One Summer in Positano Read online

  She wove her way down the steep descent to the centre of the village, veering down the famous Via dei Mulini, with its tapestry of entwined wisteria making a natural canopy overhead. Memories came flooding back from her early twenties as she passed a little bar to her right, in which she could remember sitting with her group of friends, drinking carafes of wine and listening to live music. A critical voice flashed into her mind asking her what, exactly, she had achieved in the meantime. Here she was again, spending another summer by herself, abroad, rootless. This was not what she had thought she would be doing in her early thirties. She quietened the voice with reassurances that she was here for a reason, to practise her Italian and help herself get a real job, a serious job; to sort her life out once and for all.

  The tiny streets were still lined with shops selling local wares. Pop-up jewellery stalls jostled with jewel-bright clothes that had been draped artistically outside shop fronts. Rows and rows of soft leather sandals in every colour of the rainbow stood next to towering displays of citronella candles, lemon-shaped soaps and colourful pottery. Libby’s mouth watered as she passed gelato shops full of enticing flavours like tiramisu, Nutella, and wonderful words that rolled satisfyingly off the tongue like ‘stracciatella’ and ‘frutti di bosco’. It was a joy for Libby to use her Italian again after so many years. She had chosen Italian as a degree subject for two reasons: the beauty of the language and her passion for Italy itself. With its art, opera, architecture, stunning scenery and food, she couldn’t think of a culture in which she would prefer to immerse herself for four years of her life. She felt guilty that she had let her Italian slip, and she was determined to regain the fluency she had achieved at university. She regretted her carefree, noncommittal attitude to life in her twenties, drifting aimlessly through the years without sorting out what she actually wanted from life. It felt good to finally have a secure career path planned for when she got home.

  Libby’s spirits soared as she jumped from the bottom step, landing with a gentle thud on the sandy Spiaggia Maggiore. She decided to take Floriana’s advice, so she made her way along the pathway that led to the smaller Spiaggia del Fornillo. She was rewarded with breathtaking views of the dazzling sea that sparkled under the fierce heat of the sun. She was dying to get in the water.

  Removing her dress in one fell swoop, she kicked off her flip-flops and padded down to the seashore. The sand felt amazing underneath her feet. She couldn’t think of the last time she had been barefoot on the sand under a cloudless sky in such glorious heat. She luxuriated in the sun as it warmed her skin, mesmerised by the gentle ebb and pull of the tide as it lapped the shore. Taking a deep breath, she started to walk forwards into the turquoise water. It was cool and crisp and crystal clear. Her warm skin protested for a moment or two as she immersed herself in the sea. She could see her feet perfectly, even when she reached waist height. Taking the plunge, she dived forwards and dipped her head under the water. It was unbelievably refreshing. After a few minutes’ swimming around, she came back to the beach and lay on her towel to dry off, dozing in the sunshine.

  Chapter Two

  Back at La Casetta, Giulia had started her evening shift. She had curly hair, pouty lips and a husky voice. There was a queue of people waiting to speak to her at the reception desk so, rather than introducing herself, Libby wandered out on to the terrace to watch the sun set over the sea and eat the slices of pizza she had picked up. When the last glowing embers had disappeared beneath the surface, she came back inside. A young couple were talking to Giulia about good local restaurants to eat in that evening. When they left, Libby approached the desk. ‘You must be Giulia? It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Libby,’ she said, holding out her hand.

  ‘Oh yes, Libby. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Floriana told me to look out for you.’

  ‘I’ve just been having a look around,’ said Libby. ‘I’m already in love!’

  ‘It is very hard to avoid that, I’m afraid – though working here might change your mind,’ laughed Giulia.

  ‘Oh really? So far it has seemed pretty wonderful.’

  ‘Maybe I’ve been here too long. I guess the novelty of dealing with travellers day in and day out wears off after a while.’

  ‘How long have you been here?’

  ‘Five years!’ said Giulia, raising her eyebrows towards the sky.

  ‘That is a long time…’

  ‘Sometimes I dream about leaving, doing something else. You’re from London, aren’t you? I’d love to go there one day…’

  ‘Really? You should,’ Libby declared.

