She handed her boarding pass to the woman at the gate door and
walked along the jet bridge into the plane proper. Stepping into the cabin, she
walked through the aisle, looking for her row. An aisle seat; that’s what she
reserved and that’s what she hoped the airlines gave her. She looked at the
numbers above the seats; row 17, 18, 19 and finally 20; she breathed a sigh of
relief when she not only found the right row, but also there was no one sitting
in the aisle seat. Reaching up, she placed her carry on into the overhead and
sat down. She opened her book and began to read.
“Excuse me; may I get into the seat beside you?” a man’s
voice asked.
“Oh sure, sorry.” She slid out of the seat into the aisle
and let him in. When he passed by her, she slipped back into her seat.
She pretended to read her book, but was stealing glances of
him out of the corner of her eye.
The plane taxied to the runway. She steeled herself for
takeoff, but when the plane jerked, she couldn’t help but to grab onto his arm.
He looked over at her; her head was plastered against the
headrest, her eyes were closed, and she was breathing extremely fast; her chest
rising and falling quickly.
Their eyes met and she immediately took her hand off his arm.
He smiled, “First time flying?”
She shook her head, “No, I fly all the time; I just hate
takeoffs and landings. I usually take Dramamine a good hour before I fly, but I
ran out of time and just took it.” she brought the wristwatch on her arm to her
face, still with her head against the headrest, “about 30 minutes ago.”
The plane climbed; she felt her stomach dip and she began
panting.
Her face was pale, but he thought she was beautiful. Seeing
that she was unnerved, he searched his mind for something that would get her to
stop thinking about what the airplane was doing. But whenever he thought about what
might calm her all he could think of was what calmed him; riding his
motorcycle; he hoped it would work for her too.
“You know, when I feel like the walls are closing in and I’m
about to lose it, I go for a ride on my bike; there’s nothing like being on an
open strip of road for taking your mind off things.”
She looked up at him; her gold eyes fixed on his face,
watching his lips move.
“Really? You ride?”
He loved the way her
lips were slightly parted, “Yes I do.”
“I do too.”
He looked at her somewhat doubtful; she didn’t look like a
biker girl, “What kind of bike do you ride?”
“Oh, I have a Raleigh.”
He’d never heard of that make of bike, “Is that a
motorcycle?”
“Oh no” she put a hand to her chest, then pointed to him, “you
thought I rode a motor…oh, no no; it’s a bicycle.”
Seeing her smile and seeming more at ease made him smile. He
wanted to keep her talking. He looked to the book she was reading, “Don’t tell
me you’re actually reading that drivel?”
She was taken aback, but smiled, “You didn’t like it?”
He couldn’t gauge her feelings on it, so he didn't know what
to say.
She let him off the hook, “I just grabbed it from the airport
newsstand.” She looked at the front cover, “I thought with a picture of a puppy
on the front; it would have something to do with dogs. But it doesn’t; does
it?”
She turned that golden glow on him again and it made it hard
for him to think past his wants.
She smiled looking at his mouth; she loved his smile; the
way he looked a little embarrassed, she could tell he was a bit shy. She held
out her hand, “My name is Auria; Auria Ponticelli.”
He took her hand in his, “Auria” he repeated; he liked the
way it felt in his mouth, “That’s a beautiful name. I’m Sanjay Singh”
“Nice to meet you Sanjay.” They shook and she noted a strong
yet gentle handshake; his hands were smooth, but not soft and not sweaty; she
liked that.
She put a finger on his chest, “Oh, is that where you work?”
He looked to where her finger was pointing; then remembered his
employer’s name printed on his jacket, he nodded, “Yes,yes, I’m an engineer.”
“That’s nice. Do you go to Chicago often?”
Shaking his head, “No, I’m going out on a job site; just for
the day. I work out of our corporate office here in Massachusetts. How about
you? Do you live here?”
She shook her head, “No, I used to live in Chicago, but now
I live in Italy. I’m out here to promote my new book.”
He froze thinking about his earlier remark, “That’s not your
book; is it?” he pointed to the book in her lap. Her hands were folded over it
and his eyes went to her left hand; happy that it was without a ring.
“Oh no” she bent to take something out of her bag, “this is
my book.” She held up a hard cover book; maroon in color, “and this is the book
jacket.” She held up a picture of a bare chested man with chains across his
chest, “well, at least I think it’s going to look like this; I find out today.”
