Evening Class (53 page)

When it was over and she said
grazie
all the evening class shouted
prego
and Aidan’s eyes met Signora’s. It was really happening. They were going to Rome.

Signora was seated beside Laddy. Everything was new and exciting to him, from the safety belt to the meal with its little portions of food.

‘Will the Garaldis be at the airport?’ he asked eagerly.

‘No, Lorenzo. The first few days we get to know Roma… we do all the tours we talked about, remember?’

‘Yes, but suppose they want me straight away?’ His big face was worried.

‘They know you’re coming. I’ve written to them, they know we’ll be in touch on Thursday.’

‘
Giovedi
,’ he said.

‘Bene, Lorenzo, giovedi.’

‘Aren’t you going to eat your dessert, Signora?’

‘No, Lorenzo. Please have it.’

‘It’s just that I’d hate to waste it.’

Signora said she would have a little sleep now. She closed her eyes. Please may it go well. May they all find magic there. May the Garaldis remember Lorenzo and be nice to him. She had put her heart into the letter and was distressed that there had been no reply.

The bus was there. ‘
Dov’è l’autobus?‘
Bill asked to show he remembered the phrase.

‘It’s here in front of us,’ Lizzie said.

‘I know, but I wanted to talk about it,’ Bill explained.

‘Don’t the girls all have enormous bosoms and bums,’ Fiona whispered admiringly to Barry as she looked around her.

‘I think it’s rather nice actually,’ Barry said defensively. This was his Italy, he was the expert on the place since his visit for the World Cup, he didn’t want any aspersions cast.

‘No, I think it’s great,’ Fiona explained. ‘It’s just that I’d love Brigid Dunne to see them… the way she’s always bellyaching about herself.’

‘You could tell her father to tell her, I suppose.’ Barry was doubtful of the suitability of this.

‘Of course I couldn’t, she’d know I was talking about her. She says the hotel isn’t going to be any great shakes. She says we’re not to be disappointed.’

‘I won’t be disappointed,’ Barry said, putting his arm around Fiona.

‘Neither will I. I was only in a hotel once before, in Majorca. And it was so noisy that none of us could sleep at all, so we all got up and went back to the beach.’

‘I suppose they had to keep the prices down.’ Barry was terrified that there would be any criticism.

‘I know it’s dead cheap, and Brigid was telling me that some half cracked one came in wanting to know where we were all staying, so the word must be out that we got good value.’

‘Did she want to join the group?’

‘Brigid said she couldn’t join, that we had been booked at this rate for ages. But she just insisted on knowing the name of the hotel.’

‘Well, now.’ Barry was pleased as they stepped out into the sunshine and the head counting began.
Uno, due, tre
. The team leaders were very serious about their roles for Signora.

‘Did you ever stay in a hotel, Fran?’ Kathy asked as the bus sped through the traffic, which seemed to be full of very impatient drivers.

‘Twice, ages ago.’ Fran was vague.

But Kathy probed. ‘You never told me.’

‘It was in Cork, with Ken if you must know.’

‘Oho, when you said you were staying with a schoolfriend?’

‘Yes, I didn’t want them thinking I was going to produce yet another child for them to look after.’ Fran nudged her good-naturedly.

‘You’d be far too old for that sort of thing surely?’

‘Listen here to me, if I get together with Ken again for a bit in America, now that you’ve won me a ticket there… I may well produce a little sister or brother for you to take home with us.’

‘Or maybe even stay there with?’ Kathy said.

‘It’s a return ticket, remember.’

‘They’re not born overnight, remember,’ Kathy said.

The two laughed and pointed out sights to each other as the bus pulled at a building in the Via Giolitti.

Signora was on her feet and an excited conversation took place.

‘She’s telling him that we must be left at the hotel itself, not here at the terminus,’ Suzi explained.

‘How do you know, you’re not even in the evening class?’ Lou was outraged.

‘Oh, if you work as a waitress you get to understand everything sooner or later.’ Suzi dismissed her skill. Then, looking at Lou’s face she added, ‘Anyway, you’re always speaking bits of it at home so I pick up words here and there.’ That seemed entirely more suitable.

