Katrina e Giacomo (A Work of Fiction)

Disclaimer:  Even if this is a work of fiction, this was done because of a request of a friend of mine. Her only requirements were that the woman was supposed to be eight years older than the guy and he was supposed to be a foreigner and an architect at that.  She had a certain country/nationality in mind, but I have never been to that place and I am not very familiar with their language and culture etc.   so I chose Italy. The original title was Unconsciously Beautiful, because even if my friend knows she's not ugly, she doesn't know the effect she has on people.  I caught several guys staring at her, and they almost hit the wall. Any similarities to your lives and the lives of people you know would just be a coincidence.

Katrina e Giacomo

(a.k.a. Unconsciously Beautiful)

a work of FICTION by Lara Mia Veronica

KATRINA

Viva Italia!


You're going to be my home for five whole months. Yes.  Five whole months!

The people who employed me told my professor who told me about this "job" that everything would be provided for.  Board, lodging, clothes, transportation and everything else, so I should travel light.

I was amenable to that idea, but I had one request. They should allow me the excitement of finding their place all by myself.  I just needed their address then would join them for dinner because I wanted to explore Rome first.

It was not my first time to go to Italy, but it was my first time to travel alone.  I had butterflies fluttering inside my tummy and I was glistening with cold trickles of water-like particles emerging from my pores.

Kerribells lang.  Kaya ko ito!


This place was and still is very, very familiar to me, just like the back of my hand.  My family had vacations here every Philippine summer at my mom's best friend's house when I was little until high school.

When my parents opted to travel to the nearby countries instead when they were older, my best friend, Kelly, who was ten years my junior, and I, backpacked all over Europe and this was our last stop.  She wanted to meet my mom's best friend and her family, but I didn't want to visit them because her son, Giacomo, declared he wanted to marry me. At first it was cute(no, he was not cute, but the thought of a three year old declaring undying love was), but when he was nine and I was seventeen, it was not too cool anymore.  It somehow gave me the creeps.

Yikes.  I shudder at the very thought.

I've been back here in my college years during the UNIV Conferences,  but I avoided going to my mom's amica's house.

It's been ten years since my last visit, but almost everything still looks familiar. Recently my company sent me all over Europe, except to Italy, so I was giddy with excitement.

It's just so uncomfortable because a lot of people have been looking at me in a funny sort of way.

Am I wearing the wrong clothes?  Is my makeup smudged?

Never mind!  I'll just enjoy the Spring breeze.



GIACOMO


I smiled as I looked at the photographs Katrina took when she was still a teenager. They weren't anything spectacular, but since they were taken by her, for me, they all looked amazing.

I stole her scrap book. Well, I did not exactly steal it. Katrina's older brother had review classes he needed to attend to and he did not want to leave on his own.  He wanted everyone to give him moral support so she accidentally left it in "her" room.

What gives? At nine years old I did not understand why a twenty-something guy needed his family with him to give him support for his review classes.  Until now I am baffled about this.  Are all Filpinos that way?  We are also attached to our families, but...

Sigh...

Mi sento nervoso ed emozionato perchè non ho visto lei negli anni...

She will be arriving soon.

I can't believe it.  She agreed to marry me?

I did not plan it this way, but it's better than nothing. I was dreaming of the proper proposal, but...

What should I wear?

I know, I know.  I have to wait for five whole hours before she arrives.  Maybe I should go to the office. No.  I think I should take a long bath.

Wait.  If I do that I might not smell manly.

As I was nervous and excited awaiting her arrival, I heard a knock on the door.  It was my mama, Emiliana, Katrina's mom's best friend.

"Sembri molto nervoso, mi figlio,"my mama observed.

As you already know, she was right.  I did not know what to feel.  I thought she hated me.  I checked if her family has filed for bankruptcy, but they are even richer than they already were.  Maybe her heart grew fonder or something.

All that mattered was that she was going to be mine soon and I couldn't wait.



KATRINA

As I was cavorting around Campo de' Fiori Market while pulling my trolley, I suddenly was bothered about something.  It was the surname of the student I was going to give private lessons to.  It was the same as Giacomo's.

Maybe it's a common family name here in Rome. I know it sounds uncommon in the Philippines, but...

The reason I was there in Rome was because I was going to teach some architect some English.  That architect wanted to have one-on-one sessions and he didn't want to get anybody from the academies in Italy.

