Giorni in Roma (Days in Rome) - Chapter Seven

The sound of wind chimes entered the small bouquet shop down the market. Ryan peeked around the door hoping that no one was in the store except for the owner, Mr. Angelo. Mr. Angelo was an old family friend that always visited Ryan and his own relatives in Australia every summer. Both of them were very close.

The floors were stained with petal extracts and drops of coffee while the walls were plastered with bouquets of roses, daisies, marigolds, and every flower imaginable. There was a little nook with a circular antique table complete with its own stool and the light reflecting through the rusted window brought out the dust and humidity in the room quite well.

Ryan knocked on the register desk, "Hello? Mr. Angelo? Are you in here?" he looked around the front and the back, but still, no answer. With a disappointed sigh, he slowly made his way out of the store.

"Ah Ryan! I was expecting you to come," a man looking just as old as Giovanni stepped out from the back closet carrying loads of cardboard boxes with fresh flowers in them. He had similar characteristics to Giovanni as well but instead of the suit, he was wearing a dirty apron and clog styled shoes. His perfectly circled lenses were held within a gold frame which brought out his sky blue eyes and tussled white hair.

Ryan grinned and turned around quickly to pay for what he ordered. "I didn't see you there Mr, Angelo. So do you have my - oh I mean her daisies ready?"

Mr. Angelo smiled secretly and handed him a delicate brown package in the shape of bunched up flowers. "Are you meeting up with her tonight?"

He blushed and handed him ten euros. "Yeah, well sort of."

"What do you mean sort of?"

"Well her co workers are here somehow and they'll be joining us, I guess."

"Oh I see. Well good luck anyway. You know, every time I wrote to your family, they always told me you would find ways out of awkward situations... maybe this is one time to use your skills."

"Thanks Mr. Angelo. If this works out, I'll be back."

The sound of a phone in Madison's loft was just heard as she stepped out of the bathroom. Madison had just taken a shower and was getting ready for her so called "date".

"Hello?"

"Madison! I called you five times. Where were you?" Hilary's ecstatic voice said.

"Oh, just getting ready for tonight. Why'd you call?" She asked as she sat down on the couch, combing her hair.

"I'm sorry; I don't think I'll be coming. You see, I just saw this amazing tabloid in the market, and you wouldn't believe it! The article talked about this one block where all the designer shops are. I can't tell you what the name of the street is; it's in Italian," she paused to take a break. "Well, good luck with Ryan tonight. I'll see you tomorrow.'

"Oh, um, alright," Madison said after Hilary hung up.

Madison had told everyone to meet together in her loft at six o'clock so they would be right on time for the Trevi Fountain by seven - the time she agreed to meet Ryan at. Around that time, just as she was getting a glass of water, she heard a knock at the door.

"Boo!" Greg and Aimee both showed up in their best casual clothes. "Nate's not coming," Greg announced calmly.

Madison's excitement factor dropped to a complete zero. "Why not?" She asked in disbelief.

"Apparently he wanted to check out the Colosseum," Greg added a little snicker. "He wants to become a gladiator." Aimee giggled along but Madison didn't see what was so funny. The Colosseum was and is a Roman amphitheater used for gladiatorial combats and other spectacles.

"Well isn't this just dandy?" Hilary's shopping tonight, of course! So I guess it'll be just us three and Ryan."

Seeing as how the Trevi Fountain was further than they could walk, they called for a cab even though Madison would have preferred to capture all the beauty of the market and the yellow street lights. The three friends walked out of the polished glass doors and headed into the cab. To her surprise, the driver was Charlie!

"Charlie! I didn't expect to see you again!"

"Ah, well here I am. So where to?" Charlie asked.

"The Trevi Fountain, please and thank you," Madison said. So, how's your family?"

"Actually, here we call it the Fontana di Trevi and we're as fine as fine could be Madison. Actually, my little boy last night, he came down with a small flu but he's fine. Nothing to worry about. Oh, who are your friends?"

Madison introduced Greg and Aimee to him and also explained the mishap that happened with their chosen cities. Just like Madison, he was also surprised at the coincidence.

As the car went past the market and the shops, they noticed a small restaurant with outside dining. Each table was fully seated with men in thick black suits and sunglasses even though the sky was already turning pale from the setting sun.

"Charlie, is it strange to see men in black suits around this area?" Madison asked with pure curiosity.

"Well, yes, a bit. Are you referring to those men at the café there?" He drove very slowly to catch a glimpse of them. "Normally, I know everyone and everything in Rome - one of the advantages of being a cab driver - but they look new. I'm not sure who they are, but I could find out if you want."

"No, no. That's fine. I was just wondering." The car continued to move across the cobbled streets with Madison staring back at the men. When they couldn't be seen any further, she managed to turn around and focus on the drive.
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What happened to my commenters? Aww, well I'mma try to get the chapters out quicker now like this one. So enjoy!