He looked at the name on the book and gave her a confused
look.
“Oh, that’s my pen name; I don’t use my real name, “Well, to
be honest; my real name isn’t even my real name.”
He looked confused.
She smiled, putting a hand back on his arm, “I can explain,
see after I was born, my mother was sleeping when the nurse came in, and asked
my father what my name was going to be. He gave me his mother’s name Assunta.”
she looked at him, “oh; I should tell you that my mom and my paternal
grandmother did not get along. Anyway, the next morning a nurse came in and
asked how I was; calling me by my paternal grandmother’s name and my mom about
had a fit. She told my dad that she refused to call me by that name and wanted
it changed on my birth certificate immediately. When the nurse asked her what
name she wanted, she looked around and saw a nursing student with the name
Auria; she liked it and told the nurse to change my name from Assunta to Auria.
Then when my maternal grandmother saw me, she wanted me to have a middle name,
so she added Naples; so I would always remember where I came from, but the
birth certificate change didn’t go through so my mom had to change it formally
and she didn’t like the name Naples, so she gave me her best friend’s name who
died when she was young as my middle name; Gianina; Nina for short.”
She saw him still smiling at her, but she knew she had lost
him, “well anyway, I don’t use my real name, because the book is a little…uhm…”
and her cheeks began to redden.
His smile widened.
“So” she stuck the jacket cover inside the book and dropped
the book into her bag, “I used my mom’s maiden name; Assari.” She thought about
it, “of course I could have used my grandmother’s maiden name Maiette, but I
thought that would be too confusing.” She looked at him, “Do you know what I
mean?”
All he could do was nod his head; all the names she had thrown
out were whirling around in his mind.
She smiled at him and put her hand on his shoulder, “I’m so
sorry, I tend to babble when I’m nervous.”
He liked when she touched him, “No, its fine. So, you’re on
a promotional tour?”
“Yes, I just finished a book signing in California and one here
in Boston, now on to Chicago to promote there for three days, then I go to New
York for a day, back here in Boston to spend the weekend with my best friend,
then I fly back to Italy on Tuesday.”
“Wow, that’s a whirlwind.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid my ambition may come back to bite me. But
enough of me; tell me, do you like what you do?”
He shrugged, “I do, but sometimes the customers can be a
pain.”
“Anything you do and care about can become a pain.”
He began to nod.
She leaned in closer conspiratorially. She liked his smell
and wanted to be closer to him, “Even family can become a pain eventually.” She
laughed at that; a little titter that made him chuckle.
“You are right there. So what made you move to Italy?”
She shrugged, “I was tired of Chicago weather; the cold and
snow. I watched Under the Tuscan Sun and thought that’s where a writer should
write; in the warmth and sun year round.”
“Oh, so you live in Tuscany?”
“No, silly” she put her hand on his arm again, “that would
be too easy. I live in Cinque Terre.”
He loved the way she spoke; the way the words just rolled
off her tongue, it sounded like a song.
“Cinque” he attempted.
She nodded, “Yes, Cinque Terre; it means five lands.”
“I’ve never heard of that part of Italy; where is that?”
“It’s right on the coast; also known as the Italian
Riviera.”
He liked listening to her, “Oh, sounds very romantic.”
Realizing what he said, he blushed.
She smiled, “Now you see; a romantic writer could live no
other place…no?”
They both laughed and he knew he could talk to this woman
forever.
“So is this a one-time thing? Going to Chicago?”
“Well, I’m hoping I’ll be back in a couple of months for the
sequel.”
“A couple of months?”
They looked into each other’s eyes and Auria could see that
he was thinking. She lowered her head shyly, “Well, I do come to Boston at
least every other month; my family would disown me otherwise.”
“That’s good.”
She nodded and things became quiet. Picking up her book, she
saw him bend and take a paperback out of his bag. She saw the title.
“Oh, I absolutely adored that book. You will love it.”
He looked at the book he was holding, “You think so?”
She nodded enthusiastically, “Oh definitely. And especially
the ending.” a devilish look came to her face, “should I spoil it for you?”
“Oh please don’t.”
He really wished he could just get the courage up to grab
her and kiss her.
She hit his shoulder lightly and giggled, “Don’t worry; I wouldn’t.
I hate people who do that.”