I was scared at first, but my professor told me that it was a family residence and they were a pretty conservative family.

Something wasn't right.  Before leaving the Pearl of the Orient Seas I was pretty psyched, but now I'm feeling edgy.  I wonder why.

Imagine I was highly recommended by a professor who almost always humiliated me in class.  He claimed that I was only in the university because of my family's connections.  That disheartened me because I studied hard.  My parents were very stingy with money except when we were traveling.  They also did not believe in negotiating when it was about grades. They were rather strict, that was why all of us went to exclusive schools ran by staunch Catholics.  They did not want us to be derailed or something, which was funny because a lot of my peers got pregnant before graduation.

It was a big surprise that they allowed me to study in a co-educational university where I met that professor.

I was doing fine in my own little world. I was an executive in one of those big multinational corporations in the City of Makati. I did not earn 6 digit monthly salaries like my siblings who had similar jobs, but PhP90,000.00(more or less around €1783.1174403983088 on an average if that's what I earned today, but I was not aware how much that was that year...or probably I just didn't care) a month plus perks and bonuses was not measly at all. My salary was mine and mine alone.  Since I was a very obedient daughter, I invested 3/4 of my salary and just used the remaining money for shopping, concerts, traveling, or whatever else.

One of my subordinates approached me one day and told me that my professor was at the lounge and that he wanted to talk to me.


"Why me?" I asked.  "I graduated from the bottom of my  class!"  That was an exaggeration, of course. I may have been his worst student, but I still made it to the top five (overall) the time I graduated.

Even if I was confused, I accepted the challenge.

It's still an enigma until now.

Was it fate?



GIACOMO

I decided to have a picnic near the pool side after finishing a nude painting of Katrina.  I have never seen her naked, but I have dreamed of her almost every night.  She was my inspiration and she still is. Everything I did was for her.  I wanted her to be proud of me one day.  I still do.

Every house and building I designed was due to all the creative juices produced by my constant thinking about her excellent qualities. All of my artwork and everything else was due to all my beautiful memories of her.

Last year, I created a masterpiece.  A lot of people wanted to buy the sculpture I made. Like the painting I was finishing, she was also in her birthday suit.  People were offering me amounts unimaginable.

I asked my mama if Katrina would be insulted if she found out that I have lots of drawings and paintings of her with nothing on.

Mama looked at me like I was crazy.  She said nothing I did was pornographic.  Everything was done in good taste.

I was still very edgy.  Katrina's family is very conservative.

Katrina was a very unassuming person.  She was tall, svelte and very beautiful.  I remember that one time when she exited the airport, she had no idea how many heads turned as she passed by and that some of the people, yes, men and women alike, almost hit the wall because she had caught their attention.  She knew that she was not ugly, but she did not know the extent of her charm.

The very thought of her made my heart flutter.



KATRINA
When it was almost time for dinner, I hailed a taxi.  With the little Italian that I knew, I told the cabby where to go.  It was a miracle that I arrived to my destination safe and sound because the driver kept looking in the mirror.

This driver is so vain!

He helped me with my things and tried to get my number.  I just lied and told him that I was meeting my fidanzato (someone I am engaged to or simply a boyfriend that I am committed to)there. This saddened the taxi driver and left with a sullen look on his face, but before doing so, he gave me an umbrella as a souvenir.

You mean to say he was looking at me?

I looked at the umbrella.  It was cute and handy.  It would be very useful, especially in the Philippines.

🌂🌂🌂🌂🌂

The place, I noticed, was a mini compound.  There were three houses.  The main house, a guest house and the architect's bachelor's pad, I surmised.

Tita Emiliana, mom's good friend and classmate from the University of Oxford came out to greet me from the main house, along with a couple of servants.

"You live here?" Katrina asked, confused.

Besides the place we normally stayed at, I remembered visiting their houses, rather, mansions, all over Italy, but I have never been to this place.

"Sì, sì.  This is my house.  My Giacomo, designed it.  Isn't it marvelous?" she asked as I handed some of the stuff I bought for my hosts at Campo dei Fiori.

I knew both Tita Emiliana's children.  Alexa was my age, but Giacomo was eight years younger.  As I mentioned before, Giacomo had a humongous crush on me since he was three years old.  He would always declare that he would marry me one day and the very thought of it annoyed me.

