Act of Necessity Ch. 09-10

Chapter 9 A Wedding in Umbria

By the time we left Vancouver and headed out on the first leg of our journey, I had successfully put my vile act out of my conscious mind and come to terms with what I had done. Eduardo and Rosina surprised me with business class tickets to Toronto and that was a real luxury. When we boarded the Alitalia 747, we were on the upper deck and I realized then that I was being treated like royalty. I had a hard time expressing my appreciation to Francesca's parents. They were treating me like a son, long before I had worked up the courage to ask their daughter for her hand in marriage.

I had never been to Europe and the idea that I would be flying there first class was really something. It was over nine hours from Toronto to Rome, and I was far too excited to sleep on the plane. We arrived at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport early the next morning. We had reservations on the mid-afternoon train to Perugia where we would be met by Fredo and Pietro. I was still operating on adrenalin, but I knew sooner or later it would catch up to me.

The train trip was three hours and I think I slept almost all the way. Francesca was beside me, leaning against me as I slept. The nine hour difference between Vancouver and Italy was beginning to tell on me. We had eaten well on both flights and I wasn't hungry. We would be arriving at the villa sometime before seven o'clock in the evening and I knew that a dinner had been planned for us. I was hoping I had an appetite by then.

Just before we arrived at Perugia, I stood, stretched, did some knee bends, and walked through the rail car to get my body operating once more. I needed a pep pill or something to get me going again. I used the washroom to put some cold water on my face and that seemed to help. I wanted to take in the countryside, since I'd missed most of the scenery from Rome.

Pietro and Fredo were waiting for us when we arrived in Perugia. The luggage was only a couple of minutes getting to the departure area and we headed out toward the parking lot. The boys had rented or borrowed a pair of Fiat vans, not the prettiest vehicles I had ever seen. However, they seated us in comfort and with Fredo driving, we were on our way to Magione. I was surprised that the highway was a divided four lane. I expected a more rural two lane road to the small town. Before we got to the town, Fredo turned onto a narrow paved road heading up into the hills to the north. We drove for almost a mile, passing vineyards along the way before we came to a big house.

This was Casa Mariani, and it was impressive. Stone and timber, clay tile roof, leaded windows. I had no idea how old it was, but I assumed it was at least a hundred years. I felt I had stepped back in time as I entered the cavernous foyer. It was like nothing I had ever experienced.

Giovanni and Samantha welcomed us and we hugged and kissed. It was good to see them again. They had left Vancouver four months ago, but I admit I missed them and I was delighted to see them again.

Outside, the air was warm. Inside it was cool. Comfortably cool. Gio helped me with the luggage as he led us upstairs to the second floor and down a long hallway to an end bedroom. I was surprised when he put both Francesca's and my bags in the room. He looked at me with a grin.

"We only have so many bedrooms," he shrugged.

"I guess so," I chuckled, wrapping my arm around Francesca.

Gio left the room and closed the door behind him. I walked to the window and looked out. I could see the lake in the distance. Before us lay acres of grape vines and Olive trees. As I looked around, I could see this was relatively arid land, much like our southern Okanagan. The rolling hills and orderly orchards and vineyards gave them a symmetry that added to the splendour.

"The winery is above and behind us," Francesca said as we gazed out over the beautiful scene. "Are you tired? You didn't sleep much on the plane."

"I'll be okay," I assured her, hugging her to me. "I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight, though. I'm surprised we're both in the same room. I didn't expect that."

"Mother and father are quite modern, Dal. They understand we are lovers and they trust us. Why don't you have a bath before dinner? You'll feel better when you do."

"Geez, I haven't had a bath since I was a kid. I guess there is no shower then?"

"Not in this room. If you like, I'll join you and I can wash you and then you can wash me," she grinned.

"Now that's an offer I don't intend to refuse. Lead the way."

We stripped and walked into the attached bathroom. The tub was huge and I looked at Francesca and she looked at me.

"Do you think there's enough room for the both of us?" I asked.

"Let's find out," she laughed.