She waited until he had picked up the book and read a few
pages. Under her breath she said, “You know, the clown did it.”
She looked up and laughed when he brought his head up
quickly and looked at her; the surprise on his face turned to wonder then to confusion.
“Clown? What clown?”
She looked at him, a wide smile on her face.
He looked at her quizzically, “There is no clown in this
book; is there?”
In answer, she stifled a laugh and went back to her own
book.
He didn’t know if she was telling him the truth or not, but
he knew she was enjoying herself.
“You know, you are truly evil.”
She turned the gold gaze on him full, “Am I?”
Would he kiss her?
He wondered if he should. She looked like she wanted him to,
but how could he be sure? And now, he’d waited too long; the spontaneity of the
moment was gone.
She closed her mouth a bit and went back to her book.
He sighed and picked up his book also; knowing he had missed
his chance, but hoping that there would be another. Suddenly, an idea came to
him.
Bending his head to her, “There is a dog in the book you
know.”
She sniffed; ignoring him.
“Oh, but you wouldn’t want to know where; that would be
telling.”
She smiled, but didn’t look up from her book, “I’m not
listening to you. La, la, la.” She sang to herself.
He laughed, but was not deterred, “The dog comes in after
the fifth chapter.”
“Uh” she pushed him, “if I’m evil; you are evil personified.”
Looking up, she saw him looking at her. His eyes smoldering;
the pupils so big that very little of his brown iris was visible. She tipped
her head and lightly pursed her lips.
Before he could think about it, he lowered his head and barely
touched his lips to hers. He pulled
away, then felt her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down for another;
more passionate kiss.
Tasting him.
Exploring her soft mouth.
She pulled away, but only just, “How long did you say you’ll
be in Chicago?”
Feeling his breath on her lips, he said, “Only for the day;
I fly out late tonight.” he took a breath then added, “how long is your book…”
She nodded, understanding, “The book signing ends at ten
tonight, then I’m doing a reading afterwards.”
“Then?”
His breath was sweet and made her warm all over, “Then I go
to a few other suburbs, then on to New York, then back to Boston.”
“Oh”
They were both calculating.
He knew that he would be busy with the customer up until the
time he flew out. Thinking; could he stay another day? No, he had that
mandatory meeting with the corporate big wigs tomorrow morning.
Could she get away early? She didn’t think so; she promised
the book store and her agent that she would be available all day.
They both came to the same conclusion. Separating, passion
was squelched, but the embers still burned hot. Both of them were still trying
to find a way that they could be together. Seeing no way, they went back to
their books.
The speakers came to life, “The captain has turned on the
seatbelt sign; please return to your seats and fasten your safety belts in
preparation for landing.”
She snapped her seatbelt around her and looked over at him;
avoiding his eyes.
Neither of them spoke until the plane had landed and taxied
to the gate. He stood and let her out; waiting in the aisle.
She reached for her bag in the overhead compartment.
“Here, let me get that for you.”
Reaching over her, he brought down the suitcase she
indicated. He handed it to her and went back for his own.
She waited until he had extended the handle of his suitcase
before starting to walk up the aisle to the front of the plane; stopping when
they had cleared the gate door.
She turned to him, “Well, I hope you have a good day.”
Her smile in combination with her eyes made him weak.
“You too; good luck with your book.”
“That’s sweet of you thank you.”
They stood for a couple of awkward seconds. Then she turned,
“Okay, bye Sanjay.”
“Yeah, bye Auria.”
He stood there for a count of three; watching her walk away
from him. Could he just let her go? He decided he couldn’t.
“Auria, wait.” He
called out to her; saw her stop and wait for him. He stood in front of her,
“Would you like to go to dinner with me?”
She looked at him, confused.
“I mean when you get back to Boston. It’s not too far from
where I live.”
“Oh” her face brightened and he was rewarded with a smile,
“I’d love to.”
He smiled also; relieved, “Can I have your number?”
“Oh sure, just let me…”
They both searched pockets and bags for a paper and pen. He
found an old receipt in his pocket that was blank on the back. He handed it to
her and she put her name and number on it.
Handing it back to him she said, “I’ll be in Boston on Sunday.
But, if you want to call before that; to talk…I mean I always have my cell with
me.”
“Okay, I will. I’ll call you.”
“Great”
She saw her agent
approaching, “Well, I have to go.”
