Her Fire

04 ~ Villa Lupo e Luna

The woman stares at her with a confused expression. “I’m sorry?”

Deirdre blushes. Oh gods, how she must sound like an i***t. This must be the reason why people are given the potion of oblivion. Just imagine everyone coming back to life remembering everything and being suspicious of each person they meet all the time. Absolute chaos and mayhem.

She shakes her head. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just… I meant… is this destiny? Because… you’re like heaven sent… The residence sounds so perfect. And… those are actually the places I wanted to visit…” She finishes lamely.

The woman chuckles. “I understand. If you don’t mind talking to Daui for a while to distract him, I will call my landlord now and ask.” She says, dialing on her cellphone.

“Sure, thank you so much!”

She turns to the little boy who is very entertaining and funny. He’s not timid and seems to love her red hair as he keeps saying how pretty it is.

“What is your favorite color?”

“Red, like your hair.” He shows her his toy car. “Like my car. I like green too. I have green cars at home.”

Daui’s mother speaks fluent Italian and Deirdre marvels at how easily she changes her accent as she switches language. “My landlord says it’s alright. He can’t come tonight for the documents as per Italian law, but I can just send him a photo of your passport for the registration and you can just wire the payment.”

“Oh, cool! But what about the keys?”

“Oh, my mom works in the building and has a passepartout, a master key. She can open the apartment for you. We only ask that you give my mom a document to hold on to until tomorrow. For security purposes.”

“Oh, of course, thank you so much, you’re heaven sent.”

“No problem. It must really be destiny.” The woman says with a smile. “We need to get off at the next stop and take a bus. Actually we can also walk instead, it’s just a couple of stops but you look about ready to drop so we can just take a bus to get there sooner. You don’t need to buy another ticket for the bus, you can just use the one you have now, it’s the same ticket and it’s still valid. My mom made a delicious ragu… pasta sauce for dinner. You can dine with us tonight if you don’t mind the clutter or I can just give you a plate of pasta and you can eat it in your apartment so you can just rest as soon as you’ve eaten. Tomorrow I can show you the grocery shop nearby so you can buy your own food and stuff you need.”

“You’re too kind, I don’t even know how I can repay you—”

The woman smiles. “My brother works in the UK and is all alone there, his family is here. But people have been kind to him there too. I hope to pay it forward…or something like that. The world would be a much better place if people practice kindness all the time.”

“Amen to that.” Deirdre mutters.

The residence is indeed nearby and right smack in the heart of the historic center. The building is old but is also a historic place, dating back since before the 1900’s. The grand staircase looks quite daunting but Deirdre loves the place already and she looks around with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry but there is no elevator. It’s a really old building. The good news is, your apartment will only be on the first floor, so it’s just those flights of stairs, around thirty steps, I think.”

“Oh, thanks… gods, I’m sorry, I’m so jetlagged I forgot to ask your name!”

Daui’s mother chuckles. “It’s okay. You can just call me Reine. Here… this is our corridor. Your apartment is right next to ours so if you need anything, just knock.”

Reine introduced Deirdre to her mother Ursula who opened the door to the apartment.

“Dinner will be ready in half an hour…if you’re still awake.” Reine tells her ruefully.

Deirdre smiles sheepishly. “Actually, can we do a raincheck? I think I’m about to fall asleep on my feet…I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, no worries. I’ll see you tomorrow, no problem at all. Goodnight.”

The apartment is small, really good for just one person. Deirdre drops her stuff on a chair, finds the bed and collapses on it, groaning. She was asleep in a few seconds, not even able to take off her shoes.

She wakes up the next day feeling well-rested but gritty and a little sweaty so she takes a quick shower and checks the time. It’s around three in the afternoon. She quickly changes into her comfortable clothes, ready to go out and buy some clothes and food. She can go sightseeing tomorrow, she decides, still feeling a little winded from the journey. There is no hurry anyway so she can actually take things slowly after years of sacrifice and hard work.

Wondering if Reine is around, she sends her a message but after receiving no reply after five minutes, she decides to go out by herself, carefully remembering the address in case she gets lost later trying to find a supermarket. Walking around, she finds a grocery store just a few blocks away.

She was already in line to pay when Reine replies "Hi, I'm so sorry, I was putting Daui to nap and fell asleep even before he did. I hope you managed to find the grocery store."

She types a quick reply because it is her turn to pay. While she's putting all her stuff in a plastic bag, she notices an advertisement near the cashier about a vineyard tour in Montepulciano, in the province of Siena. She grabs a pamphlet and thanks the cashier with a smile before leaving.

A visit to a vineyard might just be a nice way to start her stay in Florence. There’s wine tasting too, that’s always a nice bonus… although she really should slow down with the alcohol now or she’ll end up with an even more serious problem.

***

The vineyard tour is set the day after tomorrow, giving her enough time to get over her jetlag and buy a few more clothes and shoes that go well for the season.

