"Il Vero Prezzo"
On the morning that Fiorenza
was to return to Nocciolaia,
Giacinto gave her a farewell kiss,
which turned into several kisses,
which gave way to clinging and cuddling,
until at last they sprang apart, panting.
"We had better stop," Giacinto said,
"before it is altogether too late to stop."
"I don't want to stop," Fiorenza grumbled
as they sat down on the porch.
"Neither do I," Giacinto said. "A few hours or
even days here and there is never enough.
I want a lifetime with you."
Now that was a species of proposal
if ever Fiorenza had heard one.
"I want that too," she said.
"I wish that we could."
Giacinto sighed. "But I have my village,
and you have yours," he said sadly.
"We cannot simply run off like
wild young lovers in a story."
"Well, perhaps we can think of a solution,"
said Fiorenza. "What if we could find
a replacement to serve as wisewoman
in your village, or in mine?"
"That might work," said Giacinto.
"Abelie has shown some interest
in my work," said Fiorenza.
"But then which of us would stay home,
and which would have to move?" Giacinto said.
"That's a dilemma," Fiorenza agreed.
"What if," Giacinto said slowly,
"we both left our villages?"
"How could that work?" Fiorenza said.
"Think about how many times you
have been summoned to Faggiola,
or Fermo, or some other place
to solve a problem," Giacinto said.
"The same has happened to me.
If we took up a wagon, as the Zigani do,
then we could travel around the countryside
doing whatever needed to be done, and
visit our home villages each in turn."
"Abelie has a sister, Margherita,"
said Fiorenza. "I do not know if they
would like to become wisewomen,
but perhaps they would. I can ask.
Even if they agree, though, they are still
just little girls -- it would take several years
for them to grow up enough to serve."
"It is worth pursuing," said Giacinto,
"if you truly wish to spend a life together."
Fiorenza kissed him again. "Of course I do."
"Whatever did I do to deserve you?" he murmured.
"Amore è il vero prezzo con che si compra amore,"
she said. Love is the true price with which love is bought.
* * *
Notes:
"Amore è il vero prezzo con che si compra amore."
Love is the true price with which love is bought.
-- Italian Love Quotes and Phrases
A two-body problem occurs when both halves of a relationship have a professional career, making it difficult to situate both in the same place.
Making a long-distance relationship work will take determination. At some point you need to make a commitment, and there are things you should know before getting engaged. Fiorenza and Giacinto have taken their time getting to know each other, and they have discovered the barriers to living together. Now they're ready to work on solutions.