As the credits started to roll for Eat Pray Love, I say, “I want to go to Italy.” You laugh.
“Me too. You have an extra stash of cash that you didn’t tell me about? And vacation time?”
I stick my tongue out at you. “No. But, we can give ourselves an Italian holiday here. All we need is some ambiance and food.”
You look skeptical, but stand up. “What do you want me to do?”
“Find some videos about Italian cities and tourist spots. And maybe some music. I’ll take care of the food.”
I come back about an hour later with take-out from a local Italian deli, an empty Chianti bottle, candles, and a red-checkered tablecloth. “Will you move the table in front of the TV so we can see where we are visiting?”
You move the table and I hand you the tablecloth, bottle, and candles. “These candles are supposed to drip so we can make our own Italian restaurant decor. Pick a color and we’ll change them up as we want.”
While you do that, I get out the food and put it on serving dishes. A basket for the bread, some wine to drink and I look at the spread. Nodding, I start taking it into the living room and setting it up on the table. “That smells amazing,” you say.
“Delizioso,” I reply. You laugh. “Delizioso,” you reply.
We pour the wine and start picking our choices from the plates. You turn on the TV and we are transported to a gondola in Venice. “Perfecto.” You turn to kiss me. “Yes, you are. Welcome to Italy, honey.”
(274 words)
