Capello Brothers 3 Train My Heart (6 page)

Imogen stared
at the menu for what felt like forever, the words jumping and
blurring on the page. It all felt nonsensical, too hard, too
overwhelming.

"Im, god help
me, tell me you're not looking for the salad menu" Dominic joked,
trying to lighten the mood at the table.

"No. I just…
don't know. I feel like I should've told Luca not to go or insisted
on going with him" she whispered.

"Ok, first
things first; pizza or pasta? Meat or seafood?" Dom asked, clearly
hungry and keen to get some food organized.

"Just something
light, Dom, I don't know what to choose"

"Violetta"
Dominic called kindly to the older lady, "Roman and I will have our
usual, Imogen will have the spaghetti alla Genovese please"

"Yes, yes. I
get Angelo to start now" she called back.

Within minutes,
Violetta walked to the table balancing a massive tray of toasted
breads, olives, cured meats, cheeses and all matter of sundried and
charred delicacies, along with two bottles of wine. "You get
started on this, your lunch will be here soon" she smiled, rustling
Roman's hair lovingly before walking away.

Imogen stared
at the platter, how on earth could three people possibly eat all
this food, she wondered.

Roman picked up
a plate, nudging her and asked "anything you don't eat Im?". She
shook her head and smiled as Roman began plating her up a
feast.

Looking over at
Dom who was waiting impatiently for Roman to serve her food before
serving himself any, Imogen realised the Capello boys not only had
impeccable manners, they were kind, generous and caring to a fault.
How had they survived such a horrendous childhood and still become
such wonderful men?

"Can I ask you
both a question, a personal question?" she asked meekly.

"Sure", Roman
smiled weakly; locking eyes with Dominic who even with his mouth
full looked concerned.

"What was your
father like? Luca only recalls snippets of information, he's told
me bits and pieces but he's sketchy on the details".

"Im, he's
sketchy on the details because he was sheltered from a lot of it.
He saw, and unfortunately copped, a bit of it but mostly he wasn't
aware of how bad it was" Roman replied quietly.

"How? How,
could he have been there and not known about it all—?" she asked,
confused.

"We had a
system" Dom interrupted, "Luca got hidden, he was younger, smaller
than us, and he wasn't physically able to take… as much as us".

"Hidden?" she
whispered, her body filling with emotion—just how bad were things
for them growing up, she wondered.

"Hidden. Under
the bed worked for a little while until our father figured it out,
then we'd hide him in cupboards, the garden, under the house. You
know, hidden". Dom answered, emotionless.

"But you guys,
your Ma—what about you" she asked, looking between them both and
seeing the pain of the memories the conversation had provoked
flooding their faces.

"We're all
fully aware of what happened and what a miserable old bastard our
father is. With all the trips we've made home to Italy, none of us
have ever made the effort to visit him, that's why we were
surprised that Luca wanted to" said Dom.

"Will he… be
safe?" Imogen whispered, the words almost not making it out of her
mouth.

"He's strong
Im; physically he'll be fine" Roman answered.

"And,
mentally?" she asked, but the question was left unanswered, hanging
uncomfortably between them all.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

The heat was
unrelenting as Luca stepped out of Linate airport; a sheen of sweat
gradually covering his entire body, a more suffocating, drier and
harsher heat than any Australian summer. Looking upward, Luca
spotted the reprise, storm clouds building in the distance;
hopefully there'd bring enough rainfall to offer a cool change
otherwise a short burst of rain would only serve to worsen the
already stifling heat.

Throwing his
backpack into the back of the taxi, Luca settled in as the sights
of Milan sped by. Closing his eyes, he pictured Imogen standing
alone at the airport, her stoic expression marred only by the
sadness he saw in her eyes. Walking away from her had hurt; his
stomach dropped again as he remembered her final words to him
before they'd parted, "I know the wonderful man you are Luca; don't
forget that" she'd whispered.

Shaking himself
back to the moment, Luca looked up and took in the pace of the
city. The drive into Milan itself wasn't the most pleasant trip;
narrow roads, fast-paced early morning traffic, run-down buildings
and heavily graffitied buildings were an assault on Luca's senses
as the jetlag began to take a firmer grip on his body. Closing his
eyes, he began mentally preparing himself for the coming week;
seeing his father for the first time as an adult was filling Luca
with anxiety and nerves. What if nothing had changed, maybe his
father was still the mean, conniving man they all remembered him
as.

