Chapter 28

David woke up, put on his clothes, and took Lady and Shadow to do their business. He fed and watered them, then went into the truck stop to use the facilities. He noticed a sign in English advertising an American-style breakfast.

He ordered four eggs well done with grilled ham and home fries, topped with a large, hot coffee. The large-screen TV showed the weather forecast, predicting a high of 10 Celsius and clear skies as he waited for his food order.

He almost chocked on a sip of his coffee as he noticed his passport picture on the screen. It showed his name, Jason Bourne, as the American citzen killed thwarting the attempted assassination of President Zeliksky. He pulled down his ball cap, and was glad his longer hair and beard helped to disguise his identity.

He returned to his waiting companions. “You’ll get yours soon enough. At least let me have a taste.” He laughed lightly at Lady and Shadow again, watching every bite that went into his mouth and giving the odd chirp.

“A bit of egg white shouldn’t hurt you, and a small piece of ham.” They delicately took it from the palm of his hand. He put a piece of food between his lips and they gently took it from him.

David raised the hood of the GTI to inspect the engine and check all the levels. He started it and entered Padua and Catania as start and end points in the GPS.

“We’ve still got another 1260 kilometers to go. I’m not sure I can drive all of that in one day. Let’s try for 800.”

He headed south on A13, which became A1 at Bologna, where he refueled the GTI and walked the dogs. David noticed that people were attracted to the dogs and wanted to pat them, especially the women. He enjoyed the scenery along the way, including pastures and forests. The A1 became more winding as it snaked its way through the higher terrain.

The A1 became an expressway as it carved its way through the large city of Florence, just over halfway to Naples. It was nice to see palm trees again.

He continued south on the A1, totally bypassing Rome. David felt more like a tourist, taking in the scenery as he drove. High, snow-capped mountains greeted him at every curve in the road.

He exited the A1 onto the A30 to bypass Naples. He found a small cafe that had Mount Vesuvius in the background and parked.

“We made it this far today. I’m so close to Rita, yet still several hundred kilometers away. As much as I want to be with her, I don’t want to risk falling asleep behind the wheel. We’ll make a fresh start in the morning.”

David fed and watered Lady and Shadow. He took a comb from his pack, lightly running the teeth through their fur. “I’ve got to buy you a proper brush and play toys too.” The dogs welcomed the bonding time, as did he.

“You should see Rita tomorrow. She’s a good woman, and I know she’s going to love you as much as I now do, and her too.”

David walked across the small parking lot, entering the cafe that reminded him of the diners back in the States. The aroma of good cooking met his nostrils, and he took a window seat so he could watch his dogs.

He looked at his new family, and they weren’t in sight, likely curled up together.

“Buon pomeriggio, come stai?” The waitress asked in Italian. “Good afternoon, how are you?”

“Sto andando molto bene, grazie.” “I’m doing very well, thank you.”

“I do speak English. Your Italian is very good for an American.”

“I’ll have to work on my accent,” he smiled.

“I’ll return in a moment for your order.” She placed a copy of the Naples newspaper on the table.

He picked it up and, thumbing through the pages, found an English section. In bold letters, the headline stated, ‘Ukraine’s President Zelensky praises deceased American citizen.’

‘An American citizen, identified as Jason Bourne, was killed by two bomb blasts last Sunday. He thwarted an attempt to assassinate the President by two Russian operatives linked to the Russian Secret Service. A two-man crew of a helicopter, and a third were also killed, part of the escape plan for the two would-be killers, when their helicopter was shot down. President Zelensky sends his condolences to the Bourne family.”