AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Warmth spreads through me as I remember wheeling my suitcase across the paving stones last night, captivated by the rose-red building with green shutters I’d identified as my destination.
My landlady, Signora Rossi, lives on the ground floor, and when she led me up the three flights to my apartment she apologized for the lack of an elevator.
I’d smiled and told her it wasn’t a problem. “I love the fact there’s a roof terrace.” And I do… it’s the reason I chose to live here, deciding to use some of the money Mom and Dad left me. It will cover the rent and my paycheck from the Guberman will meet all my other expenses.
Once we’d stepped through the front door, Signora Rossi pointed toward a spiral staircase. “When the sun comes out, even in winter, you can sit up there and enjoy the view.”
After a tour of the apartment, consisting of a bedroom, a kitchen-living room and a bathroom, she’d explained where I could buy groceries and then went to fetch a plate of freshly cooked lasagna from downstairs. “I made too much for my husband and me. An old habit from when our son lived at home…”
I felt overwhelmed by her kindness and thanked her profusely. “Mille grazie, Signora.”
She placed her hands on my shoulders and kissed both my cheeks before leaving me to eat the delicious food and get ready for bed.
Back in the kitchen, I’d discovered milk, eggs and butter in the fridge. Bread, coffee beans and a jar of strawberry jelly in the cupboard. And a bowl of green-leafed clementine oranges on the counter. I’d wanted to run after the signora and hug her.
Now, I take a shower and put on smart black dress pants and a fitted white blouse. It’s warm in the apartment; I decide not to wear a sweater until it’s time to leave for work. I find a coffee grinder and start to make breakfast.
An hour later, after filling myself up with an omelet and a cappuccino, I head up to the roof terrace for a quick peek. The world outside is no longer bathed in darkness, and the view of terracotta tiled rooftops, church spires and network of canals, simply takes my breath. Out of the blue, I suddenly wonder where Marco lives.
Must be somewhere nearby as he said Zattere wasn’t out of his way.
Will he call like he’d promised? Maybe his partner, Alessio, won’t want to meet me? I chew my lip. I shouldn’t count on it and make friends with the other interns instead.
It’s an easy walk to the Guberman… another reason why I chose to live in this neighborhood. I stroll down narrow calli, what Venetians call their pedestrianized streets, crossing three bridges that span the small canals along the way. Strings of colorful laundry hang on lines stretched out from many of the windows above me. The squares, or campi as they are called, all boast bars serving aromatic coffee that makes my nose twitch.
I follow the directions on my phone down a dark alleyway, so narrow I can almost reach out and touch both walls with my outstretched hands. At the end, I emerge onto a fondamenta, a kind of roadway beside a wider canal than the ones I’ve seen hitherto, and I stroll along it until I reach the Guberman.
There are ten new interns, including myself. All women and art lovers, but I’m the only American. I learn that tasks will be rotated amongst us and we’ll experience everything… from meeting the public at the ticket office to carrying out admin roles in the gallery. Today is an induction day; we spend the morning being shown some of the greatest paintings of the Twentieth Century. An entire room dedicated to Pollock with stunning views of the Grand Canal. Elsewhere, I bask in the beauty of Giacometti sculptures and installations by Picasso, Mondrian and Calder.
I’m so overwhelmed that a silly grin spreads over my face.
The blonde girl standing next to me whispers, “Amazing, isn’t it?”
“Sure is.”
“I’m Melody, by the way,” she introduces herself.
“Sefi,” I respond warmly.
During lunch break in a room overlooking the canal, she tells me she’s from Manchester, England. We exchange details of where we went to school. “I’ve never been to America,” she says.
I’m about to confess to this being my first time in Europe when my cell bleeps in my purse. I take it out.
MARCO.
My heart skips a beat. “Ciao!” I greet him.
“Ciao, bella,” I hear the smile in his voice. “Alessio and I would love you to have dinner with us this evening. I can send Giorgio to pick you up at seven thirty from Zattere pier, if you like?”
“Awesome.” I come right out with it. “Thanks...”
He inquires how my first day is going and I tell him how much I’m loving it. We disconnect and I catch Melody staring at me.
