It did not take very long to erase any doubts Giancarlo might have had in this regard. As the lesson progressed, he gradually introduced the definite and indefinite articles, to see if Carter would grasp the difference between il libro and un libro (the book and a book). He did so with little effort, allowing the professor to eventually move on to the demonstrative pronouns, questa (this) and quella (that). It wasn’t long before Giancarlo, instead of pointing to an object, simply asked in Italian what this or that was, and Carter would respond accordingly. Now and then he would struggle and stumble over the words, but eventually he would also correct himself with little prompting.

And so it was that the two had raced along through that introductory lesson, from one set of basic words and phrases to another, pausing only occasionally for a moment of rest or perhaps for a sip of water. From the outset, Carter had followed his teacher’s lead, watching and listening with eager, wide-eyed intensity, his attention never wavering.When called upon to speak, he did so without hesitation. His pronunciation was not always perfect—at this point pronunciation was not a great concern—but he displayed remarkable recall and readily repeated every word that he had heard. He questioned nothing, but simply tried to absorb everything his teacher sought to convey. Giancarlo might have called it by a different name, but he recognized right away that Carter possessed one essential quality, one just as important as innate ability.

He was coachable.

“Better than expected,” said Carter, suddenly quite buoyant. “That’s good, right? I mean, you’ll let me come back, won’t you?”

Giancarlo considered the question for a moment before saying, “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On you,” said Giancarlo, aiming the pencil in the young man’s direction. “Yes, you certainly seem well able to learn, but ability is not everything. Are you committed to doing this? That’s what I need to know. Do you have the discipline, the motivation? This is no easy undertaking you’re contemplating here. What you want to accomplish will be exceedingly difficult. To learn enough of a foreign language in such a short time, and then to fly across the ocean and not make a spectacular fool out of yourself in front of that young woman? This is going to take as much effort as or more than any you’ve ever given to sports to prepare yourself.”

Carter leaned forward and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Tell me what I have to do.”

“What you must do for the next three months,” said Giancarlo, “is eat and drink and sleep the Italian language. For starters, one lesson per week is not nearly enough. I recommend three—no less.”

“Done,” said Carter without hesitation. “What else?’