"Siamo
arrivati" announced the driver, stopping the taxi and rousing Luca
from his restless thoughts.
We are here.

After paying
the driver, Luca walked into the hotel reception and was met with a
rich sultry voice, "Benvenuto, parli Italiano?"
Welcome, do you
speak Italian?

"Si" Luca
replied, turning to face the curvaceous stranger. "Parli Inglese?"
Yes, do you speak English?

"Aah, yes,
English, a little" she replied, holding her thumb and index finger
about an inch apart to reiterate her words.

"I have a
booking, Luca Capello" he replied slowly, allowing each word to
settle.

"Aah, Mr
Capello. I show you to your room. Luggage, si?" she queried.

"No, just this
one", Luca replied pointing to his backpack and falling into step
behind her.

"From
Australia, yes?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Yes. I was
born here, up north, and moved to Australia when I was young"

"Aah,
Australia… bella terra" she sighed wistfully.
Beautiful
land.

"Yes, it is"
Luca replied, bringing his thoughts back to Imogen and how hard it
had been to leave her at the airport.

"Mr Capello,
this is your room; you see out here" she started, pulling the
curtains back sharply, "this is Naviglio, canals, many restaurants
and cafes. Down this way" she continued, pointing in the opposite
direction, "this way to Milano Duomo and shopping, much shopping.
Avete una fidanzata?"
Do you have a girlfriend?

Laughing and
surprised by her upfront question, Luca replied, "Si, fidanzata.
Lei é in Australia".
Yes, girlfriend. She is in
Australia.

"Aah… I can
only ask, si? Ragazza fortuna…"
Lucky girl
she smiled,
sashaying from the room and leaving Luca alone with thoughts of
Imogen, and what she'd be doing right now. Pulling out his phone,
he text her: I'm here, Im. Tired, need sleep. I miss you. I love
you.

"Mr Capello, I
bring you some food" came the familiar voice.

Rising to open
the door, Luca stepped aside as she walked in with a platter of
bread, cheese, and fruit. "Grazie—" he said trailing off.

"Annalisa. Mi
chiamo é Annalisa"
My name is Annalisa.

"Grazie
Annalisa; you are very kind" he replied, noticing the crimson blush
hitting her cheeks.

"Mangiare,
riposare"
Eat, rest,
Annalisa replied before leaving and
closing the door.

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

Luca woke the
following morning to the buzz of the city; construction work
hammering in the background, cars, buses and trams making their
morning commutes, and the hypnotic smells of coffee and freshly
baked bread and pastries.

Feeling
invigorated from his almost eighteen hour sleep, Luca bounced from
the bed, peeling his clothes off as he headed to the shower.
Standing beneath the scorching hot water dropping hard against his
shoulders, he was reminded of Imogen's morning massages; a potent
reminder that he'd left her 16,000 kilometres away. He should have
brought her, he knew that now, but he was afraid of how his father
would be toward him and certainly didn't want Imogen exposed to him
either. Closing his eyes, his mind raced; tomorrow he'd be heading
north to see his father, he didn't know how he felt about that:
nervous, excited, and apprehensive barely covered it. He'd
role-played every possible outcome in his head over and over and
for all the thinking, he was still no closer to an answer.

Stepping out of
the shower and drying off, Luca walked into the bedroom to find
some light clothes for the day; no doubt it'd be hot again.

"Aah!" came the
scream, as Luca reached modestly to cover himself.

"Annalisa!
Perché sei qui?" he demanded.
Why are you here?!

"Mr Capello. I
bring you breakfast" she stammered, struggling to draw her eyes
away from his nakedness and up to meet his.

"You don't
knock? Please, set it down over there Annalisa" he replied
sternly.

"You have no
fidanzata here. I keep you company?" she asked.

"No. Annalisa,
no. Please, leave" Luca replied, standing naked bar his well-placed
hand preserving his modesty.

