“Nothing is happening”… whispered Purity. “Why aren’t we in Rome yet?  Where is Prudence?”

“The magic is in the details Purity, be patient,” said Bea.  Bea turned back to her computer screen.  Purity wanted to see this magic for herself.  Purity swung her book bag over the chair and sat down. Bea began to type once again…

There was a soft and delicious breeze in the air.  It touched the skin of the older woman as she sat waiting for her sisters to show up for their Valentine rendezvous. The air smelled of freshly brewed cappucino, which Prudence inhaled with much gusto.  She could hear the colorful italian accordian music coming from the CD speakers in the background.

Prudence looked around the cafe and saw her sisters approaching in the distance.  Her heart leapt up in her throat.  She got up and quickly ran towards them.

“There you are!” Prudence said opening her arms.  Each girl came into them.  They rested there for a long while. Her shoulders were so soft and her manner was inviting – as it had always been.

“I gotta learn how to write!  This is some amazing magic!” Purity quietly thought to herself. She looked at her older sister – she HAD LOST WEIGHT!  “You look amazing!”

“Yeah, I can see it in your face!”  Wow!  You look great!  said Bea.  She looked down at her sister.  She was getting used to being taller than her older sister, but still marveled at the thought privately to herself.

“Let’s sit down and I’ll give you your Valentine presents,” remarked Prudence.  They walked over to the table arm and arm.  The small black iron bistro table had two red bags sitting on it. Each girl put down her book bag and dove into her Valentine gift.

They each had a handmade valentine from Prudence, some candy, a cute stuffed animal and a pair of Roman leather sandals.

 

“But we can’t take them home, Prudence,” said Purity.

“But, just like the capes you wore in the Holy Land, you can wear them now.  Then, I’ll add them to the box in the closet that I made for you,” said Prudence. “So, what are we doing today?”

“Well, Bea needs to write an article for Valentine’s Day for the school paper.  She was hoping you could help her,” said Purity.

“OK, so we’ll need to visit the Mouth of Truth and the church of Santa Maria near the Forum,” said Prudence. “The head of Saint Valentine rests there.”

“What about the rest of him?” asked Bea.

“That might be among the bones in the Colosseum,” said Prudy.

“Can we spend some of our savings account money? asked Purity.

“Absolutely!” laughed Prudence.  “Let’s go get you hooked up right now.  I’m curious about the exchange rate anyway.”

They got up and asked a friendly Italian waiter who spoke English to take all the table goodies to Prudence’s pensione (hotel).   They walked over to a nearby ATM and pulled out some money.

“Only 88 euros!  What if we want to buy something MORE expensive?! asked Bea.

“And just HOW are we gonna take it home?” asked Purity.

“Maybe Prudence would send it back to her pensione and take it home with her?” asked Bea shyly.

“Prudence doesn’t carry stuff! Remember?” Purity sounded almost angry as she said it.

“I will carry ONE thing you buy home to my new house,” Prudence said. “You are no longer little girls.  You are grown up young women. I’m happy to help such grown up young women lighten their burdens.” she smiled and touched her middle sister’s face softly.  Purity smiled shyly.

They began their journey toward the forum through the cobblestone streets.  It was indeed, harder going than Purity and Bea realized.

“People walk on these streets?” asked Bea.

“It’s no wonder if they fall and hurt themselves. The stones are so uneven,” Purity said grabbing onto Bea before she herself fell to the ground.  They made their way through the narrow passageways and saw lots of cute stores along the way.  If either of them chose to stop and look, they were encouraged to do so by Prudence.

“We have all day, don’t we?” mused Prudence.

Before too long, they had made their way into the Basillica of Santa Maria and to the Mouth of Truth.  They watched as other tourists put their hand into the mouth.

“Legends say if you put your hand in that mouth and tell a lie, the mouth will chomp your hand off!” said Prudence grimly. “Put your hands in his mouth.” It was so corny.  But they each did as their older sister asked without complaint.

“But what about you, Prudence…Are you going to put YOUR hand in the Mouth of Truth? asked Purity.

“I will if you want me to,” said Prudence. She slowly put her hand on the bottom lip of the mouth. “It makes you really think about the truth in things, doesn’t it.  There are some truths you just cannot avoid.  That is a harsh reality about growing up. Sometimes, you love someone, but you cannot be with them.  You have to protect yourself from people who could hurt you – or try to take advantage of you.  Do you know the story of King Solomon in the Bible?”

“No,” both girls said in unison.

He is a great judge of people.  In the Bible, two women come to him claiming that they are the mother of a child.  How he figures out who the real mother is shows him the true nature of love from adult to child.  Sit down on the step and I’ll tell you the story.

Purity and Bea’s feet were tired, so they were glad to sit and listen to the story of the famous Jewish King.

“A person who loves you would rather lose you, than have you hurt,” Prudence declared. “This is not just a story, as you know.  Life is hard. I cannot spare you that fact.  And there will be MORE hard facts that you will have to bare as time goes on.  But the strength you have today will prepare you for the strength you’ll need tomorrow. Let’s go inside and see the head of a man who had the strength to stand up to the Roman emperor on behalf of the power of love.”

The girls got up and walked inside the basillica.