Piazza degli Eroi

A Story by Bri

"Hero's Square" - A short story about love in Rome with a twist at the end.

At the point when Talia’s legs could no longer carry her fragile frame and her drenched clothing, she stopped and caught her breath. She meekly slid down the wall outside of a closed bar in la Piazza degli Eroi. There were no awnings to protect her, and so the cold rain continued to pierce her through her clothes as she sat on the slick, perilous cobblestones.

It had already been raining when Talia left Vincenzo’s house, but feelings of fury and heartache seemed to act as blinders to any concern other than leaving at that moment. He screamed. She cried. She ran out; barely remembering to grab her purse from the coffee table. The familiarity of the situation added a certain feeling of a stone plummeting to the deepest pits of her stomach. She clumsily ran past the gelateria, then the tabacchi, and the metro stop; all parts of her well-traveled route. Today she would not go back.

She gave in to the tears and longed for comfort, longed for him.

Hearing the mounting hum of a Vespa brave enough to venture through the rain, Talia looked up and squinted to confirm what she saw. Vincenzo came around the corner, looking around until he spotted the soaking heap of hopelessness that she had become. She watched him dismount, and in a whirlwind of relief he did not bother to shield himself from the rain. With a gallant gait, he all but sprinted to her side and brought himself down to her level, taking her in his arms - wordlessly, pressing her mascara stained cheek against his hastily buttoned shirt. Though tears continued to mix with the rain pouring down her face, Talia completely let herself go. She knew this would be the day he followed her! She laid her head down and let the rest of the world dissolve until all that was real was the feeling of his hand brushing the side of her arm.

Every few minutes someone would walk past and briefly concern themselves with the lonely girl who seemed to be sleeping in the empty piazza, but few could be bothered enough to spend any more time than was necessary in such a downpour. One young woman approached her and asked if she needed help, but Talia refused. She was completely content.