Reaching up, they shared a quick kiss.
“It was great meeting you.” she said, turning.
“You too. I’ll call you.”
She gave him one last smile, “I look forward to it.”
He watched her walk away. Folding the paper with her name on
it, he placed it into his coat pocket.
“Are you ready?”
He jumped when he heard his technician Jonathan’s voice
behind him.
“Yup; let’s go.”
Jonathan led the way, “Did you have a good flight?”
Sanjay looked over his shoulder, “Yes, I did.”
“That’s good”
They walked out into the cold Chicago weather; towards the
parking lot.
“The car’s right here.”
She opened the car door and saw him get into a car a couple
rows over. Sighing, she thought, ‘I hope you call me.’
She recalled what her best friend Lui said about the
difference between men and women when it came to calling; when a woman says she
will call you; it’s as soon as she gets home. When a man says he will call you;
it will be sometime before he dies. She smiled; remembering their kiss; hoping
he would remember too.
“Are you excited about today?”
She closed the car door, looked at the woman behind the
steering wheel and smiled, “Yes, I am.”
The woman smiled back; then thought of something, “Oh, I
have to tell you; the publishers changed the jacket.”
“Oh? What does it look like now?”
The woman stopped the car, reached behind to the back seat,
looked at the book, then handed it to her, “I think I like it better”
Auria turned the book right side up; startled at how
drastically different this cover was. Gone was the buff half naked man. It was
replaced by a rough drawing of a woman and man facing each other separated by a
chasm; reaching for each other.
“It’s beautiful.”
The agent smiled wider, “The author picture is the one you
approved.”
She helped Auria turn to the back cover.
Auria smiled at the picture of her at home, “Great; thanks
Libby.” She handed the book back.
“Oh, it’s me who should be thanking you; it’s a great book;
I think it will be well received.” Libby took the book from her and deposited
it in the rear seat. Putting the car in drive, she exited the airport parking
lot.
Auria settled into her seat; wondering when Sanjay Singh
would call.
They walked into the auditorium. He looked around and
sighed; feeling a headache beginning.
“Hey, do you have anything I can put my gum in?”
Sanjay looked around the room; wondering if he had been
given the right dimensions for the proper set up.
“What?”
He looked at Jonathan then up and around.
Jonathan patted his pockets, “My gum. Do you have anything I
can put it in so I can throw it away?
“Oh, yeah; here” Sanjay; not thinking; put his hand in his
pocket and pulled out the first thing that felt paper like. He handed it to
Jonathan and walked towards the people that were walking towards them.
“Oh, I just loved your book.”
Auria opened the book and put a pen to the inside cover,
“Thank you and your name is?”
She smiled and looked up to see a chubby woman with red
hair, “My name is Joyce, but this is for my sister; could you make it out to
Sandy.” She thought it over, “would I be able to get two books? One for her and
one for me?”
“Sure”
Auria said, beginning to write.
She handed the last book to the woman waiting, “Thank you
Penny; I hope you enjoy the book.”
“That’s it” the book store manager said, “you have about”
she looked at her wristwatch, “a half hour until the reading. I can show you a room
you can relax in.”
“Oh thank you.” she stood, putting her purse strap over her
shoulder; she took out her phone and checked for messages; one from her mother
and two from Lui; no other calls.
He looked at the departure board; it was flashing DELAYED
for his flight. Walking to the gate, he saw that the flight wouldn’t take off
for another three hours; he cursed; he wouldn’t get home until very late tonight.
Well, at least he could spend some of that time talking to Auria. He wanted to
see her as soon as possible; hoping that they would be able to get together before
she had to go back to Italy.
He put his hand in his pocket to retrieve the piece of paper
where she wrote down her name and number. He pulled one out and unfolded it,
but found it was blank. Placing his hand back in the same pocket, he felt
around, but didn’t find any other papers. He put his hand in his other pocket;
keys and tissues; no paper. Sitting up straighter, he emptied not only his
jacket pockets, but his pants and shirt pockets onto the seat next to him; the piece
of paper with her name and number on it were nowhere to be found. He shoved
everything back into random pockets, sat up and putting his elbows on his
thighs, he ran his fingers through his hair. Where did he put that paper?
