Page 188 of Marcello

“Five AM,” I promised.

“The taxi’s waiting for you at the bottom of the hill,” Esmeralda said. “Have fun.”

“I will – thanks!”

With my headscarf in place, I set off into the night –

And got my first taste of freedom ever.

58

Walking down the hill was amazing.

I’m sure you’re probably laughing at me right now – but remember, I’d never walked down a hill, ever.

All I’d ever known was the castle and its manicured gardens. No hills.

And the sounds of the night – the chirping of crickets, the muted sound of traffic in the distance –

It was intoxicating.

This is what freedom is like.

As I got further down, I could see the tiny backroad that ran along the base of our property. There weren’t any houses across the street – just a lot of fruit orchards. If I had to guess, my father probably owned them so nobody could build anything near our house.

I reached the bottom of the hill and saw a taxi waiting with its lights on.

My heart raced with both fear and excitement as I opened the door and got in the backseat. I knew where to sit because of all the movies I’d watched.

The driver was an unshaven guy in his 50s. He looked at me in the rearview mirror with a dead-eyed stare like he’d seen it all.

“Where you wanna go?” he asked in a heavy Neapolitan accent.

I had no idea.

I’d Googled lots of different things – dance clubs, mostly – but I couldn’t make up my mind.

There were too many choices! I wanted to do everything, and I had no idea which was the best!

I figured he probably knew a ton about Naples since he was a taxi driver, so I asked, “I only have one night. Where would you suggest I go?”

“Well… there’s a huge party at the Castel dell’Ovo tonight. Some rich asshole’s birthday.” He checked me out in the rearview mirror. “You might have a shot of getting into that.”

“Okay – take me there!”

As the taxi started down the hill, I took off the headscarf and used it to tie my hair into a ponytail. Then I pulled my sleeves back out and let down the hem of my dress.

After that, I watched the scenery roll by outside my window like the greatest movie I’d ever seen.

I was mesmerized by it all – the lights, the buildings, the Bay of Naples –

And finally, Castel dell’Ovo.

I had a telescope Papa bought me when he hired an astronomy tutor, but I spent more time using it to look at the various sights of Naples.

I was used to Castel dell’Ovo being a stone giant, grim and medieval.

Not tonight!