One Winter Weekend

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

A little while later, the wedding party were out on the streets of Rome, everyone beaming at them.

“Okay,” Molly called out to them, “time to make a wish.”

Fabrizio nodded. “Does everyone have coins with them?” he asked the group. “I have some cents here if needed.”

“Not sure Mark has any cents,’” Ben joked.

“That’s a really awful joke,” his brother mocked him.

“About as awful as your suit,” Ben noted, appraising the royal blue and white pinstripes of Mark’s jacket, which he clearly hadn’t picked up in the Piazza de Spagna. “Did you think you were up for a role as a backup dancer for Lady Gaga or something?”

“That’s funny,” Mark jibed back, “as I assumed you were yourself going to be a guest star on Boring Old Married Guys .”

As they rounded the corner, not far from the church to the beautiful baroque structure that was the Fontana di Trevi, they were surprised to find the area relatively quiet.

“It’s because it is Christmas Eve,” Fabrizio explained. “Not as many tourists now, and locals stay home. You have a perfect opportunity.”

“Okay,” Molly announced excitedly, “Now, according to legend, if you want to return to Rome, you have to throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder. Ready?”

The group turned their backs to the fountain, coins in hand. Just as they were getting ready to toss them in, however, Paddy’s phone rang.

He reached into his pocket to answer it. “Hello?” he asked. “Oh, hiya, Felicity…”

Helen scowled and set her jaw. “That’s it,” she grunted. “I’ve had it.” She grabbed the phone from him and said into the receiver, “Felicity, stop calling and go home. Happy Christmas.”

She then took her husband’s phone in her right hand and promptly tossed it over her left shoulder and into the fountain.

“Helen!” Paddy exploded. “That’s my phone !”

“It was your phone, love,” she said tenderly.

“But – but – I needed that!”

“And we need you , Paddy. It’s time to give up the damned phone calls. It’s Molly’s wedding day. And it’s Christmas!” Seeing the look of consternation on his face, she softened even more. “Tell you what, love: if we get back in a few days and the business is gone, I’ll make you a trifle.”

Paddy stared hard at her – and then a resigned smile spread across his face. “I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you, love. I’ve been under an awful lot of stress lately…”

“I know pet,” she replied. “But it’s time to let it go. We’re in this beautiful city on our daughter’s wedding day - on Christmas Eve. And I don’t know about you but I have every intention of coming back here. ”

She reached for her husband and pulled his face in for a kiss.

“ AHEM! ” Molly cleared her throat loudly to catch her parent’s attention. “Now, if you two lovebirds don’t mind …?”

“Go ahead honey,” her mother replied, smiling.

“Okay,” Molly said again. “One – two – three!”

Eight pennies flew through the air in perfect unison, and clinked against the stone edifice before falling into the water.

Ben grabbed Molly by the hand and kissed her. Helen wrapped herself around Paddy, as Patricia and James grasped hands.

Fabrizio enveloped Caroline in a passionate embrace, while poor Mark just stood by, embarrassingly kicking at a stone on the ground.

Suddenly, as they all stood there, little white flakes began to appear – at first just a dusting falling softly, then more and more until they were pouring out of the sky.

“Snow in Rome?” Molly gasped delightedly. “But how…?”

Ben just smiled. “Merry Christmas, darling,” he said to her. Seeing the confused look on her face, he continued, “I talked to Fabrizio, and he called in a favour from a friend who runs a ski resort up north. I wanted to make sure your dream Christmas wedding was perfect in every way.”

Sure enough as Molly looked around, she spotted the snow machine a few yards away tucked behind a Fiat, shooting snow into the late evening sky.

“It’s… it’s perfect, Ben,” she cried, hugging him close.

“All right, everybody,” Fabrizio called out, “I think we are ready to head back to the hotel. In about ninety minutes, we’ll begin dinner on the terrazza. I have reserved it specially just for you. I look forward to seeing you all there.”

As the others made their way back to the hotel, Caroline hung back a minute. She nudged Fabrizio with her elbow. “You’ve really played a blinder on this, Fabrizio,” she complimented. “I don’t know how we could ever thank you.”

He arched an eyebrow. “ I know how you could,” he said.

“How?”

“Come back to me, Caroline.”

“What?”

He kissed her, a kiss full of meaning and promise. “I do not want this to be, as you said, just a ‘fling,’” he explained. “I enjoy your company. I enjoy everything about you, Caroline. I want to enjoy you more. I want the legend of the Fontana di Trevi to work its magic and bring you back to me.”

Her eyes widened. “I just… I don’t know, Fabrizio. We’ve only just met—”

“—so let’s continue meeting!” he said excitedly. “I do not make this offer lightly, Caroline. I make it only because I want to see more of you and…”

“...and see where this is going,” she finished for him. “No, I get it. I do. And…” She watched her best friend and new husband walking away. Molly and Ben looked so happy, so contented, so perfect together. “Oh, what the hell,” she said. “I don't know, maybe it’s the romance of Italy, or the snow on Christmas Eve …”

Caroline pulled her handsome Italian down by the collar and kissed him passionately.

Sometimes, being part of a cliche was a very good thing.