We did -- and there was. We splashed a lot of water around as we played, but the floors and walls were tile and we didn't worry about it. I felt better after the bath. We dried each other lovingly with the soft towels and lay on the bed for a while, kissing and stroking each other. I would have been happy to spend the rest of the day here with her, but I knew we were expected to be in the reception downstairs. We reluctantly got dressed and went down to join the others.

I met the grandparents for the first time and I was welcomed as if I were family. They spoke very little English and I spoke almost no Italian, so our conversations were very limited. However, they were very friendly and I felt I was being treated just as Eduardo and Rosina had treated me when we first met. There was wine in decanters and Giovanni explained that these were a selection of their newest vintages. I am no wine expert, but the two I sampled were very smooth and very full-bodied. I made my selection last a while. I didn't want to get tipsy and embarrass myself.

It turned out that the Mariani residence had a cook and a housekeeper and they had prepared the evening meal. It was a traditional selection of meats cooked over flame, along with side dishes of vegetables. It was delicious and I carefully sampled most offerings, trying not to take too much. I didn't expect to have an appetite, but the aromas coming off the offerings, and the appearance of the food itself was enough to get my saliva glands pumping.

I could feel myself beginning to fade as the clock neared ten. Francesca took pity on me, made our excuses and led me up to the bedroom. I vaguely remember getting undressed, but after that, I was out.

~*~

Friday, I felt much more alive and alert. Eduardo took me on a tour of the vineyards and the winery. The seemingly endless rows of vines were all very carefully identified with the name of the varietals and the date planted. He explained that records for each row were kept as to when they were pruned and inspected for any disease.

The winery itself was more interesting to me. I saw the crush area, now featuring more modern equipment, Eduardo assured me. From there, the juice was stored in large vats, each holding over two thousand liters. The vats in the older part of the building were oak, some of which were sixty or more years old. In the newer addition, the vats were stainless steel. Each of the nearly twenty vats was labeled with the variety and the date of the press.

The bottling area was almost all new from appearances. It contained in-line filters, pumps, filling equipment and sealing equipment. It was a completely automated system with the exception that the finished corked and labeled bottles were hand packed into cartons. The traditional cork was now gradually being replaced by synthetic, two layer plastic corks that Eduardo assured me were more secure. After testing, they had cut down on problems of oxidization of the wine in shipping and storage. Apparently, natural cork would gradually be eliminated in many of the wineries.

I knew what he was doing, of course. He wanted me to understand the family business. I had a feeling I was going to be invited to participate if I married Francesca, and this was the preliminary presentation. How would I react to this? Would I be interested or bored? Would I ask questions or just observe? I don't think I disappointed him. I was interested and I did ask many questions.

When it was almost two o'clock and time for lunch, he took me aside as we walked back toward the family villa.

"What do you think of all this, Dallas?" he asked in his usual friendly tone.

"I think you are very fortunate to have all this, Eduardo," I said with a genuine smile. "This is a true family business and your sons will be lucky to work with you to insure its success."

"If you were to marry Francesca, you would become a son as well. Could you see yourself involved in this business?" he asked, patiently waiting for my response.

"Yes," I nodded after a moment's hesitation. "I'm not like Giovanni. I don't understand all that goes into winemaking. But I could see myself involved in some other part of the business, possibly in sales and distribution. You make a very good product and it would be easy to speak truthfully about its quality and value. Your company, your business, is run in an honorable and trustworthy way. A man should be proud to present your label to others."

He smiled and chuckled. "Very nice. Very flattering. But do not try too hard to impress me. Rosina and I have raised our sons and daughter to protect and expand the family name in our wines. I am proud of my father and mother for their lifelong dedication to this land and our ancestral home. I am proud of my sons. They are good young men, dedicated to their own families as well as our business. I see those things in you as well. Carlo has told me of your work at the restaurant. He knows you are capable of more than he can offer. Perhaps we can talk about what you might want to contribute ... if you marry Francesca," he grinned at the finish.