He remembered putting his hand in his pocket at the
auditorium and handing Jonathan…
The realization hit him like a bag of bricks to the face; he
cursed again; he gave Jonathan a piece of paper for his gum. He gave Jonathan
THE piece of paper with Auria’s name and number on it. What was he going to do
now?
He pulled out his phone and turning it on he saw he only had
15% battery power left.
‘Wonderful’ he thought sarcastically.
He thought about what he knew; he knew her name was Auria.
What was her last name? Did she tell him and he forgot? He tried to remember.
All he could remember were her beautiful gold eyes and those sensuously soft
lips. He thought her last name maybe started with a “A”; but was that her real
name or just the name she used? Or was that her pen name? The book; of course!
He would look up the book she wrote. What was the title again? He racked his
brain trying to remember. He could see the cover picture; a gladiator. Or was
it a cowboy? And where was it in Italy that she lived? He sighed thinking that
this was not going to be easy.
“Tell me everything.” Lui said over the phone.
Auria smiled, “Well, he’s about 5’11”, dark milk chocolate
skin, thin build, beautiful smile, big brown eyes and delicious lips.”
“Delicious? Did you?” she gasped, “You kissed him; didn’t
you?”
“Well, technically, he kissed me first.”
“First? How many times did you kiss?”
“Well, there was the one when he kissed me, then the one I
kissed him, then when we said goodbye. So I guess three.”
“Oo. So, what’s his name?”
“Sanjay Singh.” She liked saying his name; it made her
smile.
“What does he do?”
“He’s an engineer out of Massachusettes.”
“Oh, a Boston boy? Are you two going to see each other when
you come out here?”
She sighed, turning to her back to stare at the hotel
ceiling, “I thought that was the plan, but now I don’t know Lui?”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You gave him your number
didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but I thought he would’ve called by now.”
“Did he say he would?”
“Yeah, but…”
“And you gave him a kiss to remember?”
“I remember it.” she touched her lip thinking she could
still feel his on hers.
“Then he’ll call; I have faith.”
After looking for the better part of an hour, he was no
closer to finding Auria’s number. His phone had died and his plane was boarding
to head back home. Well at least something went right today; the customer liked
the set up and they were very satisfied.
But he was still mad at himself for his giving her number
away. He just couldn’t admit to himself that he might never see Auria again.
The soft lips…the gold eyes…the way she laughed…all lost for a piece of gum.
Sighing, he wondered if fate really could be that cruel.
Picking up his bag, he boarded the plane. He came up with a
couple ideas on how to find the elusive Miss Auria; and wouldn’t admit defeat
just yet. How could he? He couldn’t forget the feel of her kiss, the way she
responded to him, the repartee they shared; nope, he wouldn’t give up yet.
She looked at her phone for the hundredth time; still no
call. She was beginning to think that maybe she had come on too strong; maybe
she had scared him away. Then she thought maybe he was a player; those eyes,
that smile; he could bring any women to her knees and make her lose her senses
enough for her to kiss him…right? Or maybe she was just daft and stupidly
romantic enough to still be looking for her Prince Charming…
Ack
She really needed to stop believing in the happy endings she
wrote. She deleted the paragraph she was working on; determined to make this
story more realistic. People didn’t just see each other and fall in love. And
just because someone says they’ll call; doesn’t mean they will.
She steeled her will promising to take a more lackadaisical
attitude. If he called; and that would be a HUGE IF, she would be like; Sanjay? Sanjay who? I don’t know any Sanjay.
Yes.
She smiled to herself; her will strengthened.
He looked at the bookshelf in front of him. The lettering on
the top of the shelf read: NEW ARRIVALS, but he saw very few romance books on
it and none like the jacket she showed him; or at least, none that he could recall.
Stopping a bookstore worker that just happened to walk by,
he asked, “Excuse me?”
The woman turned to him, “Yes sir, how may I help you?”
He smiled warmly, “Could you please tell me; is this the
only display of new romance books?”
She looked him up and down; he didn’t look the type that would
be interested in romance, but maybe he was buying for a wife or a girlfriend;
and really who knew what people were interested in reading these days.
“I can show you the romance section; there’s a larger
display of new books there.”
“Thank you; I appreciate it.”
Sanjay followed her as she wound in and out of the aisles
and finally stopped at a back wall. Looking up, he was amazed. There had to be
hundreds of books. And, what’s more; most of them had some buffed out, half
naked man on the cover in various states of undress. Some were holding weapons,
some were gripping swooning women. Well, at least those he could rule on sight.
