Since my parents and I were slightly ahead of schedule for lunch with cousin Pietro and company, we drove up to the piazza in Gerace to have an espresso. The piazza was packed and there weren’t any parking spots. I put the car in reverse and promptly backed into a car that seemingly came out of nowhere… I know; my fault. The young man got out of his car and without even stopping to look, walked away while telling me “non e niente” (it’s nothing). And he was right; it was nothing. On these confined streets I hadn’t gone fast enough to do any damage. The townsfolk were seated on their bench like a bunch of NASCAR fans waiting for the next accident. I had to wonder how many times a day this scene plays out.
After our espresso we met with Pietro, Teresa and Joe. Pietro had chosen a restaurant up in the hills about a half hour drive away; I let Joe lead the way. He was making pretty good progress and I didn’t hear any complaints from my parents. Apparently, if a responsible guy like Joe could drive like this, so could I. But if I were to drive at the same pace alone with my parents, I would have been called a lunatic in a hurry. I’d be back on this road without them to do some damage.
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| Lunch with Teresa, Peter and Joe |
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