HEATHER  RATH
  • Home
    • Admin Stuff
  • Who Is She ?
  • Writings
    • Books
    • Children's Stories
    • Lifestyle Columns
    • Short Stories
    • Travel Articles
    • Projects
  • Reviews/Links
  • Blog
  • Comments
  • Contact
  • Poetry
  • Untitled

Silver Tongues, Part 2

8/29/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
           
    So here we are in Rome, standing like obvious tourists on a street corner, map open---concentrating---just ripe for the picking. 
    Our goal is to complete the self-guided tour of The Path of Illumination as laid out by author Dan Brown in his thriller book, Angels and Demons.  We are looking for the Santa Maria della Vittoria Church tucked away in a more remote area of Rome wherein lies a clue in one of its famous statues, Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Teresa.         

    An expensive car rolls slowly by, pauses, then backs down the slope of this quiet neighbourhood until the driver sits directly opposite us.  The window slides down.
You are lost? Can I help with directions puhleeze?  He speaks English in thickly accented Italian.  Good looking.  Well-dressed.  Someone who might prove more interesting in a different scenario.
    Looking for a certain church, I reply.                                                            
    Show me the map lovely peeples.  Where you from?  Americano?
    No.  Canadian.
    He whoops with delight.  My wife she works at the Canadian Embassy!  On my way to see her now.  Before gaz goze empty.  Almos no gaz...sooo embarrassing!  A beaming smile flits across his face.  Where you from in your beeyoutiful country...Vancouver?
    No. Toronto.
    Shouldn’t seasoned travellers catch on at this point?  Alas, we are too absorbed in finding this out of the way church, a landmark clue in Brown’s best-seller.  Besides, this guy looks like any harassed businessman who simply forgot his gas tank is almost dry.
Picture
    Talking rapidly, like any bona fide Italian, he idles his car close to the curb and rubs strong fingers through his thick black hair.      
    You want I should help you?
    No, thank you, we reply politely, firmly.
    But maybeez you can help me?
    In an instant he reaches behind him and pulls out two jackets from the back seat.  He begins his fast sales pitch and we are too absorbed, too gullible to read the obvious signs.
     These jackets are ver-r-y expensive, made of the finest Italian leather. I hate to part  
with them but.... you look like lovely peeples and you are Canadian like my wife.  Me and my wife, we go to Toronto lots...we take you to dinner there?
Yes?
     He churns out another charming smile, then turns earnest, his voice low, conspiratorial.  The cost of these jackets...he holds them close as if they are his children.  He sighs loudly.... I hate to let them go but you are such special Canadian peeples..  Breathing in their fragrance as if breathing in the bouquet of an expensive wine, he piously hands us his exquisite jackets.

Picture
     Stunned at this turn of events, we question nothing and, without a second thought, hand over many euros to fill his supposedly near empty gas tank, even asking (gasp!) if the amount is enough!    
    The transaction has taken mere minutes.
    Grazie! Grazie! See you in Toronto?!
    Whoosh! He takes off in a cloud of dust.  We stand there, look at each other, and only then are suspicious.    
    Still on the street corner, we carefully fold our map and, feeling a little sick and stupid, take time to study our fine jackets. They are nothing but phony synthetics and would disintegrate in the first rain.
    Humiliated at being such easy marks, we decide to ditch the evidence in the driveway of a nearby home hoping no-one notices.
    Burned, but more determined than ever, we forge on and finally find that elusive little church with the St. Teresa statue inside, left of the altar.
    And we never revealed this withering tale to anyone----until now.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    A day without writing is a day without sunshine.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    September 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

All authored material and photographs contained on this site are copyrighted © and the property of Heather Rath and cannot be reproduced without her written permission.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Bazar del Bizzarro, roland, Mike Kniec