“I’ll call you in a few days.”
“Do that. And Aria. Not sure if this will help or hurt, but Alex called right after you left. He wanted to find you and make sure you were okay. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wasn’t sure what to do.”
Santo tapped her knee as he stood up and walked to his room to give them some privacy.
“What did he say?”
Blowing out loudly, Corinna answered, “Said he was upset and hurt, but cared more about how you were. He sounded bad so I told him you weren’t home, that you had left. He was on your porch banging on your door.”
Aria’s eyebrows raised but she didn’t say anything for a few moments, letting the news settle in.
“Did, did he leave for Argentina?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t call back, but he seemed devastated. He sounded like he might try to find you, so I had to tell him you weren’t in Positano.”
“I understand. Well, I hope he did leave for the project. That’s what I wanted him to do.”
“You okay?”
“Not sure,” Aria said softly.
“Well I’m here if you want to talk. Always.”
“I know. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Aria forced the thoughts of Alex out of her mind as she readied for bed. She had a book to finish and that would be her priority. It had to be.
Two weeks later, while sitting out on Santo’s small veranda, Aria looked up at the star filled sky and immediately her thoughts went to Alex, wondering if he was looking at them as well.
She had continued writing every day and was beginning to feel like a real author as the pieces started to come together. She thought about the kintsugi bowl back home.
My pieces are starting to come together, too.
Chapter Forty-Nine
The assignmentin Argentina kept Alex busy during the day, but at night, he failed miserably to keep his mind off anything but Aria. He went to call her about a hundred times, but he decided against it every time.
He dreamed about her and even thought he'd seen her several times as he walked around the villages taking photos of the lush greenery as well as the wonderful people who lived there. The mountains were awash in greenery from the recent rainy season, and it all felt so alive.
He had been walking around the communal garden when he spotted her. His breath stopped in his throat at the sight. Her brunette hair flowed behind her as the breeze blew, stirring up the rust-colored sand around him.
Alex blinked and then took a few steps toward her. But when he got closer, he could see that the lovely woman didn’t have Aria’s hazel eyes or dazzling smile.
Apologizing to the woman, he walked away, the longing to see her deepening to a painful level.
Over the next few days, he took endless pictures of the people in the towns as they looked on in anticipation of having clean drinking water for the first time.
The children were especially curious about him and the group, making Alex’s heart long for the children in his dreams.
Two weeks into the trip, he was fortunate to be in a village outside of Chaco when their well hit water. Watching children and adults alike dance around as the water shot into the air was a joy he would never forget. He took hundreds of pictures of them dancing and singing until he decided to join them. It was a celebratory night that moved him deeply.
The next few days were busy as he helped the team from UNICEF build a platform that would surround the well. It was tedious work, but it would ensure the cleanliness of the well and the safety of the villagers.
When he wasn’t working, Alex was playing football with the children in a nearby field. He laughed when they nicknamed him ‘grande’, referring to his tall stature.
As always, he was moved when he saw the loving way the families were with each other. The fathers would bring their children close to the fireside near their quaint homes, telling stories about their ancestors, while the mothers would make dinner from whatever was available that day in the community garden.
