died before Rose was good at it. Or maybe if she was alive Rose would have not made the effort to learn it. Who knows! What Rose knew for sure was that it is a great game and she needed to help people discover it. Maybe she was include a pack of deck cards and a book about the bridge game to her friends for Christmas, she thought.
Rose recalled with nostalgia her natal city, nestled in Carpathians Mountains: a mismatch of skyscrapers with the old Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic city buildings spread everywhere between. Old and new surviving side by side in the city of Napoca. For inspiration and beauty. For history and practicality. For the benefit of all of us. Rose used to go on expeditions to explore the picturesque side of the city.
On Sundays her grandma would take her to church at St. Michael’s. She rarely missed the service. All her close friends went. It was like a meeting place for them on Sundays. Later that day they would zoom to the nearby mountains and spend some time at June’s place. Rose wondered if it would be the same when she went back. She missed them all.
Maybe it was the time to ‘veg out’, as Corinne would say to her children when they needed to relax.
…. .
Rose went for a walk to clear up her thoughts as she was getting emotional. On her way out she bumped into her friendly neighbor Adele. She was picking up her mail and said hello to Rose, then she called after her as Rose was starting to walk away: 'Rose, what’s the name of your artsy friend that visited you earlier today? ’ Adele wanted to know.
‘Excuse me? ’ Rose said stunned by what she heard. ‘Was she rude to you Adele? ’ Rose asked in disbelieve.
‘Why do you say that? No, she’s a damn good lady, ’ Adele replied looking surprised at Rose.
‘Artsy? ’ Rose prompted her with a raised eyebrow. She got it.
‘Ah, what a faux pas, ’ Adele said smiling with embarrassment. She went on to explain to Rose that she used the word artsy with the meaning of lucky. ‘Because God gave her very good looks and a good temperament, ’ Adele went on explained her point of view.
‘Corinne, ’ Rose informed her.
‘She should have been given a better name, ’ Adele concluded. As Rose left Adele she found herself again wondering about the continuous clashes of different cultures, manifested in language, fashion and lifestyles. It happened everywhere now, here and overseas and Australia was becoming a multicultural society very fast.
‘Hello Rose. How are you today? ’ Stefano said, interrupting Rose’s inner self talk, as Rose walked into his shop.
‘Same old, same old, ’ Rose said trying a new expression. ‘I’m not staying long today. I just want to grab a watermelon martini, ’ she said to him. Rose felt that she needed to do more walking. He looked at her briefly, appeared to want to say something than pressed his lips tight and nodded in to confirm that he got the order.
In less than two minutes he was back with her chosen drink. It was her original creation that Stefano started to make for her a couple of months ago: 10 ml of vodka, 100 ml watermelon fresh juice, 4-5 small pieces of watermelon, crushed ice, mint leaves and 1 slice of orange. It’s awesome I can assure you and should be sipped slowly. But she had no time today.
As Rose was ready to go, Stefano took a seat at her table and just looked at Rose in silence. His dark eyes were intense and worried. That was unusual for him. ‘Are you worried about me? ’ Rose said guessing. He initially nodded and continued to stare. ‘Just overwhelmed by memories today, ’ Rose confided.
‘OK then. I’m here if you want to talk, ’ he offered and let Rose out. She went on walking and trying not to think about anything. She focused on colors, smells, cars, people, vegetation, the blue sky. She wanted to de clutter her mind. She wanted to avoid memories that still hurt. Reflection seemed to also hurt today.
Rose was planning a staged approach to her problem today: walking, drinking, more walking, meditation, socializing, perhaps medication, sleep? Not necessarily in that order. She used to know someone who would go to the hospital when in crisis. She would just say: ‘I need to talk to someone, ’ and off she went. But that is another story.
….
Rose returned home after about 2 hours with bags of food. Admittedly she was not a great cook but she tried to make sure that she the basics in the fridge for the week ahead: fruits and veggies, some fish and read meat, cheese, bacon, top spreads, eggs and bread. Add to that some sweets, coffee, and tea. Sometimes she also bought natural fruit juices: apples, oranges, grapefruit, but not very often.
The doorbell rang as Rose was finishing unpacking.