A realization came to him; he was never going to find it; at least not without
some help narrowing down the possibilities.
“If you need anything else…”
He stopped the woman in mid-sentence, “I’m sorry, could you
tell me which would be the newest ones? Maybe the more popular ones?”
She thought for a minute, “Well, this one…” she picked up a
black book and handed it to him. It depicted the silhouette of a woman, then in
the background was the silhouette of a man reaching to the woman. He dismissed
this one without even looking at it.
She looked up and down the shelves, pointing out various
volumes, but none stood out to him. He picked one that he thought it might bet,
but the author was a man.
He looked at his watch. He really needed to get back to the
office; his lunch hour was nearly over.
“Thank you very much; I really appreciate all the help you’ve
given me.”
He backed away from the shelves and headed out the door.
She glanced at her phone.
Lui handed Auria a glass of wine and placed the bottle on
the coffee table; she curled up in the overstuffed chair across from her with
her own.
“Call him”
Auria looked up at her.
“You know his number; don’t you?”
She sipped her wine shrugging shyly.
Lui stretched out her leg and with her foot, pushed Auria’s
phone closer to her, “Call him.”
Putting down her glass, she shook her head, “No Lui, he
didn’t give me his number; I found it.”
“It doesn’t matter how you got it; call him.”
Auria put down her glass, picked up her phone, then put it
down again, “What if he doesn’t want me to call him?”
Lui looked at her best friend since high school, “Come on,
why wouldn’t he want you to call him?”
She shrugged, wiping her phone screen with her thumb.
Her friend moved to sit next to her, “Auria?” Lui waited
until she looked at her, “You’re beautiful; he’d be crazy not to want to talk
to you.”
She bowed her head, “But he hasn’t called.”
Lui waved a hand, “There could be a million reasons why.”
She put her glass down, “You said you wrote your number on a scrap of
paper…right?”
Auria nodded without lifting her head.
She shrugged, “Maybe he lost it.”
Auria stared at her phone.
“Maybe his wife found it.”
Her head shot up.
Lui put a hand on her leg, “I’m only kidding. The point is,
you’ll never know until you call.”
Auria spoke up, “But what if I call him and he doesn’t want
to see me?”
“Then you’ll know, won't you?” she waited until she saw
Auria nod, “you’ll pick yourself up, dust yourself off and we’ll go to one of
those all male strip clubs; you’ll forget all about him.”
Leave it to Lui to make her laugh. Lui took a sip of wine,
“Call him”
Auria sipped her wine, “I’ll think about it.”
Lui stood, grabbed the bottle and topped off both their
glasses, “Here’s something to boost your courage.”
He walked into the service center and saw Joyce; one of the
office professionals sitting at the table, drinking coffee.
“Hey Sanjay.”
“Good morning Joyce; how are you today?”
She nodded, “I’m good; how are you?”
“I’m fine as well; thank you.”
He filled his cup and turned to walk out.
“Have a good day.” She called out to him.
“Yes, you too; thank you.” He said as he walked to his
office.
“Hey Sanjay.”
“Oh hello Mary.” He said to another one of the ops, as she
passed him on the way to the service center.
“I have your book.”
Joyce looked up from her magazine, “Wow, that was fast.”
Mary put the carafe back on the counter and joined Joyce at
the table. She slid the book towards
her, “I know right? I couldn’t put it down; and then the ending where Sebastian
had to erase…”
Joyce put a hand to her chest, “Oh, I know.”
“I cried like a baby.” Mary confessed.
Joyce put a hand out, “You know she is writing a sequel?”
“Well, I would hope so.” Mary said.
“Did you see where she lives?”
“No, where?”
Joyce opened the book, “You have to see this place. It’s on
the Italian Riviera; I think it’s called the five somethings. Here, look.” She
smoothed down the pages and turned it so Mary could see, “It’s called Cinque
Terre.”
“Oh, my gosh, that’s beautiful. She is so lucky.”
“And she is so sweet too; I met her on Saturday at a book
signing.”
“Oh really? You met Virginia Assari?”
“Yes, she’s a beautiful girl. And that’s not her real name
you know?” Joyce said.
“It’s not?”
Joyce shook her head, “No, Virginia is her pen name. Her
real name is Auria Ponticelli.”
