Frank Polizzi - Somewhere in the Stars

They got out of the Cinque Cento and meandered up to the villa , which had burnt siena stucco walls and a roof of weathered tiles that had lost most of their reddish-orange color. There were clay pots scattered around filled with geraniums that were beginning to bud.

“This is the place where Rachele has been living. What do you think, Nathan?”

“It’s very lovely, Padre .”

“Si, molto tranquilla! The Padre smiled. “I have some business to take care of with a local priest. I’ll pick you up later.” He gripped Nathan’s hand. “Buona fortuna!”

Nathan waved to the Padre as he drove away and realized he would be better off handling this by himself. He combed his hair, took a deep breath and lifted the brass knocker, hesitating a moment before letting it bang. Within a minute a chubby woman dressed in a white apron appeared and let Nathan in, urging him to sit on a wooden bench while she called the psychiatrist. He squeezed his fingers over his eyebrows until he was called in.

“Signor Nathan Fein, prego, sit down and make yourself comfortable.” The psychiatrist looked down at a thick folder and flipped to the back, reading a few lines to himself. “Mi scusi, I was just checking something. Rachele Stein is the lone survivor of her family, all of whom perished in Buchenwald. She still has unresolved guilt, a lingering shame. But we have made great progress with Rachele in the last two months. I have been successful before using my methods, mainly based on changing the environment of the patient into one that is totally tranquil, a bucolic garden if you will. I try to center on the individual, slowly moving Rachele out of the patient context, gaining her trust and more importantly, her confidence in herself. Am I moving too fast, Signor Fein?”

“No, go ahead. You can call me Nathan.”

“It has been difficult to retrieve the happy moments of her childhood because they invariably lead to her immediate past. But I did make some headway. The seeds of her breakthrough, I believe, may have started during her time in the convent. She adored the nuns, who not only saved her life but also treated her like their adopted daughter. It wasn’t long before your name came up. I could see in her face a warmth I had not noticed before. I thought to myself: I must try and find this young man. And so here you are. Grazie for listening patiently, Nathan.” The doctor gazed at Nathan as if he were looking right through him.

“Dr. Russo, to be honest, I’m very nervous.”

“There is nothing to fear, Nathan.” The doctor smiled thinly.

“You don’t understand. I am not worried about myself.” He paused to look out the window where he could see a row of peach trees blooming. “I’m afraid she’ll get worse if she sees me.”

“No doubt you must have loved her; otherwise you would not have traveled so far. Instead of thinking of the two of you as a failed relationship, consider the possibility of renewal.”

“Will I be able to reason with her?”

“Nathan, I am not a gypsy fortune-teller, but if you are successful in communicating with her from the beginning, in time we may liberate Rachele from her pain enough so that maybe she’ll get on with her life. The only advice I have is to be calma and pay attention to her facial expressions, especially her eyes. Don’t expect elegant words of recognition. Let me take you to her. Andiamo !”

Dr. Russo locked arms with Nathan and the two went out the side door to the garden, where the psychiatrist dropped him off by a curved stone bench that faced Rachele. She sat on a cushioned wicker chair facing a flowerbed of white and red azaleas. She gave a tight smile towards the doctor, flattening her black dress out over her knees, as Nathan eased his way onto his seat. There was an awkward moment of silence, broken by a warning call from a turtledove that landed on a fountain, trickling a tiny stream of water.

“Do you recognize me, Rachele?”

“Nathan?”

“So you remember me.”

“ Si . You have come far.”

“Yes, but I had company. Nick. Do you remember him?”

“ Si , the name sounds familiar but I’m not sure. Aspetta ! The good looking one!”

Nathan looked away for a moment, tapping his foot.

“Have you seen Caterina?” Rachele smiled and Nathan fidgeted on the stone. He grasped the side of the bench with both hands. “The two of them were an item.”

“Non capisco!”

“You know, a couple of lovebirds.”

She smiled in recognition but her eyes drifted towards the turtledove that was bathing in the fountain.

“Do you recognize me, Rachele?”

“ Si , you are that young, American soldier who visited me many times in the convent. A long time ago.”

“Nathan F…”

“I know your name. I’m not crazy.”

“I didn’t mean to insinuate such a thing. My buddy, Nick, sometimes he thinks I’m pazzo. ”

“You must be, if you traveled all the way from wherever you came just to see me.”

“San Francisco. The good old USA.”

“Where is your uniform?”

“Oh, I’m out of the service. Going to college now. Graphic arts.”

“Then why are you here? Shouldn’t you be spending all your time learning from the maestri ?”

“You’re right, but you see, I just came here on a lark. I mean a chance. I mean I wanted to see you one more time.”

“You have come a long way, so I do not want to be brutta figura. Capisci, a bad impression, but I am feeling tired.”

“ Bene ! I’ll go now. Padre Esposito will be wondering what happened to me.” Nathan stood up. “Will I be able to visit you again? I came a long way.”

“It is not like anyone wants to see me, except Dottor Russo. I am not in control here.”

‘You’ve more presence than you give yourself credit for.” Nathan smiled at her. “Ciao, Rachele.” He shook her hand, which was damp and limp.

“Addio, Signor Fein.”

Rachelle walked deeper into the garden, turned her head towards Nathan, then continued on. Dr. Russo, smoking a cigarette by the back door of the villa , invited Nathan back to his study and ushered him in.

“ Prego , Nathan.” Dr. Russo motioned towards the leather chair and took out a notebook. “So, how did you find our Rachele?”

“To be honest, Dottore, I found her very tense but that’s not going to stop me.”

“You obviously have feelings for the girl and it is important that Rachele knows this.” The doctor circled something in his notebook. “She needs a connection to someone other than myself or the nuns.”

“Does that mean you think we should continue with these meetings?”

“This country garden setting is very helpful for the recovery of my patients. They can sometimes drag up their darkest times and reach epiphanies for themselves. And yet, they need what all so-called sane people want—companionship, even if it is just one human being.” The doctor looked out the window and then turned to Nathan. “Umbria has a way of bewitching people to remain. The only Italian region untouched by the sea. Allora , you’ll have another reason to stay here.”

“As long as she agrees to it, I’ll do anything you say.” Nathan stood up. “It’s hard to explain my feelings, Dr. Russo, but I do know I love her. It’s funny…” Nathan shook his head. “But I can’t articulate exactly why I do love her, so why would it be easier for Rachele to sort this thing out? But she did remember me despite all the stuff she went through during the war. Anyway, you thought it was significant enough to get in touch with me, right? So here I am.”