"Well, Luciana," Kati turned and smiled nervously at the heavy-set woman sitting next to her during their trans-Atlantic flight. "I hope you'll get to see all your relatives and friends." Kati's eyes gleamed knowingly, as she pushed a stubborn curl back from her forehead. "Especially Giorgio."
"OK, girl. Now, you have a good time too, you hear? I'll see you in a month," Luciana Fabriani returned Kati's smile and winked. "And don't be so shy. European men don't like bashful girls..."
"But Luciana, you know I'm engaged. I am not interested in meeting men."
Kati's stomach growled. She had been unable to eat all day. Michael's words of the night before kept popping into her head. "Think of me sometimes, Kati, if you'll have the time." He had looked her straight in the eye. "But I have a feeling you won't. I know you won't think of me at all." His face darkened and Kati noted the apprehension in his eyes.
"Of course I'll think of you. You know I will. And I'll write often," Kati promised with forced cheer in her voice. They were standing in the doorway of her apartment in Shaker Heights. It was almost midnight and Kati still had packing to do. Their good-bye kiss was long, but Kati knew that Michael sensed her heart was not in it, that her mind was wandering thousands of miles away.
At first Michael had encouraged her to accept Aunt Sri's invitation to attend the three-day reunion with family and friends, and to stay a month to get to know her aunt better. But a few weeks later Kati noticed that he had changed his mind. He became more distant, and one evening he told Kati that his colleagues at work teased him about his fiance finding someone else in "romantic Italy."
"No way," Kati protested, "You know I love you."
"Well, you do now, I know and feel that," he sighed, "but what if you meet someone else?"
"How can you say that? You and I are meant for each other. You should know by now."
But Michael's doubts intensified with the passing weeks. "Why don't you go to Africa?" he demanded once, as his eyes narrowed in annoyance and his face turned a deep pink. They had been engaged for three months. The wedding was planned for next spring, but Kati's trip to visit her Aunt Sri was hanging over their head like an ominous cloud before a violent storm.
"Please don't go, Kati," Michael pleaded one evening. "Forget about the reunion. You don't know anyone there anyway." He swallowed hard. "We can go to Italy on our honeymoon and you can meet your Aunt Sri. We'll save enough money by then for both of us."
Kati had a hard time making up her mind. She finally told Michael that if her boss agreed to a leave of absence from the office, she would go. "I really would like to get to know my aunt better, and here's my chance. After all, I don't have that many family members left," she insisted, fighting her tears. "Don't you understand?"
Michael frowned. "I'll soon be your family. Isn't that enough for you?" he asked turning away in anger.
He had driven her to the airport in silence. He's making me feel guilty for visiting my aunt, Kati thought. He has no right; I am not his wife yet.
"I'll be back in a month, you'll see. I promise. And don't worry so much," she assured him, patting his knee as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Michael's possessiveness had gotten worse since their engagement. "I know you love your heritage, and I respect that. But you're too caught up in those Hunky things," he told her. "You're an American. You were born here!" Kati felt offended by the word "Hunky." It was definitely a derogatory term, a negative label used for immigrants from Eastern Europe.
To avoid an argument, Kati did not reply. Michael was often annoyed when she went to her weekly scout meetings on Friday nights, and he didn't attempt to control his anger when the Hungarian guys asked her to dance at the annual Veteran's Ball in January. Sulking, he sat at the table, and hardly spoke to anyone, while Kati had a fabulous time chatting and dancing the whole evening.
"You aren't really going to marry that Yankee, are you?" her partners teased her, when Michael was out of hearing distance.
"But I am. He's a great guy. He is so caring and unselfish. He's helped me through many hard times. And, above all, I love him very much." The Hungarian boys were more like brothers, buddies she grew up with. No romance, just a lot of fun.
The storm across the Atlantic made for a disastrous flight, and no matter how hard the pilot tried, the ride on the spacious 747 Alitalia jumbo jet was bumpy. Kati was petrified. Maybe this was God's way of punishing me for leaving my fianc behind, she thought in panic. There had even been an emergency landing in Madrid which delayed their arrival by four hours. By then, the passengers were exhausted, nervous, and distraught.
They were finally landing at the Genoa airport. Kati fidgeted in her seat. Every bone of her body felt sore and heavy. She could not sleep a wink all night, even after the lights were turned off for the in-flight movie. The moment the jumbo jet touched the runway, she sighed in relief, and joined her fellow passengers as they broke into exuberant applause, laughing loudly.
"Thank you for flying Alitalia," Kati could hardly make out the words on the squeaky microphone. She stood up and reached for her and Luciana's hand luggage in the compartment above. She handed Luciana her bulging, red canvas bag.
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