An Unlikely Alliance: Who Would Have Thought This Would Happen on My Italian Vacation?

By Theda Yager

Sarah Nell Bonhoeffer, an American school teacher, was on an Italian vacation when things went terribly wrong and she became stranded in Italy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781973608905

Theda Yager

Theda Yager earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Chaminade University, Honolulu, Hawaii, and a master’s degree in education from Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas. Theda was an associate school psychologist/counselor who worked with special needs children. She and her husband, Don, were Mission Service Corps Missionaries with the North American Mission Board for approximately fifteen years. They also served in various organizations such as Disaster Relief, Victim Relief, and Austin Disaster Relief. Church, family, and service to others has been the core of Theda’s long life. She and Don have three married daughters, ten grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren.

Book preview

Chapter 1

S arah Nell Bonhoeffer was orphaned when she was two years of age. Her grandparents raised her. They were Mama and Papa, the only parents she had ever known. Sarah Nell’s mother was born to her parents when they were in their mid-to-late forties. They had been the ages of her friends’ grandparents when she was growing up. Then, by the time Sarah Nell was born, they were well into their sixties, yet when her parents died, they took her to raise as if she were their own child.

The little girl could sing before she could talk. When music began playing on the radio or television, she would dance and sing. She would clap her tiny hands in glee at the first note of a song.

She had a head full of soft, curly reddish-auburn hair, gray-green eyes, and a peaches-and-cream complexion. She looked like the baby on a Gerber baby food jar. She was a friendly and happy little girl. Though she was raised in an adult world, she loved being with her little friends. Her personality was such that she drew people to her like bees to honey.

Through her childhood and high school years, Sarah Nell took piano and voice lessons. She was a member of the National Piano Guild Society. In high school, she was involved in the school’s music programs, both singing with the choral groups and playing the piano for various groups. After completing high school, Sarah Nell graduated from the University of Louisville School of Music, with a degree in instrumental and vocal performance, and then she completed a master’s degree at Juilliard School of Music, majoring in piano and minoring in voice. Counselors in the music department at Louisville and again at Juilliard insisted strongly that Sarah Nell take conducting classes, in case she decided to work with choral groups sometime in her future.

After graduation, she began teaching music in public schools in her hometown and volunteering at her church. She was firmly established in her career at about the time the health of her grandparents began to fail. She did her best to tenderly care for them as they had cared for her all those years and at the same time maintain her responsibility teaching music at school. Within two years, they were both dead. Once again, Sarah felt that she was orphaned.

Throughout high school and college, adults frequently said, Sarah Nell is mature beyond her years. She thinks through and plans each activity to the last detail. She is not known for making snap decisions.

Sarah was struggling, and it was only the middle of the school year. She wondered what her next step in life would be without the two people who had carefully guided and molded her life. She was physically and emotionally drained from so much responsibility.

One evening, she was channel surfing disinterestedly and discovered a travel show. She paused long enough to watch a segment titled, Touring Italy. She learned about traveling by train and viewed videos showing the beautiful countryside. The more she saw, the more excited she became. The food looked delicious! There would be gondola rides on canals in Venice, as well as the many sites in Rome and numerous smaller towns to tour, each with its own chapels and gothic cathedrals and, of course, the various statues carved by Michelangelo and the painted ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. So much to see! By the time the television program was over, Sarah was already starting to plan her Italian summer vacation, to begin as soon as school was out.

Her first plan was to learn to speak Italian. It would have to be a crash course. She had a few months to learn the language well enough so that she could get by for a few weeks in that beautiful country. It was a good thing she had taken Latin in high school. At least she knew the basic structure of the language. She would spend her evenings listening to and repeating the pronunciation of words and reading each word that she saw and heard on the language CDs. At the public library, she checked out, Learn a Foreign Language in Sixty Days.

She contacted a travel agency to get information for her dream vacation. Being an independent woman, she did not want a guided tour. Her thinking was that she wanted to travel solo, going when she wanted to go and staying a few extra days when she found a place of interest. Her goal was to travel by train from the boot heel of Italy to the Austrian and Swiss borders. She explained she wanted to exit from Paris, France, on the return flight to the United States. The travel agent suggested that she come to the travel agency office and discuss her elaborate plans.

Together, they worked out a plan for point of entry into Italy, including the cities and towns to visit and information on the railway system. She would begin in Naples and work northward. Other cities on her travel plan were Rome, Florence, Pisa, Milan, and Venice.

