Chapter Four
Gabriela
Enzo Giordano.
It’s been eight years since the last time I saw him. Eight years of never once forgetting his face or his kindness. We stand there just staring at each other, neither of us saying a word. He was older now, more handsome than he had been at the age of nineteen. He had to be nearly at least twenty-six by now and yet even though I could see the maturity in his eyes and in his body structure, he still held on to those boyish looks I came to adore when I was just thirteen years old.
Although I remember him quite clearly, I couldn’t say the same for him. Why would he remember a young girl with a silly crush that only bloomed to blossom into a deep love over time? He had been in college then and there was no possible way he would harbor the same feelings I did at the time.
I was just a child then and I was sure he looked to me like a kid sister.
I didn’t know what to think or what to do. What the hell was he doing here? Did he have something to do with the kidnapping as well? Why did they make me feel irritated? Was it because the person they were trying to kidnap was Ivy?
But if Enzo was a part of this whole fiasco maybe this could finally be my chance to get him to notice me.
“Take her home, Dom.” His voice was cold and hard.
Okay, maybe not then.
“Uh…about that…” The man that assaulted me when I first woke up slightly comes next to him.
He wasn’t looking at me and judging by the faint pinkness of his cheeks he was highly embarrassed or ashamed, which he rightly should be. I couldn’t help my body stiffening at his presence though. I mean, it was hard enough knowing I was nearly raped by this man, even though I wasn’t who he thought I was. The feeling of him on my person was still there and it disgusted me.
Enzo notices my sudden reaction and scowls when he looks over to the man. “What did you do now?” He practically growls at him.
The man named Dom, I think he called him, quickly looks to me and becomes a bit skittish. “It’s just I may have royally screwed this whole operation up. You see I was expecting her to be Ivy, not…” He looks back over to me fully this time and frowns.
“I’m sorry, but who are you?”
Was he serious right now? That irritation before? Yeah, it just fueled even higher.
“I was trying to tell you when you so rudely slammed the door in my face and locked me in here.”
“I didn’t slam the door in your face.” He said defensively, then looked to Enzo. “I didn’t slam the door in her face.” His tone this time was a bit more panicked.
“Forget the damn door! How about you explain why you just attack a woman in the dark without confirming it’s the one you thought had been kidnapped?! Or maybe don’t attack her at all if you aren’t sure on her own feelings!” I start yelling, getting angry now.
I can see the panic rising as he winces and silently tells me to shut my mouth while looking up at the other guy. Then it hits me. He was terrified of Enzo’s reaction. Who was he to him and why did it seem like he treated him as the superior one of the two?
Enzo sighs deeply, seeming to be annoyed by the whole interaction. “You stay here, you follow me, now.”
He doesn’t wait for either of us to respond as he marches out of the room. I frown as Dom quickly closes the door and it was too late to register that he was once again locking me in this damn room. I rush to the door again, crying out for him to stop but it was too late. He slams it then locks it again right as I reach the door.
“Damn it!” I curse hitting the door for good measure. “Ugh!” The frustration was strong right now.
But the one thing I discovered was that Enzo was here. Eight years of being apart and yet my body and heart still yearned for him. But he didn’t seem to remember me at all and that stung more than I was letting on. I know I’m older and probably look a bit different, but honestly it wasn’t that much of a difference. At least not to me. But maybe all those years ago, he really didn’t pay to much attention and that I was just another nobody that happened to be present in that timeframe of his life.
I land my butt back on the bed, crossing my arms. I don’t know how long I was stuck here and all I could figure out was that it was nighttime. There was no clock anywhere that I could find and my purse, along with my cell phone, was left back at the restaurant.
As I pondered on how to control this situation, hoping that Enzo could get me out of it, I realized that once again I wasn’t able to provide on who I was. I wasn’t Ivy, so apparently, I didn’t matter anymore. My name and status were no longer relevant.
Whatever. I just wanted to go home. But not to my father’s big mansion, but home back in the state of Colorado in a little town called Crested Butte. A small town where the wildflowers grow, and the fresh air was crisp and clean. It was so unlike New York and I missed it dearly.
Plus, it reminded me of my mother. God, I miss her so much. And it was the place I had first set my eyes on Enzo. I lean back against the headboard of the bed frame and close my eyes. Eight years…I couldn’t believe it has already been that long.
Eight Years ago,
I had just turned thirteen that spring and my mother had volunteered me to help out old man Giovanni. But I liked to call him Pappi Gio for short. He never seemed to mind when I called him that even though he wasn’t my grandfather. He was the sweetest old man and I loved to raid his little shop he had going for himself to sell his grapes and wine to the locals.
