In a dramatic counterpoint to all of Wes’s Worst Day Ever (So Far) rants, I’d like to share one of the best days, for all of us.
La Rocca had been beckoning all week, and on our last full day in Sicily, the Activities Coordinator Who Must Be Obeyed* heeded the summons and herded the family together for the hike up Castle Rock. It was what all the Mediterranean brochures advertise—blue sky, turquoise water, green flora, crumbling ruins of goddesses and kings. As we bought our tickets, we crossed paths with a father-son team doing the climb for the second time in two days. When we met them again by the battlements, the kid connection kicked in and we started chatting, both agreeing that Londoners have the best accents and Americans can barely speak English†. In an astronomical coincidence, his ten-year-old, L, likes video games, and Wes, Piper, and L hit it off and then took off. They were detained at the gate until claimed by their grownups, where my kids quickly remembered the promised gelato for having to go on a beautiful hike and romp around castle ruins overlooking a cerulean sea.
All paths lead eventually to the duomo or beach, so it didn’t take long for the seven of us to find ourselves both sticky and sandy. William is both Kind and Interesting, and works in tech, so it was easy to hang out for hours while Wes buried L in sand.
We eventually had to do laundry and other leaving chores before heading to Naples the next morning, and Wonderful William offered to let Wes stay with them for the rest of the afternoon. He did them one better by just following them at distance, being a protective yet discreet money source, as the boys went out for espresso, where Wes impressed and horrified L with the amount of sugar he added, and then more food. We had a pick Wes up eventually so he could pack for our early departure the next morning, but we met up for dinner at the best pizza place in town.
We stretched out dinner, and another dessert, for as long as we could and even offered to buy L (who is a crazy-smart, bilingual, thoughtful, articulate kid with interests and ideas outside of video games), but William was unable to do so without his wife’s approval, and she was back in London, recovering from Covid, being the last in the family to get it. Also without her approval, William was unable to take Wes home with him for keeps, so the evening ended quite sadly.
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Confidential to William and L: We’ve missed both of you all the way through Italy. I haven’t forgotten your book recommendations. We hope to land in the same city again someday!
*She has several titles, but I really think Wes’s “Mom-strosity” is fairly accurate and her phone is programed to call her “Goddess”.
†They were from London, and William tossed out words like “luster”, which I would clearly use in writing, but have probably never once said aloud in casual conversation. The Queen’s English wins hands down.
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