Gianluca Ginoble and I

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

         

The next morning I borrowed Gianluca’s bike again and rode off to explore. He stayed asleep, probably tired out from the concert and from carrying me around.

I left as quietly as I could, wanting to go out on my own.

I went to the stream first, back to where I had been the evening before. I took off my tennis shoes and stepped into the water, and then followed it past the trees to a larger, rushing circle of water surrounded by large rocks. I climbed onto a rock and went down to the water, then decided to get in. The water went up to the bottom of my T-shirt, and I rolled it up a little to keep any more of it from getting wet. I waded around in the water, enjoying the rushing coolness.

I climbed back onto the warm rocks and squeezed some water out of my shorts. I sat there for a while, listening to the water and watching the little fishes jump. When the sun had made its way fully into the sky and it got too hot on the rocks, I climbed down and went back to the shallow part of the stream, bending to collect some shells, which I placed in my pockets.

I went back to Gianluca’s bike and guided it back to the pathway, then straddled it and rode off.

I decided to follow the road, and eventually reached a pasture containing a flock of sheep.

I jumped off the bike and went to the wooden fence and leaned over it, looking at all the sheep.

A little lamb ran up to greet me, bleating and leaping around.

“Aww!” I said, “Hello, precious!”

          I reached my hand down and it sniffed me, then skipped away and pranced back.

          I giggled and climbed over the fence, much to the excitement of the lamb.

          The sheep looked me over, then went back to grazing, deciding I was harmless.

          Another lamb timidly approached me, and I sat down quietly.

          They came right up to me, sniffing and bleating.

          I reached up my hands and stroked them, and a sheep, probably a mother, walked up to examine me. I guess it assumed that I was friendly, because it left the little lambs to play with me.

          I stood, and the lambs nudged my legs.

          I reached down to pick one up, but it leapt away. The other one let me scoop it up, though.

          “Hey there!” I said, holding it.

          It bleated and wiggled.

          Then I saw an older boy approaching me, walking through the flock.

          He called something out in Italian.

          “English?” I asked timidly.

          “I see you like my sheep,” he said, approaching me.

          He was much taller than me, maybe in his early twenties, with dark hair and eyes and tanned skin, the traditional handsome Italian look.

          “Yes,” I said, “The lambs are very cute!”

          He nodded, staring at me.

          I looked down at the wiggling lamb in my arms. The boy was still staring at me, and I met his gaze. After a moment I said, “I’m sorry if I’m…intruding by coming to see the lambs like this.”