.
“Well said, young man, and you must know how anxious I am to get started.”
“Then we are off,” he said grandly. “We must walk about the length of one block up this street to a small courtyard where my car is parked. Unfortunately, it is too wide for our narrow streets. Is that all right?”
“Perfect,” Charlotte said. “I like to walk. It’s good for my constitution.”
Daniel slipped his arm through Charlotte’s and Frankie did the same on the opposite side, almost carrying the older woman to the car. Daniel helped Charlotte into the backseat and buckled her in, then settled Frankie in the seat beside him. Soon, they were scooting through the streets and out onto the highway.
“It’s not far,” Daniel said. “Enjoy the sights, and if you have questions, please feel free to ask.”
“I have one,” Charlotte said. “What are all these trees?”
“Olive trees,” Daniel said. “But it’s not yet time for harvest.”
“I like green olives,” Charlotte said.
“Not these, you wouldn’t. They are very bitter. It is the process they go through as they are bottled that gives them a milder taste.”
“Is your home in this direction, too?” Frankie asked.
Daniel ventured a glance at the woman beside him.
“Yes, it’s less than a half kilometer from the cemetery.”
He hoped Frankie would come to his home before her visit was over.
Finally they arrived at the cemetery. It was quite large and scattered up and down a hillside, its boundaries marked by a three-foot wall built from the rocky earth on which it stood. There were all manner of gravestones and tombs, some grand, some little more than a cross. Flowers in different degrees of decay decorated the graves, making it obvious which ones had been recently visited.
Daniel parked, and they got out. “I’m sorry, but it is a bit of a walk to where we must go.”
All the joy was gone from Charlotte’s face, and had been from the moment they’d stopped.
“That’s all right,” she said. “I’ve come this far. A few more steps can’t matter.”
“Then take my hand,” Daniel offered.
“And mine,” Frankie added.
“I want my camera,” Charlotte said.
“I have your camera,” Frankie told her. “And a blanket, as well. I thought you might like to stay there awhile.”
Charlotte nodded, her soft curls bouncing lightly around her face. But her eyes were already on the tombstones.
Daniel took a bundle from the trunk of the car and led the way. Countless times he had come with his grandmother and mother to place flowers on the grave.
No one spoke as they walked, and when Daniel suddenly stopped, Charlotte stumbled. If he hadn’t been holding her, she would have fallen.
“This is it,” Daniel said, and pointed down.
The tombstone had been hand-carved out of local stone, the words cut roughly into the surface, and then worn smooth by the passage of time.
Without thinking, Charlotte reached for her locket as she read the words on the stone. Her hands were shaking, her chin trembling as she struggled with her emotions.
Frankie spread out the blanket, then took Charlotte by the hand.
“Sit here, dear,” she said. “Stay as long as you like. We’ll be on that bench just over there, okay?”
Charlotte nodded without looking, unaware that Frankie had just taken her picture at the grave.
Frankie glanced at Daniel and started to speak, then caught a strange expression on his face. He wasn’t looking at Charlotte at all, as she might have expected. Instead, he was staring intently at the tombstone marking Daniel Morrow’s final resting place.
To her surprise, he walked over and removed the dead flowers from the vase beside the marker, unwrapped his bundle, and put a fresh bouquet of flowers in their place.
He took Frankie’s hand, and as they turned to go, they heard Charlotte say, “Hello, Danny, it’s me, Charlotte. I’ve come to say I’m sorry.”
Frankie bit her lip to keep from crying. Her toe caught on the uneven ground, and she stumbled. If it hadn’t been for Daniel’s quick reflexes, she would have fallen headfirst onto the rough ground. Her face turned bright pink as she righted herself and looked away.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m always so clumsy.”
“Sssh,” Daniel silenced her. “No explanation is necessary. I am just glad you’re not hurt.”
Frankie nodded, but was still unable to look at him. When they reached the bench, she was thankful to sit down.
Daniel dumped the paper he’d had around the flowers into a trash bin beneath the tree, then sat down beside her. For a few minutes, he just held her hand without talking.
Finally, it was the chirping of a bird that started their conversation.
“He sounds happy,” Frankie said, pointing to the creature perched high in the tree.
“He should be,” Daniel said. “Here he
has nothing to complain about.”
Frankie sighed.
“Thank you for this.”
He nodded while still eyeing the old woman on the blanket a short distance away.
“Is she strong…your Charlotte?”
“You mean healthwise?”
“Yes.”
“She seems to be,” Frankie said.
“Her heart is strong?”
“To my knowledge.” Frankie frowned. “Why do you ask? Is something wrong?”
Daniel didn’t answer. He wanted to, but he didn’t know what to say. Then he turned to her, staring long and hard into the sweetness of her face.
“This trip for Charlotte…it is filled with sadness and regret, is it not?”
Frankie nodded.
“Life is so short.” Daniel lifted his hand to smooth away a stray strand of hair that had blown near her eyes. “Do you remember what I said about love at first sight?”
Frankie felt the blood draining from her face and wondered if she looked as faint as she felt.
“Yes. I remember.”
He took her hand, absently threading his fingers through hers.
“I’m going to say this now, because I don’t want to be like Charlotte someday. Old and filled with regret for what I should have said or done. I felt it, Frances. Yesterday, when you turned around and looked into my eyes. The breath left my body and then came back like a blow to my belly. I didn’t know whether to grab you and run and never look back, or trust fate to promise you would return my feelings in kind.”
Frankie panicked. She’d dreamed of hearing something like this from a man one day, but this man was a stranger.
“Oh, Daniel, if—”
He put a finger on her lips.
“Say nothing now. It’s enough that you know how I feel.”
Frankie was trembling. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Like Daniel, she was troubled by what she was feeling. It was too much too soon. Then she reminded herself that it wasn’t so soon at all. In fact, she’d been waiting twenty-seven years for this moment to happen. That it was happening in a cemetery in a country foreign to her own seemed immaterial. The miracle was that it had finally come.