"Mi dispiace"
she murmured, before lowering her head and leaving the room.
I'm
sorry.

Once the door
was shut, Luca walked over and locked it, securing it with the
chain lock to prevent any more unexpected visitors. Sitting on the
bed, he had to laugh out loud to himself, perhaps at himself. He'd
always had women throwing themselves at him; in fact all three of
the brothers did. Before meeting Imogen, he had have had Annalisa
naked and writhing on his bed within minutes, after all, why look a
gift horse in the mouth, particularly a young, beautiful one. Now,
with Imogen, he couldn't bear the thought of being with anyone
else. The shift had happened so gradually he hadn't noticed it; but
now sitting here alone, naked, and having just declined an
otherwise perfect proposition by a gorgeous woman, Luca realized
it'd only ever be Imogen again. The thought made him smile and in
that moment he knew where he was heading for the day and what he
needed to do.

"Sir, this ring
holds a one carat diamond, of flawness clarity and exceptional
whiteness—this is one of our specialties here at Van Cleef &
Arpels" spoke the articulate saleswoman.

As a child,
Luca had heard of his grandparent's engagement countless times. His
Nonno had scrimped and saved enough money to travel to Paris and
purchase the finest engagement ring he could afford. It had been
quite an adventure for his Nonno who had never strayed outside of
Italy; yet his Nonna was left bereft believing he'd snuck off with
another woman. Of course, when his grandfather had returned with a
diamond engagement set from the finest European jeweler of the
time, and his grandmother became the envy of all the women in the
small Italian village, all was forgiven quite quickly.

"Yes, this is
the one" Luca smiled to the assistant, "grazie".

"Aah, your
lovely lady will not be disappointed, Sir. Is she expecting your
proposal?" she asked, gently polishing the ring before sliding it
safely into the small white box and tying it with signature Van
Cleef & Arpels satin ribbon.

"No, I think
this will certainly surprise her" Luca laughed, the enormity of
what he was doing only just starting to set in.

"Sir, this will
be one very pleasant surprise!" she exclaimed, handing Luca the
boxed ring in a shopping bag that now held his future.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

Settling into
his seat, Luca took one last look at Milan Central Station as the
train pulled out into the daylight. The station itself was exactly
as he remembered; a foreboding, solid white entrance leading
through to a welcoming and immaculately designed arched
station.

Letting out a
lengthy sigh, Luca's mind ran through the chaos that had been his
morning. If he'd believed in destiny, he'd likely accept that the
universe was working to have him avoid this leg of the trip. Every
step he'd taken all day had been the wrong one; sleeping through an
alarm clock for the first time in his life, the disastrous taxi
trip to the station complete with a flat tyre and every red light
imaginable, then to be greeted with a ten-deep queue for tickets
and only minutes to spare before his train left.

His anxiety had
been rising steadily since arriving in Italy; now with the train
heading north to the sleepy village of Sondrio, there was no
backing out. By the end of the day, Luca would meet his father for
the first time since fleeing Italy with his mother and brothers as
a child.

Trying
desperately to dismiss his fears and nerves, Luca focused instead
on the passing scenery. Slowing to a stop as they pulled into Lecco
station, the breathtaking curve of Lake Como appeared. The lakeside
town housed dated almost dilapidated homes which set against the
pristine waters of the lake offered an intriguing contrast. As the
train slowly picked up speed, Luca's thoughts drifted again to his
father; his doubt about meeting the man gaining as much momentum as
the speeding train. It's not too late to bail; Luca thought to
himself not for the first time since announcing his plans to
Imogen.

Reaching for
his pocket, Luca felt for the ring box and found it safely in
place. Since buying the engagement ring his thoughts had been
dominated by when and where he'd propose; the thought of making
Imogen his wife bringing a smile to Luca's weary face every
time.

Looking up,
Luca realized the train was pulling in to stop at Colico station,
the last of the Como stops before turning and heading east toward
Sondrio. Colico itself was breathtaking; the Italian Alps standing
at attention fiercely in the background with the sparkling waters
of the lake sitting calmly before them. From here, the Alps would
guide them imposingly the entire way to Sondrio, a realization that
filled Luca with both strength and fear.