Be Brave
As I stood bewildered literally in the middle of an Italian farmer’s field with the Mercedes rental car I had picked up less than an hour before stuck in the mud, I was asking myself, “Why did I want to spend a month alone in Italy?” Well, thankfully, I was not alone. I planned this as a solo trip, but told family and friends they were welcome to join me on any part of the trip. My cousin/friend/sister-cousin, Esther, spent the first ten days with me. We spent two nights in Florence, and then took the train to Perugia where we picked up the rental car at the train station.
As I sat down in the rental car, I was feeling quite pleased. We had made it, and I wasn’t disappointed to be driving a brand-new Mercedes either! My phone was not picking up service, so Esther put the address to the palazzo loft I would be staying for the month in her phone. We set off – me driving and Esther as my co-pilot. Everything was going great, as I whipped around roundabouts like a pro. (Look for a Mary’s Minute about roundabouts in the future.) We were very near the address when we kept losing service and Google Maps kept “recalculating.” What followed is somewhat of a blur, but I listened to Google, turning here and then there, and still not finding the location. Finally, we were directed to turn onto a country road. I knew we had to be close, so I thought maybe this was the driveway. It quickly became a dirt road, and a very heavy rain the night before made it a very muddy dirt road. We could feel our wheels spinning, and at some point – again, it is a blur – we were stuck. The car would not go forward or backwards. We were stuck on a dirt road between two fields, hay bales stacked not far away. I couldn’t call AAA to come pull me out! I was excited that I was able to call the Airbnb host on Whats App, but I couldn’t get the coordinates to send and couldn’t explain to her where we were.
Esther knew we needed to act quickly because every minute the car sat, it was sinking deeper into the mud. We both grew up in the country, so we were not totally ignorant to a solution. Admittedly, Esther, had the cooler head! We knew we needed traction and a push. We started by clearing the clay from the tires, using the only tools we had – our hands. Then Esther pushed as I drove. I have asked myself over and over, why Esther ended up pushing, and I don’t have a good answer. I sure know I am thankful because she pushed us out, and pushed us out two more times before we made it out of that farmer’s field. As we hit the blacktop road, mud flipping off the tires, Esther said, “You’re not getting your deposit back on this car.” In reality, except for being covered with mud, which Antonio the caretaker at our place, washed off, the car had no damage!
We met the Airbnb host in the little town of Castel del Piano to follow her “home.” I keep telling my kids who dabble in screenwriting that this is the perfect opening to a romantic comedy. Esther said it was the opening to a horror film! I am reminded of the Hayden Sixx quote, “Bravery and Stupidity are the same thing, the outcome determines your label." And since we made it out, I guess that makes us brave, and not stupid. 😉
It was a great opener to my month in Umbria, and an answer to my question, “Why did I want to go to Italy alone for a month?” Yes, I have always wanted to visit Italy. Yes, I love meeting people and enjoying other cultures. Yes, I love to explore. I think the main reason I decided on this trip – one that I didn’t even realize until the horror that besieged me in that field, was that I wanted to be brave.