Carpe Diem

Alex scoffed. "Something tells me she deserves that."

"You have no idea."

"Well, aren't you two just the life of the party?" Geddy said.

The pasta course arrived, and the three diners attacked their plates with vigor. "Neil came to Italy for the history, and Geddy for the art," Alex noted. "I came for the food and wine."

They concentrated on their meals until their plates were clean. Neil looked at Geddy with an uncomfortable smile and seemed to hesitate for a moment. "You look like you want to ask me something," she said with a wry grin.

"Okay, I have to ask," Neil began. "Is Geddy a nickname or..."

She chuckled and nodded. "My given name is Beatrice. Yeah, I know. It's a family name, okay? When I was a little girl, everyone called me Betty. When I hit puberty, I was so tall and lanky, my father began calling me Betty Spaghetti."

"Oh, that's awful!" Neil said with a chuckle.

"No, it was said with great affection, trust me. I actually liked it. Eventually, 'Betty Spaghetti' was shortened to just plain 'Geddy.' When I entered high school, I began to introduce myself as Betty again. Then Dad was killed by a drunk driver."

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Thank you. Anyway, I asked to be called Geddy from then on, as a way to remember my dad."

"That's quite a story. I imagine you've had to tell that one a few times."

She rolled her eyes. "You have no idea." She smiled and then turned to her husband. Her smile faded when she recognized his distressed expression. "You okay, honey?"

Alex winced in pain as he stood from the table. "I'll be okay," he said. "I'm just having a little stomach issue. I need to head back to the room."

Geddy bolted up from her chair with a look of panic. Alex turned to her and locked eyes. "I'm okay," he stated, slowly and deliberately. "I just need a few minutes, okay? This isn't a relapse, I promise. Trust me, okay?"

"Okay," she said, softly. Her pale blue eyes glistened. She grabbed her purse and pulled out a wad of bills.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked. "No, you stay here and finish your meal. I'm going to be a while."

"Are you crazy?" she said. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not," he said. He held her by the shoulders and spoke softly to her. "Stay. Please. The main course hasn't arrived, and we just opened a brand-new bottle. There is nothing you can do for me up in that room. Stay, enjoy the food, the wine, the atmosphere, and the company. We'll share plenty of meals before this trip is ended. Don't let me spoil this for you. Okay? Promise me."

She stared at him for an extended moment and brushed her fingers along the bottom of each of her eyes before nodding in agreement. She watched as he gingerly ambled toward the direction of their hotel and disappeared around a corner.

"You okay?" Neil stood as she returned to her seat.

She nodded. "It's so hard. He puts on this brave act, and I don't know if he's really hurting or not."

"I can't imagine what you've gone through."

She took a deep breath, exhaled sharply, and smiled. "Let's change the subject. Do you have any kids?"

"Two girls," Neil said with a proud smile. "Ages twelve and nine." He produced his cellphone, flicked his finger over the screen several times, and held it out to her. It was a photo of his two daughters, both of whom were pretty, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and with beautiful smiles.

"Aww, they're adorable," she said. "I always wanted a daughter. Alex wanted a big family. I had a miscarriage with our first child and found out that I'm not able to conceive. So, we travel instead!"

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. We planned to adopt, but then we got sidetracked by my business. Then, just as we got that settled and established, and were ready to start looking again, Alex got sick. I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

The main course arrived at that moment, and the two strangers dined in awkward silence for a moment. When Neil noticed her glass was nearly empty, he reached across the table and poured another half-glass. She smiled and thanked him.

"It feels strange having dinner with a woman again," he noted.

"Have you dated since...?"

"No. I tried one of those dating sites. Met a woman online who seemed compatible, but our schedules never meshed and we haven't been able to meet in-person. Now she seems to have disappeared. Other than that, I don't even know where else to look. I was never really into the whole bar scene."

"I don't blame you," she said.

He nodded. "I look back, and I can't believe how stupid I was. I thought I was living this happy, idyllic, life but all of this stuff was happening behind my back. I was completely oblivious. She reconnected with an old high school boyfriend through Facebook. Then she began volunteering at the local animal shelter. I thought nothing of it. She always loved animals. But guess who also volunteered at the shelter?"

