Why would the Very Wealthy leave their yacht to come to our little beach? Dad explained that the riches of the Very Wealthy began to bore them. That sooner or later they ran out of things to do with their money and the things of this world, and started looking for other things to amuse them, like sitting on our beach during the day so that their yacht would not get boring. He also said that the Very Wealthy loved to parade their wealth like the Pharisees, and that there was no point being rich unless people could see you were rich since the satisfaction one could get out of worldly riches was fleeting and temporary, and that unlike spiritual wealth that was not corruptible, material wealth brings with it the terrible burden of always needing to have more.

They got out of their boat and paraded their wealth before us, then they sat down in deck chairs—of course they each had one—and the Banini brought them drinks, alcoholic drinks, from the snack bar. My parents exchanged more glances with each other. And Janet tried to exchange a glance with Mom too, but Mom wasn’t looking at her, she was looking at the bathing suit of one of the wealthy girls.

“That’s a very expensive bathing suit she’s got on,” Mom said.

“You look much more beautiful in yours,” Dad answered. Dad was cranky but he was loyal.

Chapter 3

THE BAZLINTON FAMILY HAD FULL PENSION. We had half pension. They had all three meals a day at the Pensione Biea. We had breakfast and dinner. But for once, the fact that we had less money to spend on our vacation than the English family paid off. We ate picnics on the beach every day while Jennifer was led back up to the Pensione Biea. She had to get dressed, sit at the table, eat a long four-course lunch, then take a nap after which she would return to the beach. By this time it was 3 P.M. Now she was the one who seemed odd. Now it was her parents who were out of step with the marching orders of the rest of the human race. We said grace, a long grace, but Jennifer had to take naps!

At about eleven in the morning Mom would hail one of the blue buses that ran between Portofino, Paraggi, Santa Margherita, and back. Armed with a giant wicker basket, she rode the bus to Portofino. There she walked in the back streets from shop to shop and purchased our picnic.