Angelica's Discoveries: Romance and Journey to the New World

PART ONE

Grandfather’s Jewel

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD ANGELICA WAS lying in bed with fever. She was watching the large snowflakes falling and did not realize that her father was standing next to her bed.

Are you sleeping or daydreaming? he asked.

No. I was just watching the snow falling. I am tired of being stuck in bed for so many days. Dad, please tell me a story.

Dad pulled a chair next to her bed. What kind of story would you like me to tell you?

For the past few days he had told her stories about deer running through the woods, ducks swimming down the river, and dogs playing in the snow.

I really don’t know what kind of story I should make up today, he continued.

How about some stories about when you were a boy? Angelica asked.

In fact, Dad never liked to speak about his youth unless it was connected with some fun he’d had with his friends at school. He seldom mentioned his parents. Dad’s father had been killed in an accident while climbing a mountain when Dad was a small boy.

Tell me something about your mom and dad, Angelica insisted.

Dad, still pondering, didn’t seem to be finding the right story.

Dad, please tell me the nice story with the jewel. So Dad started the romantic story of how his parents met many years ago.

"Grandfather Robert was a handsome, slim young man who caught the eye of all young ladies when he walked down the street. Robert was well built and taller than most of the young men in the village. He had vivid brown eyes, his hair was black, he had a tanned skin, and his moustache gave him a noble bearing. He was working hard with a well-known architect and was eager to build up his career. In his time off, he loved playing the guitar and singing with friends.

"One night, he attended a party in formal attire, as was customary at the turn of the century. The party was at the house of his friend Anthony Maine. He put on his coat, a tie, and, of course, his golden tie clip. After work, he never went out without wearing his tie clip. It was obvious that this golden bar with a little hand holding a diamond held a special meaning for him.

"After some formal conversations, the party turned out to be quite lively, including singing and dancing. Robert was flattered when he was asked to play his guitar and sing the local folk songs. The party lasted until midnight.

"When Robert returned home, he realized that his precious tie clip was missing. Probably he had lost it while dancing.

"He was terribly upset and didn’t sleep at all that night. First thing next morning, he returned to the Maines’ home and told Anthony’s mother of his loss. Nervously, he explained that this golden jewel had a very special meaning in his life and to his destiny. His greatest hope was that someone would find it.

"‘Of course.’ Mrs. Maine saw Robert’s pain and answered. ‘Today we will sweep the floor, and most certainly we will find it.’

"Out of an unexplainable impulse, Robert said, ‘If a nice young lady finds it, send her over to my house. I will marry her; she is my destined wife-to-be!’

"Surprised, Mrs. Maine realized how important that golden tie clip was to Robert. She knew that all the young ladies in the village admired Robert. Mrs. Maine asked some of the young ladies who had attended the party to come and help sweep the floor and clean up the mess from the party. However, she did not mention a single word about the loss of Robert’s tie clip. She was curious to see which young lady’s destiny it was to find it.

"Alice, the daughter of the local carpenter, was a beautiful girl and rather shy. Sweeping the floor, she found the missing tie clip in a remote corner. She brought it to Mrs. Maine.

"‘Look, Mrs. Maine, I found this while sweeping the floor. Do you have any idea to whom it belongs?’ Alice asked.

"Her son, Anthony, answered, ‘It’s Robert’s.’

"It was a golden bar with a little hand holding a diamond, a fine piece of jewelry, especially for those days. Mrs. Maine couldn’t help but wonder how Robert ever got it.

"‘Alice, you better rush over to Robert’s house and bring him his tie clip,’ she said.

"‘No! No! Mrs. Maine! I can’t go over there. I am too shy. Anthony, please, you bring it to him,’ Alice answered.

"However, Mrs. Maine insisted. ‘Since it was you who found Robert’s precious jewel, you have to return it to Robert.’

"Finally, Alice gathered all the courage she could muster and brought the clip over to Robert’s house.

"About one year later, Robert and Alice got married.

Robert had the local goldsmith change his tie clip into a charm that Alice wore around her neck every single day until she died thirty-nine years later.

After Dad finished the touching story about how his parents met, Angelica asked him, What could have been the reason that this tie clip was so important to your father?

I have no idea, Dad replied. There was certainly some secret to it.

Intrigued yet skeptical, Angelica asked, Is the story true?

Yes, yes, Dad answered. When I was a boy, this story was told by many people in the village, including Anthony’s parents. However, as a young widow, my mother never wanted to speak about it. I was unable to discover what the secret actually was.

Angelica always hoped, each time Dad told her this story, that he might add something new to it. Maybe add a piece of information leading to the story’s great secret, a missing piece of the puzzle. But Dad’s story never changed.

That night, Angelica promised herself that someday she would try to find that missing piece of family history.

