Another reason to learn Italian.

Several years ago. I was in an olive grove. With my Italian true love. Sitting beneath a 600-year-old olive tree. Relaxing. Taking in the wonders of nature. On a sunny day. And an old hunch-backed woman. Dressed in peasant-style apparel.  Was collecting olives from the ground. I imagined. She’d take the olives home. And put them to good use. Maybe even have me over as a guest. To sample the olives. With a glass of wine. And bread. The woman approached us. And talked to my true love. In Italian. I didn’t understand. So I asked my true love to translate. Apparently, the woman was inquisitive. She wanted to know if we were married. My true love thought that wasn’t any of her business. And cut off the conversation. I objected. Wanting to know more about the woman. I had in mind that she might invite us to her place. And that soon I’d know more about the woman than she would know about us. The woman wandered away. While I tried to persuade my true love to allow me to pursue the conversation. With her as translator.  But my true love refused. Thinking it was best to protect everyone's privacy. That saddened me. A little bit. Because I’m a curious fellow.  Capable of saying to hell with privacy. Wanting to cultivate strangers. Including that curious woman in the olive grove. Yes, I still lament that lost opportunity. Anyway, it's another reason for me to learn Italian. –Jim Broede