LITMIR.BIZ

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cram into a baking-hot car and drive to find a decent beach, and they were safe in the knowledge that the kids would never be too far away.

      Summers were good back then. It was quiet, peaceful and calm. Time seemed to stand still. Fun and games in the sea by day, and candlelit dinners by night.

      Giulia sighed. Now, the house was quiet and peaceful only because most of the time it was frequented just by a single woman in her forties....no, early forties!

      She unrolled her towel and looked around. As usual, the moored boats were bobbing gently up and down, and kids on pedalos were riding over so they could dive in off the rocks; one of them waved at her, and she instinctively looked down to check her swimsuit was on properly.

      Giulia wasn’t sure why, but she hadn’t worn a bikini for ten years now, ever since the split from her husband. At first, she’d hated wearing a one-piece because it meant her stomach didn’t get tanned. But then she’d discovered that she could roll it down to her waist, as long as she was certain there was no-one else around and she was far away from prying eyes. Not that that was easy, even in her own little bit of paradise.

      She looked down at her shapely long(-ish) legs and flat stomach:

      â€˜Who exactly are you saving yourself for?’ she wondered. ‘Who are you keeping in shape for, going to the gym for, trying your best to stay under eight stone for...?’

      She turned her nose up (just like Daniele) and shrugged her shoulders: ‘I’m doing it for me and to hell with everyone else! I don’t need a man to keep in shape!’ Giulia laid face down on the towel - rolling her swimsuit down was out of the question with all these boats around - opened her book and began to read.

      She dozed off.....

      Giulia woke with a start, noticing that the sun was setting, there was a slight chill in the air, her back was burnt and Ale was bouncing over to her, shouting:

      â€œMamma, are you deaf? I’ve been calling you for half an hour!”

      He sat down next to her and started to play with her hair.

      â€œThey’re nice my friends, aren’t they? And they’re so talented too! Leonardo’s been playing the drums for five years and everyone knows him in Florence, he does a load of gigs. You should hear them play! In fact, they’re playing at the Mambo tonight. Do you want to come?”

      â€œOf course I’ll come, and actually, Leonardo had already invited me!

      â€œOh, I see, getting your claws into my friends, eh?”

      Giulia could see her son was only joking. In fact, he seemed really pleased she’d be going.

      â€œCome on then! We need to eat soon because we have to be there at ten!”

      â€œAnd you expect me to cook for all your pals?” asked Giulia, her brow furrowed.

      â€œNo, Mamma! Andreas has got it all under control. On tonight’s menu is spaghetti alle vongole2, sprinkled with grilled mussels and fish. I tell you, that guy is a legend! He’s been back and forth between the kitchen and the barbecue for over an hour, and it smells absolutely delicious!”

      With the breeze starting to drift in off the sea, Giulia shivered and asked:

      â€œAnd who exactly is paying for this banquet?”

      â€œDon’t worry, Mamma. It’s all in hand. We’ve chipped in five euros each and you don’t have to pay anything because it’s your house. I’ve paid for Daniele....well, actually, you have!” Ale replied, bursting out laughing.

      Giulia looked at her son proudly. He was so cheerful, outgoing and kind-hearted. Ever since his father had scarpered following the divorce, he had gradually taken on the responsibility of being the man of the house. She put her hands on his cheeks and gave him a kiss before getting to her feet and walking back towards the house arm in arm.

      Before they’d even reached the final step back up to the house, their senses were awash with an orgy of smells, sights and sounds. Under the red glow of the setting sun, the barbeque was ablaze, the stereo was on full blast and the kids with their brightly coloured hair were dancing, semi-naked, almost trance-like around the table.

      Giulia stopped and looked on in awe, holding on tight to Ale’s hand. If she’d had a camera, she would have liked to capture that moment for all of time, but even that couldn’t have done justice to every detail of such a magical scene.

      Standing out amongst the throng of bodies was the almost God-like figure of Andreas, moving easily between the barbeque and the kitchen, overseeing everything....in complete control.

      The girls had decorated the centre of the table with a mass of pink and red oleanders, and dozens of candles were burning bright all around.

      â€œThis must be German style,” whispered Ale.

      As they walked up to the house, a little of the magic was lost, but the boys were still there, surrounded by the girls with their flushed faces and beaming smiles.

      â€œNow you take a shower.”

      Giulia was somewhat startled by Andreas’s booming, heavily accented English. She turned towards him, slightly annoyed that he was always taking her by surprise and appeared to have taken it upon himself to tell her what she should and shouldn’t be doing! The cheek of it!

      â€œSorry,” he got in before she could give him a piece of her mind, “I speak little English. Not so good...better ‘tu fai doccia bella’?”3

      How could she possibly be mad at him after that?! Instead, she flashed him a smile,

      â€œthank you, I’ll surely take it” and disappeared into the bathroom.

      To her surprise, Giulia found that even all alone, standing under the shower, she couldn’t wipe that smile off her face.

      The Mambo was dazzling with light.

      Giulia had never been before, at least not since it had changed name a few years earlier and started to play young people’s music.

      Back in her day, it was a bit of a dive with just a juke-box for playing music but was known, somewhat incongruously, as Bahia4. She’d head down there with a load of friends, order one drink and a load of straws and stay chatting (or in some cases getting lucky in a dark corner) until the owner threw them out.

      And then they’d go to the beach, naturally!

      These days, it was brand new and seemed a whole lot bigger. It was really crowded, both on the dancefloor and around the circular bar, and it was difficult to get to the stage where the guys were due to play.

      They managed to make some headway but were terrified of damaging their instruments, particularly the long, unwieldy didgeridoo and the bass guitar with its giant amplifier. Exasperated, Giampaolo and Leonardo turned to Andreas:

      â€œHey, would you mind going to the front? No-one’s paying any attention to us, but they can’t miss you!”

      Andreas smiled and nodded, taking big strides as he moved through the crowds.

      Giulia couldn’t help but notice how quickly people moved out of the way for him. He towered over nearly everyone else in the place, and those broad shoulders of his commanded respect.

      When he reached her, she fell in close behind him, grateful for the protective shield, and he, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, stretched his arms out behind him, pulled her tight against his back and dragged her forward with him.

      As they reached the stage, Giulia felt her cheeks start to burn and she squirmed away from Andreas.

      â€˜How can I be so stupid?’ she admonished herself angrily. ‘What the hell am I thinking?’

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