It was not exactly the Tavern on the Green to which Enrico and Il Direttore led him, but the little trattoria in which Carter found himself was a friendly, inviting place with just a few tables, flanked not by chairs but wooden benches.The three sat down at a table, and the proprietor, a squat little man with a shock of thick white hair, poked his head out the kitchen door and nodded to Enrico as if he had been expecting them. A moment later, he emerged from the kitchen with three steaming bowls of pasta and beans. Then he brought out some bread, a bottle of mineral water, and a carafe of red wine. He set these on the table and began to exchange pleasantries with the three of them in some language that, to Carter’s ears, only vaguely resembled Italian.

Unable to follow a word of the conversation, Carter turned his attention to his pasta and beans. Having never before eaten such a dish, he took a piece of the bread, dunked it in the zesty red broth, and took a bite. He found it was warm and moist and delicious. It turned out to be just the thing Carter needed. Anything lighter would not have been substantial enough; anything heavier would have only made him sick again. Carter poured himself a glass of mineral water—Enrico and Il Direttore were already draining the carafe of wine—and gulped down a swallow. All in all, it was a simple meal, but as he ate it, joining in the conversation whenever they spoke Italian instead of their dialect, Carter felt just a little bit of life rekindle inside him. He was going to survive.

They did not stay long.The moment their bowls were emptied and the last of the wine consumed, Enrico slapped his hand on the table and announced that it was time to go. When the proprietor brought them the check, Carter reached for his wallet to pay for his share, but Enrico would have none of it and insisted that he and Il Direttore would pay. Carter was quite surprised by their generosity to a complete stranger. He did not know it, but his two dinner companions had found him to be simpatico (good company). It was a pleasure for them to pay.