The travel agent said, I suggest you tour with a group and not venture out alone. It is not problems that you may encounter with the local people that I am concerned about; it is other people who are in the country for illegal reasons. There is a great concern about terrorism and human trafficking, especially for young, attractive women who are traveling alone. Since you have no parents, siblings, or grandparents, you would be an easy target. Who would know if you went missing? Not until the first day of school when you didn’t appear to teach your students. When you are in Naples, I suggest you go to the American Consulate the first day you are there. Let them know your itinerary and the length of time you will be in the country. With all you have planned, I suggest the length of your Italian vacation to be a month or six weeks. Of course, if you become totally immersed in the culture, you can extend your vacation.

The travel agent gave Sarah a stack of promotional materials not only for Italy but also for the cities she had expressed interest in.

Sarah studied Italian until late each night. She spent her free time reading and rereading the brochures on points of interest.

Soon the day for her big adventure arrived. Suitcases and passport in hand, Sarah departed for the airport. The travel agent had told her to plan on a day or two to rest and recover from jet lag. She said, Traveling east is more tiring on the body than flying west. Be good to your body. You have plenty of time. Use the time to get on the new schedule, and you will enjoy the early days of your adventure much more! You’ll thank me for the advice. But, let me repeat myself: go to the US Consulate the first day after you arrive.

Chapter 2

A fter a lengthy flight from Kennedy International Airport, a weary Sarah arrived in Naples. She caught a taxi to her hotel and gratefully fell into bed. She felt like she could sleep for a week.

After sleeping for hours, wearily, she crawled out of bed, showered, and went downstairs to locate a ristorante. She discovered a small outdoor café and was delighted with the service and the meal. The server was very kind and patient with her attempts to speak Italian. Sarah knew the words and pronunciation; she just didn’t have confidence to trust her ability to speak the language. After paying the bill, she caught a taxi to the American Consulate.

When she entered the American Consulate, she noticed that the interior of the building was magnificent. Several people were in the waiting area. She checked in with a marine who was seated at a desk near the entryway to the waiting room and then took a seat next to a man in a US Air Force uniform. She glanced at him and spoke, and then she picked up some reading material and became immersed in the content.

Soon, a masculine voice said, Are you on vacation?

She glanced up in the direction of the speaker; it was the military guy.

She responded, Yes, I plan to be in Italy for several weeks. And you?

He said, Oh no, I’m not on vacation. I am stationed at the NATO base in Brindisi, Italy, and am transferring here, to this building.

Sarah said, Where is Brindisi? I have not read about that town. It’s not on my travel plans. Where is it? And what is that area known for?

He said, I suppose I should introduce myself; I am Colonel John Wheeler. Brindisi is in the boot heel, on the southeastern side of Italy.

Sarah introduced herself, saying she was a schoolteacher on vacation. She added, That explains why I’m not familiar with that city; I’ve concentrated only on the western side of Italy.

He asked, How long will you be in Naples?

Four days.

He asked, Your next destination is.… My guess is Rome. Am I right? What do you plan to see while in Naples?

I will be taking a couple of tours. One is a day trip to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. You and your family must have seen all these things, she replied.

He responded quickly, I’m single. It’s just me. I don’t have a family. And you?

She said, Oh, I’m single too. I don’t even own a cat!

They both laughed.

A marine called, Colonel John Wheeler, please follow me.

Colonel Wheeler said, Please excuse me, ma’am. And he left the room.

Sarah resumed reading.

After several minutes had passed, the same marine called, Sarah Nell Bonhoeffer? Right this way, please.

Sarah had no idea what to expect when she went in to visit with the Consul General, Mr. Jackson. She had no knowledge of how the diplomatic system worked. Hesitantly, she entered his grand office. She was greeted warmly and invited to have a seat. About that time, Colonel Wheeler entered the room. The Consul General said, Ms. Bonhoeffer, please meet Colonel Wheeler. He is joining my staff. He is my new public affairs officer. He has been stationed at Brindisi for three years and has been helping us with various issues. So, he is not a stranger to the operations of this consulate. His day-to-day responsibilities, among others, will be maintaining contacts between the Italian government and the US Air Force, just as he has been doing, only on a grander scale. Do you mind if he sits in on our conversation? He speaks several languages, so be careful what you say in his presence. He chuckled.

She turned and looked at Colonel Wheeler, I don’t mind him joining us at all.

