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Suddenly, an idea occurred to her.
‘You know what, there’s a bar not far from here I wanted to try. It’s Brazilian, I think. But I didn’t want to go alone. It gets pretty busy and rowdy. Maybe… do you want to go there for a drink?’
‘Now you’re talking, let’s go.’
‘If you go back down this lane, it’s just two blocks on the right. You can’t miss it.’
‘You gotta come with us, honey.’ The speaker took a step closer to her.
‘Yeah, you gotta come.’
Trying to calm her hammering heart and shaking hands, she tried her hardest to sound flirtatious. ‘Of course, just…I don’t think it opens ’til five and… I want to change into something… more fun.’
‘Gonna dress up for us, blondie?’ Another stepped closer, crowding her.
‘If we’re going to have a good night, let’s make it a great night.’ She tried to keep her voice light.
‘You sure you’re not messing with us?’ The blonde-haired American was at least a foot taller than her and looked like he’d been on the wrestling team in college.
‘Of course not. Like I said. I’ve been wanting to try this place.’
‘Show us this bar. It’s like, two blocks away?’
‘Yes, look, you can probably see it from the end of the street.’ She headed back the way she came. Holding her breath, she pushed past the two men that first called out to her, praying they wouldn’t try and grab her. ‘Come on,’ she called over her shoulder.
She got to the end of the street and her heart sank. She couldn’t see the bar. She could hear the group hot on her heels.
‘Just up here, I’m sure.’ She kept walking in the direction she thought the bar was. Halfway up the block it came into view.
‘There it is.’
‘It looks closed.’
‘Yeah, like I said, I think it opens at five.’ She didn’t break her stride, hoping someone else would come into view.
‘What are we supposed to do until then?’
‘Maybe we should come and help you get changed?’ Laughter broke out behind her. They were within arm’s reach. She still wouldn’t be able to outrun them.
At that moment, a tour group emerged from another street. About ten men and women examined their maps and looked around as their guide spoke at them in what sounded like rapid-fire Italian.
‘Excuse me,’ she made her way straight to the guide, placing her hand on his arm. ‘Do you know where these guys could get a drink around here? The bar up ahead seems to be closed.’
The guide looked at Sarah and then at the five Americans behind her. He glanced down at her hand still holding on to his arm and back to her face. ‘Si. Inglese?’
She nodded. The guide patted her hand and then walked towards the Americans, arms outstretched.
‘Hallo boys, you looking for a drink?’
Sarah didn’t hang around to hear the rest of their exchange. She made a beeline for the main square. The market would be closed but there were still plenty of people milling about the shops and cafes. Safety in numbers. And she didn’t want to risk them following her to the apartment.
She found a cafe and made sure it didn’t serve alcohol. There was a pretty good chance the guide would send the Americans to the main square and she didn’t want to end up in the same place as them. She ordered a coke and sat in a corner where she could see most of the square. Nervously, she sipped the drink for the next twenty minutes, her heartbeat thundering in her ears, relegating all other noise to the background. She refused to let her mind wander with any thought, focusing only on watching the crowds for any sign of the American tourists.
She just wanted to get back to the apartment. When her glass was empty and she still had not spotted her would-be antagonists, she stood on shaking legs. Her chair tumbled back on the timber floor, ensuring everyone in the cafe noticed her. Fumbling with her bag of fruit, she bent to right the chair. A waiter appeared at her side. She couldn’t understand what he was saying but guessed it was an offer of help. Sarah managed to choke out, ‘Merci,’ as she headed for the door.
She kept her head down and set out for the apartment. As she approached the street, she paused. There was a stone bench in front of a bridal shop on the corner. She placed her shopping bag on it and used the pretense of checking her mobile phone to make sure no one had followed her. After a moment, she picked her bag up and tried to be as casual as possible as she meandered to the front door. She strained her ears for any sound of someone approaching but could hear nothing but the normal street noises. The tremor in her hands made inserting the key into the lock difficult.
Finally, the key slid in and turned, the door swinging open on command. She threw herself through it and leaned heavily against the solid timber once securely closed and locked. The tears were instant.
