Hello, all! I fell behind a bit this week, so I thought I'd share a little something from my upcoming release, Ask Me if I'm Happy, this week. So, please allow me to present to you:
13 Snippets from
Ask Me if I'm Happy!
The best pic of said smirk I've ever seen. LOL!
1) What nerve he has—and where do Italians learn that smirk, anyway? Is it genetic or something? If I never see that look again, it’ll be too soon.
2) “Amazing… I mean, what are the odds of reading an article and having the author sitting right across from you on the train like some average Joe? Or, in this case, like some average Giuseppe?”
3) He shrugged modestly, a faint pinkness shading his cheeks. “We all read the magazines in the doctor’s office, whether we have an interest in fashion and gossip or not.”
4) “Most of what you see in here isn’t mine. These treasures belonged to my predecessor.”
“Oh, what happened to him?”
“He died.”
Oops.
“Oh, what happened to him?”
“He died.”
Oops.
5) “It means that I, well… I teach English at a language school in Padova. It’s nothing special, not a very big school. Just me and a few other English teachers, a Chinese teacher, a German teacher, a couple of Spanish and Portuguese teachers… I’m rambling, aren’t I?”
“Sì,” he grinned, “but it’s quite charming.”
“Sì,” he grinned, “but it’s quite charming.”
6) Pragmatism forced away the thought, yet it returned when his eyes met hers straight-on. The draw of his eyes was almost tactile. She straightened her shoulders until she felt the back of the chair, hard and unyielding against her spine.
7) …When they stepped apart, his hand slipped down to caress her cheek, to encourage her to smile. “Emilia, dai—fammi un sorriso.”
There was no reason to resist, yet she felt the tugging at the corners of her mouth as though it was happening to someone else, somewhere else. The piazza, so bustling and noisy moments ago, seemed to have gone silent, or might have been drowned out by the rhythm of her heartbeat as Davide moved closer to her again.
There was no reason to resist, yet she felt the tugging at the corners of her mouth as though it was happening to someone else, somewhere else. The piazza, so bustling and noisy moments ago, seemed to have gone silent, or might have been drowned out by the rhythm of her heartbeat as Davide moved closer to her again.
I'd have dinner with him...
8) A question lurked between them. It fidgeted behind her eyes, waiting to be spoken aloud. He wasn’t certain whether he dared invite it, no matter how much he hoped it was the same question he wanted to ask.
The waiter arrived to take their orders and Davide was grateful for the chance to focus on something else for a few moments. Still, his eyes were drawn back to hers. Each time he found it harder to breathe, harder to focus on the world around them. Each time, he realized all he wanted was to be able to look into those eyes uninterrupted for an hour, or perhaps for a lifetime.
The waiter arrived to take their orders and Davide was grateful for the chance to focus on something else for a few moments. Still, his eyes were drawn back to hers. Each time he found it harder to breathe, harder to focus on the world around them. Each time, he realized all he wanted was to be able to look into those eyes uninterrupted for an hour, or perhaps for a lifetime.
9) In an instant, he saw it all: the two of them in the elevator, his hand stroking her cheek, then reaching and tugging at the elastic that bound back her hair away from her face. He could feel the silken smoothness of her hair beneath his fingertips as the elastic slid down the length of her ponytail at his urging, until it all fell free and loose against his palm.
He imagined twining his fingers in her hair, then, holding her in place and tilting her head back, her mouth opening to receive his, willing, wanting…
“Davide?”
“Sì, sì…” He shook his head to clear away the images, although he would have liked to see the vision through to the end.
He imagined twining his fingers in her hair, then, holding her in place and tilting her head back, her mouth opening to receive his, willing, wanting…
“Davide?”
“Sì, sì…” He shook his head to clear away the images, although he would have liked to see the vision through to the end.
10) “Cazzo!” he snarled, standing up just as Emily emerged from the bathroom, already dressed in faded jeans and a misshapen cable sweater that had once been a pale gray.
“Are you all right?”
“Oh, sì, sì; I just, how do you say… ‘stumped’ my toe on the carpet.”
“‘Stubbed’ your toe,” she corrected with a small laugh. “You ‘stubbed’ your toe on the carpet.”
