The Young and the Beautiful

Chapter 26

That late afternoon, Enrique toured us to the Roman Colosseum. Of course the couple changed clothes for that. While Camila and I were contented with the summer clothes we wore for lunch. We travelled light because we still have more to go. Enrique wore tan pants and white Oxford shirt and brown suede driving shoes. While Rita wore a flowy red roses printed dress.

"Why didn't you change your clothes, Pancho? You still looked like you just arrived here. Blend in with the Romans. As they say, when in Rome do what the Romans do. Change your clothes! Camila still looks pretty. You look like you've worked all day!" Enrique said. The two of them waited in the lobby, I changed my clothes and so did Camila. I put on my gray polo shirt and black pants, and driving shoes. I spritz some lavender perfume that I got in Monte Carlo and went down.

Camila arrived a couple of minutes later. She was wearing a little black dress that she always wore on our date nights. She wore her hair in a ponytail and wore subtle red lipstick, I can smell her perfume that has blended with her body chemistry.

"You look fabulous!" Rita said.

"See, I told you Pancho, now you look like children of millionaires! You will love Rome mi hermano!" Enrique said as he puts his arms around my shoulder while the girls were talking.

"Pancho, I am lending you my car. We'll drive the new one that I will sell in Manila." He said, as he handed me a pair of keys.

"Enjoy! Mi amigo! Enjoy!" He said.

Camila and I rode the red top down Alfa Romeo and followed Enrique's lead. I honked when he was driving too fast and I can't follow him. I haven't driven here. The roads are different. It's a good thing that she brought her beige scarf to wrap her hair that made her looked like a movie star. I can't help not to take a photo of her and slowed down. She grabbed the camera after and took a photo of me as I drove this dashing and handsome car.

An hour later, we arrived in center of Rome. We bought cones of gelato and had a random Italian take a photo of the four of us with the Colosseum as our background. Enrique insisted that the two of us should have a photo together like when we're ten, on his fifteenth birthday with our horses, and on his wedding.

Later, we went on the best place where we can watch the sunset, in a plaza on a hill not far away with a view of St. Peter's Basilica. It smelled of orange blossoms and oranges due to the orange trees surrounding us. Enrique got us some limoncello on the cups and raised our glasses as the day ends.

"We should have pizza in our favorite pizza place here. They have the best one here in Rome! It's not so far away here so we can walk." Rita said as she clung her hand on Camila's arm and led the way. Us boys followed.

I lit a cigarette and offered one to Enrique. He immediately grabbed one.

"Don't let Rita see me smoking. She said that it's bad if we're trying to conceive." He said as he let me step ahead of him. I laughed and let him do it.

"What's with the girls and they always have something to talk about?" He said.

"I don't know. Maybe we don't have much to talk about because we knew each other our whole lives. Unless you're not telling me something." I replied. I am sensing something's wrong and looked at him like he has done something.

"Ayyy Pancho! You always get me!" He replied. I'm right, something's not right. I laughed some more because he literally sounded like my abuelito. Then we paused for a while.

"Okay Pancho, it was only for a month. She was away and I needed to do it." He replied.

I was not surprised that Enrique would cheat on his wife. He always had eyes on girls.

"Well that's not good, I think you know that. Is that the reason why you are here? Out of guilt?" I asked him.

"Ohhh Francisco Fábregas! Madre de Dios! You're just like my conscience!" He replied. We both laughed after what he said. Who says that expression? I can see my pápa saying that when he's frustrated with me.

"Do you think I should tell her?" He asked me. I don't know what to say. Rita looked happy, and she may be pregnant.

"It's up to you, Enrique. But if I were you, I would come clean and start fresh again. But you should stop doing that! You're going to be a father soon. Don't make any problems that may change your life bigtime." I replied. I think that's the best I could say.

Rita and Camila got a table by the street and started to order what they want. Camila asked us what we wanted for dinner.

"Go ahead, you girls pick for us. Just don't make me eat salad for dinner." Enrique replied. I agreed, why do these girls always want to have a diet? Camila said she wanted to because she doesn't want to wear her girdle or corset to look good. I reassured her that she will always look pretty.

"Okay, let's not talk about what we just talked about." He said to me in a low voice. I laughed then he hit my stomach with his elbow to make me stop.

The girls ordered pizza and a cheese platter, which I really enjoyed since I am a big fan of cheese, and some fried chicken slices and French fries. The Italians started to dance around when they heard the band playing. After eating the girls looked like they want to, Enrique and I don't have much of a choice.

The band played some salsa then some cha-cha and we danced for hours, until they started to play slow jazz music. After a night of dancing, we went back to our hotel.

The day after  Enrique led us to the vineyard he was talking about. The four of us were wearing laidback summer clothes because we will be harvesting grapes. The Casa Romanilla Estate was filled with purple grapes and everyone is working to pick it all up. Enrique handed us a small knife, and a basket and showed us how to cut the grapes.

Camila wrapped her hair in a bandana and was very happy when she started picking some. The owners of the vineyard had a big basin made of oak wood where we dumped all of the grapes that we harvested. The fun part started when the ladies invited Rita and Camila to wash their feet for the stomping. I grabbed my camera again and took photos of the girls. Enrique said that he will use his new film video camera to capture this moment, he bought a small version of the camera that they use for movies.

They were later accompanied by traditional Italian music called the Tarantella. The two girls looked like they had the time of their lives together with the local Italian women. The Italian men latter joined, so the locals invited us to join our wives in the grape stomping as insisted of the vineyard owner.  Enrique bought forty bottles of wine while I had ten bottles, we will have it shipped home to Manila.

We enjoyed spending two days with my best friend and his wife, and now we are heading to Camila's surprise destination. She doesn't know we're going to Amalfi Coast.