I splurged on a first class train ticket and was so glad I did; the train was jam packed. As I squeezed by way through the overflowing corridors of the train I got to the dining car where I found some two 40 -something American women laughing and playing cards with some Italian men.
"You're not playing strip poker are you?" I quipped as I passed by. " Yeah! C'mon, play with us!" This was too much to let pass by, so I said I'd "observe" a hand or two. "Ok you lose Patricia… Salvatore, what does she have to do?"" I get to kiss you" says Salvatore to the American who lost this round. Salvatore is a white haired Neopolitan man about 70, and he puckers up and plants a big one on the lips of the American women. This was too much!
There was Erica, a young Mexican girl who was also playing and she did the translating for everyone. I decided to play (as long as I didn't have to kiss Salvatore) and they deal me in.
This time Patricia won– she gets to command Antonio, the young man at her side with a playful glint in his eye. "OK, take off your shirt!" "Sure", he replies, and he strips down to his white T-shirt. "Oh, excuse me", he says as he quickly puts his shirt back on. "I have a customer". You see Antonio runs the bar on the train (when he's not playing strip poker)! I thought I had heard everything but this was unbelievable.
The game continues and the ladies tell me how they met each other a week agon in Positano and started traveling together; they were now on their way to Venice. Salvatore talks about his little dog in the next car with his wife, and the two ladies want to see the pooch, so the game is interrupted while Salvatore takes them to his compartment. They take the little dog out of his bag and start petting and cooing over him just as the lady conductor walks by. Do you have a ticket for the dog?"Uhh", sputters Salvatore… "OK that'll be a 25 euro fine".
The ladies try to explain- "NO, please don't fine him, it's our fault he brought the dog out.. We'll pay the fine for him… "One of the ladies runs back to ask Antonio if he can help intervene, but he says," That's out of my hands, I can't do anything." But with my knowlege of Italians, and how a no is NEVER final, a bit more cajoling, and he sets off to try to help. A few minutes later, the ladies come back all smiles, having charmed the condctor out of charging the fine.
Later the conductor, Antonio, Salvatore and the whole gang have a nice little chat in broken English. A stripping barman, a 70 year old Casanova and two very rambunctious ladies…That was the quickest Bologna to Padova train trip I ever took!
Ciao ciao from Carla Cassano
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