Page 31 of Tour Wars
First Emilia, and now this. His morning was not off to an auspicious start.
* * *
Throughout breakfast,TJ kept an eye on the guests. He dropped by each table to chat with them and ensure they were coming on the day’s excursion. With a little begging, he convinced the kitchen staff to make egg-white omelets for Sylvie and her friends. The only bright spot in the morning was the text he and Emilia had received from Luca informing them he’d be missing today’s tour due to business meetings in Rome. A minor victory at best, but TJ would take it.
At 8:20 a.m., he called everyone to attention and announced they’d meet in the lobby in ten minutes. He also reminded them to bring anything they’d need for the day, like water bottles and sunscreen, since they wouldn’t be returning to the hotel until five. Once the group had assembled in the lobby, he and Emilia herded them outside where their ride was waiting.
The bus did not disappoint—it was a luxury coach with comfy seats, Wi-Fi, and air-conditioning. TJ was grateful his duties didn’t include driving the bus. He couldn’t conceive of steering a behemoth like this through Rome’s frenetic traffic. Thankfully, their driver, Nico, had twenty years of experience.
Though TJ had exchanged texts with Nico before, this was his first time meeting the driver in person. Nico was a bear of a man—large, swarthy, and bearded—who looked like he could destroy you in a fight or engulf you in an enormous hug, depending on his mood.
He greeted TJ and Emilia warmly. “It’s good to meet you in person. Are we ready to embark?”
“We are,” Emilia said. “I’m so glad you’re driving. I can’t imagine piloting this beast through Rome.”
“Eh, you get used to it,” Nico said. “Besides, my bus is so big that everyone needs to get out of my way. Scooters and motorcycles are no match for me.”
“You have our itinerary?” TJ asked.
“On my phone. We shouldn’t have any problems. Of course, I can’t predict the traffic, the weather, or acts of God, but I can drive us anywhere buses are allowed.”
“Thank you so much,” Emilia said.
After all the passengers had boarded the bus, she placed the binder next to TJ and sat in the aisle seat across from him. From the way her head was drooping, he suspected she was still tired from last night. Rather than ask her to pitch in, he decided he’d take charge.
“I’m going to lead us off. That okay with you?”
When she nodded, he turned on the mic and began his spiel. “Buongiorno! Welcome to day two of the Buon Viaggio tour of southern Italy. If you’re thinking, ‘Wait, I’m meant to be with a different group,’ speak now or forever hold your peace. Anyone? Okay, so today is going to be all about ancient Rome. We’ll be taking you to the Colosseum, where a local expert will lead you on a four-hour tour, which includes the Forum and Palatine Hill. You’ll be in the shade a fair amount, but make sure to apply sunscreen and drink plenty of water. Any questions?”
“What about lunch?” Sylvie asked.
“At one, we’ll meet you at the end of the tour and walk to a nearby restaurant. After that, we’ll visit the Capitoline Museums, three buildings located in the Piazza del Campidoglio, housing an incredible collection of statues, paintings, and sculptures. We’ll return to the hotel by five for a bit of a rest before dinner at seven thirty.”
In all, it was an exhausting first day, especially since the temperature was expected to reach eighty degrees by noon. At least the bus and the museums would be air-conditioned.
“During our drive to the Colosseum, I’m going to give you a few fun facts about it,” TJ said. “In case you didn’t know, it’s one of the seven wonders of the world. By my count, I’ve only been to two of them, but I’m hoping to visit more. How about the rest of you? Have any of you visited the Colosseum before? Or any of the other six wonders, like the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, or Machu Picchu?”
One thing he’d learned in giving tours of Pompeii was that people loved to recount their travel experiences—both good and bad. He was the same way. If anything, he’d been far more obnoxious in the past, constantly bragging about where he’d worked, acting like he was the most hard-core archaeologist on the planet.
As he tossed in a few jokes, he occasionally glanced at Emilia, hoping she’d respond with a smile. Instead, she was leaning back in her seat with her eyes closed. Was she tired? Fighting off a headache?
Or did she just want to be anywhere else but on this bus with him?
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
When the Buon Viaggio bus pulled up at their designated stop, TJ helped everyone disembark. The guests had been able to glimpse the massive Colosseum from the bus windows, but up close, it was more impressive than any postcard or photo could convey. Hard to believe an ancient monument of such significance could exist in the middle of a congested, modern city.
Though TJ had seen it numerous times before, the sight of it always filled him with awe. The largest amphitheater ever built, able to hold over fifty thousand people, a testament to the might of the Roman Empire. He could only imagine all the historic figures that had stepped through its gates—the powerful emperors, the fierce gladiators, the wily senators. At times like these, he had no regrets that he’d devoted so many years to studying ancient history.
With Emilia’s assistance, he handed out the wireless receivers that would allow each person in the group to listen to their guide via headphones. As he was finishing up, a tall, blond woman approached them. She looked to be in her thirties and was carrying a messenger bag with a bright red flag sticking out of it. TJ assumed she was the local expert who’d be giving this morning’s tour.
“Is this the Buon Viaggio group?” she asked.
“It is indeed,” he said. “Are you our guide? It’s nice to meet you. I’m TJ, and this is—”
“I need to get your group moving. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Is everyone ready?”
“They are, but—”
