YES!
I totally gave in to peer pressure and got some good luck, thanks to Juliet.
Marco even has a photo of it somewhere. But, dang it, I can't find it.
So, now that everyone knows there is an incriminating photo of me helping bronze Juliet's bust even more, let's move on with the story. Shall we?
After Verona, Marco, Giglio, and I met back up with everyone in forest park outside Verona. All our newly-made friends were excited to be there. They kept telling us how beautiful it was and how great it was to be out in nature.
Now, not to sound like a brat or anything, but the park in the forest wasn't anything special. I probably felt that way because I grew up so close to the mountains. My grandparents had a cabin in the Uintas that we went to all the time. You know where boy scouts go missing every year? Yeah, that's where their cabin was (Sorry, no adventure story to be found here. No one ever had to send the forest service out to find us.). But that's okay because I loved hanging out with all those Italians.
Going to different countries is fun. If you eat the food, it's even more fun. But, if you can get to know some of the countries' natives, that's where you start to really enjoy the experience. Actually hearing the language, even if you don't speak it, and seeing how cultures interact is an amazing experience. So, while the park wasn't a haven to me like it was to the Italians, it was pretty cool seeing them enjoy it.
They had laughed at me for getting a kick over the cobblestone roads, the ancient buildings, and the tiny cars. Going to that park was where I enjoyed seeing their amazement about being in the, gasp, forest! They were just a bunch of city kids, I guess.
I wasn't the only one unimpressed by our surroundings. Liz, Toby, and Marco all felt the same way.
I kept wondering if a hiking group would start up. But nope, everyone was happy to hang out on the park benches and talk. And really, I couldn't blame them. They just loved being together.
While we were there, Toby and Liz came up to talk to me. They told me how great the caves had been and then Toby surprised me by asking, "What's going on with you and Marco? You two going to hook up?"
I was shocked, "What? No way! I hardly know him. What gave you that idea?"
Liz just sat there, grinning at me.
Toby smiled and said, "Oh come on, Liz. He's totally into you."
Liz nodded, "But Liz, do you like him?"
I stared at Liz. How should I answer that? Of course I liked him. I was totally interested in Marco. But he and Liz had dated once upon a time and if she wanted him back, I figured he was hers first. So I decided to play it safe, "Yeah, I think he's a great guy. I think he could be a good friend." In this case, playing it safe meant playing dumb.
Toby rolled his eyes, "That's not what I meant and you know it. He likes you. Do you like him?"
"Wait. You don't know that. Has he told you he likes me?" Now I was curious.
"No, but I'm a guy. I can tell."
He could? Or was he just guessing? I looked over to find where Marco was. I wanted to make sure he wasn't hearing this conversation. He wasn't. He was talking with a group of Italians who seemed to be hanging on his every word.
Toby was Marco's friend. So I had to be careful what I told him because it was highly likely to get back to Marco. "Gosh, I haven't thought of him that way. He's really nice and he's cute. Maybe?"
Toby didn't seem to like that answer. But it was all he was getting. Liz just looked at me. She was my best friend and knew how to read me. She knew Toby wasn't getting the entire story. But she also knew why.
"Okay Liz, if that's how you want to play it," Toby walked off.
And Liz pounced, "Lizzy, do you think you like him?"
Time to get honest. "Yeeeees. I think I do. But Liz, aren't you interested in him? On the airplane I thought you maybe were liking him again? Tell me the truth."
"I do like him, but only as a friend. If you're digging him, you should go for it!"
Let's back up for a little bit here and talk about me, Liz, and boys.
Males loved Liz. She was a guy-magnet. It wasn't difficult to know why, either. She was really pretty and super fun. Liz was outgoing and always up for an adventure. Since I had known her, I had lost count (seriously) of how many boyfriends she'd had. But, one of the things I loved about her was that when she was dating a guy she never forgot about me. She talked me into tagging along as a third wheel a lot. I mean, a lot, a lot. Her boyfriends would see me coming and get a pained look on their faces. But they always put up with me because Liz wanted me there.
Me? I dated guys, but never seriously. I always stopped things if I lost interest. And I usually did. I'm not sure if I was picky or if the right guy just never seemed to ask me out. But most of my time was spent boyfriend-less. Liz was always trying to figure out what kind of guy would eventually steal my heart. She never set me up with anyone; she said no one was good enough for me (best friends always see the good in each other). But that didn't mean she didn't want me to have a serious boyfriend. She did. Very much.
Seeing me get even a little bit giddy about Marco got her excited, "Liz, I think you like him!" She squealed in delight.
I looked around to see if Marco or Toby were listening in. Nope, we were safe. But what was I going to do about this whole Marco thing now? I couldn't decide. And after this talk with Toby and Liz, I worried that I would read too much into anything Marco said and did now.
Did I really want a relationship to unfold when I was vacationing in a foreign country? That could get uncomfortable, especially if things didn't work out while we were still vacationing.
But I didn't have long to think things over. It was time to go back to Parma. We loaded back up into the cars and made the dangerous journey along twisty roads back. Yes, more blind car passing occurred and I continued to wonder if my vacation would be cut short. But we made it. And my respect for Italian drivers grew.
Back in Parma, Noemi's parents had made a delicious dinner for the four of us. We gathered around their small table in the kitchen and ate.
And guys, food made by a native Italian is way better than any food purchased in any Italian restaurant. Seriously, I think the food in heaven will be cooked by Italians.
During dinner, the conversation frequently changed from English to Italian. Noemi's parents and Noemi would start out in English, out of kindness to Liz and me, but then they'd get excited about something and inadvertently switch over to Italian. It was pretty funny. I didn't mind, I enjoyed hearing the language and seeing how passionate they became while speaking.
At one point, Noemi's mom asked all of us the same question, "Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?"
Toby's answer was easy, "Yeah, I have a girlfriend at home." It was true. During a pre-Italy meeting the four of us had, his girlfriend had come along. She hadn't been very friendly and Liz and I figured it was because she had come to check out what kinds of females would be keeping Toby company during his trip.
Marco answered, "No. I just broke up with my girlfriend a few months ago."
He had? That was news to me.
Liz's turn, "I guess so. I mean, I've been dating a guy. But I'm not sure how interested I am in keeping things going."
Then everyone looked at me.
"No, I don't have a boyfriend." I left it at that.
But Noemi's parents prodded, "Is there someone you like? Someone that could be a boyfriend?"
Why were they asking me this? Had I looked like I was holding something back? I looked at Liz in a panic. She just looked back expectantly at me.
Not helpful, best friend.
"Um, I don't know. Maybe? I mean, there is someone I'm interested in," I made a concerted effort to only look at Noemi's parents and not make eye contact with Marco, "But I'm not sure if he's interested in me at all."
Her parents started laughing and switched over to Italian. Marco and Toby joined in the conversation and I was glad I couldn't understand what everyone was talking about.
In a few days, it would become clear whether Toby was correct or not about Marco's interest in me.
Part 13
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