The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Vivace Code [EDITING]

Chapter 13 - The Lime Green Shoebox

The lime green bus trundles up the high street. The driver pulls out a half empty packet of cigarettes and clamps one between his cracked lips with a smile.

"Want one?" he asks leaning over the back of his seat holding out the packet.

"No thank you," says Tintin tickling Snowy's ears, an air of disapproval surrounding him as he glances at the pregnant woman amongst us.

"No thanks lad," grumbles the Captain. "Can you please watch the road!"

"Of course sir, of course," replies the driver turning back to the wheel and lighting the cigarette with a large silver lighter, not seeming to care for the Captain's grumblings.

We turn onto the main road out of Anzio. The bus looks clumsy compared to the other vehicles, the cars and taxis zooming past us seem far more agile than this lime green shoe box we are travelling in.

"Are you sure you'll be able to take the bends once we start heading up the hills?" I ask nervously.

"Yes, yes Miss, she's a good bus," he chuckles patting the dash board fondly. I arch an eyebrow sceptically.

About fifteen minutes pass in an awkward silence, the driver flicks on the radio and a shrill female voice begins to sing. The Chicken Man's chin rests on his bony chest as he falls asleep.

"So," Tintin begins, "what brings you to Ovindoli?" He asks the young pregnant lady sat opposite him.

"Oh, excuse me," she says, "english bad,"

"That's okay," Tintin replies, "I'm sure we'll understand."

"Okay... Husband in mountains." She says, smiling brightly. "We gone have the infant,"

"How lovely, does he live there?" I ask.

"No, his um..." She falters looking for the right word, eventually pointing at her mother, "Madre e il padre?"

"Uh, mother?" I suggest.

"Oh yes!" she exclaims "Mother and ... Padre?"

"Father?" says Tintin.

"What the word for both in English? Here it is genitori,"

Tintin raises and eyebrow at me, "Does she mean parents?"

"I think so, what other word could it be?"

"Um, parents?" asks Tintin uncertainly.

"Yes, yes his parents live there! We are going to carnival with them on tomorrow."

"A carnival?" says Captain Haddock looking up from his book.

"Yes, wine and food festival," chirps the girl.

"Wine eh?"

"Captain we don't have time for drinking when we get to Ovindoli, we have things to do," States Tintin and the Captain grumbles. "Don't we?"

"Yes I suppose," Haddock replies miserably re-opening his book and mumbling angry nonsense.

-

Slowly the buildings melt away and are replaced by huge orchards of lemons or oranges. Occasionally we pass a cart pulling barrels or crates on the long, wide road.

"For the festival!" the girl would say, beaming widely.

The grass by the side of the road is long and yellow, the Italian countryside is surprisingly brown in summertime rather than lush and green as I was expecting. Only the orchards and vin yards have healthy looking leaves on their trees.