Our Story

It was a cool but sunny day so Alessa decided to take the children out for a walk. They wandered down to the marina to look at the boats. Oreste was definitely his father's child. He loved boats and fishing and anything to do with boats or fishing. He was anxious to help his dad once he was old enough. Guiseppe was quiet and thoughtful, more like Alessa's dad and little Leo was just like her, outgoing, gregarious and stubborn. By mid morning the sky started to darken and the clouds looming off shore looked ominous. Alessa collected the children and headed back to the cottage to put them down for a nap. It was almost a miracle to get 4 kids to sleep at the same time, but somehow she managed to do it. She was looking forward to a little quite time to herself but as soon as she sat down the skies opened up unleashing a fierce thunderstorm on the tiny village. It figures, thought Alessa, I just get them down and now the thunder is going to throw them into hysterics. She spent the rest of the afternoon trying unsuccessfully to calm four frightened children. She was so busy with the little ones she didn't have time to worry about Marco out on the ocean in such a storm. Until his friend Claudio knocked on the door.

Alessa didn't remember what Claudio said when she answered and saw him standing there soaked and devastated with grief written clearly on his face. She didn't remember the rest of that day or that week or that month. Those dark clouds that had taken Marco from her now hovered over her head obscuring her vision and casting her into a darkness she could not find her way out of. She moved through life in a haze. Nothing made sense without Marco. Her family and friends took care of her at first, then they worried about her. She couldn't seem to pull herself together. They pleaded, then chided, then threatened her. What about the children? They needed their mother. She had to pull herself together for their sake. But there was nothing she could do. With Marco gone, she didn't want to live. Every day she willed her lungs to stop breathing air, she willed her body to stop thinking, or feeling, or being. How was it possible, she wondered, that she was still alive with a hole this big gaping in her chest? One night she awoke with her blood thumping furiously through her veins. She was surprised that her heart actually had the gall to continue beating after all that she had lost. Tears were streaming down her face and she was gasping for air. She had been dreaming that Marco was there next to her. It was so real she still could feel him warm in the bed and she swore she had heard him whispering in her ear.

"Principessa, don't cry." Whispered Marco.

Alessa practically jumped out of her skin. She had heard him clearly this time. She was sure of it. Marco was talking to her. Either she was still dreaming or she was going crazy. At this point, thought Alessa, that was a definite possibility. She clutched the blankets to her chin and scanned the room. There out of the corner of her eye she saw him standing near the window like it was no big deal.

"Marco!" she cried. "What..where?" and she burst into tears.

"No, no, no Principessa, no more crying. You listen to me now. I know it's hard. I do. But you have to stop this. You have to pull yourself together and take care of my children. If you love me, you will be a mother to them. There is a piece of me in each of those little ones. You haven't lost me. I'm with you every day."

"No you're not!" She screamed at him. "You're not with me. You left me! You left me alone! How could you? How could you leave me like this?" she sobbed.

"I know, darling, I know I did, but I didn't have a choice. You know I didn't." he insisted.

"It's not fair! This can't be happening. It can't. I love you so much. I loved our life! How can this be happening? What kind of God would let this happen? I love you more than life itself. I can't live without you- I won't! I feel like I'm dead inside. Nothing makes sense without you! Please, please come back! Come back to me!" Alessa gasped.

She was in hysterics now, crying and screaming at the top of her lungs. It was a good thing her mother had taken the children that night or she would have scared them the way she was carrying on.

"Principessa" whispered Marco "Shhh, sweetheart, I will come back. I promise. Our love will endure. I will find you again. I will come back."

Suddenly, Alessa stopped crying. It was as if someone had turned off a faucet. There were no more tears for her to cry. A feeling of calm washed over her as Marco glided towards her. She stared at him, her eyes huge and glistening.

"I love you." She told him.

"Our love will endure." Said Marco. "Believe me my darling, my principessa. Nothing can keep us apart forever. I will find you again. I will find my way back to you." He kissed her forehead and then he was gone.

"Grace? Gracie? Hello?"

Grace was jolted out of her daze by the warm hand on her thigh. It took her a moment to get her bearings and remember where she was. She looked around. That's right- she was on a date. A first date with her co-worker, Max. He had been asking her out for over a year, ever since she started working at the law firm. She refused him at first, she had just gotten out of a bad relationship and she thought that Max was a little too old for her. But he persisted and eventually she couldn't remember why she kept saying no. He was incredibly handsome and sweet, and funny so finally she had agreed to go out for a drink with him. And here she was on her first date in over a year and she was blowing it, zonking out like some kind of space cadet. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts and then looked at her date. He was watching her intently with his steel blue eyes.

"You ok? Where did you go there?" he asked.

"I...I'm..." she stammered, staring at him. His eyes were mesmerizing. "I must have spaced out there for a minute. I'm sorry." She took a sip of her sangria.

"That's ok." Max replied. "I'm glad you found your way back to me." He grinned.

Grace choked on her drink and stared at him.

She took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"Right, I'm back now." She smiled at him tentatively. "So, anyway, what were we talking about before I so rudely spaced out on you?"

Max leaned in towards her so that his face was only inches from hers. He twined his fingers with hers and looked meaningfully into her eyes.

"I was just telling you that all I really want in life is to move to Italy, become a fisherman, and raise lots of little Italian speaking babies."

Grace nearly fell off her chair. She felt the earth shift underneath her as she stared at Max, a recognition tickling the back of her consciousness. He reached up to caress her cheek and the moment his lips touched hers, her world changed forever.