I'm still mad about Valentine's Day. And it's March. The 29th of March.
So, at one pm on Valentine's Day Davide called me to tell me he couldn't make our date, and he needed to study. While I tried to be understanding, my heart was sinking, and I was running through the dialog in my head of: why am I doing this?
OUCH #1.
So, while I was on the phone with him, the doorbell rings. Carmelo went to answer it, and I was still talking to Davide, when his phone cut out. I was trying to say: Pronto??? PRONTO???? (basically, hey are you there?). And Davide walks into my kitchen and starts to laugh because he had tricked me. While I was happy that he hadn't canceled our date, I started the day with terribly hurt feelings....and I should have known then that it would be indicative of the way it would end.
So, we ate some lunch, I got dressed (I wasn't expecting to go out until 4pm), and we headed off to Mondello...a beautiful beach town not too far from Palermo. It's a lot like a southern california town--except there are 500-year-old villas. :) We walked along the waterfront, kissed on the beach, took pictures, and then ate a fantastic gelato. So far, so good. See pictures.
We then headed to Montepelligrino, which is a huge mountain with a castle that looks over all of Palermo. I hadn't gone there yet, but I wanted to. We drove up an impossibly steep road that twisted and turned and ended up at the Church of the Patron Saintess of Palermo, who supposedly saved the people and city from the black plague a 800 years ago. What is so cool about this church is that it is built into the mountain, so essentially you are in a cave (the one where the famously reclusive Saint supposedly lived and died). And there is the sarcophagus thingy for this wonderful Virgin Saint. Meanwhile, the Goddess in me was feeling defiant as I basically always do when I am in a church. Utter contempt. But, I couldn't ignore how cool the setting was. Way creepier and more interesting than a normal church.
Davide also has a fair amount of contempt for Catholicism, so this works well for both of us. Ok, so happy beach, and creepy church. We'd laughed and talked and kissed and generally had a good time. And so then he pulls out the big guns...the VIEW from the top of the mountain. Mamma mia.
He took me to what would be the Sicilian Lookout Point. My favorite graffiti ever was there, and the view over the Bay and the city was amazing. He did his favorite Leondardo DiCaprio impression and the Top of the World thing over the railing that keeps idiots from falling down the sheer cliffs to their deaths. We modeled on the patron saint requium, and felt very romantic. Well, at least I did. More cute pictures.
Graffiti says: "It's incredible that in a world full of people it can seem so empty when you miss somebody." Ahhh, the Italians. Who else would graffiti poetry???
It was dark and cold at this point so we went back to Palermo to go get a pizza. But, on the way down the hill he says: oh, by the way, after dinner I am going out with Guido and these two girls from the Hospitality Club. (And you're not invited).
OUCH #2.
This was the one and only time that I ever asked if I could go along. And as soon as the words came out of my mouth I regretted it. But, honestly, I was pissed. Basically, he would rather hang out with perfect strangers than his "best friend" on Valentine's Day evening. Cool. Whatever.
So, as I digested that and decided not to care (because I'm stubborn), I chatted with my Mom, who I missed terribly at that moment.
After some searching and walking we ended up at the same restaurant where he had originally asked me if I thought something had changed between the two of us and I said there certainly was something. We cuddled in a back corner, and were all cute. We shared french-fries, and waited for pizza. As we were finishing our pizza he says: can I ask you something? Of course, my dear....what?
And he says: Do you consider me to be your boyfriend?
And I say: well, almost. I mean, you basically are. [Meanwhile thinking, YAY!!! He's going to ask me to be his girlfriend!!!! About damn time].
And he says: well, I don't consider you to be my girlfriend, and I just want you to know that I want you to be happy and have your freedom, and if you want to say, see or sleep with somebody else, it's ok.
Ummmmm, EXCUSE ME????? So, basically, you're saying I can be a slut and sleep with other people and you don't care enough about me to be bothered by this. And, moreover, essentially what you're saying is that YOU want to be able to sleep with other people and have me be ok with that. Hahaha, yeah right. Bastard.
OUCH #3 (but multiply times 1000 on hurt factor).
I lost my appetite and my ability to speak I was so upset and so so so hurt. For the month before we had been having such a sweet, romantic time, and everything was beautiful, and I was falling in love, and this was just such a slap in the face. And something that an American man would pull...I didn't see it coming from an Italian.
So, at this point I am having a Valentine's Day Dinner with somebody I am supposed to be in love with, but who wants to go out with other people after dinner, and is ok with me sleeping with others.
He knew I was upset, and I didn't want to talk about it. So, he took me home and by the time he had talked to me and determined basically that I was profoundly unhappy with him at that moment the two girls had gone to bed and his friend had lost the motivation to go out. But, I went to bed sad.
And, for the next three weeks things went from bad to worse. His exam was really messing with him, he was grumpy. And then he had this dumb girl from Estonia here for a few days, and I was so pissed I left Palermo for three days and wouldn't talk to him. I was really close to not going to Venice and telling him basically to buzz off. But after the Estonian girl left, we had a long talk and I pretty much told him he had been a complete jerk and I was really disappointed in his behavior.
And then we were ok. We started being cute again and I felt happy again. Things got better and better and then we went to Venice. And it was lovely...............
UPDATE: as of March 30... Davide has now asked me to be his girlfriend. And he didn't know I was so upset about this. And, he's basically totally wonderful and I completely forgive him and don't care about this day anymore. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment