29 May 2009

The Tuscan Trap: Part I




It was a blustery day in London, the rain was pouring continuously without pause, as Dawn did her best to avoid the puddles on the pavement. It was hard enough that she was already ten minutes late for her meeting but that her hair was starting to stand up on end in little fuzzy patches. 'Oh shit', she thought. She dreaded to think whether her make up was still in place or if she was sporting, 'wet t-shirt' at the front of her. She swung through the front door of the building she worked in and ran for the nearest available lift and pressed the fourteenth floor. Looking in the lift mirror, her face was indeed etched with mascara trailing down her cheeks and making her face look like the day after a drunken night. She smudged away at the make-up, she didn't have time to get to the ladies and spruce up, she simply had to go to the meeting, it was a life and death situation. She dumped her bag at her desk and literally sped into the conference room to a room full of smartly dressed senior people.

"Dawn, glad you could join us, we were just discussing your role," voiced Terrence Hiller, the VP for Finance.

Dawn gulped as she took an empty on the big oval mahogany table, "My position?"

"Yes of course, we would like to transfer you to Italy," Terrence said flicking through what looked like a holiday brochure.

"Italy? But why?" gasped Dawn.

"We are happy with your progress here Dawn, but we'd like you to oversee a project over in Tuscany, Italy. This would be a perfect opportunity for you to prove yourself as a leader and a valuable necessity to the company. Would you be willing to take it, that would be my question?" Terrence said glaring at her.

"When would you like me to start?" Dawn asked.

"Monday morning," Terrrence said, "Of course, we will take care of your expenses and accommodation so you needn't worry about that. You will oversee the infrastructure of our new property, you will need assess and divulge ideas on commercially as well as trying to understand whether it is a safe investment for the future of this company, do you think you are most capable of doing this?"

Dawn wide eyes gave her away and she paused to think.

"Time is money Dawn, if you do not think you are capable of doing it, I will simply pass this offer onto someone else," Terrence said shooting her a glance.

"No... no... I will take it," Dawn said, her lips suddenly dry.

"Good, well you better start packing your bags then," Terrence said and then started shooting off directions and commands left, right and centre.
A few hours later, Dawn left her office in a daze. They would Fed-Ex her plane tickets to her flat the following day, Saturday and she'd need to start assessing what she would bring with her and what she didn't need. She was a spectacular hoarder, so everything was a must and she didn't quite know how to explain to baggage control at the airport on how she desperately needed all ten or so boxes full of crap. She didn't even know where she would be staying, let alone whether there would be enough space to accommodate her and her junk, but she wasn't going to risk it.

So on Monday morning when she checked in with British Airways, she discovered that she'd be lounging in complete luxury in first class. When she got seated, she had the glory of the window seat. Fantastic, she thought, just how I liked it. She was going through the cocktail menu, only to have her eyes transfixed on a heavenly bod. She couldn't see the face of this heavenly bod, as he was shoving something in the overhead compartment and when he finally sat down next to her, he smiled briefly and continued to read his paper. Dawn had caught a glimpse of this man seated next to her and she gushed to herself. He was gorgeous. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed his scruffy tousled brown hair and his deep penetrative brown eyes scouring the contents of the paper. She held her breathe, releasing it slowly. He was the most gorgeous man, she had ever seen and in such close proximity.

"I've never ridden in first class before... there's so much leg room," Dawn instigated at conversation. The man made no move to reciprocate conversation, she peered forward and the man put down his newspaper and exhaled.

"Ridden is used when you ride a horse, not when you fly by plane," he said matter of fact.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this was a master class in the English language!" Dawn said back, taken by his unfriendliness.

"And if you want to make conversation, you better look elsewhere," he said.

"Gee, what a friendly person you are... obviously gentleman isn't found in your vocabulary," Dawn huffed and looked outside the window.

Note to Audience

Please be aware that the stories that are on my blog are completely fictional and are no way related to the people who I have taken from celebrity.