"I'm not ready for marriage yet, Eduardo. I love your daughter and I believe she loves me. But we have our educations to complete, and I have an obligation to Carl for the trust he put in me from the beginning. I want to fulfill that obligation."

He smiled once more and clapped me on the shoulder, now becoming a familiar gesture.

"That is as it should be. You are a good young man, Dallas. I think you will make a good husband and father," he said as we resumed our walk back to the house.

As I walked, I wondered just what Eduardo would think of me if he knew what I had done. I could rationalize it as protecting myself and his daughter, but it was still a violent, premeditated act. I had decided right from the beginning that I would let no one know the truth about me. In my darker moments, even I didn't want to know the truth about me.

~*~

The reception was more like a festival than the traditional North American wedding. The little church in Magione was too small to hold everyone invited to the wedding. Worse yet, it was impossibly hot that afternoon and I wondered if some of the older people might suffer from heat exhaustion. That included the Mariani grandparents. Eduardo's father was dressed in a charcoal wool suit with a white shirt and dark tie. He looked amazingly cool.

Giovanni was also dressed in a charcoal suit, but it looked considerably lighter than his grandfather's. The bride, Samantha, was beautiful in her white, floor length gown. A very traditional veil topped her modest ensemble. She was beaming in happiness and Gio did not look the slightest bit nervous. The bridesmaids, including Francesca, were dressed in pale green knee length dresses. I thought everyone could see just how much more beautiful my girl was than any of the others.

I was surprised and pleased that the service was much shorter than what I imagined a typical Catholic service would be. Whether it was an act of mercy due to the heat of the day, I didn't know, but I was grateful. The service was entirely in Italian, with the exception of some parts which I was sure were in Latin. In any event, I could tell what was going on as they exchanged vows and, at the end, they kissed and walked side-by-side down the aisle. I saw a few tears among the ladies of the family, but they were all accompanied by smiles as well.

There were the usual pictures taken on the steps of the church before a horse-drawn open carriage arrived to take them to the villa for the reception. Francesca joined me and we waited until the happy couple had departed before heading to Fredo's van and followed them. There was lots of lively chatter between Pietro, Fredo, Melanie, Carolyn and Francesca. I was just listening and smiling at what might be a similar scene when Francesca and I married. I was taking that for a "given," based on my conversation with Eduardo yesterday.

Mama Rosina and Eduardo were the hostess and host of the reception. The grandparents sat and enjoyed themselves while their son and daughter-in-law greeted everyone and made sure the food and drink was plentiful. The reception was catered by a small, local firm who knew exactly what was required for the seventy-plus people who attended. The music would also be locally supplied by a three-piece group who, it seemed, could play just about anything from modern to traditional. They were happy to field requests and from the number of people who used the courtyard area to dance, they met everyone's needs, including the children. It's amazing the number of different instruments a modern keyboard synthesizer can reproduce.

With sunset came a nice cooling of the air, and while jackets and ties among the younger people had been discarded earlier, I could see some of the older people were enjoying the drop in temperature. The bride and groom had changed into more comfortable wear. They would be leaving for Civitavecchia in the morning to board their cruise ship. Pietro and Melanie would drive them on the two hour trip to the seaport near Rome. Their seven day voyage would visit various locations in Spain, Italy, and the Greek islands.

Francesca and I would be heading home before they returned. Gio and Sam would make their home in the villa while he was still in school and afterward. Eduardo and Rosina were staying a few extra days, Rosina to be with her family and Eduardo to conduct some Mariani family business. Pietro and Melanie would also be staying on for a few days, also for business reasons. Francesca and I would be travelling with Fredo and Carolyn, flying first to London, then direct to Vancouver. I wished we had more time to do some sightseeing in Italy and England, but I had a job to return to and Francesca needed to get back to classes at UBC and do some catching up.

