The bartender turned out to be a rather plump woman with a round, expressive face. When Carter appeared at the bar to place his order, she took one look at him and pressed her hands to her heart as if she were about to swoon.

“Che occhi!” she squealed with pleasure. “What beautiful eyes! Who are you? What is it that you want? Tell me, and it’s yours!”

Carter’s cheeks flushed bright red.

“I was just hoping for a panino to take on the train,” he said.

“No,” she said dramatically, pretending to be devastated. “Don’t tell me that you are leaving, that you’re not going to stay and marry me.”

“Sorry,” said Carter, starting to laugh. “I really have to go. My train is leaving soon.”

“What train?” she huffed. “Where are you going?”

“Chieti,” said Carter with a shrug.

The woman broke out in a great smile. “Chieti?” she joked. “That’s not so far. We could still get married. What do you say?”

“Well, all I really wanted was a sandwich and a bottle of water,” he replied.

“Ayyy, you men,” she lamented, shaking her hands at the heavens. “You’re all the same. All you care about is your stomach.” She let out a sorrowful sigh and shook her head before leaning her elbows on the counter. “Well,” she said, gazing at him with lovelorn eyes, “if things don’t work out for you in Chieti, at least you’ll know where to find me. Promise?”

“I promise,” chuckled Carter.

“Bravo ragazzo,” she said. “Now, tell me, what kind of panini did you want?”

Later, with his sandwich and water stowed in his daypack, Carter hurried out to find his train. When at last he had climbed on board and settled into a seat, he opened his pack and took out his sandwich. As he unwrapped his sandwich, Carter breathed a sigh of relief. It would be only a short ride to Chieti, he reflected. From there all that would be left was the bus ride to Roccasale. Everything was going exactly as he had planned.

Carter took a bite from his sandwich and looked out the window. The sky had gone nearly black, and he heard the low rumble of thunder from the west. From all appearances it looked as though the train was about to ride into a storm. As the train lurched forward and began to pull away from the station, he settled back and watched to see what would happen next.

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 33