  ‘Sadly, I can’t – I’ll be stuck here in Positano for a while. My mother has dementia, so I need to be around to look after her.’

  ‘Gosh, how terrible,’ said Libby. ‘That must be so hard…’

  ‘It’s not the easiest thing, but it is what it is,’ said Giulia. ‘And in all seriousness, I do love it here, most of the time. Floriana and Tonio are so good to me; they are like family. The high season is just so busy, that’s all. It’s great that we have you to help out.’

  ‘I know I’m supposed to be here mostly during the day shifts, but if you are busy in the evenings and I’m around, then maybe I can help?’ Libby felt sorry for Giulia; it must be so hard having to care for a parent suffering like that. She thanked her lucky stars that her mother was fit and healthy. She wondered what Giulia would be doing if her circumstances were different. She could see her on stage – a young Monica Bellucci perhaps.

  ‘That’s very kind of you to offer!’ Giulia said. ‘You might regret that!’

  At that moment an extremely handsome man – who looked as if he spent a considerable amount of time in the gym – popped his head around the corner from the bar. ‘Giu, we’re out of one-euro coins. Do you have any?’ he asked.

  ‘Sure,’ said Giulia, reaching to unlock the drawer under the desk where the petty cash was kept. ‘Luca, this is Libby, she’s here to help for the rest of the summer.’

  ‘Piacere,’ said Luca, coming over to shake her hand. He was almost comically good looking, with sun-kissed brown hair and mesmerising brown eyes framed with thick, curly black eyelashes. He had a mischievous grin and a knowing twinkle in his eye, the look of a man who knows he is a hit with the ladies. ‘You must come in for a drink later. Sorry I can’t chat now but I am in the middle of serving a customer.’

  ‘No problem,’ said Libby.

  Giulia gave her a knowing look. ‘Watch out for that one!’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘He’s got something of a reputation, if you know what I mean!’

  Libby laughed. Yes, she could certainly guess. She wondered whether Giulia was talking from personal experience.

  She left Giulia to it as another bustle of tourists came through the door waiting to be checked in. She went up to her room to hang out her damp towel and get out of her bikini. She wrapped a fresh towel around her limbs before going next door to test out the shower. It was simple and old-fashioned, but it pumped out a steady stream of hot water, and that was all Libby needed to scrub away the sand. She would be sharing the bathroom with the residents of a double room on the opposite side of the corridor from her, but she doubted that would be too much of an inconvenience.

  Libby towel-dried her long hair as best she could and ran a comb through it. She slapped on a bit of moisturiser and ringed her green eyes with a smudge of eyeliner and a coat of mascara before locking up her room and making her way back downstairs. She wore a pretty coral sundress and gold sandals.

  ‘Nice dress,’ said Giulia as she clocked her change of appearance. ‘Beautiful!’

  ‘Thanks, it’s an old favourite. Giulia, where is the best place to make a phone call using the Wi-Fi? It doesn’t seem to be strong enough in my room.’

  ‘If you stand over by the window it tends to be better, but it is a bit hit and miss at the best of times, I’m afraid.’

  ‘OK, thanks, I’ll give it a go,’ said Libby, pulling out her phone.

  The first person s
he called was her mum; she didn’t have anything as hi-tech as a smart phone, so Libby couldn’t FaceTime her. It went straight to answerphone just as Libby realised that it was probably her book-club night, so she left her a voicemail saying that she had settled in well and would call her tomorrow. Next she FaceTimed Jules.

  ‘Oh my god I can’t even look at that tan, turn off the video! Turn it off!’ shrieked Jules, laughing, as Libby came into focus on her screen.

  ‘Hi Jules! Nice to see you too,’ she chuckled.

  ‘How are you my love? We miss you so much.’

  ‘I miss you guys too.’

  ‘Are you there? Did you make it in one piece?’

  ‘Yup, I arrived at around midday, found the hostel OK. It is so cute, just like the photos on TripAdvisor.’

  ‘What about Positano? Is it as amazing as you remembered?’

