Chapter 5

Now staring into the eyes of the young woman before her, Angelica remained standing with her hand out waiting for the response. She hoped that her request would garner the desired response. Lyndsay hesitated before accepting the out stretched hand. As she stood from the bench she wondered where Angelica wanted to take her.

Angelica let out a sigh of relief that she had received the confirmation that Lyndsay would allow her to lead the way. The attraction she felt for this woman seemed to get stronger each time they were together. It was one unlike anything she had ever felt for another person before.

This was a woman who she very much wanted to get to know better, but knew the logistics of their situation might make that next to impossible. Lyndsay had just admitted to being attracted to her as well, now how could she relay to her what she was in turn feeling as well without scaring her off………

Proceeding to the nearest Metro station, Angelica purchased their tickets and led Lyndsay to the train. Still, she did not identify their destination, and when her companion had inquired where they were headed, she simply responded that it was a surprise, and that Lyndsay would see when they arrived.

Their destination was the Roseto Comunale located in the heart of the city. Once a Jewish Cemetery, it now was the site of one of the most amazing rose gardens with more than 1200 varieties to see. Botanical, or “ancient” roses and “modern” or newer varieties were available in abundance to view.

Approaching the entrance, Lyndsay was stunned by the sight before her. Roses were one of her favorite flowers, and she found the gardens laid out before her to contain some of the most exquisite flowers she had ever observed. Looking over to Angelica, who had obviously been here before, she asked “How did you know about this place?”

“I’ve been coming here for years. My first visit was with my Mom’s when I was about 10 years old. One of my Mama T’s favorite flowers is roses, so my other mom always made sure she gave her them for special occasions. When we would visit Rome, we always made time to visit this place, mostly to see the new varieties that were available. If I am in Rome in the springtime, I always try to spend an afternoon here. May is actually one of the best months to see the flowers in full bloom.” Seeing Lyndsay’s eyes light up as she again looked into the garden before her, Angie knew she had “done good”!! She watched as Lyndsay began walking towards the area that was home to the “collection” or permanent exhibition of rose varieties.