Chapter Sixteen

1113 Words
Kate spent almost two hours chatting to Alegra at the cafe, not once in that time did either of them actually go over their notes. The conversation between them flowed so easily and Kate knew instantly she had made a lifelong friend. She just had to remember never to mention her ex-husband.  Alegra was honest in an unintentional way and full of optimism, Kate liked that about her. They had caught up for coffee a few times since that first class and had even spent a few days sightseeing and shopping together.  Alegra was helping Kate to better understand their Italian classes and Kate was grateful she wouldn't look like an idiota in front of Raphael this afternoon.  He had been picking on Kate quite a lot and she was getting sick of always being wrong. Couldn't he just ask someone else? "Good try Katerina," He would say, "but.." Ugh, there was always a but and then his voice would trail off. In the beginning, she could never really concentrate when he was talking. All she could do was lose herself in the sound of his voice and daydream about the two of them until he snapped her out of it with another question she couldn't answer correctly. God, he must think I'm so stupid, she thought.  More recently, she had considered dropping the class altogether and finding another, surely there was more than one beginner's Italian class in Rome. It was Alegra who had convinced her to stick it out, with her inspirational lecture about not letting people get to you and focusing on the words, blah blah...   Kate was determined to prove herself today. This was their fifth and final class. It was a beginners class after all and they had covered all the basics. Not that she could actually remember much of it, but still, it had been more than helpful for Kate. She had made a wonderful friend and if that's all that she managed to take from this class, then it was was still worth it.  Kate was waiting for Alegra at the cafe across the street from their class. She had been there twenty minutes already and it would be starting soon. She contemplated just meeting her at the front of the building but didn't want to risk seeing Raphael there, alone. It was at that moment, she happened to see him crossing the street and walking over to the cafe. Kate quickly picked up her coffee and leaned back to grab her bag, which was slung over the back of her chair. She stood up, attempting to make a quick getaway but her bag had gotten caught up on the armrest and it took her a second to get it free. When she finally turned to leave, he was standing in front of her, any closer and she would have walked right into him. "Ciao Katerina, you are going to be late for class, no?" "Hello Raphael, yes I was just going now I didn't realise the time." "Well, that's because you don't have one of these" Raphael said, pointing to the black Armani watch wrapped around his wrist. Was he just trying to be funny? Kate managed to stifle a bemused snicker, "better go, wouldn't want to be late" was all she could manage, before walking past him and directly out of the cafe.   When Alegra finally turned up twenty minutes later, class was well underway. Raphael had picked on Kate once already and was just gearing up for another round.  "Where the hell were you? I bet if that was me walking in twenty minutes late, he would have said something." Kate whispered to Alegra as she settled into her seat. "You think?" She whispered back, ignoring the question. "You should have heard him before class, Katerina you're going to be late, no?" She said, mocking his accent as she spoke. "Then he tried to make some weird joke because I don't have a watch. Who wears a freaking watch these days? It was so awkward." "Katerina, come ti chiami?" The sound of Raphael's voice had quickly brought Kate's attention back to the class. "It's Kate" She snapped back. She knew he had said Katerina just to throw her off. Raphael quickly moved on and didn't bother her for the rest of the class. When it was finally over, Kate and Alegra said their goodbye to a few of the other students. Alegra went over to thank Raphael and Kate waited for her by the door, she wasn't going to be thanking Raphael for anything.  She could see him glancing over every now and then as he and Alegra spoke. Kate felt a tension between them now, she knew he didn't like her and the feeling was mutual. What did he expect when he was constantly calling her out in class? Probably that she would just laugh it off as a bit of harmless fun. Kate didn't see it that way, she was glad to be done with the class, and with him. Kate had just over two weeks left in Rome and she still hadn't done everything that she had wanted. She hoped to have some time to travel up to Tuscany or even down to Naples, but she had been enjoying herself so much here, especially since meeting Alegra. She didn't want to leave her new friend behind, considering what little time they had left. Alegra was still talking to Raphael and two others from their class, Kate wished she would hurry up so they could get the hell out of there. She still hadn't told her why she was late today, and Kate was hoping it had something to do with her finding a job. She had spent an entire day handing out her resumes with Alegra last week, mostly to nearby cafes. Perhaps one of them had contacted her with an offer? Alegra, finally done talking with Raphael, walked over to Kate who was still standing in the doorway waiting for her. "Come on, let's go," Kate said to her hurriedly. "Okay okay, I'm coming. So impatient." "So, where were you today? I was waiting at the cafe..." "Well, I was there... talking to the manager! They were actually looking to hire someone and he gave me the barista job." She squealed in excitement. Kate instantly forgave her for being late. Alegra was so relieved she wouldn't have to go back to Spain anytime soon, she cried tears of joy on and off for the remainder of the day. Kate was overjoyed for her, of everything she had experienced here so far, this had to be the absolute best feeling. 
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