DAWSON’S TRAVELS
Chapter Seven
April 15, 1910
Dearest Leah,
I know it’s been a while since
my last letter, but I’ve been a bit busy. You may want to know that I’m now in
Rome. Leah, this place is an artist’s dream. All the ruins…especially the
coliseum. I don’t know how many pictures I’ve drawn. Someday, I’ll show them to
you. I promise. Well, anyway, I have a new traveling companion. His name is
Fabrizio di Rossi, and he wants to come to America and become a millionaire.
It’s his destiny, he says. He is, of course, my best friend. He’s like me, a
wanderer and free-spirited, even though he does have a few worries. But we love
poker, and we often win just enough for food or room and board. When that
fails, we find shelter in abandoned buildings. People treat us pretty rotten,
but sometimes there’s a few good ones.
No, I haven’t made it as a
famous artist just yet. But I will. Just give it time. You’ll soon be reading
about me in the society papers. Speaking of famous artists, believe it or not,
I’ve met Monet…well, kind of. I was peeking through a fence and saw him sitting
in his garden, sketching. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I almost yelled out hello
to him, but Fabrizio stopped me. He was worried we’d get in trouble.
Well, that’s all for now. I’ll
write again. Keep smiling, Leah.
Jack
Dear Leah,
Fabrizio is in love. Can you
believe it? The lucky girl is the daughter of a baron here in Greece. I tried
to tell Fabrizio to forget it. That the girl’s family would never allow her to
see him, but he doesn’t listen. He’s out right now meeting her secretly. I
can’t help but worry about him, but far be it from me to tell him what to do.
But if her father does find out about them, it will be big trouble. He hates
Italians, and he’ll hate Fabrizio even more for being poor and daring to court
his daughter. They’re a real Romeo and Juliet.
I have to admit…I do envy
Fabri. He’s found someone to love, and I’m still all alone. I wonder if I’ll
ever meet someone special. Will I know her when I see her? Or will it just
sneak up on me? Hopefully, it’ll be nothing like Fabrizio and his lady.
Well, there’s a knock at the
door. I’ll stop writing now.
Jack
Dear Leah,
Remember my last letter, about
Fabrizio and his lady and the knock at the door? Well, it was Fabrizio, and he
was beaten up pretty bad. Her kin found out about them and showed up just when
Fabrizio was about to leave. They didn’t break anything, thank God, because we
have no money. They gave him a split lip, a bloody nose, two black eyes, and
his face was swollen terribly. He got away, and they gave chase.
I was out the other day and
heard them questioning people about his whereabouts. They questioned me, and of
course I said I hadn’t seen him. So I’m taking Fabrizio and we’re leaving
Greece immediately. He’s definitely not going to see that girl again. It’s too
dangerous. Well, I’ll let you go. I have a lot of packing to do. I’ll write
again when I can.
Jack