Reine is able to show her the places to shop for clothes, always mindful of the expenses and Deirdre doesn’t mind, she appreciates the company and the concern. They even went to some sort of flea market in a huge park called Le Cascine where they are able to buy second-hand goods and delicious fruits, cheese and cold cut meats.

The day of the vineyard tour, Deirdre feels quite rejuvenated and is actually very eager to go. For some reason, she feels restless but in a good way, almost as if she’s looking forward to something that she doesn’t even know what.

She had requested for a private tour so she can enjoy the experience better and not have to adjust to other people’s paces. Her tourist guide is actually not from the pamphlet that she found at the grocery store, but rather, a family friend that Reine recommended.

Roberto is very knowledgeable and quite informative, she only needed to ask and her curiosity will be satisfied. He’s also quiet when she simply wants to enjoy the scenery.

Also, instead of Montepulciano, Roberto has decided to bring her to another part of Tuscany, in Chianti, which is closer to Florence. “I will take you to a very beautiful and quite exclusive vineyard. It’s not one of the usual ones that tourists come to visit because of famous labels and trademarks. This is a more private villa that I only know of because of a friend but I can guarantee you their wine is even better than the more expensive ones and you get to enjoy a wonderful view in peace.”

She smiles. “You got me at ‘exclusive’. Thank you, I can’t wait!”

The entrance of the villa seems quite plain, even unremarkable. The only thing that gives Deirdre a hint of something more inside is the tall brick wall and even taller trees that line the whole enclosure and she was right. The modest facade hides an enchanting and jaw dropping view as soon as the van enters the property.

“Oh my…”

Roberto smiles proudly at her. “As promised. Welcome to Villa Lupo e Luna. Wolf and Moon Villa.”

The whole property is vast, and Roberto explains that it extends as far as her eyes can see. The whole place is surrounded by a thick line of trees that hides the place from view and gives the owners a great deal of privacy.

There are hills upon hills of grapevines and fruit-bearing trees, making the villa quite self-sufficient. They see a few workers diligently taking care of their tasks and Deirdre sighs in contentment as she takes in a deep breath, committing everything to memory.

The air is permeated with the smell of grapes, wildflowers and something more exotic to her nose. Roberto parks in front of a quaint little office where wild roses and lavenders grow abundantly on the wall. They are met by a dark-haired and tall man, maybe around his thirties, looking tanned and smiling widely.

“Oi, Roberto! Da quanto tempo non ti fai vedere da queste parti!” (Hey, Robert, it’s been so long since you’ve last visited!)

Roberto laughs and slaps his shoulders amicably. “Ciao Mattia, eh sai, questa cosa del covid ci ha resi tutti reclusi” (Hello, Matt, oh yes, this covid thing made us all recluses.)

"Beh, almeno ora sembra che ci stiamo riprendendo…” (Well, at least now it seems we’re getting back on our feet…)

Mattia looks at Deirdre who is getting off the van at the moment and his smile widens even more. “Ma guarda che bel regalo mi hai portato oggi.” (Look what a beautiful gift you brought me today!)

Roberto switches to English as soon as Deirdre stands beside him. “Miss, this is Mattia, he’s the one in charge of touring visitors around the vineyard.”

“Hi.” Deirdre smiles timidly. “My name is Deirdre… I don’t speak Italian so… I’m not sure if I’ll need a translator…”

Mattia chuckles. “Oh, no worries, I’m actually half-English. I’m Mattia Garner. You can call me Matt.”

“Oh! Well, that’s a relief! Wow, you speak like a local.”

Mattia laughs. “Well, I have been here for quite a few years so your ears are probably catching the Tuscan accent that one can’t help but pick up once one settles. If you stay long enough, you’ll understand and actually hear the difference. Come, we’ll start the tour right away… there’s much to see! We’ll start at the vineyard, it’s the perfect timing, you can actually see our workers harvesting the late grapes. And later I’ll take you to the cantina…”

The vineyard stretches as far as her eyes can see and her jaw drops again at the magnificent view. It’s simply breath-taking! Mattia has switched to full professional tour guide and explains everything in minute details that sometimes Deirdre can’t help but zone out as she gets distracted by the beauty and wonderful scents around her.

She gasps when they reach a more secluded part of the vineyard, where she found a fairy-tale-like cottage. The house is surrounded by wooden enclosures and lavenders, giving it a rather welcoming touch. Thick green vines climb lovingly at the walls of the cottage, making it look pleasantly comfortable and cozy, that Deirdre can’t help but whisper the first thing that came to her mind.

“Home.”

Suddenly, her heart slams in her chest as behind the cottage, a big dark gray-furred dog emerges, its striking eyes with different colors, one golden and the other light blue, staring directly at her.

Deirdre frowns, blinking furiously as she tries to see better.

That can’t be right. It’s so much bigger and…

“Wait… is that a… wolf?”