(The Story of the Florence Pendant)
While strolling through the crowded, narrow streets of the leather market in Firenze, my travel companions & I were on the lookout for a gift for a new friend, Diana. Since we had only arrived in Italy the day before, we knew our search may need to continue through Roma and possibly on throughout our journey to Campobasso, as not just any gift would do.
Diana had come up with a wonderful idea. Since we both travel so much, each time we travel we’ll pick up a little gift for each other. The parameters were it could be nice or cheesy, but couldn’t cost over $20.
Exhausted and nearing the end of our street market shopping excursion, Nelson was walking several booth lengths in front of us basking in the joy of his finds….a wonderfully soft leather jacket and a wonderful suede shirt. Treasures for which he had been searching the US for several years. Canan and Pietro were glancing at the jewelry booths. And I was simply walking down the middle of the street, glancing from side to side, looking for something to catch my eye. And something did.
About six booth lengths ahead was an INCREDIBLY hamina Italian man walking towards me. We caught each other's eyes at the exact same time and began the “italian check out thing." He looked at me and smiled (asking if he may approach). I returned the look and smiled (answering that he may). Neither of us lost eye contact. Neither of us blinked. As he was coming towards me in the crowd, it was taking what seemed like forever for us to get within speaking distance.
Just as my hamina Italiano was a distance of four people from me, out of nowhere someone grabbed my arm and I was whisked off the street! Canan had found a piece of jewelry which could be the highly sought after Diana-gift. In the whirl that was my vision whilst being pulled into the booth, I saw my Italiano stop, start, and stop again...caught as off-guard as I was. As I glanced at the piece of jewelry Canan & Pietro were pointing to, a pendant caught our attention and we all pointed to it saying "now THAT's Diana!" A beautiful pendant of a brown, tortoise shell-looking stone, a silver band along the edge, and shaped like an upside-down teardrop. I quickly turned my attention back to my hamina friend and ran into the street. He was a few booths past, turning around, looking for me. Our eyes met. He stopped. We held each other's gaze. "Signorina, you like?" The jewelry man physically turned me around and began haggling over the price of the pendant. I turned my head, looking over my shoulder and, alas, my hamina Italiano from Firenze was gone from my life forever…
Ahhhh, the things we sacrifice for our girlfriends. :)
~ May 16, 2002
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