‘Dinili (foolish)? ’ Stefano asked. He was standing there, tall and handsome and was carrying a bunch of flowers. His eyes were large, warm and questioning but his posture remained poised.
‘Shesti (nonsense), ’ Rose said and opened the door to him. ‘Dita (hello), ’ she added and invited him into the room.
‘I thought that you needed some flowers to cheer you up, ’ he said handing her the bunch of freshly cut flowers.
‘Nais Tuke, ’ Rose thanked him and she felt the rush of blood in her face. ‘Feeling already better, ’ she reassured him. As Rose approached him to take the flowers he gently took her hand and said: ‘Take a seat Rose. We need to talk. ’
‘That sounds very serious, ’ Rose managed to laugh while they both sat down. He looked at her and said softly while still holding her hand:
‘I noticed that every time you ask me for that drink you are sad, so I wanted to make sure you are doing fine’. He paused for a moment then continued: ‘I don’t want to intrude into your life but I want you to know that you can count on me if you need any support, ’ he explained himself.
‘That’s very kind of you Stefano but I assure you I’m already feeling better, ’ Rose said touching him now with her other hand. He had very warm hands and she felt attracted to them as if they were a magnet.
‘Not fibbing? ’ he asked looking at her then he kissed her hand. Rose’s breathing stopped still for a second as a jolt of energy passed through her body and she hoped that he did not notice that then she managed to retrieve her hands and her heart started to beat again. They were still in their chairs and looking at each other assessing the situation when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. They were both startled.
‘The boys in blue again? ’ he said in a speculative tone. ‘Now that you are a local they take you under their protection, ’ he said now smiling warmly at her.
As Rose opened the door she was met by the inquisitive eyes of James who immediately started a tirade. ‘I thought I’d better pick you up for the game tonight, ’ he said smiling brightly at her and then getting no reply he added: ‘That’s if you don’t have other plans. ’ By that stage he was becoming fully aware that he was interrupting something as his gaze was wandering towards Rose’s living room and he was able to see Stefano.
‘Thanks, James, for the offer. I’ll drive myself there, ’ Rose said. Then, as he was just staring at Stefano, she added: ‘Do you want to come in, ’ hoping that he would decline but no such easy way with James. He immediately barged into the room going straight for Stefano.
‘James. Stefano, ’ Rose made the introductions, trying to remain civilized. To Stefano she said smiling: ‘I almost forgot about the bridge game for tonight. ’
‘That would have been a disaster, ’ James immediately emphasized. ‘Those people are very particular and treat such a situation as a personal insult. ’By then Rose was busily placing the flowers in a vase and enjoying their smell. She was feeling happy and relaxed and James’ words were just partially registering. Stefano was looking at her smiling and then stood up and excused himself with:
‘I better nick off. Have a good night Rose, ’ he said. Then he politely nodded to James who answered back in the same way. Rose interrupted her work and followed Stefano to the door. She managed to whisper to him: ‘Latcho Drom (Good Journey)’. He smiled at her and answered with ‘ Ita (hi). ’
‘Sorry for int
errupting, ’ James said tentatively after Stefano left.
‘It was a long day, ’ Rose replied. She realized his confusion but decided to withhold information. Was she relieved or cross by James’ interference? She was not sure but decided to steer away from sentimentalism tonight.
Rose saw James as an imposing figure in her living room and she knew she was a woman inclined to develop romantic pictures in her head quickly, so right there she decided that, above all, that night she wanted to focus on bridge.
Airy Fairy
Not too long after that Rose felt that she was mentally ready for a game of bridge. She was in a mood for playing it. She knew very well that her bridge partner would not be pleased to notice that she was distracted and not able to focus on the game. Some partners get annoyed in response to any tiny error they perceived as made by their other half during the game. God forbid! Annoy a few people like that and you’ll never be able to find a new partner to play the game again.
To put it in plain speaking, reputation counts. If you liked the game you need to ensure that you respect the etiquette also. Being there on time was an unspoken expectation. People passionate about this game were eager to start as soon they arrive at the club.
Tonight the club was hosting the event and as such was less formal. Many people liked to dress quite casually but smart when