The meal from the night before knocked me out cold till 11:45 the next day, which is a huge feat considering how MANY bells sound off on Sunday mornings. These aren't your normal 7am- 7 "DONGS"...No they take their bell ringing very serious here. They have about 8 belles in every church tower (which are located practically on every other block) and when its time to ring they go on and on in no particular order for about 5 minuets. They then repeat this process every 15 minuets to remind everyone that's not in church that they should be.
I quickly showered and got ready because Sessa picked me up at noon to go to his grandparents house for lunch. I was really excited not only for the food but to see his family (Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course the dishwashing dog, Tango). I hadn't seen most of them since they so nicely took me in for Christmas over three months earlier.
Another feast to say the least. His grandmother served sausage stuffed raviolli which she had freshly made herself that morning. I couldn't have been more content, I pushed back from the table and started thanking his family in the limited quiver of Italian words that I possess. They stared at me confused and I quickly turned to Sessa to see if I had said anything wrong. "That was only the first dish", he informed me. I looked down only to see that a full plate of meat and diced potatoes had magically appeared in front of me! His rosie faced grandpa, who had been my drinking buddy on Christmas kept trying to pour me a glass of wine, but I told him that I had a game in a few hours. His expression told me that I couldn't have made a worse excuse and he filled my cup anyways. Just one little glass...OK maybe 2.
When there wasn't any more food on my plate and definitely no more room in my belly, Sessas mom and aunt then brought out 3 cakes...THREE! When I noticed that one of them happend to be the "Famous Tiramisu", somehow like magic space opened up in my stomach. I think it was even better the second time around as my relationship with this dessert had grown. It was definitely more than just lust, it was LOVE in every sense of the word. I then proceeded to cheat on it 5 minuets later when I tried the other 2 cakes. Hey, I didn't want to be rude.
A nap on the couch as we watched the soccer match was more than necessary if I was going to be in any condition to play the game that evening. The only thing that woke me up was a groan so loud you could hear it coming from miles. The home team Atalanta had just scored on its self, solidifying that they would be dropped to the second division the following year. You could literally hear the whole town of Bergamo crying. I made a mental note of the player who had committed the sin and decided to check the obituaries the following morning.
7:30pm. Game Time!
Number 2 ranked Padova strutted on to our pool deck with a walk that told us that not only did their shit not stink, but being here in general was a huge waste of their time. I scanned their line-up for their big Brut..."There's my B!%ch". Another game, another Croatianon center.
Right from the beginningng we came out firing. Going down a few quick goals early and facing an intense hard-nosed defense was not what Padova had in mind for nice Sunday afternoon. The game quickly turned physical and then violent as a few players on both teams were ejected from the contest with brutalities.
Minuets passed, goals were scored, punches were thrown, tempers flared, but when the final second ticked off the game clock the home crowd cheeredrd. We got the "W" in a 10-9 decision and handed Padova only their 3rd loss of the season. Their coach after the game actually complained to our president saying, "Why did you guys try so hard?, Its not like you are going to make the playoffs".
Actually....We might! With only 1 point behind Torino in that final 4th place playoff spot we are in a pretty good position. Especially since we face Torino this comming Saturday!
Oh yeah...once again no goals or kickouts from their center.
Bergamo on the War Path "HOO HAA"!
Bus#10
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