Many thanks,

Roanne

La Dolce Vita: Part VIII


A whole week passed by and there had been no phone calls from Amelia. Rob spent most of his days walking around and taking in the architecture of Naples, going to the market and reading. His agent had contacted him about a possible project that needed him to oversee the leading part. He had received the script but was yet to read it. He wasn't in the mood. Rob was returning from his walk along the coast when he saw Amelia emerging out of a small white transit van. Her hair was tied back in a chignon and she was wearing a floaty white dress and a red cardigan. He watched as she embraced Giovanni in a hug and then hugged an older version of Giovanni, which Rob presumed was Gavino.

Rob walked quickly towards them and stopped a few meters away from them. Giovanni was the first to see him and instructed Gavino to take it all inside, leaving Amelia out with the van.

Amelia exhaled and spun around on her heels to retrieve the last painting and then she paused as the figure standing in front of her caught her attention. They stood there motionless, the silence stretched out. Rob walked towards her closing the gap between them.

"Hello," Rob whispered.

"Hi, how are you?" Amelia asked, "I'm sorry I didn't call you back, I just needed to work..."

Rob nodded, what was he to say without coming across as desperate and sad. Amelia filled the silence and she went to the door of the transit van and withdrew a fairly large canvas.

"I know, I was meant to call and I'm sorry about that... not that, that makes any difference but there is something I would like to give you..." Amelia withdrew a canvas of Rob seated at the piano, "I kinda had this picture in my head of you, you playing the piano because I heard you and... well... I just hope you have somewhere you can put it."

Rob gazed at it in awe.

"This would be a good time then any to say something," Amelia whispered.

Rob gazed at his portrait, "You only do landscapes,"

"I know, funny that... you were in my thoughts and whenever I tried to paint a scene, a cafe or something, it never really came out and well... I thought I'd give it a bash and it came out perfectly, this is what I had in my head... I hope you like it?" Amelia sighed.

"I more then like it Amelia, I love it. Thank you," Rob smiled and as he took the portrait from her, he leaned forward and kissed her and she kissed him back, ever so gently.

The sound of a car dispelled their kiss and they both withdrew from each other. All of a sudden, Rob felt a fist collide with his cheek and he stumbled back and he heard Amelia shriek out a name.

"Rick!"

Rob held his stance and his face contorted. He touched his lip and it was bleeding. He saw Rick grab Amelia and she surged back.

"Where the hell have you been Amelia?" Rick said and Rob noticed it was the same guy with the red flashy Lamborghini, "And what the hell are you doing with him?"

Amelia shoved at him, hard and Rick stumbled back, "That is none of your business and you have no right to treat him like that! I will tell you again as it obviously didn't get through from the beginning, we are over and I don't ever want to see you again."

"Amelia, you got it all wrong..." Rick tried to sustain her.

"Yeah, I did get it all wrong... I should never have believed getting involved with you would have been a good thing. Your lies almost ruined my career but being here, has made me realise I don't want to be with you anymore," Amelia said bluntly, as she stepped away from him and towards Rob. Rick looked from the face of Amelia to Rob.

"So, you've chosen him have you?" Rick said.

"No, I've chosen myself," and as she turned towards Rob she looked at him anxiously, "Come on, I have a some ice upstairs," and she led him away, leaving Rick standing furiously on his own in the middle of the street.

Rob took a seat by the window and watched Amelia disappear into the bathroom, she came back with a bowl of warm water, a white cloth and some cream. She sat opposite him beside the window sill. The windows were open to let in some cool air. Rob watched her intensely as she got to work on the cut to his lip.

"Are you alright?" Rob asked.

Amelia looked up from nursing his lip and looked into his eyes, "Yeah, it was a long time coming but I feel better thanks," she dipped the cloth into the water and applied it to his lip, "Sorry you got involved there..."

Rob touched her hand and leaned forward to kiss her.

Giovanni was standing outside the bakery shop and when he looked up, he saw his little piccola kissing the movie star and at last he thought, as happiness flooded through... it was indeed La Dolce Vita.

THE END