Florence for a day

4-7-2008

Today was the third day in Bibbiano with Camilla and the children. Today was a special day because we went to Florence. Camilla is from Florence and she wanted to take Pietro to the doctor because he has been really sick for weeks now. I have been sick right along with him, but my health is of little concern. Anyway … Camilla was quite fantastic today. She gave me a map of Florence this morning, marked my path and sent me on my way to explore. Sometimes she can be so wonderful and other times I think nothing could please her.

I want to take a brief detour from Florence to note Camilla’s behavior. I try really hard to make her happy. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I am doing here. Last week Camilla went to the cinema with her friends one night. When she came home Peter began to cry just as she entered the door. He probably heard her come in the house. I was exceptionally ill this evening. I could not breath. This cold has been awful, and I’m not just complaining. But that is beside the point. I saw Camilla go to get Peter, so I did not go to him. The next morning she asked me why I did not listen for Pietro. She asked me why I left Peter in his crib to cry. I politely informed her that this is absolutely NOT what happened and that he did not cry before she arrived home. There is no way I could not hear Peter cry. The apartment in Rome is tiny and I always hear him. This situation REALLY upset me. I think she looks for things to go wrong or for me to screw up. I would NEVER just leave Peter (or any baby) to cry, and it was wrong for her to assume that this is what happened.

Another thing happened on this particular night. When Camilla went out, I put a shirt in the washing machine. The washing machines here are VERY small. This particular washing machine is probably 1/3 the size of the new “energy star” machines at home. I wanted to wash this one shirt alone because it is very delicate and I didn’t want it to get damaged. When she confronted me on this particular morning about Pietro crying in his crib, she also informed me that I cannot wash just one shirt because it costs a lot of money to run the washing machine and the machine uses a lot of electricity. She’s right. I mean, I shouldn’t just wash one shirt alone and I normally would not do this. Normally, I would take the shirt to the dry cleaner. Who knows how much energy that takes? However, situations like this one are so annoying. These are the times when I want to tell her I QUIT, pack my bags and catch the next flight to Orlando. It’s difficult to have someone monitor what/when you eat, what/when you do laundry, when you sleep … My own mother does not do this. Camilla is very motherly and she thinks she is always right. She’s constantly telling me to put on a sweater or that I will need my jacket because it’s cold … CHE NOIA!!! I am a grown woman. I know how to put on my jacket when I am cold. Anyway, I try to make her happy. I want her to like me. The bottom line is that no matter what, she will always look down on me. I suppose that’s the nature of this particular job. I should have known.

Back to Florence … It was nice of Camilla to take me to Florence to sight see. Also, she explained everything that I should see in order according to location. I had been to Florence before, but I was like 19 and really didn’t see much. I was more worried about going out with my friends at the time. Today I saw EVERYTHING. I spent a lot of time at Uffizi and I absolutely LOVED Ponte Vecchio. This bridge is the coolest looking thing I have ever seen. Florence probably has a better collection of art than Rome, and the city is very clean, but Rome has more atmosphere, more history, more j’ ne se qua.

After a full day of sightseeing, I met Camilla at her mother’s home, which is in the center, very near to Piazza di San Croce. The mother’s home was small, but very charming, complete with a rooftop terrace and a spectacular view of the city. We ate dinner there and left shortly after. Camilla says it is like living in a museum to live in the center of Florence. It is difficult to drive your car and you have to have special permits to do just about anything.

On the way out of the house, Camilla turns to me and says, “I’m sorry it is a little late for you?” It was like 8 p.m. I don’t know where this remark came from, but I got the impression that she was unhappy with the way I was acting. I told her I had bought some new medicine from the pharmacy that made me feel a but drowsy. I actually DID by the medicine, but I felt just fine. She’s weird about medicine and proceeded to roll her eyes and give me a lecture about how I should not take too much medicine and to be sure not to mix the medicine. OH MY GOD!!!!! Sometimes I feel so awkward. I don’t know what she wants from me. When she wants me to do something, she needs to just ask because I don’t read minds. I try to be as helpful as possible. The car ride back to Bibbiano was silent. The babies slept and I got some weird vibe from Camilla. I try not to read too much into her moods. Who knows what’s on her mind? It’s all starting to be a little much for me to take. I wonder when/if I am going to crack.