Page 34 of The Dolce Vita Divas
The toy lamb had been found weeks later under the sofa, the moustache stuck to its face.
* * *
I took a deep breath and steadied myself against the wall for a moment, a bright smile plastered on my face.
We followed Paulo down a long corridor and he knocked on a door at the end. After a moment he went in, beckoning us to follow him.
‘Sei pronto. You are prompt,’ Ceci said with approval. ‘I like that.’
She was sitting by the open window, elegant in a silk dress, a cashmere wrap around her shoulders.
‘Come in. I have ordered coffee; it should be here in a moment. Freddy has gone off for his morning walk. Paulo, you can leave us. Yes, off you go. If you see Freddy loitering by the kitchens, hoping for treats, you have my permission to shoo him away.’
Coffee? What I needed was a strong drink. Something like bourbon or Polish vodka, although I disliked the taste of both of them. I imagined myself for a moment, propped against a dark bar somewhere, downing a shot, wincing as the alcohol burned its way down.
‘My hairdresser will be arriving soon, but for now, come and sit down, tell me about yourselves. I never get the chance to find out about young people these days, and my hearing is poor, so when I am in company like yesterday I prefer to talk about myself. Then I don’t have to listen.’
Young people? It was a long time since we had been referred to as that. It made me feel unreasonably pleased.
‘We are loving being here,’ I said, ‘it’s absolutely beautiful. The only thing that could make things better would be if Ellen was here with us too.’
Ceci nodded, looking thoughtful.
‘She was an extraordinary woman. So calm and always so composed. Nothing seemed to upset her, which in a family like ours was strange. When I was younger there was always someone arguing about something. The house was filled with the noise of me and my sisters fighting. When I was bored as a child I used to pick fights with the two of them just for the fun of it. And so did they. We still do. Ellen would leave the room if people argued, if she thought the atmosphere was difficult.’
Yes, I remembered that aspect of her character only too well.
‘But what are you hoping to do while you are here?’
‘Just meet Ellen’s Italian family and friends. And relax I suppose and enjoy the scenery. There is something about overlooking the sea that is so wonderful and restful.’
‘I must warn you, my younger sisters Sylvia and Lucia will be arriving sometime today,’ Ceci said, and she gave me a look. ‘That will be interesting. There is nothing restful about them, I can assure you.’
‘How do you mean?’ I asked.
‘Sylvia isuna donna molto anziani– a very old woman,’ Ceci replied after some thought. ‘You will see.’
‘Brave of her to make the trip then,’ Susie said, ‘if she’s that old.’
Ceci snorted. ‘She is three years younger than I am. But every time I see her, in her head she is an invalid. Always fussing and complaining. Wanting attention. Too hot, too cold. Feel my hands. Do I look pale. Where are my pills, my medication. No way to be. There is a cliff not far from here,Salto di Tiberio,where the Emperor Tiberius threw his enemies off, so that their bodies were smashed on the rocks below. After five minutes Sylvia makes me feel like that. I must take her up there one day. She is also colour blind. She will be wearing turquoise, although she thinks it is orange, I can guarantee it. It’s bad enough losing my youth, I refuse to accept old age as she has. Not yet anyway. You must keep her away from me, in case she depresses me.’
‘We will do our best,’ I said. ‘What about Lucia?’
‘Now, Lucia was the baby of the family and she was always very silly. She still is. You will see. It will take her perhaps five minutes to throw a tantrum about something, and she’s seventy-eight and should know better.’
Susie and I exchanged a delighted look. This sounded very promising indeed.
A waiter came in with a tray of coffee at that point, which he settled on the sideboard.
‘Leave it, Mario. We can manage,’ Ceci said, and he left with a little bow at the door.
The next few minutes were taken up with serving the coffee and remarking on its wonderful taste.
At last, Ceci patted my hand. ‘Eccelente.Now then, what to wear tomorrow. I would like your opinion. Although I may ignore it. I have a choice.’
She stood up with none of the usual effort of accompanying noises that many older people make and led us towards her bedroom where several very flamboyant cocktail dresses were hanging from the picture rail on padded coat hangers.
‘Wow, these are lovely, so bright and vibrant,’ Susie said, reaching out to touch them. ‘This beading is wonderful.’
