Page 78 of The Dolce Vita Divas
I sent an email to my family explaining what had happened and reassuring them I was fine. Although I did receive a couple of panicking calls from my daughters when I sent them a WhatsApp selfie of my bruised face.
Alex sent me an unexpectedly long email; he had apparently been busy with work and reassured me he had definitely not had any friends round. Apart from a couple who wanted to watch the football. And a colleague from work who had just broken up with his girlfriend and needed a place to stay for the weekend. And he promised he would touch up the paintwork on the bannisters when he had a moment.
My daughters sent video messages from their children who, despite it still being early October, were asking if I could make them some Halloween costumes. When did that become such a thing, I wondered. I didn’t remember trick or treating when I was a child.
Jess, who was married to a solicitor, asked if I was going to sue, and Kat asked what on earth I had done to my hair and if I would be better by Christmas.
Then I began to worry about how everyone would fit in to my little house now that my granddaughters had both outgrown their travel cots, and then firmly pushed the problem from my mind. It was a long way off, after all. Who knew what I would be doing by then?
I might be off on a Christmas cruise or staying somewhere snowy, which was always something I had wanted to do. Vermont, perhaps, or Austria. The possibilities were endless if I just opened my mind to them.
Having finished my rather pleasant daydream of sitting in a log cabin by a roaring fire with a mug of hot chocolate in my hand with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking some suitably festive scenery, I then sent them some more cheerful views of Susie carrying two glasses of wine towards me with a big grin on her face, a beautiful sunset and another reassuring selfie after I had borrowed some of Susie’s Touch Eclat concealer.
‘Would you mind awfully if I went out this evening?’ Susie said. ‘I mean, there are lots of people around in case you need something.’
She was standing in the doorway fiddling with the handle and not quite meeting my eye.
‘Of course not,’ I said. ‘You’ve been fussing around me all day. I’m guessing this is for an outing with your admirer?’
‘Well, he did say he would like to take me out to dinner. And you really are looking better. Not the black eye, of course. I mean, that’s going to take a bit of time to go, but you don’t seem quite so battered. Did you ask Gina to do that to your hair, by the way? It’s a bit different. I’ve never seen you with big hair before. You look like you’re going to take off.’
‘I’m absolutely fine,’ I said, trying to pat my hair down and make it look a bit less exuberant, ‘and I really don’t need people to fuss or keep my company all the time. And Gina just did what she felt like.’
‘Ceci wanted to come and see you. I think now Sylvia has gone, she is feeling a bit out of sorts. I know they squabbled all the time, but I have the feeling they both secretly enjoyed it. Lucia is still here but they don’t seem quite the force with only the two of them. And Raleigh and Leo wanted to come and say goodbye too. They are off tomorrow, back to America with the boy wonder.’
‘Poor Eric, how is he?’
‘To be honest he doesn’t seem quite as bad. He was sitting between his parents looking very chastised at breakfast this morning. Not running about and not arguing either. And I did see Andrea sitting with her feet up by the pool having a quiet hour to herself for once. I think your accident really shocked all of them, not just Eric. It’s about time something did in my opinion. All that “No No” parenting nonsense, I think they have given up on that.’
‘Good job too,’ I said. ‘They do say kids push their boundaries, and he didn’t seem to have any.’
‘So wise. So, what do you say about this evening? Are you sure you don’t mind?’
‘Not at all,’ I said, ‘and I hope you have a wonderful time.’
Susie grinned. ‘I’ll try. Well, I won’t have to try too hard, because he’s such easy company. Right then, if you’re okay for a bit, I’ll let him know and then go and get ready.’
‘You mean he’s still around?’
Susie blushed. ‘He’s downstairs. He’s waiting to see what you say before he books the restaurant.’
* * *
Just as I was wondering if I could face going downstairs that evening for something to eat, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find Paulo there with a little metal trolley which he pushed into my room.
‘I have brought you some supper,’ he said. ‘Pasta carbonara, because it used to be your favourite.’
He bent and kissed me and brushed my cheek gently with his thumb.
‘You poor thing.’
‘I’m fine,’ I said. ‘Getting better by the minute.’
I watched as he whisked off the metal covers to reveal two steaming bowls of pasta. It smelled divine and my mouth watered for the first time in a while. How wonderful that he had remembered.
‘I hope you don’t mind if I join you?’ he said. ‘My son and his wife have gone out for the evening, Andrea and Eric are packing ready for their journey tomorrow. My mother is sulking because Lucia has met up with an old friend and they are having dinner together so she doesn’t have anyone to argue with, so you can see I too am at a loose end.’
‘Can’t she argue with Freddy?’
