An Unconventional Path

Chapter 5-
BLACK AUDI S8 4.OT

 
Molly looked out the window of the Alitalia A330 aircraft from her posh business class seat on her way to Tuscany. The boys and Mark decided to stay back for a few extra days to finish some school projects.

Her youngest was working on a wood carving project for his class, creating a replica of Jamestown in the 1600’s. He was loving it, and it didn’t make sense to rush him or to expect him to finish it on the road.

Molly usually appreciated the time alone and yet more and more she was beginning to despise it. When she was alone, she couldn’t escape the thought that she was supposed to be doing something else with her life. It didn’t make sense to her. All she had wanted as a young girl was to write books, to become a well-known author…

“Buongiorno Signora Stanley Vorresti di champagne?”

She followed the voice to her right to find a young Italian man offering her a glass of champagne. She wasn’t sure about why this trip was making her so nervous. She had not felt this kind resistance in years.

“Si, grazie,” Molly responded with a smile and cupping the gold-rimmed glass with her slender hand.

She looked down at her charcoal black Bottega Veneta tote. It was always with her when she traveled. Not only was it chic and gorgeous, it was practical for a woman who carried everything with her.

Years ago I would have never been able to afford this, she thought. Molly had always loved beautiful things and she loved even more that she could now afford them for herself. Her writing career had certainly provided an incredible life for herself and her family.

Yet Molly hated that she didn’t love her career as much as she used to. She had been wracking her brain for almost a year trying to figure out how to infuse more fun, joy, and aliveness in what she did for a living. She couldn’t help but feel there was more for her. She couldn’t help but feel that she was being called to something more…

Well, it was obvious she wasn’t going to figure it all out on this flight. The soft grey cashmere blanket the plane provided was the perfect size to wrap around her trim figure. She tucked herself in and put on her silk eye mask.

Molly was fast asleep before the plane had even taken off.

As the large metal aircraft soared through the air, she found herself finally relaxing into a deep sleep.

“Passengers, please take your seats, our aircraft will be landing shortly,” a voice with a strong Italian accent rose over the planes speaker system.

“Signora Stanley, may I help you raise your seat? We have arrived.”

Molly peaked out from a corner of her cream eye mask. The light was brighter than she had expected. She glanced up at a beautiful, Italian woman dressed in the red, green and white uniform of Alitalia Airlines.

“We are here already?” Molly asked, stretching out her legs onto the business bed that had been her home for the past 7 hours. The flight from New York was quick and easy, but she had never slept the whole flight before.

The stewardess helped Molly fold up her bed and brought her a light snack of sliced pears and gorgonzola cheese. She had missed dinner and agreed with the stewardess that it was a good idea for her to have a little something.

She sat there, slowly chewing the soft pear and tried to remember the dream she was having right before she awoke. So strange, what was that dream about? she thought.

Molly grabbed her journal out of her bag and began to jot down a few notes. It wasn’t uncommon for her to come up with book ideas based on her dreams. However, this felt different, the scene in her dream felt oddly familiar to her…

Large farmhouse

Huge wine cellar

Something hidden under the bottle of Barolo 1942

Embody

The Patrick’s

The figurine

Molly continued to take notes; she could see the images in her mind clearly. Even the old, withered, label on the bottle of Barolo. She had never even tried that type of red wine.

This is strange, she thought to herself, I must be needing this trip more than I thought. Perhaps I am meant to try a glass of Barolo this time around? She said to herself, trying to lighten the mood.

Yet, Molly couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was being revealed to her as she grabbed her bags and exited the plane. Was there something she was not seeing?

Her job as an author was always to be aware, to research, and to find stories in the ordinary.

As she exited the plane there was a man dressed in a sleek grey Italian suit. She couldn’t tell for sure, but from a distance it looked like a Brioni suit. This was one of her favorite looks on a man and she suddenly missed Mark very much.

The man took her luggage and escorted her to a black Audi S8 4.0T.

Wow, they are really pulling out all the stops for me, she thought.

And instead of feeling excited, Molly felt an overwhelming pressure to perform. A pressure that had become second nature.

Settling into the luxury car, she began to mentally prepare herself for the upcoming book signing. How can I keep this up? she wondered. She had just turned in her proposal and received a glowing response and… a deadline.

She wanted to be excited, but she felt a sinking in her stomach. When will this ever end? She asked herself inside as the man softly closed the door.

She tried to smile with a polite “Grazie Signore.”

“Prego Signora Stanley. Prego.”

