The Italian Invasion....Chapter Two

(Pictures of Kewarra Beach Resort)

Some years ago the Fiat car company ran an advertising campaign with this slogan, “Have a love affair with an Italian”. I took their advice literally. There was no Fiat, but there definitely was an “Italian”!

Dinner out on the deck that first evening was high-spirited, to say the least. Andrea/Andrew, awed by the expanse of the island beaches and the lack of people on those beaches could hardly contain his excitement. Being used to over-crowded Italian beaches, what he’d experienced his first day on the island was all so very foreign, so very new and thrilling to him. Not wearied by his adventures, he stayed on long after Jan and her husband retired to their cabin. The attraction between the two of us couldn’t be denied. Though a million years younger than I, any concern about that was soon cast to the wayside! Who cared? Definitely not me, nor did it worry Andrea. I was a “free agent” and so was he.

Jan and her husband left the island, as planned, on the Sunday afternoon boat. Andrea chose to remain behind. Our relationship intensified. During the following week, I had to attend a tourism conference at Kewarra Beach Resort, a resort situated on the beachfront at Kewarra in the northern beaches area of Cairns. Andrea accompanied me. After all, Andrea was visiting Australia representing his father’s tour operator business, so amongst all that was going on between him and me, he was also learning a lot about tourism Australia! We continued on to Palm Cove after leaving Kewarra Beach where we spent a couple of idyllic days, just the two of us, the sand, the ocean and the sun.

After an emotional farewell at Cairns Airport where Andrea departed south to link to his flight back to Italy, with promises to return to Australia, I went back to my life on the island. Promises are often made that one feels will never be fulfilled. In this instance, I forced myself to face the reality of the situation. Andrea and I had shared a vignette, an unexpected, pleasant, passion-filled interlude. I refused to let my heart expect more. Watching him pass through the exit door onto the tarmac of the Cairns airport, I wiped away my tears, telling myself, “That’s that! I’ve had my “Italian Love Affair”…and it had been wonderful.” The world had stopped for us those few days. We’d become so engrossed in each other all else fell into oblivion. Nothing else existed. No one else existed except the two of us. And now it was over. It was time to put that aside and face the world once more.

The images of his flashing eyes, his mischievous smile, his lithe, brown body and his lively personality continued to tease and taunt me. Together we had fitted like fingers into finely-crafted gloves. I missed his conversation, his joyful innocence when confronted by the wonderment of his new surroundings. Through his eyes, I learned to look around me and see anew, too. And it had been exciting. I missed him. I missed him terribly, but I buried myself in work to help ease the pain and the loss. It was fruitless pining for him, I told myself. We would never meet again. I would be living a fantasy to think otherwise.

Andrea telephoned me immediately upon his return home to Italy. He continued to do so every couple of days. Four weeks had transpired since his departure when I reached for the telephone one busy morning in my island office. Andrea’s lyrical voice greeted me. My heart leapt and a smile creased my face as was the uncontrollable habit each time I heard from him. At his words, I became speechless. He was returning to Australia…to me! Was I still sleeping? Was this a dream?

To be continued.....(Sorry!!)