In A Little Italian Cafe
Written by CeCe
Every year my mother and two sisters go to Italy to visit family. Last October we got stuck for two days in Rome because the only plain to my families area was grounded. We figured since we weren't exactly going anywhere any time soon so we decided to take in the city. One of those aspcects is the fabled cu of Italian coffee from one of the best kept secrets in all of Rome, a little coffee bar on what translates to the corner of Canal and Vine.
We go into the dimly lit cafe and take a seat at a table, knowing full and well that the coffee would cost three times more than if we had sat at the bar. We ordered our coffee from the host. He was incredibly rude making fun of my American accented Italian. Then he made some remark about how the whole place was filled with "ze Amerrrinaaans". I didn't pay much attention to his remark at the time, but it would make a whole lot more sense in a minute. Then the coffee arrived and I became oblivious to the world around me lost in its frothy goodness.
So I was sitting with my mom and sisters in an almost empty little cafe enjoying my Italian coffee when for some unkown reason I look over shoulder towards the back of the room. A taller man with a medium build and messy platinum blonde hair catches my ey. I can't quite see his face the way he's turned. I was a bout to turn back around and go back to my coffee when he turns his face ever so slightly and I see that he is of all people James Marsters!!! I have been a MAJOR fan of his since I was in high school and seeing him there I begin to get very excited. It to stop yammering and close my jaw. I turn to my family and say,
"Ohmigod!! That's James Marsters!!" but instead of the matched enthusiasim I was hoping ti find I was met only by blank stares and a couple of "Who?"s.
"James MARSTERS!!" I sputter at them, As if my excitedly saying his name could make them recognize him. by this point I was hyperventalating and almsot ready to pass out cold. Again I was met by blank stares. So in a last ditch effort on my part I say,
"Spike?" That rang a few bells. I get a dropped jaw "oh HIM!" look from my twin sister as she relizes her terrible folly. From my older sister, (who secretly likes James but won't admit it,) I got an over dramatic eye roll. And my mother, always polite answered,
"Oh you mean that, er-hrm, interenting looking man from that show you used to watch when you were a girl." I was still watching Angel, religiosly, but I wasn't about to tell her that.
Anna, my twin, nudges me hard in the ribs and says,
"Well! Aren't you going to go talk to him?" Again another eye roll from the eldest. With that I get up out of my chair, trying to think of something intelligent to say to him, but my mouth is all dry and I can't keep my head clear. Anna is tagging along behind me.
I reach his table and freeze for a moment. He looks up and waits for a second. Then the dam broke. I started off in this ramble that, although I can't remember a word of it, completly slaughtered my entrance. Finally I stop ranting for a moment and he looks at me and says,
"Hun, you do speak English don't you?" Just then I realized that not had I launched into a painful ramble, but I had been doing it in my badly accented Italian! I started blushing and suddenly my shoes became very interenting. I muttered somekind of excuse/apology.
"What's your name Darlin'?" he asked me. I tied to answer but all that came out was "Uh Uh Uh" Just then Anna stepped forward to save the day.
"I'm Anna, and this ball of emarassly nervous energy is my sister CeCe." He grinned at that. And with that the spell was broked. I suddenly remembered how to formulate conversations.
"Sorry about that," I said, "I was just bowled over by your amazing fashion sense." Pointing to black tee shirt, ripped denim jacket and pants, and work boots. His outfirt was the guy version on exactly what I was wearing.
"Is that right?" he asked, smiling wryly. Retuning his smile I answered,
"Yeah. Well that and your taste in coffee."
From there things went great! We talked for almost an hour. He said he was there doing a movie and I gave him some pointers for the area, all of which he probably knew already. Then we had to go. James signed us each a coaster, took a photo with us, and gave us each a big hug. Then we said our goodbyes and off we went. Having jsut finished #3 on my list of things to do before I died.