And Suzi was indeed right. The bus lurched off again and dropped them at the
Albergo Francobollo
. The Stamp Hotel,‘ Bill translated for them. ’Should be easy to remember. ‘
Vorrei un francobollo per I’lrlanda’
, they all chorused aloud and Signora gave them a broad smile.

She had got them to Rome without any disaster, the hotel had their booking and the class were all in high good spirits. Her anxiety was not necessary. Soon she would relax and enjoy being back in Italy again, its colours and sounds and excitement. She began to breathe more easily.

The
Albergo Francobollo
was not one of the smarter hotels in Rome but its welcome was gigantic. Signor and Signora Buona Sera were full of admiration and praise over how well they all spoke Italian.

‘
Bene, bene benissimo
,’ they cried as they ran up and down the stairs to the rooms.

‘Are we really saying “Good evening Mr Good Evening”?’ Fiona asked Barry.

‘Yes, but look at the names at home like Ramsbottom, and we’ve even a customer in the supermarket called O’Looney.’

‘But we don’t have people called Miss Goodmorning and Mr Goodnight,’ Fiona insisted.

‘We do have a place in Ireland called Effin, and they talk about the Effin football team and the Effin choir will sing at eleven o’clock Mass… what would outsiders make of that?’ Barry asked.

‘I love you, Barry,’ Fiona said suddenly. They had just arrived at their bedroom and Mrs Good Evening heard the remark.

‘Love. Very, very good,’ she said, and ran down the stairs to settle more people in their rooms.

Connie hung her clothes up carefully on her side of the small cupboard. Out the window she could see the roofs and windows of tall houses in the little streets that led off the Piazza Quintacenta. Connie washed at the small handbasin in the room. It had been years since she had stayed in a hotel without its own bathroom. But it had also been years since she had gone on a trip with such an easy heart. She did not feel superior to these people because she had more money. She wasn’t even remotely tempted to hire a car which she could have done easily, or to treat them to a meal in a five star restaurant. She was eager to join in the plans that had been made in such detail by Signora and Aidan Dunne. Like every other member of the evening class Connie sensed that their friendship was deeper than a merely professional one. Nobody had been surprised when Aidan’s wife had not joined the group.

‘
Signor Dunne, telefono
,’ Signora Buona Sera called up the stairs.

Aidan had been advising Laddy not to suggest
immediately
that he should clean the brasses on the door, maybe they should wait until had been there for a few days.

‘Would that be your Italian friends?’ Laddy asked eagerly.

‘No, Lorenzo, I have no Italian friends.’

‘But you were here before.’

‘A quarter of a century ago, no one who would remember me.’

‘I have friends here,’ Laddy said proudly. ‘And Bartolomeo has people he met during the World Cup.’

‘That’s great,’ Aidan said. ‘I’d better go and see who it is that
does
want me.’

‘Dad?’

‘Brigid? Is everything all right?’

‘Sure. You all got there then?’

‘Absolutely, all in one piece. It’s a gorgeous evening, we’re going to walk down to the Piazza Navona and have a drink.’

‘Great, I’m sure it’ll be terrific.’

‘Yes. Brigid, is anything… you know…?’

‘It’s probably stupid, Dad, but a kind of loopy woman came in twice wanting to know what hotel you’re all staying at. It might be nothing but I didn’t like the feel of her, I thought she was off her rocker.’

‘Did she say why?’

‘She said that it was a simple question and could I answer her and give her the name of the hotel or would she have to speak to my boss.’

‘And what did you do?’

‘Well, Dad, I did think she was out of a funny farm so I said No. I said my father was out there and if she wanted a message passed to anyone I’d get in touch.’

‘Well, that’s it then.’

‘No, it’s not. She went to the boss and said it was very urgent she contact a Mr Dunne with the Mountainview party, and he gave the hotel name to her and gave me a ticking off.’

‘She must know me if she knew my name.’

‘No, I saw her reading my name Brigid Dunne from my badge. Look, I suppose I just wanted to say…’

‘Say what, Brigid?’

‘That she’s sort of crazy and you should look out.’

‘Thank you very much, my dear, dear Brigid,’ he said, and realised that it had been a long time since he had called her that.

It was a warm evening as they set out to walk through Rome.

They passed near Santa Maria Maggiore, but not near enough to stop and go in.

