Madrugada

Bye Bye Miss Italian Pie

"He's following me."

"Who, bunny?"

"Him" Two pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the bar at the other end of the room. Unlike the many male figures standing in smart black suits with their bodies facing away from the young girls, one man in a cream suit angled his body towards them. Although his features were not clear from the distance, the smoke from his cigar could be seen.

Noticing the stare from the pair of girls, the figure began to walk towards them. Slow but confident footsteps sauntered in the bustling room. As the man came closer, it was evident that his stare was unwavering towards the raven-haired girl in the wisteria lavender princess gown, her small dusky shoulders exposed beneath the thick curly locks perfected for the evening.

"I would cut an arm for him to stare me down." The shorter of the pair broke her gaze from the man, looking towards her friend with a perplexed stare.

Maria Mendola was a classmate at the preparatory back home in Grantchester. At school, they were mere acquaintances who would pass one another in the halls without much afterthought. Maria was one of the popular girls who was known by all but only interacted within her station. Her parents were major oil barons located in South America near Panama, but required their youngest child to stay within the walls of their Florence home during the summer. It was a pleasant surprise to see a schoolmate around, even if it would be for a short while. The two girls would often hang around the old bridge above the river or head to the local shops just to have somewhere to be.

"I think it's weird. I saw him the other day, and he just kept staring. Isn't he older?" The memory of a couple of days before was still fresh in her mind. She saw him at the mayor's dinner, but he wasn't properly introduced. The big dinner was actually to celebrate the mayor's successful reelection. She observed how benevolent the stranger was with everyone around him, but there was a lackluster in his eyes.

She remembered for a brief moment when they did make eye contact, she saw the blankness in his eyes. It scared her, but the young woman didn't voice it to anyone. She wasn't even sure she was going to see the man after that day.

"Older is one way to put it. He is a man; a handsome, eligible older man. And he's coming towards us." Maria's enthusiasm scared her friend, it made her wonder what they did to garner his attention.

Watching his shiny black and white leather shoes pointed in her direction, the raven-haired girl turned her head away from him. The cocktail cubes were suddenly piquing her interest. She picked one up with her fingers, not caring if others saw.

"What are you two lovely ladies doing all alone and not dancing ?" Shivers ran down her shoulders hearing the familiar silvery voice. It beckoned her to incline his whims, to fall for the enchantment he would bewitch her in.

Maria was always a smooth talker and it was to the advantage of the latter that she was interested in the man before them. "There are no men to dance with, just boys who don't know one foot from another. We would be lucky to not be tripped over instead of dipped." The tall girl moved closer to Angelface, eyes turning sultry in hopes that he would be the man to ask her on the floor.

"I'm so glad to see you, Signore Gasparini! The last time we saw one another, you promised me my first dance. You won't break your promise, would you?" A pout was on Maria's face, her slim body leaning towards his, dreaming for his hand to encircle her waist to whisk her away.

Despite all the attention the man received to his face, the short girl could feel Gasparini's flowery eyes staring her down. The only thought passing through her was to shove more cubes down her throat. There was nothing more unappealing for a man to see than a young woman who openly ate in a sloppy manner. At least that was what many schoolmates told her over the years.