He worked tirelessly and my mother thought it would be good for me to help him out with his vineyard for the Spring break. It wasn’t like I had any friends anyways. So, I happily agreed. I just didn’t expect it to be backbreaking work.
It was horrible at first. My first few days cutting and gathering the ones that fell to the ground was more of a hindrance than fun. Plus, the days were getting hotter, so I sweated more than I ever have in my entire life.
I remember the day that Enzo showed up. It was a day I probably will never forget for the rest of my life. I was kneeling trying my best to cut a stubborn branch from a grape vine when I hear,
“I think you might be doing that wrong.”
I swung my head over to the person that was talking to me, and I completely froze staring up at him. I didn’t say a word as I just knelt there in absolute awe of how handsome he was. I knew he was older than me, but he didn’t look like it much.
He comes closer and kneels next to me and takes the prune knife from my hand. The touch of his fingers against mine sent shivers down my spine and I couldn’t do anything but watch him as he starts talking again.
“You’re just sawing away which is unhealthy for the leftover vine. If you want it to properly regrow then you need to cut them at an angle. Also, you want to leave a few of the buds that way the vine has the ability to grow more for the next harvest.”
I watch him as he does just that and he made it look so easy and fast. No struggle whatsoever. He didn’t wear gloves like I did, and his bronze skin was smooth and flawless making me want to touch it. I refrain as my cheeks heated up.
He hands me the prune knife back and smiles. “This is the first time I’ve seen you around here, what’s your name?”
I swallow hard as I take the knife from his hand and say, “Gabby.”
His smile turned kind. “Nice to meet you, Gabby. I’m Enzo.”
I repeated that name over and over again. “Let’s try it again, yeah?” He nods his head to the next vine over and nervously I do exactly what he showed me.
When the grapes came off with no difficulty, I couldn’t help the smile that beamed on my face as I look to him. His turned into a grin as he chuckled.
“See how much easier that was? You are now a professional grape pruner.”
I beamed at his compliment. Together we worked the vines that day side by side while he told me the ins and outs of raising a vineyard. I got the hint that he wanted to own one himself one day and I could tell he was very passionate about it.
The sun was setting to the point we needed to stop. But the big barrels that were spaced out in the paths were nearly filled and ready to be placed in the barn for juicing. We were walking back when I spotted Pappi Gio coming toward us.
His smile was ear to ear as he says, “I see you met my sweet Gabby.”
Enzo pats my head while smiling. “She’s a hard worker for sure. Needed a little guidance but she did alright.” He beams at me making my cheeks flame once again.
“We’ll make a Vigneron out of you yet.” Pappi Gio states proudly, making me smile at him. He then looks to Enzo. “Well, boy, how long you planning to stay this time?” He says more seriously.
Enzo looks down at me for a second then looks back at the old man. “I was just visiting today, but I think miss Gabby here needs more direction if you plan to make her a grape-grower like yourself. So, I’ll stay for Spring break too.”
Pappi Gio laughs. “That’s what I like to hear. You don’t visit enough anymore, not with that college degree you’re after. You two come on in and have some dinner. We’ll talk about your stay over some good food.”
Later I discovered that Enzo was actually Pappi Gio’s grandson. We spent every day together during those two weeks he was there. We talked and had fun creating the wine the old fashion way. It was the best time of my life. And while he did stay the entire two weeks of Spring break he eventually had to go back to college in New York.
It was a sad goodbye. I had gone to the airport with Pappi Gio when Enzo knelt in front of me and said,
“Hey kid, don’t look so sad. We’ll see each other again. I plan to come back this summer to help Pappi Gio out with the farm, so put a smile back on that pretty face and give me a hug.”
Pappi Gio grunts at the use of that name. He didn’t mind me calling him that but once Enzo started it too, thinking it was hilarious, he wouldn’t stop making the old man irritated.
We said our goodbyes and we stayed until we watched the plane lift off and into the distance. Pappi Gio didn’t complain nor reprimanded me on the fact that I didn’t want to leave. He just rubbed my back standing there with me as Enzo became further and further away from us. The tears slowly slip down my face as we started to leave making the old man say,
“Hey now, none of that sweetheart. He promised to be back this summer. I know it’s a little way off, but the time will go by faster than you think.”
But Enzo didn’t come back that summer. In fact, he didn’t come back at all.