August 10 was greeted with quiet enthusiasm by the people.
The heat of the day made people gasp all over Italy, regardless of whether they were in the city, in the mountains or by the sea. It was no surprise that those first days of the month were incredibly hot, in recent years August had decided to enter the scene with exaggerated temperatures so that no one could forget it and thus be sure that everyone would remember to complain about it as usual, at least until when winter arrives.
As far as the Night of San Lorenzo[1] was awaited as one of the many classic summer appointments, it was the cool of the night that they couldn't wait to enjoy, sheltered from the merciless sun for at least a couple of hours. The “Lido di Ostia” beach almost disappeared under the throng of bathers and beach umbrellas who had stormed the long strip of sand for the holidays, most of them immersed in water to cool off the day's heat. Children and adolescents continually competed in diving and somersaulting in the water, adults and the elderly limited themselves to leisurely swimming or chatting under the mustard-yellow umbrellas, offshore someone sailed aboard canoes or darted at full speed on the water scooter.
Olivia looked enviously at the people aboard those vehicles, after unsuccessfully begging her father to be able to take a ride. One day she would ride it too, when she was older.
She came back to annoy his brother Marco by jumping on his back. It was funny when he tried to shake her off like a runaway horse, she was smaller and thinner than him but it always took him ten to fifteen minutes to get her into the water. She only did it when she was trying to strut in front of those girls who posed like vamps, too busy making duck faces with the phone and poses of dubious elegance to enjoy the beach like normal people.
She didn't want his brother (whom she considered to be an intelligent, if immature fellow) to bother with such chickens.
<< Mom! Tell her to stop! >> he cried at one point, exasperated.
She went down before her mother could intervene, she had done her job.
She ran towards her umbrella wringing her long brown hair, her sly green eyes met those of the same shade of her mother Chiara who looked at her with tender reproach, as she handed her an orange towel with black tropical flowers.
<< Why are you so naughty with Marco? >> asked her mother.
<< Because it's fun. And then I stop him from making a fool of himself. >> she answered, rubbing herself with the towel.
As she said it she smiled showing off her slightly larger than normal incisors and her cheeks swelled slightly.
<< Too late, it already is. >> replied sly Ginevra, her sister.
Her father scolded her, repeating for the umpteenth time to be more respectful towards her brother.
Olivia stretched out in the sun - hoping that her fair skin would finally decide to tan - and finally put her tireless adolescent vitality on hold.
Apart from the heat, for her August was proving to be the most beautiful month of the year and not because it was the month of holidays or the one in which she celebrated her birthday, celebrated on the 2nd of last week... but because she was on holiday with the whole family.
Lido di Ostia was a great place. First of all, there was the sea that he absolutely adored, more than the pools with blue mosaics that some establishments offered, volleyball courts to be occupied freely for friendly challenges, endless music and some open-air restaurants even organized small cinemas to entertain the guests. And that was just a small list of the many things she could have done in that area which until two months ago she would have considered an exclusive environment for rich people only. Dad had really surprised everyone by renting a house in the area for a month.
As far as she could remember, they had never taken such a long vacation in such a place and with the whole family together.
With her parents' work, holidays were always quite limited, especially from an economic point of view, and she hadn't always had the pleasure of the company of all three of her siblings. Many of her summers had been spent as grandparents down South, in a seaside town that wasn't exactly the epicenter of excitement. So that summer was more than special for her, that's why she was trying to enjoy every minute of it and immortalize it with a thousand photos that she would keep with love.
<< What are we doing tonight? Shall we go down to the beach to watch the shooting stars? >>
<< Do you wish to become taller, shrimp? >>
<< No, I want to express the wish that you grow some brain. >>
<< Stop it, you two, otherwise I'll arrest you. >>
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<< I want to go to an evening nearby. A DJ I know is playing. >>
<< Okay, Giuliana. But Marco is also coming with you. >>
<< Dad! But why?! >>
<>
<< I'm 20 years old! I don't need a babysitter! >>
<< As if I enjoy keeping you on a leash, weirdo. >>
<< I'm not an "weirdo", I'm a goth, ignorant! >>
<< As long as you are under my jurisdiction, do what I tell you. Which means: do you go together, or do everything in the family. >>
As much as she was sorry they couldn't do what pleased them most, Olivia hoped that Marco and Giuliana would stay with her that evening.
Even with no stars in sight, she expressed the desire to be able to spend as much time together as possible, especially now that they were going to university and the time to see them was almost always short. The same thing can be said with the other older brother, Giacomo, who often didn't show up for days - or even months - because of his work.