  ‘Better!’ said Libby. ‘There are no words to describe it, seriously. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to, and I cannot believe I’m going to spend three months here. What a joke!’

  ‘Total bliss. How’s the Italian? Are you fluent again yet?’

  ‘It’s not bad – some of the accents down here are quite tricky to understand. Some of the older generation slip into local dialect at times, so there’s no way I will be able to understand that, but on the whole I’m doing pretty well. It’s amazing how it comes back to you so quickly.’

  ‘Like riding a bike,’ said Jules.

  ‘Exactly! I’ve been trying to avoid speaking English where possible, though obviously with the guests being mostly foreign, I expect my English is probably one of the main reasons why Floriana hired me.’

  ‘That’s OK, I reckon you’ll be fine so long as you always speak Italian to the locals. Have you got any mates yet?’

  ‘Hardly! I’ve only been here five minutes.’ Lowering her voice so as not to be overheard she added, ‘There are some people around my age working here too, so that should be fun. So far I’ve met a girl called Giulia who works on reception, and a guy called Luca who is the barman.’

  ‘Hot?’

  ‘Very. But I think he knows it a little too well, if you get what I mean!’

  ‘Typical Italian stallion, hey?’ laughed Jules.

  ‘Exactly. Anyway, how are things with you?’ asked Libby. Jules had recently been promoted within her firm.

  ‘Not bad. Busy at work at the moment, which isn’t great. I’m still struggling to cope with the new workload.’

  ‘Poor you. Hopefully it will ease up as time goes on.’

  ‘I doubt it…’ Jules said mournfully.

  ‘How’s Angus?’ Libby was slightly hesitant to ask. They hadn’t been in touch these past few weeks, which was very unusual for them. The last time they had seen each other before she left, Angus had given her a tough talking-to. He had challenged her to get a grip on her life. He thought she was pretty useless and self-indulgent, and that it was high time she grew up and took control of herself, to use his words, ‘to start acting like an adult.’ He couldn’t believe she was setting off on yet another solo trip abroad and clearly thought her justification of learning Italian was just an excuse to avoid ‘real life’ for as long as possible.

  ‘He is very well; do you want to speak? He’s right here,’ said Jules.

  ‘I’d love to, pass him over.’

  ‘Mi amore!’ laughed Angus as he appeared on her screen. ‘It’s good to see you.’ She was relieved that he seemed to be acting normally. Perhaps he had missed her and was going to be nice.

  ‘You too! How are you? Hopefully you’re not missing me too much.’

  ‘Oh it’s all we talk about Lib,’ he chuckled. ‘So tell me about your travels so far. How’s it all going? Are you fluent in Italian once again? Ready for your new job?’ She knew it wouldn’t take him long to bring up the real world.

  ‘I am working on it, don’t worry. I don’t need another lecture, thank you very much.’

  ‘Look, Lib,’ Angus said, ‘I’m sorry if I upset you before you left. It’s only because I care.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘I just want to see you settled, with your ducks all in a row.’

  ‘So do I… I think this time it’ll be different, though. This is my last adventure before serious life begins.’

  ‘It’s about time.’

  ‘I’ve worked hard to get here, Angus. I’m not going to let all that work on my law conversion go to waste.’

  ‘I hope not. It’s just not the first time I’ve heard you say that.’

  ‘I know, I know. But I’m determined this time. I am going to prove all you doubters wrong. In three months’ time, I’ll be a high-powered lawyer, working full time. You won’t recognise me!’

  ‘That’ll be the day!’ laughed Angus. ‘Little Libby all grown up in a power suit… I’ve been waiting for this for thirty years!’

  They chatted for a while longer before Angus had to go and check on their dinner. ‘Right, I’d better go, I’m in the middle of cooking spag bol and it needs a bit of attention.’

  ‘Ooh yum, lucky Jules,’ said Libby. ‘Let’s speak soon?’

  ‘Definitely. Keep us updated and have the most wonderful time.’

  ‘Will do,’ said Libby, waving and blowing a kiss as she ended the call. There was nothing like speaking to your oldest friends to put a smile on your face. She felt so fond of them both.

