Betrayal

Sarah pulled up in the driveway and turning off the ignition, she bit her lip to stop it trembling. Her husband’s car was in the drive way ahead of hers and sandwiched between them was her best friend Gayle’s. She had been told that they met here at this time of day when she would normally have been at work, but she didn’t really believe it until she saw both cars. Now she was having trouble breathing. How could they do this to her? And in her own home no less. She just couldn’t get her head around it. Even with the evidence in front of her, her mind was frantically searching for another explanation as to why they were both here together. But deep down she knew there wasn’t one.

What she had to do now was to work out what to do about it. If she went in there and confronted them there was no going back. It would mean the end of her marriage and no end of upheaval for the kids. How could she do that to them? But then could she cope with the alternative. Could she face either her husband or her friend, knowing what she did and pretend it wasn’t happening? She needed to think. Backing out of the driveway she drove a short distance down the street and parked. 

With all her heart she wished she hadn’t come. She wished that well meaning person had never told her what was going on. While she was ignorant, she was happy. But they had told her and she had come and now her head hurt. But it caused her nowhere near as much pain as her heart. She had trusted them both and they had betrayed her in the worst way possible. As she sat there tears began to fall and she was powerless to stop them. Leaning her arms on the steering wheel she put her head on her arms as sobs racked her body.

Living La Dolce Vita

Day 8

© A Product of Silence

Today we set off for a tour of two Tuscan towns. The first was San Gimignano, where we picked up our tour guide for the day, a man who was incredibly knowledgable and at times quite funny. San Gimiginano is an old town set in the side of a hill, with narrow, steep streets and beautiful old buildings. 

San Gimignano

© A Product of Silence

The next town we visited was Siena. Here we had lunch in the square where they hold the Siena il Palio. This is horse race that takes place in the main square of Siena twice a year, on July 2nd and August sixteen. The horses that compete come from the seventeen neighbourhoods of Siena. The inhabitants of these neighbourhoods do everything they can to make sure their horse wins.  Our guide told us that this race is all about the horses rather than the riders and the winning horses have been known to be ridden into the buildings of their neighbourhood as part of the celebrations. 

Siena

© A Product of Silence

After a lunch spent imaging the horse racing around the stone square we commenced what became the longest tour of our lives. Having already spent the morning walking, this tour started at 2.15 and finally finished at 6pm and involved continuous walking up and down the steep streets of Sienna. We visited some amazing buildings, including Siena Cathedral where, we undertook a hair raising climb up the inside of unfinished Nave wall. It involved a long, tight spiral staircase and was the first time I've ever felt slightly claustaphobic. However at the top we were rewarded with the most incredible view over the city at dusk. 

Siena Cathedral

© A Product of Silence

After such a full day, heading out of Siena, all we wanted to do was sit down. However this was not to be. On leaving the city we then undertook a further half hour walking tour as we searched for our missing bus. 

On board at last and off our feet, we headed back to Florence, stopping for dinner on the way. Now I have to say that meal consisted of some of the most delicious pizza I've ever eaten, but I’m not sure if this was actually due to the pizza or because by then we were so exhausted and starving anything would have tasted good.

 Arriving back at the hotel at ten o’clock, we gratefully fell into bed.