Despite protests and grumbles, father Edoardo decided for everyone that they would look at the stars, since the two young new adults could not find an agreement. The siblings began to argue with their father, so she decided to go back in the water both for one last swim and not to have to hear that unbearable bickering. Dad wouldn't have given in anyway; it took a lot to change the mind of a police man like him.
Even her mother said he was stubborn.
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As the sun sank into the sea, the temperature gradually dropped.
The coolness was not such as to have to wear a yarn sweater, but it certainly made many breathe a sigh of relief and certainly would have guaranteed a peaceful night's sleep, at least thanks to the added support of a fan. From the restaurants you could hear the noise of glasses being hit for a toast, people joking loudly and dance music for those who preferred to dance rather than eat. The smell of the food was obviously an exquisite constant, thanks to the cool of the evening the appetite returned energetic and everyone tried to satisfy it regardless of whether it was with pizza or fried fish, an ice cream cone or a simple slice of watermelon.
On the shores, the umbrellas had already been closed for a few hours, yet couples and small families were accommodated under them, having come down after dinner to prepare for the show, it was hoped, of San Lorenzo.
Some small fleeting light had already begun to cross the sky. They were luminous dots so fast that not everyone had time to catch a glimpse, especially the children; whose protests rose from time to time along with their frustrated cries. Olivia wasn't getting to see much either, but she wasn't crying because of that. She was mostly bored, almost falling asleep. The grown-ups talked about big things (so boring stuff), the mobile phone had an almost flat battery and she didn't even have the MP3 player with her to distract herself while she stared at the gloomy night sky, hunting for wishes.
<< Let's not forget that in September our princess will start her first year of high school here. >> Father Edoardo suddenly began, attracting her attention.
Now the whole family was focused on her, using her as a new topic of conversation.
<< Are you excited to start high school? >> asked her mother, who exhibited so much emotion for that new phase of her little girl.
Olivia thought about it, as she twisted a few strands of her long wavy hair.
<< I think so? I feel… calm. >> was Olivia's answer.
<>
<< If Marco and Giuliana succeeded, why shouldn't I? As grandma Elisa always says, I repeat to myself that "everything will be fine". >>
<< Good honey, that's a great way to think. >>
<< And if someone bullies you, call me right away and I'll take care of it. >>
<< Edoardo, no. We've already talked about it: you can't use the policeman's excuse for any problem involving Olivia. >>
<< It's just to tell her that she can count on her dad… >>
<< Don't worry daddy: I'm tough and I'm as strong as Roma, our favorite team. >>
It was true, Olivia had no agitation at all about having to start the new school.
In fact, she could tell that it was her family that was most anxious about the school year, as if they should be the ones who had to go to school.
Maybe high school could be as rough as the television series she watched, but in her opinion, there were more serious things to worry about in life. If she had had to feel a touch of uneasiness, it would have been more directed towards the English and Italian teachers she would have met.
<< Wow! Have you seen it!? >> Olivia exclaimed suddenly.
A shooting star had just burned the sky leaving behind a blue trail, making her jump. It was the first time he had seen a star have that effect, and it was beautiful too.
Shortly thereafter, other stars appeared in the sky, rapidly displaying white, blue and even red tails, acclaimed by as many choruses of wonder. Usually, the sequence of appearances was distant from each other… but that evening… oh, that evening would be classified as the most incredible night of San Lorenzo in history.
In the sky was having a veritable rain of light.
Without the interference of the moon and its silver light, both the sky and the earth were illuminated by those magical fires under the astonished gaze of half the world, alternating between orange and blue flashes. There on the Lido people had stopped with their noses turned up, interrupting whatever activity they were doing. Tourists, hoteliers, musicians, residents… absolutely no one was missing out on the scene, especially young people; most of them with their arms raised to film the scene with their cell phones as was the custom at the time.
Olivia was tight in the joint embrace of mom and dad, as well as Marco and Giuliana, the latter who was recording everything with her cell phone with the Hello Kitty cover, while her mouth was open in amazement. Olivia herself wasn't scared, it was seeing her family confused about her that made her anxious. Though she was 14 now, her naivety was still that of a child, which made her wonder why they were afraid of such a beautiful scenery.
After what were only five minutes, the longest of the spectators' lives, the phenomenon ended.
There had been no noise during that time, yet a ghostly silence had fallen upon the coast. Small crowds had gathered between the road and the beach whose low chatter was confused with the sound of the weak waves breaking on the shore and it would not have been long before the videos that had immortalized the cosmic phenomenon would have begun to invade the network.
A common thought manifested itself in everyone's mind: that was going to be a summer to remember.
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[1]The night of San Lorenzo (August 10) is traditionally associated with the passage of the Perseid meteor shower, a phenomenon popularly and erroneously called shooting stars, but also poetically the tears of San Lorenzo, considered evocative of the burning coals over which the saint was martyred.