We wandered along the crowded side streets, basically wasting time and avoiding anywhere we might see Mr. and Mrs. Brit. Frank wouldn’t even take the ferry back. “Never get on the boat,” Frank joked. “It’s never get out of the boat,” I corrected him. “Not in this movie.” We took a bus back. We didn’t even get seats and had to stand in the aisle and try not to fall over as the bus wound its way around every sharp turn. The air conditioning was feeble at best, and the inside of the bus smelled like stale sweat. We were contributors; our t-shirts soaked from the heat and the exertion of staying upright in the aisle. What had been an almost idyllic vacation was literally being shaken and we thought the best thing to do was to get back to the hotel as soon as possible.

We showered and took a long nap. By the time we got back up the sun was going down. We didn’t stay in the hotel for dinner, but walked down the road and had pizza at an outdoor table with a view of the sea.

“It’s still beautiful,” Frank said. “As long as you don’t leave.”

“If we didn’t want crowds, we shouldn’t have come to a place that’s crowded,” I said.

“It’s fine. Tomorrow will be better. Just remember, never get on the boat,” Frank said.

When I woke up the next morning, Frank was gone, and by the time I made it to breakfast, he was finished and sitting on the patio looking over the beach and out at the sea. The wind had shifted. Gray clouds scraped across the tops of the cliffs, bringing cooler weather but no rain. The sea was rough, too rough for the smaller boats. Tacitus waited on the patio table, next to Frank’s empty coffee cup. “You were sleeping,” Frank said. I went and got a plate from the buffet, the usual fruit and cheese and a pile of small pastries. I rejoined Frank at his table. The waiter brought a cappuccino and Frank ordered a second.

“Another couple of days,” I said. “Maybe the weather will hold.”

“Let’s not go to Capri today,” Frank said, changing our plans.

“Okay.” That was fine by me. I didn’t need to go anywhere, and definitely didn’t need to get on another boat for a while.