‘Tonight is just a social night… we all have a drink in the beautiful square. Tomorrow we look at culture and religion for those who want to, and for those who want to sit and sip coffee they can do that too.’ Signora was anxious to remind them that they were not going to be herded, but she saw in their eyes that they wanted a little looking after still. ‘What do you think we might say when we see the wonderful square with all the fountains and statues in the Piazza Navona?’ she asked, looking around.

And there on the side of the street they all shouted out, ‘
In questa piazza ci sono multi belli edicifi!’

‘
Benissimo
,’ said Signora. ‘
Avanti
, let’s go and find them.’

They sat at peace, forty-two of them, and watched the night fall on Rome.

Signora was beside Aidan. ‘No problems with the phone call?’ she asked.

‘No, no, just Brigid ringing to know if the hotel was all right for us. I told her it was wonderful.’

‘She was very helpful over it all, she really wanted it to be a success for you, for all of us.’

‘And it will.’ They sipped their coffees. Some of the group had a beer, others a
grappa
. Signora had said there were tourist prices here and she advised only one drink for the atmosphere. They had to keep
something
to spend when they got to Firenze and Siena. They smiled almost unbelievingly when she mentioned the names. They were here in Italy to begin the
viaggio
. It wasn’t just talk any more in a classroom on a wet Tuesday and Thursday.

‘Yes, it will be a success, Aidan,’ Signora said.

‘Brigid said something else too. I didn’t want to bother you with it, but some kind of madwoman came in to the agency and wanted to know where we were all staying. Brigid thought she was someone who might cause trouble.’

Signora shrugged. ‘We’ve got this lot here, we’ll cope with whatever else turns up, don’t you think?’

In small groups, the evening class were posing each other by the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

He reached out his hand and took hers. ‘We can cope with anything,’ he said.

‘Your friend arrived, Signor Dunne,’ said Signora Buona Sera.

‘Friend?’

‘The lady from Irlanda. She just wanted to check the hotel and that all of you were staying here.’

‘Did she leave her name?’ Aidan asked.

‘No name, just interested to know if everyone was staying here. I said you were going on a tour tomorrow morning in the bus. That’s right, yes?’

‘That’s right,’ Aidan said.

‘Did she look like a madwoman?’ he asked casually.

‘Mad, Signor Dunne?’

‘
Pazza
?’ Signora explained.

‘No, no, not at all
pazza
.’ Signora Buona Sera seemed offended that a madwoman might be assumed to have called at the Hotel Francobollo.

‘Well then,’ Aidan said.

‘Well then,’ Signora smiled back at him.

The younger people would have smiled if they had known how much it had meant to them to sit there with their hands in each other’s as the stars came out over the Piazza Navona.

The bus tour was to give them the feel of Rome, Signora said, then they could all go back at their leisure to see particular places. Not everyone wanted to spend hours in the Vatican museum.

Signora said that since they served cheese at breakfast people often made themselves a little sandwich to eat later on in the day. And then there would be a big dinner tonight in the restaurant not far from the hotel. Somewhere they could all walk home from. Again, nobody
had
to come she said. But she knew that everyone would.

There was no mention of the woman who had called to look for them. Signora and Aidan Dunne were too busy discussing the bus route with the driver to give it any thought.

Would there be time to get out and throw a coin into the famous Trevi fountain? Was there room for the bus to park near the Bocca della Verita? The party would enjoy putting their hands into the mouth of the great weatherbeaten face of stone which was meant to bite the fingers off liars. Would he leave them at the top of the Spanish Steps to walk down or at the bottom to walk up? They hadn’t time to think of the woman who was looking for them. Whoever she might be.

And when they came back exhausted from the tour everyone had two hours’ rest before they assembled for dinner. Signora walked around to the restaurant, leaving Connie asleep in their bedroom. She wanted to check about the menu and to arrange that there would be no grey areas. Only a fixed menu was to be offered.

On the door she saw a notice draped in black crepe
CHIUSO: morte in famiglia
. Signora fumed with rage. Why couldn’t the family member have died at some other time? Why did he or she have to die just as forty-two Irish people were coming to have supper? Now she had less than an hour to find somewhere else. Signora could feel no sympathy for the family tragedy, only fury. And why had they not telephoned the hotel as she had asked them to do if there was any hitch in arrangements?