Mildred had been complaining about the journey since the beginning.
She came out of the kitchen on a Wednesday evening with a stupid brochure about travelling to Italy and visit everything in a week and wanted to go no matter what. Jeremy always agreed, better than fight was silence, so he always said yes, no to hear talking any further.
He did not know she was so talkative when they got married, she seemed much quieter when they where dating. So now, every time she asked for something he said yes, so she would call her friends and chat with them about how wonderful her husband was to always say yes.
Italy seemed to be what everybody wanted, the fashion trip, the new fancy destination, if you didn’t go to Italy, you didn’t mean a thing. The whole journey was of 10 days, due to airplanes and transfers.
Milan, the cathedral. Too white, no colors, so why that. And why is food served in different plates, why not putting all together like normal people do. And wine. No ice cubes in it. Can’t understand why. Salad as side dish? Nonsense.
Mildred was scared of flying, so she didn’t say a word. Once on the ground she started talking with all her might. There was not a single thing that she liked, not a single one.
On the phone, she was the happiest American tourist ever, with him and the guide and the group, this was the most horrible experience a woman could live.
Jeremy didn’t say a word, he knew her, she would go sleepless through the night accusing him of not telling her how wrong she was to be willing to go to Italy, so it would have been his fault, in the end.
Florence. Too small. And the cathedral, too many colors. The surroundings, the hills, so many insects, so much wind, why all these olive trees when you can use butter, much healthier. Oh, and the meat, they don’t cook it, it’s raw, a living animal, how could people eat that thing. And no cappuccino with her steak, just wine, warm wine.
Rome. Chairs are too small in this Country, people are so skinny, how can it be, they live on pasta and mozzarella cheese.
Rome is broke, statues are broken, the Coliseum is not even finished, the Cathedral is a nonsense of different styles and the streets are so confusing. They all speak Italian in this Country and still no ice cubes on her red wine. How was she supposed to drink it. How.
Naples. Why did they put castles in town. Castles have to stay outside, on hills. Still nonsense. Coffee is way too strong for a normal person, so why not putting some ice cubes in it. And no parmesan on seafood pasta, no cheese cream, no rice as side dish, no pineapple pizza with fries, why everybody says Italy is a food paradise, this is pure hell.
No way to stop her. Night was the only time Jeremy had peace, peace on earth. He feared his return to his place, she would have gone for months. Same old story, amazing journey for her friends and neighbors, awful as can be with Jeremy. Months.
No divorce on the horizon for Jeremy. Too expensive. Too tiring. Too long to get.
Silence was all he needed. And it was the only thing she denied him.
Sicily. The ferry is awful and looks so old. Ice cream for breakfast is nonsense. These cities are so old in this Country, why don’t they build new ones, modern, practical, with elevators.
Etna. Sicily’s active Volcano. Mildred complained she could not see inside it. She wanted to see it from the inside. Her voice was hysterical. Seeing from the outside didn’t make sense. Also, why was it so hot up there.
It took just a quick, effortless push. And a kick. No one was looking, nobody wanted to be with them anymore, they kept a good distance. It was so effective.
While falling inside the crater, Mildred should have had an amazing view, Jeremy told to himself, a bit too fast maybe, but unforgettable.
It only took a wink to push her. She didn’t even scream, speechless, eventually.