“Oh, that’s such a beautiful name.”
“Isn’t it?” they both looked at the picture, “I would give
my left boob to have her life.”
Mary sniffed, “Hell, I’d give both of mine to have her
looks.”
They laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
They looked up to see another op filling her coffee cup.
“Oh, hi Deb. We were just discussing this book.” Joyce held
it up.
“Oh my gosh.” Deb came to the table, put her cup down and
picked up the book.
“In Her Dreams by Virginia Assari? Where did you get it?
it’s sold out everywhere.”
“I went to the book signing.” Joyce said proudly.
“You did?” she put the book down to look at Joyce, “did you
meet her?”
“Yes, I did. She is such a sweetie.”
“You must let me read it.” Deb held it to her chest,
“pleeeeeeeaaaasssseeee?”
Joyce smiled and sipped her coffee, “Sure, go ahead. But I have
to have it back before the weekend; I promised my sister in law she could
borrow it.”
“Oh, I’ll make sure to get it back to you before then.”
Mary spoke up, “I finished it in one night.”
Deb smiled, “I’m going back to my desk right now, so I can
start it. Thanks Joyce. See you girls later.”
“Okay, enjoy.”
Deb walked back to her desk. Sitting down, she put the book
on her desk and opened it; hiding it under some papers.
Sanjay popped his head out of his office and looked at her,
“Deb, could you come here for a minute?”
“Sure Sanjay. Just let me put my stuff away and I’ll be there.”
“Thank you.”
She put the book in a drawer, stood and headed to his
office.
Auria sat in bed, her phone in her hand. She looked at the
piece of paper in her hand where she had written his name and the number she
found on the web.
“I should call him just to give him a piece of my mind.”
She began entering the numbers, but paused when it came time
to push the call button. The thought that there must be some reason why he
didn’t call kept going through her mind. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he does have
a girlfriend. Maybe he thinks you are the most hideous thing since Quasimodo.
She threw her phone down onto the nightstand, turned off the light and went to
sleep.
“Call him”
Lui was beginning to sound like a broken record.
She turned and looked at her friend, “Will you stop?”
They walked into the restaurant and saw their other friends.
They waved.
“No, I won't stop until you call him.”
“It’s been a week; if he wanted to call me; he would have.
Besides” she opened the door and let Lui in before her, “I don’t care anymore.”
“You don’t huh?”
She slung her purse strap across the back of her chair and
followed it with her coat, “No, I don’t.”
She sat down and placed the napkin across her lap.
Lui took the seat next to her, “If you don’t care, then why
are you extending your stay another week?”
Auria stared at Lui, blinking, “I knew staying at your place
would be a bad idea; you eavesdropped on my phone conversation.”
“Tell me why?”
Auria kept quiet.
“Because” Lui put her own napkin on her lap and accepted the
glass of water from the waiter, “somewhere in that beautiful but hopelessly
romantic brain of yours, you’re still hoping he’ll call.”
They were whispering but now Lui said loud enough for the
rest of the nine women there to hear.
“Call him.”
The end girl’s ears perked up, “Call who?”
Auria called out, “Nobody” she turned to Lui, “Would you
shut up.”
Lui looked at her and smiled, “I love you Auria, but this
time I’m not going to.” She stood and announced, “Auria met a guy on the
airplane.”
All eyes turned to her and Auria felt her stomach drop. Now
she would be grilled for every iota of her and Sanjay’s encounter. She sighed
heavily waiting for the barrage to start.
Turning off the ignition, he just stared. Coming to grips
with the fact that he was never going to see Auria again was the hardest thing
he’d ever had to face. After going to the bookstore for the third time this
week, he was no closer to finding out anything. Opening the door, he slammed it
shut and walked up to his office. He pushed the call button and rode the
elevator up.
“Oh, you must call him; it sounds so romantic.”
Auria sat picking at her lunch while everyone around her was
discussing what she should or shouldn’t do. She might call him just to shut
them up; she was so tired of thinking about it; definitely tired of hearing
about it especially from Lui.
One of her friends stood, “No, I think she’s doing the right
thing.” She looked at Auria, “you don’t want to throw yourself at him.”
“Yeah” came from the other end of the table, “this from a woman
who knew a guy fifteen minutes before going out behind a bar and showing him
the stars.”
She held up her hand, “Remember, I married him.”