The last time I saw Giacomo was when he was about nine or ten.  He had large glasses and his teeth were so crooked, so I imagined that no orthodontist would be able to help him, unless they do surgery. The very sight of him appalled me.

I usually do not have a bad bone in my body and I try to treat everyone equally while I was growing up, but Giacomo's admiration was like a bitter pill in my mouth.


I guess he used his family's influence to get me to teach him English. Sigh. Wait! He speaks English like it's his native tongue. He doesn't even need a tutor.  The nerve! This is a trap.  How do I escape from this hell-hole?

The place was far from a hell-hole, not that I knew how a hell-hole really looked like.  I do not have any idea what heaven looked like either, but I made a bet that the true description was really closer to it.

You've got to hand it to Giacomo for designing the mini compound so well.

Tita Emiliana let the servants bring my things to the guest house then she gave me a tour of the compound.

Mini was not a good description for it.  The courtyard was probably several acres wide. I made a mental note to explore it in the morning because it was only fifteen minutes away from dinner time, more or less.

From afar I could see an infinity pool. It looked glorious.  There was also a football field(soccer), a tennis court, a polo field, a basketball court and a pavilion for parties.  There were many sculptures all over the place from known artists and some of them were Giacomo's work of art, according to Emiliana.  I blushed when I saw a naked version of myself near the swimming pool.  I wanted to get angry, but the sculpture was very beautiful. Did I really look that amazing? I shuddered to think of how Giacomo knew my every detail.  Did he peep during one of my baths or showers or was this purely a figment of his imagination? I was barely eighteen the last time we saw each other and I'm in my thirties now...

Somehow I felt violated, but Tita Emiliana was so proud of Giacomo's work that I could not say anything. She also told me that my parents were the ones who informed them that I was coming so I made a mental note to confront them later.

I told Tita Emiliana that I was very tired from my trip and going around Rome that I needed to rest, even just for ten minutes.  I also needed to freshen up before dinner.  I scouted the whole place to see if there were hidden cameras.  I was so paranoid that I checked every nook and cranny, pens, plants...oh, I checked everything.

When I was done, it was time for us to eat dinner that I was not able to rest at all.


A tall, handsome and buffed work of art welcomed me to the dining hall with open arms while showing his pearly whites.  I figured that this must be 27 year old Giacomo and wondered if he indeed had his teeth operated on.  He was still wearing glasses, but those looked good on him.  I stared at him in admiration.

He probably read my mind and said,"Aren't my orthodontist, ophthalmologist and dermatologist the best?" I was speechless, but I managed to nod. He didn't sound like he needed a tutor, but at that moment, I didn't care. I silently thanked my lucky stars that he metamorphosed into a Roman god.  Somehow I didn't feel violated anymore that I even allowed him to kiss me on the lips for a very long time, but when he started to go lower than my neck and his hands were exploring my back downwards, I pushed him.

"Don't get carried away, young man!" I shouted.

"I'm not a young man anymore and you're more beautiful than I ever imagined.  I'm just so glad you agreed to marry me."

"Huh?  I thought you just wanted me to teach you English?"

Giacomo couldn't stop laughing.

"I even speak English better than you!"

I couldn't defend myself, but I also felt that I did not need to explain anything so I just shut up.

Tsk, tsk, tsk!


GIACOMO

Mom and her servants prepared a feast.  Everything that Katrina loved eating was served.  My dad, Giorgio,  along with my sister Alexa and her family, joined us.  They were all happy to see her and welcomed her to the family.

I stared at Katrina and somehow pitied her, but my selfish side told myself, "She's here now and she's going to be yours.  Don't ever let her go again."

She was not the only victim here.  I was made to believe that she was here out of her own volition.  I wanted to tell her that, but I couldn't.

I also wanted to tell her that I didn't mean to laugh, but I was just nervous, that's all.

Oh Katrina...


KATRINA

I tried to enjoy my dinner, but since I felt duped, I could not.  Even if I already guessed it earlier and Giacomo looked like a Roman god who smelled divine and tasted great, I didn't like the idea.  Why didn't they just tell me? Why didn't he even have the decency to ask me? He was so rich anyway that he could have gone to the Philippines and gave me, at the very least, a proper proposal or something.  I was boiling mad. My parents were even in on this. I bet they were the ones who...argh!