*

During the time she was sick, her father also told her stories from Greek mythology and about how the gods and goddesses lived on beautiful islands surrounded by the dark blue sea and dolphins playing by the shore.

I can almost see the dolphins play, just like in a movie.

Good, Angelica. I love to tell you stories that are like paintings—colorful, so that you can visualize them, Dad answered.

Dad, have you ever been on a Greek island?

Yes.

I would love to visit a Greek island and see dolphins in the blue sea.

Dad answered, Just keep your desire in mind—maybe someday you might be able to travel there.

*

As an architect, Angelica’s father had clients throughout Europe. He was constantly traveling and working in big cities. His dream was to build his own home on the piece of land he owned near the woods. The plot had a breathtaking view overlooking the Engadine valley and the joining of two rivers, surrounded by snow-covered mountain peaks. It was a beautiful location near St. Moritz, where English tourists started winter sports in 1864.

Dad had to postpone his dream because of World War II. He had to spend almost four years as an officer in the Swiss army, stationed high up in the mountains along the Swiss/Italian border. The army defended the country from Italian invaders and caught smugglers who tried to sneak up the small mountain trail to bring merchandise across the border. It was a boring task watching for smugglers and keeping the morale of his soldiers high, especially during the long, cold winter evenings when snowstorms raged near their small military cabin. Dad kept his soldiers busy and in a good mood by singing, playing cards, and drawing funny sketches. In quiet moments, he designed details for the house he was determined to build as soon as the war was over.

During wartime, Angelica’s mother made a living by running a home for pregnant Italian refugees in an empty tourist lodge. She and other women in the village stayed busy collecting clothing and food and organizing the refugees’ immediate needs. A nurse and the village midwife tried to smooth the hard destinies of these desperate women who had crossed the border at night, hoping to find a place to rest and recover after giving birth to their babies.

Everyone in the village shared; the farmers added milk, cheese, vegetables, and bread. Angelica helped out by distributing the soup they cooked in a huge pot over the open fire in a farmer’s kitchen. During wartime, the kitchen was the only warm spot in the house, heated by the wood-fire stove that also served for cooking. Food was scarce. Only small children got extra rations for milk and bread. In this dire situation, the atmosphere in the village was upbeat, and everyone helped one other.

After the war was over, the village returned to normal life. Angelica’s father had no work right away, so he started to build his new home with the help of some of his army friends. They finished the house within months, and Angelica’s parents proudly moved into their dream house on the hill near the woods.

*

In winter, Angelica’s walk to school was exhausting, as their house was far from the village. Often, she had to plow the way with her skis through very deep snow for more than half an hour before reaching the school.

At noon, all children went home for lunch. On those hard winter days, Angelica had to leave school immediately to make it back in time for the afternoon sessions. Sometimes she arrived home exhausted and was hardly able to eat her hot meal, an important necessity on such cold days. In the Alps, winter is very cold and the days are short.

After the school day was over, she had to grab her skis and hurry uphill to reach home before the night came in. Sometimes she met four deer on her way home. Little Angelica talked to the deer and even gave them names. The animals knew her and would give her a quick look and then continue to graze under a tree where the snow had not yet accumulated.

One evening, she did not meet the usual four deer gazing under the tree. However, a few minutes later she got scared by a strange noise. Suddenly she found herself confronted by an angry fox staring into her eyes. For a while, hypnotized, neither of the two moved. Only after Angelica raised one of her ski poles did the fox escape in the dark. It was no wonder Angelica preferred summer.

Angelica was used to long cold winters with lots of snow and cool summers. For the contrast, she dreamed of hot summer days. The few glacier lakes in the valley were not warm enough for swimming. Angelica had not even seen a rowboat on those lakes. Nor had she ever been near the sea. Still, as a child she was often haunted by nightmares of drowning in deep waters. Oddly enough, she never had the common nightmares most children have of lions or tigers chasing her.

She cringed when someone even mentioned ships or the sea. On such occasions, she would cover her ears with her hands. Just hearing the word steamer or sea made her shiver. Years later, she wondered if this reaction might be the result of a trauma from a past-life experience.

When Angelica was thirteen, she accompanied her parents on a summer vacation to Italy. As they approached the Mediterranean coast, Angelica was terrified while the others were excited. Instead of looking at the sea, she focused on the palm trees on the other side of the road. When her father took her for a walk along the seashore, she was terribly frightened and held on tight to Dad’s hand. Later, he could still see the imprint of her fingernails on the palm of his hand.

Angelica had a love-hate relationship with the sea. Though she hated the thought of this endless water, she also found it compelling. She reflected on the Greek sagas her father had told her concerning the islands. In the Mediterranean Sea of Italy, however, there were no islands to see—just an endless horizon