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‘Actually, chatting on WhatsApp is cool, but I was thinking it would great to meet up—you know,hang outtoo,’ I said using her style of lingo. Now I really did sound like a dinosaur trying and failing to bedown with the kids.
‘Totally!We could create our own little study group!’ She clapped her hands with excitement. ‘How about coffee at my place tomorrow morning?’
‘Great!’
‘Cool! I’ll message you with the deets.Ciao, Sophia!’
‘Ciao!’ I waved.
Brilliant! That would give me something to look forward to. Angelica finished chatting to the woman behind the bar, then put on her bright orange coat. She certainly liked a lot of colour. It went well with her vibrant hair. I followed her as she stepped outside.
‘Thanks for today’s session, Angelica.’
‘Prego. And please. Call me Geli.’
‘Jelly?’
‘Sì. Pronounced like you English sayjellybut spelt likeGeribut withlnotr:Geli. Angelica does not suit my personality. When you know me, you will see that I am definitelynotan angel…’ She let out a raucous laugh.
‘Oh, right! Okay, then.Geliit is!’
As soon as I saw her, I got the feeling that she was probably a bit of a rebel. Someone who didn’t play by the rules. That was also clear from the format of her lessons. And she certainly didn’t seem like someone who ‘belonged’ here. Geli seemed too adventurous—too big for such a small town.
We started walking home.
‘So what do you think of life here, Sophia?’
‘Honestly?’
‘Of course! That was what the lesson tonight was all about. Remember, you are not a robot. Express your true feelings.’
‘Difficult,’ I sighed. ‘My boyfriend is fantastic and I love when we’re alone with our son, Leo. When we’re a family. And this town is beautiful. I love things like these cute cobbled streets and the amazing views, but there’s not much to do here. The people in this town—well, present company excepted—aren’t as nice as other Italians I’ve met either. Then of course there’s the overbearing mother-in-law and the language barrier… but at least your lessons I think will help.’
‘Sì. But I cannot perform miracles! Especially when it comes to mother-in-laws!’ She laughed again.
‘And you? What brings you here? This town doesn’t seem very, well,you.’
‘Correct.’ Geli smiled. ‘I prefer to be a free spirit. I enjoy travelling the world. I never stay in one place for too long. Just three weeks ago I was in Rio de Janeiro, hiking in the Tijuca rainforest, showering under waterfalls, partying and drinking with the local people. Having the time of my life. But then Mamma got sick and had an operation. She will need to stay in bed to recover, so I come back to take care of her. I love my mamma, but I cannot stay in that house all day. I need to do something for me. So when I hear some horrible woman in the supermarket cursing thestupid English lady, I ask around and found out that there were a few new English people in town, so thought I could give lessons, so you would know how to defend yourself against people like that.’
‘She was probably talking about me!’ I slapped my forehead. ‘Chased me and my son out of the shop. Just because I couldn’t speak Italian. And possibly because he’d dropped a big one in his nappy and she didn’t like the smell.’
‘Puttana! I cannot stand fools like that. Do not worry, Sophia. She will get her, how you say?Just deserts?’
‘Yes, that’s the one!’ I smiled. Her English was really good. ‘I hope so.’
‘Well, Mamma’s house is this way, so I will see you at the next lesson,sì?’
Looked like she didn’t live too far away from me. Just a five-minute walk. That was handy.
‘Definitely! Looking forward to it already.Ciao, Geli.’
‘Ciao, Sophia.’
That was probably one of the most enjoyable evenings I’d had in this town since I’d arrived. I’d received an invitation to coffee tomorrow with Holly and had a lovely chat with Geli. I really liked her. She had character. A quirky personality. Spunk. Actually, might be best not to use that word after recent events…
Although I was old enough to be Holly’s mother and we were unlikely to have much in common socially, I reckoned Geli would be a lot of fun tohang outwith. In a town that had been so cold and unwelcoming towards me, I hoped that I’d finally found one, possibly eventwonew friends. I was on my way to tackling multiple points on my list.
Maybe, just maybe, things were beginning to look up after all.
