Expiration Dating Read Free Page A

seemingly overwhelmed by the greeting from three rambunctious kids.
    The smallest child, a chubby-cheeked cutie that could be the next Gerber baby , waddled over and grabbed at the ends of my jacket. I looked at the parents, trying to gauge whether they wanted their son back or not. They were occupied with their other children, so I knelt down.
    “Hi, buddy. What’s your name? ”
    The toddler gurgled and reached for the camera in the side pocket of my backpack. It was Tess’ disposable gift. I took out the green striped Kodak and let the child play with it. He ooh-ed and ahh-ed in a foreign baby language, and I snickered when he snapped a picture of himself by accident. Tess wouldn’t be expecting that on the roll.
    He started to cry, blinded by the flash. His parents noticed their son’s absence and came to scoop him up, trying to wrestle the camera from his strong fingers. Another flash exploded and someone bumped into my knapsack, spinning me off balance.
    The curly haired man from the plane shielded his eyes. “Sorry about that, the flash startled me.”
    “No problem,” I said. I waved the mother and child away. “He can keep the camera.”
    “That was nice of you,” the American said. He was wearing a tight tee-shirt, showing off his physique. He smirked, “I didn’t know they made disposable cameras anymore.”
    “It was a gift from a friend…” I thought of Tess’ instructions. An American and a toddler would be considered no good for sure. “It was meant to be a joke.”
    “I’m sure the kid will love it.” A smile took over his features.
    “I hope so. Well, see you, I guess.”
    I watched him stride back towards his high-fashion clad girlfriend. What a strange pair.
     

Chapter Four
     
    I yanked my suitcases to the outside path feeling like a brick was added with every step. When I summited the staircase, I saw a sign labeled IOS - my program’s name. It stood for International… actually, I wasn’t sure; it didn’t matter. The leader of the group stepped forward. I rolled my lips inward. He was tall, blond and thin. What happened to the tall, dark and handsome adage? I located the Italian flag, reassuring myself I’d been on the correct flight, and turned back.
    “Hello, I am Luca. I am teacher. I help you in Italy,” he said in broken English. When did they start growing them blond? I glanced at the other Americans joining the group. He checked our names off a clipboard list, and we were separated into groups based on our assigned housing. I followed the crowd outside. Luca tugged on my arm and pointed me towards an empty cab.
    Maybe my roommates weren’t here yet? I plunked my things on the empty seat next to me and glued my eyes out the window. My thoughts jarred back to the present as the cabbie screeched away from the curb, into the insane Milanese traffic. Vespas sped between lanes of cars lined like ants, old ladies held up vehicles as they hobbled across the street and pedestrians seemed impervious to the swerving drivers.
    The cab pulled in front of a tall, nondescript apartment building o n a corner. My knuckles relaxed their grip on my seatbelt. The building was a peninsula into the street, traffic lanes built around the protrusion. I noticed a Farmacia, which I guessed meant Pharmacy, to one side and a shop full of clutter on the other. There was a dog doing his business in the miniscule patch of grass, the only greenery in sight.
    I told my legs to move and slid out of the car. Which window led to my new home? I hoped it was the one with the potted plants. It was the cheeriest looking deck, much better than its neighbor covered in old dishtowels. I noted that most of them had a soccer – sorry, futbol flags draped from their windows. One side of the building was bathed in blue while the other sported red banners. One for each of the Milan teams, I recalled, having read about the rivalry on the plane. The cabbie cleared his throat.
    I struggled to unload my things while