The sand man did not visit me so when the sun was about to shine, I packed a few clothes(I did not want those fashionable clothes inside the cabinet to go to waste), got my wallet, my passport, some toiletries then left the place without saying a word.

I was fortunate that there were no hidden cameras in the guest house that no one noticed me leave.  I was also blessed because it was one of the safest neighborhoods in the region.


GIACOMO
Katrina did not have the slightest idea that I saw her leave.  I couldn't sleep so I just paced in front of the guest house. When I noticed she was awake, I peered inside the house and saw her packing her clothes, preparing to leave.

Part of me wanted to stop her, but instead, I called the most reputable taxi company in the neighborhood.  If she was to leave us, I didn't want her to get into trouble.

As the sight of taxi was slowly fading away, my knees were getting weak.

Even if I didn't want to let her go, I had to.

KATRINA

While inside a cab, I stared at my passport to check what countries have given me multiple entries that weren't expired yet and then tried to remember what country exempted me from Visas because I was a frequent visitor or simply because they weren't that strict.  I chose to go to Switzerland by train after going to Naples, the islands of Capri and Sorrento then back to region of Lazio then to the outskirts of Rome where I stayed in Ovindoli for a couple of days.  Since it was not skiing season, I almost had the whole place to myself, except for some bikers.  All the male workers started hitting on me that I decided to go to Milan. Since Equestrian season was still a few days away I felt they were just ganging up on me because they had no other diversion. After shopping for some clothes off season, that was the time that I went to Lucerne, Switzerland.


I stayed there for three whole weeks.  I felt peaceful there, but decided it was time to go.

I went to the different parts of Germany and had the time of my life. After almost two months in Germany, I went home to the Philippines via Singapore.

You might think I spent a lot of money, but I just stayed at the most affordable accommodations and didn't eat gourmet food. I also rode the cheapest mode of transportation most of the time that I still had enough to start something on my own, if my office did not want to accept me again, that is.  Why wouldn't they? My five month leave was not even over yet.  Anyways, that was just how I was, I mean, I am. I always think of contingency measures.


GIACOMO

She did not have the slightest idea that I followed her everywhere she went.  I called the taxi company to ask where she went.  Even if they know me, they valued Katrina's privacy so they made me promise not to bother her. I told them that I just wanted to be sure that she was safe.  They relented so I just let my associates finish my obligations and told them not to accept any project until I returned.

Every guy that tried to flirt with her was not successful.  I did use my money and influence to scare some of them away, but Katrina took care of herself quite well.  I was very proud of her.

That was not the case when she arrived in the Philippines.  Katrina went straight to  her classmate Donny's apartment because she was so angry with her parents, I guess.

I wanted to scream.


Maybe she has nowhere else to go.  But why did she have to go to a man's house? Why? Doesn't she have friends who are girls?

I felt that I had no right to stop her.

I went back to Italy with a heavy heart.



KATRINA

How dare they set me up with that...kid?

I could've gone to my best friend Kelly's place, but Kelly's house was so near my folks'.  Donny lived alone and welcomed me with open arms.

That was an understatement for Donny got me pregnant, but I chose to keep the baby.

The baby turned out to be an adorable little girl.  Now at five, she had so many questions I could not even answer.

Donny kept in touch, but I did not want to marry him out of sheer desperation.  Not because I was a little over forty I would just marry anyone.

Although unfathomable, a lot of people still sought me out.  I even received several propositions, including indecent ones, from several men and women, to take care of me.  It's mind boggling, really.

One time, out of the blue, I received a FaceTime® request and wondered why I complied to this request.  It was Giacomo, now thirty-three years old, still in love with me.

He did not even mind that I have a child now. He promised to love Trixie like his own, but this scared me. When he started to send educational stuff over for my little girl and did not even send anything for me, my heart slowly melted, especially when he seemed so concerned about Trixie's welfare.

Slowly, but surely, Giacomo occupied my heart, but when I was about to accept him, I found out that he dated a Filipina he met a couple of years back and even if they have already broken up a year ago, I learned that it was Kelly he was talking about.

No wonder Kelly couldn't tell me his name. It was Giacomo who broke her heart.


