‘‘Yes, hello…wait–WHAT? Slow down; I don’t understand you.’’
“Listen, it’s me, sorry I am talking so fast–I am just so excited!” the young female voice on the phone was screaming.
“Remember that sweepstakes I signed up for last month?”
Oh please, not this she thought. Her sister was always signing up for stuff, and she hated it.
Her sister, Sue, was the type to play the lottery, to sign up for free giveaways. She was such a dreamer, and it drove her crazy.
“Listen Sue, I don’t have time for this, I didn’t get a good sleep last night. I am not up for one of your pie in the sky dreams today.”
She knew she sounded cold. The pain she felt in her heart after researching Molly’s perfect life still hung on her like a weighted choker.
“No, no, no,” her younger sister insisted. “This is REAL this time. You have to trust me. Just listen to me!”
She had adjusted herself so many times in her life for her family. It was a habit to do what they wanted and put her own needs aside.
Right now, all she wanted was to go back to sleep. She wanted to get off the phone and to forget about Molly and whatever her sister wanted from her at the moment.
But instead, she heard herself say…
“Ok Sue, what is it this time? What do you need? What is going on?”
“Oh this isn’t about me, well it was going to be about me, but I can’t make it, the trip is when the baby is due and….”
“Wait Sue, slow down you are not making any sense, what trip, what are you talking about?”
Sue was currently six months pregnant, and her baby was due in August, only a few months away.
“I WON, I finally WON, I know you said it would never happen but it did! I WON!”
“Won what, Sue? What are you talking about? Please explain it to me; I am tired.”
Becoming frustrated with her younger sister, she looked down at her ratty pajamas. This was not how she wanted to spend her Saturday morning. Although, she didn’t have any plans for the day and would most likely be spending the day alone.
“Ok I am sorry. I will explain everything. Last month I signed up to win a sweepstakes they were doing it at the Fry’s grocery store. All you needed to do was spend over $1,000 that month on groceries. You know how easy that is here in California, so I entered and…”
Sue’s voice was becoming more and more animated and high pitched.
“I won and I can’t go. I thought since it has always been your dream to go, that you should go, you should go! Oh my gosh, you are going to go! I am so excited for you!”
“Sue, Sue–STOP…go where? What the hell are you talking about?”
“To Italy silly, the trip is to Italy! To Tuscany, actually, it’s what you have always dreamed of, there is a little farmhouse and a vineyard and…”
She stood there frozen. Her great-grandparents had lived in Europe years ago. From the stories she had heard, one of their favorite places was Italy. Her grandmother used to tell her about it when she was little.
She would talk to her about the rolling hills. The way her great-grandmother loved focaccia in the morning with a very strong coffee. She even told her about the way of the Italians–how they laughed, how they loved…how they lived.
It had always spoken to her. She had always felt she belonged there, even though she had never been, it had always felt special to her.
Now this? A trip? To Tuscany?
“Sue, are you sure? I mean these sweepstakes things can be pretty tricky. Did you read the fine print? Are you sure you won? Are you sure this isn’t a chance to win?”
“No, listen to me–I just got off the phone with the guy over at the sweepstakes. There is only one thing you have to do when you get there.”
Oh great, here it comes, she thought…
“SUE, I am NOT going to some timeshare presentation in Italy. I am NOT going to spend my time being sold into some timeshare!
Sue laughed. It wouldn’t be the first time she had dragged her sister to a 3-day long sales presentation for a free night’s stay.
“Actually, it’s not that at all. It is a little strange, but I think it might be fun. Here, I will read it to you.”
She rolled her eyes bracing herself for Sue’s pitch.
“Your trip includes…
Roundtrip international flights to Rome (FCO)
3 nights in Umbria at Abbazia dei Collemedio, a centuries-old hilltop monastery converted into a 4-star hotel with enchanting views of the countryside
Book Signing Tour (see details below)
Daily breakfast and one 3-course dinner at the hotel
Luxury Transfer to authentic Tuscan Farmhouse
A wine tasting at a nearby vineyard
A cooking class to learn the cuisine of a region The New York Times praises for its commitment to Italian tradition and heirloom ingredients.”
“When you get there,” Sue continued, “it does say you need to go to a book signing. The sweepstakes company is doing a promotion with an author. They want the winner of the sweepstakes to have a photo with the author.”
“Really? Are you sure that is it? There is no other catch?”
“No. That’s it.” Sue said confidently.
“You do, of course, have to make arrangements with work and your time off, but everything else is covered. You will have your airfare, a beautiful farmhouse, and 5 days in Italy all to yourself.”
All by myself, she muttered under her breath too quiet for her sister to catch it.
“Sue, this is amazing, I do not know what to say. Can you email me all the details and let me know what I need to do?”
“Yes of course,” Sue responded happily. “I am just so excited you get to go, I will be having my baby right about the time you get there!”
She could not believe this was happening. She had always wanted to go to Italy and now she was going to Tuscany! Her mind started filling with thoughts of how to prepare and what to pack.
“Sue, thank you! I can not believe this, it’s incredible. Wow. Oh and real quick before you go, who’s book signing is it?”
“I never heard of her before, but apparently she is really big. Her name is Molly Stanley.”