  Libby, Angus and Jules had all grown up together in a small town in Kent and had been the best of friends for as long as Libby could remember. Angus was a bit like a brother to her. He had always been extremely protective of her, and she knew she drove him mad with her spontaneity and her lack of stability as she jumped from one interest to another at the drop of a hat.

  As she thought of them both sitting down for dinner, Libby wondered momentarily how her life might have turned out differently. What if she had been the one to marry Angus, not Jules. It had actually been Libby who had first kissed him, back in their mid-teens. He had taken her to one side one evening and told her how beautiful she was, how much he liked her. Then they had kissed on the beach. Libby had been far too shy to do anything about it, a characteristic that she had long since grown out of, and had pretended it had never happened the next time she saw him. Angus had been embarrassed about the whole incident, clearly, because he had never brought it up again either. They had never spoken about it, and before long Jules had decided she fancied him and that was that. She had made it very clear that he was hers, and Angus had never looked back. There had been several occasions where Libby had allowed herself to wonder what might have happened had she and Angus been the ones to start dating instead; how their lives might have worked out…

  Both Angus and Jules had been a fantastic support throughout the stress of her law conversion. Angus in particular had seemed so proud of the hard work she had put in, despite the fact it had nearly killed her. She really felt as though she needed this break before starting the daily grind in the autumn. Having ended the call, Libby felt the pull of a nice cold beer enticing her.

  Libby took a seat at the bar and waited for Luca to finish pouring a pint of Peroni for a customer. Music played softly from a sound system behind him. There were a few guests at the tables inside using the Wi-Fi on their phones and relaxing. Some people had taken their drinks outside to sit on the terrace under the canopy of stars that speckled the inky-black sky. The lights of several boats out at sea blinked dozily in the distance.

  A couple of minutes later Luca came over. ‘What can I get you?’ he asked in heavily accented English accompanied by a winning smile.

  ‘A beer please,’ said Libby, answering in Italian.

  ‘Peroni? It’s the only one we have on tap.’

  ‘That would be great.’

  ‘So, you arrived this morning?’ asked Luca as he tilted a pint glass under the nozzle and pulled down on the lever.

  ‘Yes that’s right,’ said Libby. ‘Tomorrow is my first day. Have you worked here for
long?’

  ‘A few years now, yes,’ explained Luca as he handed over her drink. ‘I moved away to Naples for a while but I missed the sea too much. I am Positanese born and bred; there is nowhere else for me but here. Maybe I am like a mermaid – I will shrivel up if I am out of the water too long!’

  ‘Perhaps a merman?’ laughed Libby. Luca nodded, realising his mistake. ‘Do you work here full time?’

  ‘Pretty much, especially during the summer months. I also design websites and do a bit of freelance graphic design during the day. But I like La Casetta, meeting lots of people, having lots of fun, you know?’ This last sentence was said with a very cheeky wink. Libby was fairly sure that she did know exactly what type of fun he was referring to.

  Luca was exactly the kind of guy she had gone for in her twenties. The kind of guy she had completely sworn to avoid after one too many heartbreaks. They were great fun, these players, but in her experience it nearly always ended badly. Giulia’s warning rang in her ears. This time, she was determined to listen to her instincts. She would not flirt back. An Italian romance, though tempting, was not a sensible idea at this point in her life. Though the thought did cross her mind that it might help with practising her Italian…

  ‘Floriana told me that there was another girl who worked in the bar – Maria, was it?’

  ‘Yes Maria has a day off today, but she will be in tomorrow. We tag team so that the bar is always staffed and we are usually both here when it is busy at the weekends. So, Libby, what brings you here to Positano? Travelling?’

  ‘Kind of, I suppose. I’m here to practise my Italian, though your English is so good that I feel bad trying to use it on you!’

  Luca immediately switched to Italian, ‘In that case from now on I shall speak only Italian to you.’

  ‘Thank you, that’ll be a great help,’ replied Libby in her best attempt to do the same. ‘In October I am starting a new job in a law firm, where I will be required to deal with Italian clients and colleagues from our Italian offices, hence the need for me to get in lots of practice. As you can probably tell, my Italian is a bit rusty!’