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. I guess one thing led to another, as they say. They had been having an affair for over six months, and I was completely oblivious to it. Until one day, I logged into her ID. We shared a laptop, and each had our own profiles, you know? I had to log into hers for some reason, and Facebook was opened on her screen. I see this message from some guy, saying he can't wait to see her again. I thought it was strange, so I opened the messenger to read any older messages. She had deleted all but their most recent conversation, but what she didn't delete was enough. Let me just say, the things she wrote to him would make a Vegas hooker blush."

Geddy brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry!"

Neil seemed to catch himself in that moment and groaned. "Ugh! No, I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

"Because it's cathartic," she said. "That's why. It's good for you to get it out there instead of bottling it up inside. Trust me."

He agreed, but decided his story would end at that point. When they finished their meals and the bottle of wine, Geddy rose and placed several bills on the table.

"I'm sorry to eat and run, but I'm worried about Alex."

"No, of course. Go see to him."

"I hope that's enough to cover it," she said, motioning toward the pile of euros.

"If it's not, I know where to find you and shake you down," he said with a wink.

***

Alex was the first to rise the following morning. He was relieved to discover that he felt just fine. No more pain in his abdomen, and no more pressing urge to run to the bathroom. It would be a good day. He inched off of the mattress so as not to disturb his slumbering wife and stretched at the side of the bed. He brushed his teeth at the adjoining bathroom sink and took great care to do it as quietly as possible. Just as he had finished, however, the siren outside began blaring again.

Geddy sat bolt upright in bed. "It's okay," Alex assured her. "The building isn't on fire. It's just the flooding signal."

"Again?" she said.

Alex shrugged and moved to the window. He began chuckling with amusement, and his wife flashed him a curious look. "Get dressed," he said.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Okay, but I need to shower first."

"No," he said. "You'll want to shower after."

Moments later, the couple sat at a table in a small café across the street from the window of their hotel, sipping coffee and watching the people pass by. They sat with their pants rolled up to their knees while sea water lapped at their bare ankles. The café was filled with staff and patrons who behaved as though it were just another ordinary morning.

Alex grinned and pointed to a couple of tourists wading through the water with their pants also rolled up, balancing their luggage on their heads. "Poor bastards," he chuckled.

"What on earth made you think to come here?" she asked.

He shrugged and grinned. "I looked out the window and saw all of these locals having coffee in shin-deep water, and thought, why not do as the locals do?"

She shook her head and took another sip of coffee. His personality had changed so dramatically, she hardly recognized him anymore. That same situation would have caused him so much stress only eighteen months earlier. He was so painfully organized back then, everything had to go as he planned or it would cause him a great deal of stress. He would meticulously plan every minute of their vacations and do copious research to ensure that his plan would be implemented perfectly.

In contrast, he hadn't done any planning for their Italy trip. All he did was book the tour. She took care of arranging transportation and parking, did most of the packing, and coordinated their agenda. Prior to his cancer diagnosis, she had been the free spirit who kept him in check, ensuring that he didn't take life too seriously. Now, it seemed it was the other way around.

It had been his idea to take the vacation. She argued, along with his oncologist, to remain on his chemotherapy treatments. It was a miracle that his cancer had gone into remission. They had employed a combination of treatments that was mostly experimental, and it worked. Doctor Travis recommended that Alex remain on his treatment schedule, but with a lower dosage to reduce the side effects. Alex wanted no part of it.

"Life isn't worth living if I have to live it like this," he often said throughout his treatment. At one point, he told her he just wanted to die. "Feeling like shit isn't the worst part of this," he told her. "The pain I can handle. Seeing how it affects you is tearing me apart. I can't put you through this anymore."

She swallowed hard. "I made you a promise," she reminded him. "In front of all our friends and family, I promised I would love you through sickness and in health."

"Yeah," he said, choking on his laughter, "I think you paid your dues, and then some."

"You can get through this," she assured him. "We're going to get through this together. We always have, right?"

