Ok, we go into this bar which barely looks open. The bartender says they're open for as long as we want, so we sit down for a glass of wine. It's 3 euro a glass. I put down a fiver for mine. He takes it and says that'll cover our first round, since it's our first night here.
Kim asks for another glass, I say Basta (that's enough). He gives me a little more, and her a full glass. A little while later, both of our glasses are filled again, and we've become friends with everyone in the (mostly empty) bar. So now our new bartender friend Nani (short for Fernando) is trying to make us shots, while Monica offers us cigarettes and Georgio saunters behind the bar as if he works there. It was like Cheers! We met around 9, and before we know it, it's midnight! Since it's basically halfway between our two places, I'm guessing we might become regulars, even if just for coffee or snacks. Heck, we already get free drinks there!
We didn't drink much - Kim explained to them that she's the devil and I'm the angel of our duo (hah!), so we're both sober on our respective ways home. And though we enjoyed Napoli, Genova feels much safer to me.
As I walked back to my new apartment, there were very few people on the street. Apparently they party on Wednesdays and weekends, like college back home. Every so often on the quiet walk home tonight, I crossed paths with someone. At first I'd tense up, preparing for any situation, but each time it was a group of jocks, or some nice person walking their dog. I rounded the corner on Via Sturla near a gas station, and it was eerily quiet. Suddenly I heard dragging. An old man was putting plastic chairs away from the outside section of his restaurant. He was singing loudly, a comforting, romantic-sounding tune. He was short, stocky, and bald with white hair on the sides and a round figure. When I was directly across the street from him, I turned, smiled, and said, "Buona sera!" He gave me a big smile back with, "Ciao!"
I like it here.
