The Past Recedes

Chapter 43

Nika tapped her foot impatiently while John loaded their bags into the trunk of the taxi. "Relax, we have three hours until the flight", he chided.

"I can't wait! Pepere has been to Rome many times and he says it's lovely. I want to see the Colosseum and the Forum, and Benevento and the ruins of Pompeii and Magna Graecia", she said in a rush.

"I love Rome too, and you are going to love Nonno and Nonna. They're thrilled to have a great-granddaughter", said John.

"I want to send Clara and Josh lots of postcards", she declared.

"You will. Clara travels a lot with Flea and Josh travels with bands", said Gail.

"How long have you known Josh? He's really smart and a cool guy", said Nika as she got in the cab with the grownups.

"Since Josh started playing with John, about a year. He's a very nice and talented young man, he's going to accomplish great things one day. That kid is too talented not to succeed", said John Sr.

Three hours later, they were onboard their flight to Rome from JFK. Nika held her breath until the plane had taxied over to the runway and got the signal from air traffic control, before accelerating and becoming airborne. She saw that her grandparents were asleep and John was reading as she took out her copy of Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. John glanced in her direction and saw the size of the book, thick enough to be a murder weapon. "It's a classic by Sir Edward Gibbon", she said without looking up from her book.

"Okay, it's a long flight", he said with a shrug.

The plane landed in Rome over eight hours later. Nika was disappointed to see the modern airport as they waited for their luggage as bags moved around the carousel. "We're going to relax in the hotel first, us oldsters have jet lag", said John Sr. with a rueful chuckle.

The adults got their bags and went to get a cab to their hotel. "We stay at this little family-run place in the Bologna neighborhood, it's quiet and Dad knows the owner", said John.

The drive from the airport took them to outer edges of the city, to a pleasant tree-lined suburb. The hotel itself was a modest white building topped by a flat roof, the front yard adorned with lemon trees filled with ripening fruit turning from green to yellow. "Buona serra, Signora Rainieri", said John Sr. to a dignified older woman in a severe black suit at the front desk.

"Buona serra, Signore Frusciante. The rooms are ready, I hope you will like them. And this is your granddaughter?", she asked.

"Si, we found out just a few months ago", replied Gail.

Nika bent a knee and dropped down into a deep curtsy. "Buon pomeriggio, Signora Rainieri", she said.

"È una bellissima bambina e il suo italiano è molto buono", said the older woman approvingly.

Nika flushed with pride as she carefully got up and smoothed out her skirt. "Grazie, Signora", she replied.

"I can sort of understand Italian since I know Latin. Italian is a corrupted form of Latin", said Nika as John led her towards the room.

"I guess, I don't know Latin. Mom and Dad are going to relax first, at their age jet lag is more severe. I must warn you, our album is really popular here and I don't want people to recognize me", said John.

Nika put her clothes away and saw that John pulled his hair into a ponytail and topped with a blue Mets baseball cap and sunglasses. "Now I look just like an American tourist", he joked.

"This area doesn't have the big historical sites, its' more residential. We could take the subway to the Trevi fountain, it's one of my favorite places. mom and Dad will want to see the Vatican, I'll go since it's stunning and even though I'm not Catholic. Today we take it easy", said John.

Nika was careful to hold onto his hand as they left the hotel, heading towards the nearest subway. It was still early afternoon and the cafes had tables set up outside for lunchtime patrons, perfect for the sunshine and blue skies. "This is one place where I don't follow my diet, but I don't go overboard. Once you've had real Italian pizza, you can't have American pizza", said John with a smile.

Nika hoped so, since the pizza she'd had in California was okay but not spectacular. "I don't eat Roman pizza, only in Campania. That's where it was invented", he said.

Nika looked around with wide-eyed fright when she saw the crowds of the people at the subway station. "Just hold my hand", he said.

Nika was too terrified to let go of his hand as John paid for the tickets. "The New York subway is worse, this isn't as gross or dangerous", he said.

She was glad when they found an empty seat in a half-empty car, her eyes looking up at the map on the wall. "Can we see the Colosseum?", she asked.

"Sure, maybe tomorrow. I don't think we need the tour", he said with a grin.

"No, because I've read Gibbon and read Latin", she replied.

Nika was relieved when they got off the train and climbed up the stairs. The sunlight was a momentary shock after the darkness of the station as she followed him up, the mass of people around them making her dizzy. "That's the Trevi fountain, that's why there's so many people here. Just hold on tight", said John.

Nika could only nod since all the people around and the sunlight was making her anxious. John quickly deduced this and carefully led her away from the crowded fountain. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't realize it was going to be crowded. You might like this better", he said.

Nika's eyes widened in delight when they entered the Palazzo Doria. "There's fewer people here, I discovered this place on our last tour here. It's more quiet here", he said.

Nika immediately felt her pulse slow down and her heartbeat go back to normal. The small museum was quiet except for soft chamber music piped through speakers and their feet on the polished stone floor. The only other people were older people who stopped in front of each picture and the discreet guides in black suits. She immediately recognized several Caravaggio paintings along with Titian and Raphael. "Pepere loves Renaissance and Baroque art, he has a lot of art books", she said.

"I ought to borrow some, Italian art is my favorite along with Basquiat and Duchamp. Da Vinci is my favorite Italian artist, but I do love other Italian art", said John.

John was glad that the museum calmed down his daughter, seeing the sheer fright in her eyes when she saw the crowd at the Trevi fountain. "I like this better, I don't like a lot of people. I don't want to see the Colosseum on a tour, that's dumb", she said.

"Okay, but you can't just wander off", he warned.

"I know, but I don't want to be stuck in a group", she replied.

John just hoped she didn't blurt out real facts during the trip and embarrass them. "In two days, we're driving to Benevento to see my grandparents. They're thrilled to have a great-granddaughter, another generation of Frusciantes", said John.

Nika concentrated on a Caravaggio painting in front of her, a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. She hoped that there weren't going to be so many people at their house and that they weren't into hugging. She also hoped that the family had books to read so she didn't have to speak with them as a knot grew in her stomach. "Nonna is going to be cooking lots of food, she loves cooking. And they're going to be thrilled to meet you", he said.

Nika just hoped that there weren't going to be many people there, but she remembered that the Frusciante family only had one child per generation. "Trust me, there's not going to be many people there. Dad's family is really small, everyone in Nonna's family is dead or left a long time ago. So it's just going to be Nonno, Nonna and maybe a few friends. I'll know when you get overwhelmed", said John as she smiled gratefully.