In the end, after the test results were in, and it was confirmed that the cancer had been mostly eradicated and the tumors reduced to a safe size, Alex was adamant about stopping his treatments and living whatever life he had remaining to the fullest. "Italy," he said to her. "I want to see Italy. Let's make it happen. Please."

***

They didn't see Neil again until they arrived at the train station. After a warm greeting, they found their seats on the train and settled in for the two-hour ride to Florence. Alex spent the entire ride gazing at the scenery through the window, while Neil and Geddy alternated between idle chat and reading.

"You know," Neil suddenly said, "I never asked what you do for a living, Alex."

"I'm a mechanical engineer for a medical device manufacturer," he responded. "Well, I was one. I don't think I am anymore. I had to leave my job for the treatments. I plan to return as a consultant at some point, if I can keep the fucking Grim Reaper away."

"An engineer?" Neil responded. "Wow. How on earth did an engineer end up with an artist?"

"Opposites attract, I guess," Geddy responded with a laugh. "We met in college."

"March 18th, 1991," Alex noted. "A date I'll never forget. We had none of the same classes together except one elective course."

"Film appreciation," Geddy interjected.

"She was absolutely gorgeous. Still is, of course. But way out of my league - or so I thought. I used to sit there in the theater and just watch her. I didn't have the balls to talk to her. Then, one day we arrived early. We were the only ones there, so we just started talking. We clicked immediately. I had never met anyone like her before."

"Same here," Geddy added.

"I had always dated girls that were...I don't know...'Plain Janes.' All through high school and college. I just didn't think anyone as pretty as Geddy would ever want me."

"Huge self-confidence issues," Geddy interjected. "But I saw something there. I saw a rough gemstone and knew I could take him off that dusty shelf and shine him up!"

"Oh, please," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "By the time I met her, I was feeling a lot more confidence. I discovered weight-lifting my freshman year, and by the time we met, I was ripped! I weighed about sixty pounds more than I do now. All pure muscle. I was bench-pressing 300 pounds back then."

"Wow," Neil said. "You're kidding."

Alex laughed. "Yeah, I know. Just look at me now, all skin and bones. Chemo is the most effective diet in the world, my friend. Well, second to death, I guess. But I wouldn't recommend it."

When they arrived in Florence, Neil told them he would see them later, as he was catching another train to take a day trip to Pisa. Alex looked to his wife and said, "Let's go."

"But what about our bags?" she asked.

"We can store them here, right, Neil?"

Neil nodded, and explained that he was on his way to do just that. As Alex and Geddy followed his lead, Geddy shook her head in disbelief. Taking an unscheduled side trip during a vacation would have been considered heresy by the old husband she had known. Now, she merely followed his lead wherever his spontaneous requests happened to take them.

Although it was only a short walk from the Pisa train station to the famous Leaning Tower, Alex was clearly exhausted by the time they arrived. They stood in the shadow of the tower for a while to allow Alex plenty of time to recover. They took several photos, including the requisite pose employing perspective to make it appear as though they were either toppling the tower or preventing it from toppling.

"I need to see the view from the top," Neil announced. "Wanna come with?"

Before Geddy could respond, Alex said, "You two go. That climb would kill me."

"No," Geddy protested, "I'll stay here with you. Neil, you go ahead."

One stern look from Alex was all it took for Geddy to join Neil on his stroll to the ticket counter. She had learned that it was a waste of time to argue with him. As Geddy and Neil disappeared inside the base of the tower, Alex found a bench and relaxed. He had to chuckle at all the tourists posing in the same corny manner.

At the top of the tower, Geddy snapped several photos to show to Alex. She snapped a few selfies before Neil offered to take a photo of her. As she posed, another tourist offered to take a photo of the two of them, assuming that they were together. They shrugged and placed their arms around each other to pose for the photo.

When the tourist returned Geddy's cellphone, Neil turned to her and said, "You may want to delete that one."

"Why is that?" she asked.

"I mean, it was funny that she assumed we were together, but I don't want to upset Alex. If he sees it..."

"He'll be fine," she assured him. "He wasn't always fine. He used to be insanely jealous and protective of me. I couldn't even talk to another man without him getting involved. Once, he nearly punched a patron of mine at the art gallery."

"You're kidding! He seems so laid-back!"

