The Past Recedes

Chapter 45

I had a bit of writer's block but I've been doing some writing lately. Thanks for being patient.

Nika slowly and carefully ate her lemon tart as she listened to the adults talking in Italian, the language starting to make more sense. Talk centered on the price of lemons and her great-grandparents asking about the tour, John speaking in English with John Sr. translating. "After we get back to the US, we got a break except for two shows at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. I'm taking Nika sine it's only two shows, and I'm going to invite her other grandparents", said John.

"Thanks, Dad. Is Josh coming too?", she asked.

"I don't know, he's kind of young to be in Las Vegas. And he might have a session lined up", said John.

"That's his friend and musical partner, he's a good kid. He plays all these instruments and is very smart", John Sr. explained.

"Que bellissimo. Is he Italian?", asked Margarita.

"No, his dad is Jewish and his mother is Irish. And if he was here, you would try to fatten him up since he's skinny", John Sr. joked.

"Ah, but neither group knows how to cook. You should bring your young friend here, he needs to eat", Margarita chided.

Nika smiled wanly and chased crumbs on her plate with the fork. "Do you want to go for a walk?", asked John.

She gave her father a grateful smile. "I'm just going to show her the town", he explained.

"Is it safe?", she asked.

"Oh yeah, Benevento is very safe. Rome has pickpockets because of the tourists, but there's virtually no crime here. LA is much more dangerous", said John.

Outside it was dusk with a bright yellow gibbous moon and stars illuminating the area, a soft breeze ruffling the leaves of the olive trees. The town plaza was a fifteen minute walk from the Frusciante house and Nika held tightly onto his hand when she saw all the people. "That's the thing here, people like to walk around the plaza", he explained.

Nika saw what he meant since the people were walking around in circles. Couples walked hand in hand and others talked softly, while others sipped coffee or brandy at cafe tables. She was struck by the fact that the young people didn't have the latest, trendy fashions and bored looks of people in LA, but seemed more animated and cheerful. "LA people are jerks, the people here are more down to earth", said John.

"Dad, are Nonno and Nonna going to Pompeii with us?", she asked.

"Maybe, we have to see how they feel. You can be our guide", he teased.

"Ohh, this is going to be fun! I want to see all the buildings and the plaster casts. I guess the people didn't realize Vesuvius was an active volcano and thought they could wait out the eruption", she said.

"Maybe, non one had any clue what sort of volcanic eruption this was", said John.

"They should have tried to get out, but they weren't scientists. Maybe they though they'd wait it out, or that the volcano god was mad at them", laughed John.

"Vulcan was the god of fire, people would have been praying to him. It makes sense in context", said Nika.

"I guess but I still feel bad for those people. I'm not sure but I think the Frusciante family has been living here since Roman times, records don't go back that far", he joked.

Nika shook her head. "There's DNA tests, it can show how longa group of people have been living in one place", she said.

"Cool, I should check this out", he said.

"Be careful, the stones are loose", he warned as Nika walked in the ruins of the town's Roman amphitheater.

"Roman drama wasn't so advanced as Greek drama, the Romans weren't into theater as much. In fact, at one point actors were banned from Rome", said Nika.

"Cool, they should do that in Hollywood since most of them are untalented pricks. But seriously, I'm Italian and I didn't know that", he laughed.

"You're only half-Italian", she pointed out.

"I know, Mom is Irish. Ireland is okay, but I haven't met any of Mom's relatives from there, there's only a few elderly relatives living in Donegal, the O'Donnells. It's too cold and damp, I like sunshine", said John.

"Then why don't you meet them? Do they know you're in a band?", she asked.

"No, I doubt they watch MTV. And Ireland is too cold and damp for me, I've always been close to the Italian side of the family", he replied.

Nika read the faded inscriptions on the wall of the theater and frowned. "Those are gross, this one is from a prostitute listing her services", she said in distaste.

"Really, sort of like an ancient version of the classifieds. But what kind of services?", he asked in surprise.

"Ew, she advertised sucking and in the butt", said Nika in horror.

John tried to keep a straight face but nearly collapsed with laughter. "Oh my gosh, really!?", he yelled in hysterics.

"Yes, she advertises herself as a fellatrix. That's what it means in Latin", she explains.

"Okay, don't say that to Mom and Dad. But do you know what she's sucking?", he asked.

"Yes, a man's penis", she said matter-of-factly.

John giggled and his face turned bright red. "Ah, yeah. Let's go see the arch", he mumbled.

"Why do people make a huge deal about sex? It's a body function like pooping and that's how people make babies", she said.

Never in a thousand years did John ever think he would ever have this conversation with a child. "Nika, it is a big deal because it involves getting naked and making babies. Plus some people are obsessed with it, I was as a young guy and I hurt a lot of women. So I've seen the bad side of sex, it is a big deal", he said quietly.

"Oh, so that's why you don't date?", she asked.

"Yeah, I was a jerk to women for a long time. I wouldn't rule out dating anyone, but I'll be celibate until I find someone right", he replied.

Nika nodded. She wondered if her dad had sex with lots of women when he first joined the band and did drugs. She thought it would be nice if was only the two of them for now, not wanting to deal with a jealous stepmother. She mused that any woman who would date John would have to be open-minded and eccentric, and not mind his scars. "Oh, I won't date anyone for a while. I'm busy with the band", he added.

"Okay, I don't want to have an evil stepmom", she replied.