Oh, it did feel good to be in Italy, she had always loved the language.

Molly breathed in a small sigh of relief as she relaxed into the soft headrest behind her.

Perhaps I am being too hard on myself, she thought.

I am so blessed, if I was supposed to be doing something else, I would know it.

Right then the phone rang in the front seat. She heard her chauffeur answer promptly.

“Pronto. Un cambiamento di piani? Subito Signore Pasquale.”

With her limited Italian Molly, thought she could make out something about the plans.

“Uhm Sir, excuse me, is everything ok?”

“Si, Si Signora Stanley, I have just been directed to take you to a different location.”

“A different location? Why? I don’t understand. What is wrong with the hotel that you booked me at originally? Is there a problem? Is it serious?”

Molly was only slightly concerned, even though she had slept the entire flight, she still felt surprisingly exhausted. Her energy levels were low and she didn’t much feel like worrying about where she was staying.

“Ok, as long as we are going to be close to the book signing, I don’t mind where I stay.”

The gentleman didn’t answer.

The car swiftly turned around and headed South on the Autostrada A1, out of sight.

Molly watched the Italian hillside begin to blend together. The sun was starting to set and she once again fell asleep in the back of the car.

When the car came to a slow Molly began to stir. She looked out the window and could not see much of anything. It felt as though the car was on a dirt or gravel road, but there were no lights anywhere.

“Scuzi, Signore where are we?” Molly inquired sleepily.

“Signora Stanley, there has been a change in plans. You will be staying here tonight.”

“I don’t understand. Am I still doing my book signing? Where exactly are we?”

“I have been assured that you will find everything you need inside, including a letter that will explain everything to you.”

“A letter? Wait a minute, where are you leaving me? Is this safe? I need to call my husband immediately!” Molly was now extremely concerned and she felt very vulnerable.

“Signora Stanley, I assure you that you are safe. You will be in very good hands. In fact, from what I have been told this is EXACTLY what you need.” The man said with a light in his eye that Molly had not noticed before.

“Wait, who are you? Are you with the publishing company? Who is in charge here? I don’t understand! I have a book signing this week! I don’t have time for this!” Molly was now visibly upset.

The man put his hands on her shoulders gently, “Listen to me, Signora, you are going to be ok. You are EXACTLY where you are supposed to be. Everything that has happened to you is perfect, you will see. Just follow the directions, breathe and LISTEN. It is time for you to embody your next level. Now, I am sure you are tired and much of this isn’t making sense, this is the time for you to trust.”

The man continued as he brought Molly to the door with her matching bags.

“Inside, as I have mentioned you will find everything you need. It has all been prepared for you.”

With that the man turned the old knob of the Italian farmhouse, and with a slow creak it opened.

Molly was expecting to see a dingy room full of antiques and dust, but inside it was bright, clean and open. The room was lit with multiple candles and a warmth escaped through the doorway.

There was an immediate sense of ease inside her, and not because her mind wanted it to be there. It was her heart that felt a sense of safety that she could not explain.

She entered the old estate and walked immediately to the kitchen table. It was all oddly familiar to her as she continued through the rustic, yet chic surroundings. Without thinking she took a seat at the table. She now recognized her hunger fueled by the fact that she had eaten nothing but a few pears and a slice of gorgonzola in the past 20 hours.

The table was a large Baroque style, made of deep walnut wood. She could not tell for sure but she guessed it was from the 18th century. The thick legs of the table gave an air of security that resonated deep inside her. She had no idea what was going on. She had no idea where she was or even why she was here. Yet a feeling of trust rose up inside her.

On the far right-hand side of the table she noticed a bread basket. What are the chances? she thought to herself as she pulled the basket closer to her side of the table. As the basket moved towards her a soft scent filled the air.

No, it can’t be, she said inside. But it was…

The fresh smell of rosemary focaccia. Her favorite!

Without over thinking she wrapped her arms around the basket in a gorgeous embrace to smell the divine scent of fresh bread and herbs. She delicately removed a piece and slowly allowed the morsel to fill her body.

She felt warm, at ease and now more curious.

“What is this?” She said out loud as if someone was there to answer.

Suddenly her attention fell to a small drawer right in front of her. It was thin and long, the same exact color of the walnut table.

Molly ran her hands along the dark wood, she felt intuitively there was something very special for her, right here and right now. Softly Molly approached the small handle underneath the table to open the drawer.

She could feel as soon as the drawer began to open that she had unlocked something meaningful. She had no idea it would change the trajectory of her entire life!