"Oh, he is now, but he wasn't back then!" Her memory returned to the incident. It was the grand opening of her art gallery, several years earlier. Alex had told her he wouldn't be able to attend, but in reality, he merely wanted to surprise her. He had just walked through the door, carrying a large bouquet of flowers, when he saw a patron kiss her on the lips. It was only a brief peck, but it was enough to enrage him.

He tossed the bouquet to the floor and marched over to the two of them. Geddy noticed his presence, and his irate expression, just in time to step between him and the patron. It took every ounce of her strength to push him into the office at the back of the gallery.

"What the hell are you doing?" she said in a loud whisper. "That guy may be the most important customer I have!"

"Fuck him!" Alex said a little too loudly. "I saw him kiss you!"

"You're being ridiculous!" she said.

"Am I?"

"Alex, that man is gay!"

The expression on his face changed instantly, and he looked remorseful. "I...I didn't know."

"No, you just go off all half-cocked whenever any guy looks at me the wrong way. You need to get a grip. No man in this world is a threat to you, okay? And frankly, it's incredibly disturbing and disrespectful that you think so little of me that I would just kiss some strange man behind your back. Insecurity is not your most attractive trait!"

He bowed his head and apologized. From that point forward, he seemed to take her words to heart. Perhaps he simply needed to hear her assurance that he would never have competition for her heart.

***

They arrived back in Florence and shared a taxi to the hotel. After check-in, they parted ways for the evening. Alex and Geddy rested in their room before venturing out to see the city. They strolled hand-in-hand down the pedestrian street toward the Piazza del Vecchio. Along the way, they passed several gelaterias before they gave in to temptation. Alex couldn't decide which of their flavors he preferred: his strawberry or her coffee.

They passed the famous Duomo with its wedding-cake-like exterior and impressive burnt-amber dome. Across the street was the Baptistry, which featured a replica of Ghiberti's famous bronze door depicting the life of Christ. "Many people believe this door represents the official beginning of the Renaissance," Geddy noted as they stood and admired the impressive work of art.

When they reached the plaza, they gazed in awe at the distinctive Palazzo Vecchio, with its clock tower jutting toward the heavens from the ramparts. They approached the palace further and strolled past statues of Neptune, Hercules, and Perseus. Alex came to a standstill when he spotted the statue of David.

"I don't know much about art," he remarked, "but I recognize this one."

"Michelangelo's David," Geddy noted. "This is only a replica, though. Tomorrow we'll see the real deal."

Over dinner, they shared a bottle of wine, an antipasti dish of cured meats, cheese, and olives, and homemade pasta with a zucchini and olive sauce. After a long day, they called it an early night. Geddy had just settled into bed when Alex entered the room wielding her favorite vibrator. He flashed her a naughty grin before disappearing beneath the covers.

He parted her legs and kissed her sweetly on the inside of her thighs for a tantalizing while before pressing the "on" button of her toy. He lightly touched the vibrating head of the toy to her clit, through the light fabric of her panties, causing her to writhe on the mattress. He removed the vibrator and let it hover just above her for a moment before allowing it to lightly touch again.

He slid the wand along the length of her vulva from top to bottom and back again. When he was satisfied that he had teased her long enough, he gently removed her panties and applied the vibrator to her bare clit. She stifled a scream and tightly clutched his arm. He stretched her hood and held the toy directly on her clit, causing her to thrust forward, begging him to apply more pressure. When he finally did, she groaned loudly. He watched as her body quaked with a powerful orgasm. He removed the toy only after she begged him to stop.

He put the toy away and crawled into bed. "So, was that good for you?" he teased.

"Mmm-hmm," she purred. "You always know just which buttons to push."

"Well, the toy does all the work."

"Yeah, but you know how to use it, and that's what's important."

They were silent for a long while as he allowed her to bask in the afterglow. With his arm around her and her head resting on his chest, there was no place he would rather be.

"I know you miss it," he said, breaking the silence.

"Miss what?"

"You know," he said. He reached down and placed her hand on his flaccid cock. She gently squeezed it.

"Of course I do," she said, "but it's okay. You still rock my world. That's all I need."