Neither could I.
“Well, that’s definitely a plan. If I could earn that sort of money… although they probably wouldn’t want Italian interpreters that much… but even so… Are you still planning on a joint major in English Lit and Italian?”
“Sure!”
“Do you know what you want to do after?”
He nodded slowly. “I’d like to go to Europe. I have this image of you and me on a motorcycle traveling through Italy. I don’t know, teaching English, picking grapes – I don’t care. I’ve never been outside the US.”
“That sounds wonderful! We could go to Capezzano Inferiore: it’s a small village in the hills above Salerno – where papa was born. I’ve always wanted to go.”
“Then we’ll go,” he said simply.
I was grinning from ear to ear, smiling from the inside out.
“Do you have family there?” said Sebastian thoughtfully.
“I’m not really sure: some second cousins, I think. Why?”
“We should try to find them,” he said. “If they’re as crazy as your dad, it could be pretty wild.”
I laughed out loud, delighted with the picture he was painting. And I decided that as soon as I went home I would start planning our escape in earnest: no more taking a back seat in my own life.
“There’s the sign for Westfield,” said Sebastian, bringing my attention back to the road.
I took the exit ramp and followed the signs.
The mall was a vast sprawl of boutique shops and places to eat with a Sears at one end and a rat run to Macy’s at the other.
“Where do you want to start?”
“I have no idea: let’s just make it quick.”
“I thought all girls liked shopping?”
“Not this one.”
“You look beautiful whatever you wear.”
I stared at him. “You always say the sweetest things! How do you do that?”
He shrugged and looked embarrassed. “What about this shop?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
He smiled and towed me inside.
“May I help you, ma’am, sir?”
Seeing as it was a women’s clothing store, I wasn’t entirely sure how the sales assistant was going to help Sebastian, although going by the look on her face, I could make a damned good guess. And, of course, she was younger than I was.
An unaccustomed desire for sudden violence flooded through me.
“I’m looking for a black cocktail dress,” I said coolly. “Size four.”
It occurred to me that I’d never once been jealous of another woman looking at David – maybe that should have told me something. I couldn’t work out how much of what I was feeling now was to do with my own insecurities. I didn’t want to spoil today, so I pushed the wretched thought aside.
The assistant picked out a couple of dresses and I took them into the changing room.
I could hear her chatting to Sebastian through the curtain. Well, I could hear her trying to chat him up.
“Are you from the Base?” she said.
“Yeah, but…”
“Are you, like, a pilot?”
“No, I…”
“But you’re a Marine, right?”
I pulled back the curtain sharply and the assistant jumped.
“What about this one, honey?” I said, throwing a few poses, for her benefit as much as Sebastian’s.
“Wow! You look great, Caro!”
I had his full attention. From my peripheral vision I saw the sales assistant pout. Hmm, shopping was proving a lot more fun than I’d expected.
“You want to see the other dress, honey?” I said, doing another slow turn.
“Yeah!”
I smirked and ducked back into the changing room, throwing a look at the assistant that dared her to resume her conversation with Sebastian. Sensibly, she declined the challenge.
The second dress was even more fitted and skimmed the top of my knees.