Smiling Secrets

PART 1: Chapter 1

"Good day Bartillo!" greeted Lisa, interrupting the fishmonger that was talking to a customer, kept in grey hair with a black top hat on and dressed in what looked like a very fine and expensive purple-red material suite. Almost like silk.

"Ah! Monna Lisa! What can I do for you?" greeted Bartillo, after he had given the man in the fine suite, a bundle of what could only be the best fish caught, frozen, fresh and wrapped in a brown paper packaging, tied up with a brown string in a bow.

Lisa gave a quick nod and courtesy to the man as a sign of respect and greeting, as he left before she stood in his place in front of Bartillo's fish stand, with her attention on Bartillo's features that she has grown accustomed to. Greying hair along with his Italian moustache. Thin, long face, oval shaped and his old, tiny, shiny blue eyes shining with soo much wonder and knowledge. Tall body dressed in white overalls and a grey apron tied around his thin torso. His thin, old spotted bony hands busy wiping the ice from the previous fish, off his counter with a cloth. His white overall's pant legs tucked neatly into his dirty white gumboots with red trimmings at the top. He always seemed to bring a comforting warm feeling with his warm, yet crooked toothy smile.

"Five medium-sized tunas please, señor Bartillo."

"Is your father still trying to find him?" asked Bartillo as he opened the cooling box containing the fish, caught this morning, resting on top of crushed ice.

"Aye señor Bartillo. He won't stop untill he has found the right one. It is tiring to see Maria make food all the time for someone who just ends up leaving the house at the end of the day. How does he even know if the man in front of him is the right one for me?"

"I do not know," answered Bartillo as he wrapped the fish in the brown paper packaging and tied it off with a quick, professional bow, before handing it to her. "Perhaps, fathers just know. I am very surprised that the first man who showed up has not put a ring on your finger yet. Maria must be tired of preparing so many fish for so many potential suitors. With your beauty monna, there are probably a hundred more suitors lining up outside your house right now. Come, let me give you two more fish. Maybe they will be the lucky ones to find you the right husband." With that said, he handed her another brown parcel, smaller than the one she originally came to buy.

He gave her a wink and she gave a slight nod and courtesy in gratitude and greeting, before turning on her heel to walk back home.

It was quite a marvelously beautiful and sunny day. Lisa is quite fond of natural scenery and on a day like this, she would walk exceptionally slow, just to embrace and absorb the beauty of everything around her. The calmness of the dock at that particular time of day, the hustle and bustle of the town folk in the market place. She looked out to the sea, as far as the horizon and saw small fishing boats, here and there. A cry made her look up into the sunny, clear blue sky, where seagulls were flapping about, looking down below for food. She looked back down at the ocean and saw waves forming and dying over a distance, like a contemporary dancer, rising and falling to a song that only they heard. She was enjoying the dancing waves when she caught sight of one in the distance that seemed to get larger as it came her way. Needing some refreshment, she walked closer to the rock wall of the dock and felt the most refreshingly, cold saltwater shower, sprinkle her as it smashed against the wall.

She has done this countless times before, and the gentle scent of the ocean breeze, never got old. It always calmed her down. The cold, salty sprinkle that was always so refreshing in the heat of Italy, and the scent, calm and soothing. Especially when she misses her mother dearly. Like that day when her father told her she was old enough to marry. She wondered what her mother would say. Would her mother have agreed? She felt too young to marry and she was positive her mother would have agreed with her, if she was there. But her father told her that marrying young, is what her mother would have wanted. She argued with him and and ran out in fury, towards the ocean. She reached a stone wall near the ocean and thought of hurling herself over it into the raging ocean below, when the sea sprayed her with such freezing cold water, that it immediately cleared her clouded judgement. She felt silly that day.

She smiled and looked out at the ocean again. It saved her life that day, and to it, she would forever be grateful. It was one of her few but very good friends.

Turning on her heal, she started heading home. Home, where suitors would be waiting. Fortunately for her, her childhood has not been destroyed, thanks to the fact that not one man in four years, have had any interest in her, nor her in them. Thankfully, her father has set high standards, and would not marry her off to any man.

She does feel sorry for Maria though, their servant. Her father could never cook or do anything that mothers do, that is why, he hired Maria to help with everything that mothers were supposed to do. Maria is the closest women that she ever came to as a mother figure in her life. Maria, is probably so tired of having to prepare fish for all her suitors.

In a way, she feels sorry for her father too. Having to spend so much money and waste so much time. Until now, she is still amazed by her father's persistence on finding a husband for her.

She giggled at the thought of her father going 'HUSBAND HUNTING' for her, and then she keeps on rejecting them, or they are not good enough for her father, so he rejects them.

Her happiness soon faded, when she realised she was approaching her home, and in front of the entrance stood a rather fancy looking carage. It made the stage look out of place along her warm, average, well maintained farm cottage home. She warily walked up the stone pathway to the front, heavy oak, door. Although it looked simple, compared to most houses, she felt she would never trade it for the world. For this is her childhood home. She had many adventures in here, with Maria and her father, when he wasn't a spoil sport.

She heard a soft purring sound and looked down to see Figaro, her lazy, somewhat chubby ginger cat, who never seemed lazy whenever she brought fish home. Most of the time, all he would do is eat and sleep, for what seems like the whole day. Either way, she loved him with all her heart, and he too, loved her and would never, (or so she hopes), give her up for all the mice in the world. He was another one of her very few friends, along with Bartillo and the ocean.

"Pappa, I'm Home!" she called out as she entered through the front door. After closing it, she took of her shawl and hat and hung it up.

"Oh, Lisa! Do hurry up and come into the dining room. There is someone here I think you would be very pleased to meet, " her father called out. A hint of way too much excitement in his voice.

'That's not good' thought Lisa nervously as she turned the corner into the dining room. The two brown parcels of fish tucked in the crook of her elbow, nearly slipped out, when she saw who the 'SOMEONE' was.