For new readers, who may not have read my author notes, this is written in a conversational way as I talk to my deceased husband. When I refer to someone just as "you" this means I am addressing my husband, Evan.

At night when we were in the room alone, Joy continued to fill me in on the parts of her life I’d missed out on over the years. She told me she hadn’t really enjoyed going to the cocktail parties and having to make small talk with people she considered shallow, but who were pretending to be high society. She said many of the lawyers in the group flirted and made passes at her, causing Dave to be jealous. Over time, most of the couples in Dave’s law firm ended up divorced.

Joy said she had been naïve enough to not be concerned about Dave coming home at three or four in the morning and claiming all the law partners went to bars after work to discuss their cases. He said it was expected of him as a partner. It was much later when she learned all the bars closed around 1:30 a.m. Joy was a person who hated confrontation and would avoid an argument at any cost, so she continued to pretend to believe his excuses and cried herself to sleep instead.

At one point, Dave’s drinking problem became so bad, the firm, along with family, had an intervention. He was sent to a facility to help him overcome his problem. He said what he thought everyone wanted to hear and continued to drink. She hesitated about giving up her life style and going back to work. She waited until the children were grown and only one was left at home, before filing for a divorce. Still, she loved Dave and believed he’d wake up and want her back. He’d said, “I didn’t think you’d ever do it.” He and his latest cheating partner married soon after, causing Joy to shed a lot more tears.

The more I learned about her life, the happier I was that I’d married you. Just appearing successful covers up a lot that may be going on behind the scenes. We’d had our crises and aggravating things to deal with at times, but together we worked through them and stayed more or less content. I knew your conscience would never allow you to cheat on me. You had no vices, other than overindulging in coffee. Even though you’d smoked since your teen years, you stopped ‘cold turkey” when someone in the service told you you were coughing a lot and losing weight.

I was excited about the day ahead when we would be visiting Capri. I’d first heard of Capri as a small child listening to a scratchy record, recorded years before my birth. I think I wore it out on my dad’s old Victrola which had to be wound by hand. It was a Foxtrot record that I’d played over and over. Later, Frank Sinatra and other artists made recordings about the Isle of Capri. I imagined it to be the most wonderful place ever.

The following morning at breakfast, we joined our friend, Frances, and her roommate. I was sorry to learn they were both nursing colds, and I hoped we wouldn’t be exposed by hanging around them.

Frances had brought along a large suitcase for her trip, and it had gotten separated from the flight she was on. It didn’t catch up with her until the fifth day. I was thankful Joy had talked me into packing light and stashing our luggage in the overhead compartment. We had been able to get much more than I’d expected into the smaller luggage. It didn’t seem to matter if we wore an outfit more than once. Most of the people who traveled regularly were doing the same.

The trip from Salerno to Capri took one and a half hours by ferry. We rode on the top deck for a better view. Capri, an island in Italy’s Bay of Naples, is famed for its rugged landscape and tourist attractions. The Island is a solid block of limestone with an area of 4 square miles. The town of Capri is the main population center and is a municipality of the metropolitan city of Naples. There are two large marinas on the Island. Capri has twelve churches, seven museums and several monuments. 

Capri has been a resort island since the Roman Republic. One of the attractions on the islands is a well-preserved ancient Roman archaeological site on the north side of the island consisting of an imperial palace built by Augustus and restored by Tiberius. It is known as Palazzo a Mare or Sea Palace. The other municipality is Anacapri. It is widely known for its picturesque, rural tranquility and broad views of the Bay of Naples. Solaro is a mountain on the island of Capri. Its peak is the highest point of Capri.

We were taken by bus around the Island to see some of the main highlights, and we walked along the many walkways overlooking the beautiful blue sea and the marinas below. Capri is a haven for artists with so much picture-perfect scenery. We were fortunate, because the weather in September was the ideal temperature. We spent most of our time in the main town. There were so many shops and outside cafes to visit. We were all wearing name tags. At one of the coffee shops where we decided to get a snack, one of the waiters, a very handsome young man, noticed Joy’s name tag and said, “Well, hello there, Joy. How are you doing? It is so good to see you.”

She smiled big and went along with his attempt at flirting by saying, “Well hello there. Imagine meeting you here. It is good to see you, again.” The Jacksonville couple, who had still not managed to get a flight out, were shocked at the exchange. They asked Joy how on earth she happened to know someone so far from home. It was a good example of what you could expect from the Italian men. They seem to enjoy flirting with tourists. It probably got them big tips. However, tipping is more modest in Europe. The prices for meals include a built-in charge for the service

I would love to have stayed longer on the Island, but the ferry ran on schedule, and we had to get back to Sorrento and pack our bags. On the following day, we were scheduled for another long road trip. This time we would be heading to Florence.