“But, would you do it again is the question?”
The woman thought about it; a flush came to her cheeks and
she sat down, “Yeah, I would.” Turning to Auria, she said, “you should call
him.”
‘Ugh’
That was the last of her friends on her side.
“See” Lui said, “everybody agrees; call him.”
The entire table began to chant, “Call him, call him, call
him.” getting progressively louder, so that everyone in the restaurant was
looking at them; at her.
He came off the elevator and saw Deb and Joyce talking. He
just wanted to slip into his office, close the door and be alone with his
misery.
“Hello” he said as they passed him.
“Hey Sanjay.”
“Good afternoon”, he ducked into his office.
“So, as I was saying, she lives in the most beautiful place
in Italy; right on the Italian Riviera.”
He stopped in the middle of closing the door and listened.
“Oh my gosh that’s gorgeous.”
“I met her you know.” Joyce said.
“Yes, you told me; how was she?”
“She was just so sweet. And she has the most alluring eyes
I’ve ever seen.”
Sanjay froze and felt his heart skip a beat.
“They’re gold and when she looks at you; they seem to glow.”
He opened the door and stepped out, “Excuse me”
Both women looked at him.
“Who were you speaking about?”
“Oh” Joyce said, “about the author of this book.” And she
held up the book.
Sanjay took it from her and looked at it. It looked nothing
like the jacket Auria had shown him on the airplane.
“Her name is Virginia Assari.” Deb added.
Grabbing a piece of paper and pen, he began to write.
“But that’s only her pen name.” Joyce corrected, “her real
name is Auria Ponticelli and I’ve met her.”
Sanjay looked at Joyce, “What did she look like?”
With Sanjay looking at her so intently, Joyce was a bit
unnerved, “Well, she was about 5’5””
“Here’s a picture of her” Deb said, shoving the book into
Sanjay’s hand.
He looked down to see a picture of Auria laughing; her arms
crossed over her chest; a picturesque mountain village and the ocean in the
background. Closing the book, he took up the paper and pen and walked hurriedly
to his desk scribbling something.
“What was that all about?”
The two women looked
towards Sanjay’s closed office door.
He couldn’t believe it; he actually had it. Waking his
computer, he brought up a search engine.
“Fine!” she shouted and the chanting was replaced by
cheering and clapping, “I’ll call him; but if this goes wrong Lui, we are
definitely going to that strip club; in fact all of you are coming with.” She
sat down and pulled her purse from the chair. Taking out her wallet, she
removed the slip of paper and brought out her phone. She punched in the number
as everyone around her was talking. She held up a hand, “Shhh…it’s ringing.”
The women quieted and took their seats.
He opened her author page, looking for an email address or
some other way to get in contact with her. The phone rang and he looked at it.
The spy phone brought up a number that he didn’t recognize and he didn’t want
to answer it. He would just let it go to voicemail and deal with it later.
Two, three, four…
She would only let it ring until it rolled over; she wasn’t
going to leave a message; this would be the end of it; guessing one more ring
and it would be done.
Where was the stupid voicemail? It should have picked up by
now. He angrily grabbed the receiver and brought it to his face, “Sanjay; may I
help you?”
She was a bit taken aback by the gruffness in his voice.
Timidly, she said, “Sanjay? Is that you?”
He could swear that his heart stopped; he couldn’t do or say
anything.
She knew he was still on the other end, but he wasn’t
talking. Deciding that maybe she was right all along; that he just didn’t want
to talk to her, she was about to hang up when anger overtook her. No, she
wouldn’t go quietly; she would tell him off.
“I think it’s deplorable the way you kissed me.”
He sat back in his chair able to breathe again, “You didn’t
like my kiss?”
She stopped in mid-thought.
“You seemed like you liked my kiss; you kissed me back?”
“No, I did like the kiss.”
“But you called it deplorable.”
“Well, I didn't mean that; I just meant…” she was getting
flustered, but then remembered, “why didn’t you call me? I’ve been waiting for
a week and a half. I even put off my return flight.”
He sat up suddenly, “Wait? You’re still in the states?”
“Yes; I’m in Boston.”
He smiled widely, “Virginia Assari Auria Ponticelli, would
you like to go to dinner with me?”
She smiled and turned her back on her friends, “I’d love to.”
“Good, because do I have a story to tell you.”