I don't know what the wedding cost Eduardo and Rosina, but it must have been many thousands of dollars, or millions of lira. I wouldn't dare ask, but I never got any hint that it stressed his budget or was beyond what he wanted to spend. I saw no evidence that he tried to save or economize for this marriage. Our travel was all business class or better and everything about the wedding was first class. It occurred to me that he would be doing this all over again when Francesca was married, whether it was to me or not. It was a humbling thought that it might be me.

~*~

We arrived back in Vancouver after an entire day on aircraft. Alitalia from Rome to London, Air Canada London to Vancouver. I finally found a way to sleep on the last leg of the journey. We had been up very early that morning to catch our flight from Rome and had a very short connection in London before boarding the flight to Vancouver. Thank goodness for business class. I don't know what kind of shape I would have been in if I'd had to be jammed into an economy class seat for fifteen or sixteen hours. Francesca was clearly more experienced than I was. She was asleep almost before we took off from Rome, woke briefly to make the transfer to our last flight, then almost immediately was asleep again. I only wished I could do the same.

It took a few days to shake off the jetlag from the nine hour time change. Darlene wanted to hear all about the trip and the wedding. I handed her four rolls of film to be developed and printed and said when they returned, I'd explain what the pictures were all about. I was too tired to try and describe the wonderful ten days I had just enjoyed.

It took me a while to get back into my studies with my usual energy. I was fine going to work, but I had to discipline myself to catch up on my courses. It had been nearly two weeks since I done anything remotely serious with my homework and I was having difficulty catching up. It was over a week before I felt I was back where I should be.

In the meantime, Darlene had picked up the pictures at the drugstore and I went over them. She wrote on the back of the prints what the scenes were if they weren't obvious. She oohed and awed at the prints of the villa. She thought it was such a romantic setting for a wedding. She lingered over the scenes of the reception thinking, I imagined, what her wedding might have been like in another life.

Francesca and I resumed our normal routine until her classes ended the first week of June. Her father and mother had returned from Italy a week earlier and Pietro and his family were due home in a few days as well. Sunday dinners were resumed the week Francesca's exams ended. Darlene was invited, but declined. She had a date. Mama Rosina told her to bring her date as well, but again, Darlene declined with thanks. She didn't know the man that well. Perhaps the next time, my sister promised.

I was only a few months away from my degree in business from Northern University and I thought it would be a good idea to sit down with Carl and discuss his expectations for my future at the restaurant.

"I've got a couple of options for you, Dal," he said when we met in his office. "You could continue on at the restaurant for a few more months before moving to this office. We need a sharp mind in purchasing. Someone who'll watch the pennies but won't sacrifice the quality."

"Okay," I said. "That would fit in with my courses."

"There's also the option to become head of staff training. You have a knack for knowing what it takes to run the restaurant and what kind of people fit best in our company. I'd like to have one manager, three assistant managers, and one trainee manager at each location. A manager for each shift, plus a trainee who could fill in when needed. We'd continue to stagger the shifts to cover the weekends, but we have a plan for that already."

I nodded. It made sense. We had a lot more employees now than ever before and it was important to have good in-house management. "When I was on night shift, I used to work Friday nights to Saturday morning, then alternated Sunday night to Monday morning. As long as we didn't change the hours on the staff too often, almost everyone was satisfied with the shifts."

"We've got a big payroll now," Carl continued. It's become a big business, so that's why I'm concerned about having a training manager. On top of that, the owners are talking about expanding to a fifth location somewhere in the Fraser Valley."

"That will really stretch us for a while as far as experienced people are concerned," I noted. "Are they talking about starting from scratch or buying an existing location?"

"Not decided. At least with an existing location we'd have some staff to evaluate. That would be a big help."

Again, I agreed. It was something to think about. I didn't know how I felt about either job at this early stage. I decided to see what Carl really wanted.

"Okay, Carl. I'd like to know what you want, regardless of what I want."

I could see the smile and the suppressed chuckle that followed my challenge.

"I think you could do either job very well. To be honest, though, I think the training job is tougher. You'd be deciding people's futures. You wouldn't be just hiring, you'd be firing as well. That's more stress and responsibility, but it's the more important job and the compensation reflects that."