Reimagining of Roman Fever

            The two ladies had had a sumptuous lunch with their young and very pretty daughters. In the rush of the luncheon-hour, the head-waiter hadn’t paid them extra attention, but now the daughters had left and the ladies had moved to the parapet. With the aim of hinting that they should leave now that they weren’t spending any money, Antonio ambled near them. One of the ladies was knitting something red and slightly lumpy. The other lady, who had a stalwart nose, signaled to him. 

            With all the confidence and authority that came with wealth, she said, “Ah, sir. As old lovers of Rome, we would like to spend the end of the afternoon looking down on the view— that is, if it does not disturb the service?” 

Antonio took the rather stodgy tip and bowed. “Of course you are most welcome, and would be still more so if you would condescend to remain for dinner. It will be a full moon night…” The lady with the nose frowned slightly, and he retreated.

Antonio had duties to attend to, but he checked now and then if they were still there. From what he could tell, the ladies simply sat in silence for a long time. His boss had always said that his biggest flaw as head-waiter was being a busybody, but from Antonio’s standpoint, it was the only way to survive the long hours of a boring job. And his finely honed senses were tingling. 

The sun began to sink beneath the venerable hills of Rome, and the city glowed a soft orange. The picturesque lighting and arresting view made sunset Antonio’s favorite time of day. He regarded the ladies, one of whom now leant against the parapet. The tensions visibly began to rise, and the other lady with the bad knitting also stood, looking aghast. After a little more talking she dropped back to her chair, head drooped. 

Antonio rushed to do some busywork nearby so he could overhear. After a minute or so, he heard a shout, unchecked by any well-bred propriety. “Delphin there? They let you in?— Ah, now you’re lying!”

“But of course he was there. Naturally he came—” (this from the knitting one). Antonio, fully engrossed, listened and pieced together the clues of the ladies’s backstory. He knew the manner of wealthy foreigners. They amassed in Rome to romance, and quite often romanced the wrong people. Here, it seemed, was a prime example. 

The ladies gathered their expensive cloaks and scarfs. Antonio hurriedly turned so he wouldn’t be caught eavesdropping, but not before he heard the lady with the knitting say, “I had Barbara.” 

Ah. Complicated indeed. He glanced up and set his eyes on the two young pretty daughters, who looked windswept and just back from a grand adventure, standing at the top of the stairs. Evidently they had not known, given the shock written across their faces. 

It seemed a good time to disappear, and he did so quickly. All that, and they hadn’t condescended to remain for dinner…


Comments

  1. Miriam AApril 21, 2022 at 12:03 PM

    It was interesting to see “Roman Fever” from an outsider’s perspective since it was similar to how I felt reading the story about a heated conversation between the two main characters. It was also interesting to see the story reimagined with a large focus on a character besides Ms. Ansley or Ms. Slade, since they’re the only characters that do much in the original story. Great post!

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  2. Henry L. April 21, 2022 at 12:57 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. Henry L. April 21, 2022 at 12:59 PM

      Oop sorry, I accidentally published before I was done.

      But anyways, nice, I really like this. I like the implication that Antonio hears stories like this all the time, of tourists who "romanced the wrong people." And your reimagining is creative and well thought-out. I especially enjoyed your added details, such as the lumpy knitting and the sunset over Rome. Well done!

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  3. SallyApril 21, 2022 at 1:11 PM

    I love how Antonio's point of view simplifies the whole situation between Ms. Ansley and Ms. Slade even though we as readers had just fully grasped the complexities of their situation earlier. The friendly reminder from this perspective just shows how everyone has a life bigger than one's own, a detail that people so often forget. Additionally, his brief descriptions of the ladies, "the one with the nose" and "from the knitting one", make this imagination flow so well.

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  4. Noel ChiApril 25, 2022 at 1:21 PM

    Antonio's perspective was a really unique one to choose! I love how you wrote this--your prose is very fluid and fits in well with Roman Fever's original tone and style. I also like that Antonio catches Barbara and Jenny (?) eavesdropping on their mothers at the end; it raises questions about where the narrative will continue from here, now that their daughters are in on the drama.

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  5. Zoya A.May 9, 2022 at 1:47 PM

    Great post! I like how you wrote about Antonio's view, because I had not thought about what his perspective on this would be. This is super creative and I love how let your creative intuition flow, because it really payed off.

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  6. Florence LinMay 24, 2022 at 6:34 PM

    I really liked this perspective, it's one I would have never thought of! I like the way you wrote this and the vocabulary you used. It felt very authentic to read, and I like how you added in details and didn't solely focus on the main story with the two women. I thought Antonio's frustration at them not spending money and his curiosity and being nosy was really fun to read.

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