GIACOMO
The woman of my dreams was about to be mine, but everything was ruined when I told her about Kelly. I just felt I needed to tell her, but I also was half-wishing she already knew about it.

Why was it so hard for her to be mine? Is it because I respect and love her too much?

KATRINA

"What is it with these people who think they rule the world?" complained Mia, my friend, who had her own share of obnoxious admirers, including two high rollers at famous casinos in the metro.  Kelly is still my best friend, but Mia was my hobby buddy and one of my confidantes.

After one of our hot yoga classes, I admitted to Mia that I was falling for Giacomo, but I thought of Kelly.

"I don't want to hurt my best friend's feelings," I told her.

"Doesn't Kelly have a new boyfriend now?" she reasoned.

"Still..."

"Didn't Giacomo love you first?"

"But..."

After a few seconds I explained to Mia that Kelly migrated to Italy three years ago with her family.  She met Giacomo a year after during one of their common friend's small gatherings in Tuscany where both of them stayed for a week.  They started being innamoratoa (romantically involved) from day one and Kelly described him as "super great" when we were talking via Skype ™.

Kelly broke up with him a year later.  She just cried via Skype ™ and did not dare tell me the reason why.  In my mind, maybe that was the time she found out that her amante(lover) was the same Giacomo who gave me the creeps.

After three weeks since Giacomo told me he dated Kelly(I realized he was being a gentleman), I couldn't contain my curiosity so I finally talked to Kelly and when she at last admitted what the reason of their breakup was, even if I was not totally clueless, I did not expect her answer.

"I finally got invited to that compound you told me about and saw your lifelike sculpture.  It was then I realized that he was the same Giacomo who loved you since he was a little boy...I told him that we're best friends then he broke up with me. I never told you, but I initiated everything because he was so hot and it wasn't me who broke up with him. I was just so ashamed to admit it. I never mentioned his name before finding out who he was because you couldn't even listen to the masterpieces of Puccini, but I never thought he was the very person you hated."

Mia listened intently until I stopped talking then stared at the ceiling.  When I was back to earth, Mia asked if she could bare her soul to me.  Later I learned that the truth was, Mia was still thinking of the right thing to say, but it was at the tip of her tongue.  She felt that ranting might help her think of an advise or two so she prated on.

As aforementioned, Mia had, rather, has, her own share of matters of the heart so I listened to her with open ears and with an open heart. I gave her an advice or two.  Still Mia was stumped. Then Mia started babbling again about a certain situation that put her in a pickle.  I gave her a meaningful piece of advice. Mia looked tenderly at me, who, even with all my wisdom, was obviously was still in a dilemma, and told me not to be scared and give Giacomo a chance.

"But he's younger than me."

"Just a while ago Kelly was your excuse.  Maybe you just need some assurance...

"If I had a younger guy who loves me like that, I wouldn't mind.  After all, he still meets my ten-year margin. He's only eight years younger than you."

"Does he love me? Besides the lifelike sculpture near the pool, I saw several sketches of me in my birthday suit inside the guest house when I was looking for hidden cameras."

Mia laughed.

"He is an artist and his values are just different from yours and maybe, just maybe, that's how he wanted to show his love for you."

"Love? More like lust!"

After blurting the last word, I suddenly became sullen and remembered all my romantic escapades too.  After Donny, I had two serious relationships and both of them just hurt me so I broke up with them.  Trixie already thought she was going to get a new daddy both times because they treated her like their own, but ended up being disappointed.  Was I being unfair to Giacomo?

After some introspection I decided to give Giacomo a chance and had good conversations with him via FaceTime®.  I included Trixie in some of our conversations and Trixie told me that she liked him and hopefully, he could become her daddy.

After six months, yes, six months, I finally accepted Giacomo's heart.  I told him that I regretted that I left him just like that, but Giacomo told me that if I didn't do that, Trixie wouldn't be born and it was Trixie's destiny to be my daughter.

Another six months later, we got married. He adopted Trixie with Donny's permission and treated her like his own.

Would it be happily ever after?

I still am not sure, but it sure feels like it that I am willing to take that chance with him and spend our sunset years together.

At present, Trixie  has three brothers, making her the only princess of our castle somewhere around the world.


GIACOMO

I am very happy and contented.  Who could ask for more?

THE END


All rights reserved 2015
Lara Mia Veronica M. Garcia