La Rosa Del Sur (The Rose of the south)

Chapter 10

Chapter 10
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The Marino's rose garden was unlike something I'd ever seen. An entire garden, dedicated to roses of all colors and sizes. Hundreds upon thousands of roses were all around me, snaking up fences and pillars, sitting in pots and buckets. My mouth fell open as I took in the sight. I took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet perfume.

"Santa mierda," I echoed Diego's words from when we first landed in Sicily. "There are so many!"

Luca smiled. "It's been in my family for decades. My great grandmother Alda began it when she came to this house." He took out a pocket knife and went to one of the rose-infested pots. "It was just a tiny garden when she started it." He grabbed one of the flowers and sliced the stem. He walked back to me and held it out. "Una rosa per la Rosa."

I smiled and blushed as I took it. "Thank you." I held it to my face and breathed in it's sweet scent.

"Each rose bush represents a new generation in my family," Luca gazed around at the various bushes.

"Well, your family certainly loved to keep it maintained," I laughed.

Luca laughed as well. "Yeah, but it's a bitch to maintain when the snow falls." He stopped laughing and looked at me. There was something in his eyes, but I couldn't quite tell what it was.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head, still looking at me. "Nothing, it's just... nothing." Luca tore his eyes away from me and looked towards the sun in the sky. "How long do you think until your brother and your friend get back?"

"I don't know, maybe in about an half hour or so" I looked down at the rose in my hands, and began to slide my fingers over the stem. "Ouch!" I pulled my finger away, a tiny bead of blood on the tip. "Stupid thorns."

"Let me see," Luca reached to grab my hand.

I waved him away. "No, it's fine." I stuck the finger in my mouth, the metallic taste of blood on my tongue. I pulled it out and said, "We should probably head back. Just so Diego doesn't blow his stack."

Luca nodded, though he looked a bit disappointed. He led me back up the steep stairs, through the hallway with the stained glass windows, and back to the gazebo room. Lorenzo and Diego were waiting for us there. Diego looked slightly annoyed when we stopped in front of them.

"Ah, you see, my boy?" Lorenzo said jovially. "I told you they'd be around here somewhere." He patted Diego on the shoulder.

"I was just showing her the rose garden," Luca said. He watched Diego closely, looking for his reaction.

Diego's eyes flitted to the rose in my hands. "That's a beautiful rose." He sounded a bit despondent. There was a sound of a car pulling up.

"That'll be your companions," Lorenzo smiled. He gestured for us to follow him. "Tonight we will dine on the best Italian cuisine. Antonio is quite the chef!" He began leading us down the hall.

I jogged to his side. "Lorenzo," I said. "I have a slight request. My friend, Zoella, it's her birthday today. I was wondering if you could please whip something up for her tonight?"

Lorenzo positively beamed. "Wonderful! It would be an honor!"

Once all of our luggage was unloaded, I led Zoella to our room and showed her all the beautiful aspects of Lorenzo's mansion we had seen today. I even told about the trip I'd taken to the rose garden with Luca and showed her the rose he'd given me. Her eyebrows shot up at that.

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Dinner was a fantastic event. It was held in a beautiful dining room, with a crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling, directly above a gorgeous mahogany table. Red wine had been placed in the center of the table in a beautiful silver pitcher. We eagerly settled around the table, picking up the wine goblets at our seats. Antonio was indeed a superb chef, loading the table full with fresh bread and greens. The main course was a fantastic lasagna dish, filled with the most glorious cheeses and a sweet meaty tomato sauce. I kept reaching for the bread to clean my plate of any last scraps. I thought I wouldn't be able to eat another bite, when Antonio came around the corner with a platter full of little plates, each with a square of tiramisu. He set them all in front of us, and when he got to Zoe, he brought out a small white candle and stuck it in the square. He brought out a lighter and lit it. Zoella looked at me, a look of pure joy on her face. We sang to her and she blew out the candle. By the end of the meal, we were all laughing, exchanging stories, and lounging about in our chairs.