He offered her an embarrassed smile in reply. “Right.”
“Are you all right?”
“Oh, sì, sì; I just, how do you say… ‘stumped’ my toe on the carpet.”
“‘Stubbed’ your toe,” she corrected with a small laugh. “You ‘stubbed’ your toe on the carpet.”
He offered her an embarrassed smile in reply. “Right.”
11) “Okay. Great. I’ll see you then.” Paul stood, pushed his chair back under the table and picked up the tray which had held her drink. “I’d better get back to work.”
Smiling at him, Emily watched him go, turning her eyes back to her computer screen when she realized she was paying more attention to his retreating khakis than was appropriate. A belated blush finally rose in her cheeks and she gulped down some of her cooled-down drink before logging in to her e-mail.
Smiling at him, Emily watched him go, turning her eyes back to her computer screen when she realized she was paying more attention to his retreating khakis than was appropriate. A belated blush finally rose in her cheeks and she gulped down some of her cooled-down drink before logging in to her e-mail.
12) “And then,” she continued, “there’s the fact that once I’m here, I’m thrilled to be here again. Almost every time I’ve come back, I’ve had another little ‘honeymoon’ period, you know? Where everything I see just seems so beautiful, I can’t believe I wanted to leave it in the first place.
“I fall in love with this place every time I step out of the airport. Even the people who drive me crazy make me want to grab them and give them a hug. Well, except for the guy peeing under the overpass.”
“Who is that?” Davide laughed harder than ever and Emily did the same.
“Seriously, you haven’t noticed? There’s always a man peeing under the overpass—especially when you leave the airport.”
“Oddio, Emilia. This is too much.”
“It’s true, Davide! Watch the next time you go to the airport—I’m telling you, you’ll see him! It might even be same guy.”
“So you think there’s a serial overpass pisser? Really?”
“Well, okay. I’m not sure it’s him every time. I don’t look that closely, to be honest.”
“I fall in love with this place every time I step out of the airport. Even the people who drive me crazy make me want to grab them and give them a hug. Well, except for the guy peeing under the overpass.”
“Who is that?” Davide laughed harder than ever and Emily did the same.
“Seriously, you haven’t noticed? There’s always a man peeing under the overpass—especially when you leave the airport.”
“Oddio, Emilia. This is too much.”
“It’s true, Davide! Watch the next time you go to the airport—I’m telling you, you’ll see him! It might even be same guy.”
“So you think there’s a serial overpass pisser? Really?”
“Well, okay. I’m not sure it’s him every time. I don’t look that closely, to be honest.”
Corrado Guzzanti will always be Miki, to me.
13) “That’s the one?” Michele tilted his head toward the door and Davide nodded. “Wow,” he said, pursing his lips in appraisal. “Che bel tocco di –”
“She speaks Italian, Miki,” Davide interrupted, knowing where the next words were likely to lead.
“–ragazza,” his friend finished. “What a sweet girl she seems to be—that’s what I meant to say.”
“She’s a woman, Miki. Not a girl.”
“And an attractive woman, at that.”
“You thought she wouldn’t be?”
“A volte si fanno trottare anche gli asini,” Michele said, making a gesture as though pulling back on reins.
At times, even donkeys can trot. Davide sighed. There goes Miki with his charming sayings again.
“She speaks Italian, Miki,” Davide interrupted, knowing where the next words were likely to lead.
“–ragazza,” his friend finished. “What a sweet girl she seems to be—that’s what I meant to say.”
“She’s a woman, Miki. Not a girl.”
“And an attractive woman, at that.”
“You thought she wouldn’t be?”
“A volte si fanno trottare anche gli asini,” Michele said, making a gesture as though pulling back on reins.
At times, even donkeys can trot. Davide sighed. There goes Miki with his charming sayings again.
There - and I hope these bits and pieces have intrigued you enough to convince you to have a look at Ask Me if I'm Happy when it comes out this November.
Or, at the very least, I hope you enjoyed seeing a few of the pretty pictures which provided inspiration for some of the characters.
And speaking of pretty pictures...
I reckon this qualifies.
Ciao for now!
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