Tutti Italia: A Novel by Deena Jordan Read Free Book Online Page B

defense.
    “I didn’t mean anything by it.  I just wasn’t raised that
way and it’s different than what I’ve known, that’s all.  I’m sorry if you took
offense to it, I didn’t mean anything by it.”  She raised her eyebrow ant him,
not knowing if she should believe him or if he was just covering up his
opinions because he now knew that she was irritated with him for what he’d
said.  Rachel had to stop herself.  She didn’t know Jason very well, so she
should give him the benefit of the doubt.  He hadn’t done anything to make her
think that he was a bad guy, so maybe her paranoid tendencies were creeping up
on her.  She decided to let it slide.  The wait staff came back, each one with
two plates in his or her hand.  Their waiter came and set the first course down
in front of Rachel and Jason.  Rachel looked up at the man’s nametag.  It said,
‘Stefano’.  She smiled up at him as he put her first plate in front of her.
    “Grazi mille, Stefano.”  He gave a little mock bow, and
joined the other waiters and waitresses as they stood in the back of the room watching
the Americans have their first taste of real Italian food.  Rachel sniffed
appreciatively at her plate.  There was what looked like a game fowl of some
kind, smothered in a lemon sauce, with sautéed vegetables and orange slices. 
Her mouth watered all on its own.  She didn’t even want to look over at Jason’s
plate. She wanted to dive in to her own meal.  Out of the corner of her eye,
she could see him carefully dividing up the things on his plate, making sure
that both halves were as close to even as he could get them.  She felt a little
guilty about not doing that right off the bat herself, but she quickly remedied
the situation.  The rest of the courses were tastier than the last, and Rachel
was starting to feel like she needed a nap.  Her belly was filling, and there
was no end in sight.  Their chaperone got up, and walked into the middle of the
horseshoe.
    “Can I get everyone to pay attention up here for just a
second?”  She waited until everyone was watching her before she continued on. 
“So, we’re about half way through the courses, and I want to ask if anyone is
starting to feel a little sleepy?”  She waited, and one by one, everyone’s hand
went up.  She smiled.  “That’s why Italians take an afternoon nap.  They love
their food, and they take their time eating it.  They’ll sit and talk for hours
and keep eating little by little, until they can’t stay awake anymore, then
it’s time for an afternoon nap.  You’ll notice that most of the stores around
here are closed for a few hours in the afternoon.  The only ones that aren’t,
are the ones that try to cater to Americans.  Just remember that if you plan on
going to the mall or somewhere to shop or get groceries.”  She went back to her
seat, and the wait staff came by to pick up the empty plates.
    “They’re not kidding.  I feel like I could fall into bed
right now and not get up till tomorrow morning.”  Jason stretched and let out
an enormous yawn.  Rachel was in the middle of yawning, herself, so she had to
wait to answer him.
    “I know what you mean.  But I don’t want to go back yet. 
This food is absolutely amazing, and I don’t want to miss any of it.”  She
rearranged herself on her chair, and was seriously contemplating opening the
button on her jeans so the waistband wouldn’t be so tight on her.  After all,
they still had a few courses to go…not to mention, dessert.  Rachel and Jason
stuck to their plan of ordering food and switching plates half way through.  In
that sense, the two of them were getting double the courses that everyone else
was.  The funny thing was they were the only ones that sent back empty plates
every time.  Another thing that was different here in Italy was that the
Italians didn’t believe in doggy bags for food.  A few of the restaurants near
the base had started the habit,