Colonel Wheeler said, Thank you, sir; earlier, Ms. Bonhoeffer and I were visiting in the waiting room.

The diplomat continued, He is transferring from Brindisi NATO base to join my staff. He has been in country for three years. This is a rare occasion for me. Normally, another member of my staff takes care of meeting guests such as you, but I had a break in my normal activities and wanted to meet some of the visitors who are in our fair city. When I heard that you are from Louisville, Kentucky, I wanted to personally greet a fellow Kentuckian. I am from Bridgeport. Your hometown is about fifty miles due west of Bridgeport.

The diplomat said to Colonel Wheeler, who was still standing, Please join us, Colonel. Now, Ms. Bonhoeffer, how may we be of service to you? I am assuming you are a tourist in this beautiful country?

She said, Yes, sir, I am a tourist. I will be in Italy for several weeks. I’m a schoolteacher and plan to use my summer away from my students to tour Italy. My initial plans are to be in country four to six weeks. My travel agent suggested that, considering the troubled world situations with all the terrorism and sex trafficking going on, that I check in with the closest American Consulate to let them know I am in-country and the approximate length of time I will be here. I have no living relatives. My grandparents raised me. And they both died within the past two years. As my travel agent so aptly phrased it, ‘If you disappear, no one will know you are missing until the first day of school when you do not appear to teach your classes.’ Now, what additional information might you need? My school principal’s name is Mrs. Miriam Hardin. Here is her name, address, and email address. I have my passport and itinerary.

The Consulate-General asked her a question in Italian. She quickly apologized for her Mid-western accent and then proceeded to answer his question without hesitation. And, so the conversation went. The skilled diplomat had put Sarah at ease. She was no longer nervous about meeting such an important person.

Mr. Jackson said, I will contact other consul-generals along the route you are taking. Remember that the embassy is in Venice, if you have a need while in the city of canals. He checked her credentials and had copies made of each for his records along with the school principal’s contact information.

After a lengthy visit, he stood to his feet, shook hands with Sarah, and wished her well on her extended vacation. Colonel Wheeler escorted Sarah out of the office. Then he said, Ms. Bonhoeffer, since you are new in town, may I take you to dinner this evening? I can show you some of the magnificent sights of the city by moonlight.

Sarah said, Please, call me Sarah. I don’t want to take you away from your duties at your new job, but, dinner would be lovely. Just one request. No sushi please?

Colonel Wheeler laughed and said, "Call me John, and I promise no sushi!"

They established a time when he would meet her at the hotel

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When Colonel Wheeler re-entered the diplomat’s office, he said, Well, Colonel, did I notice a spark of interest just now? Also, you might need a few days to get settled in before you begin your diplomatic duties. I’m giving you four days to get settled, and then it is down to work. Your official sign-in date will be Monday.

Colonel Wheeler, smiled broadly and said, Yes, sir. Thank you, sir, I think four days should help me get settled in nicely. By the way, I asked her out to dinner this evening.

The diplomat chuckled, shook his head, and said, "You sure don’t let any grass grow under your feet. She is lovely."

Chapter 3

S arah put her long, auburn hair up in an attractive manner. On one side, it was secured with a decorative hair clip that matched her dress. The rest of her hair cascaded down to her shoulder on the other side of her face. She chose a dark-green lace dress and matching sandal-style high-heels. She noticed the dark-green color of her dress brought out green flecks in her eyes.

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Sarah walked down the elegant, curving, marble stair-case, descending into the lobby to meet Colonel Wheeler. She had not seen him yet, but he saw her. His breath caught in his throat when he saw how beautiful she was. She walked so gracefully. He walked over to the foot of the stairs to greet her. He extended his hand to her as she approached him. She remembered how handsome he was when she first met him at the consulate, and now she thought, just look at him! He is gorgeous. As she placed her hand in his, she thought, somebody pinch me! Is this happening to me?

He said, You are simply stunning. Thank you for agreeing to go out to dinner with me this evening.

Her soft perfume drifted over toward him. He thought, I think my head is going to explode.

The hotel desk clerk noticed them as they exited the hotel. He said under his breath, Mama Mia! Lei è bella! She is beautiful!

John said, "I hope you will enjoy the places I have selected for our evening. Sunsets are amazing in Naples. And wait until you see the city after dark with street-lights glistening off the dark-blue water. If we’re lucky, the moon will lend its charm to the night. Soft sea breezes will stir the water just enough to have gentle waves to reflect the lights of the city. It’s pure magic.