Meet Carolina
(Day 5 of 30 – story crumbs from the world of Loveandpizza.it 🍕)
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Right. It’s time you two met properly. This is Carolina.
She’s Brazilian. She’s a doctor – or rather, she trained for years to be one and then realised she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to be (which is a particularly terrifying thing to work out once everyone already calls you “Dr”). And when you’re the youngest of three sisters, the only daughter still at home, with a proud, self-made father who dreamed his girls into doctors’ coats – well, that’s not a small wobble. That’s an earthquake.
So how does a sensible, dutiful, slightly-lost young woman end up teaching English in Napoli, of all places? She doesn’t, really – not on her own steam. Her best friend Lisa spotted an ad for English teachers in Naples and, without so much as a “do you mind,” applied for the both of them – and then talked Carolina into going. Just for a year. (You’ll notice Carolina says “just for a year” a great deal. We’ll let her have that one. 😌) (You’ll meet Lisa properly tomorrow, and I’m sure you’ll adore her.)
Carolina arrives freshly heart-broken and thoroughly fed up with romance, having decided she is Completely Done With Love. Capital letters very much intended here. Which is quite the declaration from a woman who, underneath all that armour, is an unrepentant hopeless romantic – the kind who grew up dreaming of fairy tales and princes on white horses. (Those two sides of her are going to have a lot of arguing to do. 😏)
Here’s what she’s like. She’s warm and funny and stubborn as anything. She’s brave in ways she doesn’t even notice, and frightened in ways she’d never, ever admit out loud. She runs almost entirely on chocolate and coffee and hot chocolate (do not come between Carolina and a good bar of chocolate). She has a heart of gold, a fierce set of values, and absolutely no chill when it comes to standing up for anyone being treated unfairly – the underdog always, always has Carolina in their corner. And she has this maddening little habit of making you guess things – “guess what?!” – when she could simply tell you. (Lisa has threatened her life over it more than once.)
There’s a thread of Italy running through her, too: her father’s family came from Italy, so setting off across the world isn’t only an escape from a life she’s not sure she wants and from heartache – there’s also a whisper of homecoming in it, even if she can’t quite name it yet.
Mostly, though, Carolina is a woman trying to work out who she is when nobody’s watching and no one’s expecting anything of her. Which is harder than it sounds. And braver than she gives herself credit for.
My lovely friend and beta-reader Camila, who wrote the foreword to the book, put it perfectly: there’s a little bit of Carolina in each of us. The pretending we’re fine. The wanting something badly and insisting that we don’t. The careful, sensible plan we make right before life throws it cheerfully out of the window.
Good news, by the way: Carolina has agreed to sit down for a proper interview later this month. She’s already warned me she won’t answer the nosy ones, but then, that’s half the fun. (“Not yet, Gentle Reader,” and all that. 😏)
So, in the spirit of honesty – and to keep Carolina company – tell me in the comments: are you, right now, “completely done with love, thank you,” or an incurable hopeless romantic? She’d very much like to know she’s not the only one. 💛
Dani. x
P.S. Loveandpizza.it is coming back in English, Italian and Portuguese. Save your slice and you’ll be first to know the moment your edition’s ready. 🍕
So excited to meet Carolina, she sounds wonderful! As for me, my husband and I were married almost 57 year, together 59 when he passed away suddenly on Easter morning 2024. He was the love of my live and I will never love another. As for my 30 year old granddaughter, she has had a few that “were the one” until she realized they weren’t up to her standards. Just the other day she said she is done with love.
Martha…. 🥹❤️ I’m so sorry to hear about your husband… 59 years together! #relationshipgoal 😍 My husband and I have been married nearly 18 years, together for 21. I love him with all my heart and I can’t even think about being without him. As for your granddaughter, keeping up the standards is a great thing to do! Now, about “being done with love”… I’ll have to say to you: send her right here to Carolina, and let Carolina do her magic. 😉
Carolina already sounds like someone you would recognize in real life, the kind of person who has a whole lot going on underneath the surface. The part about her asking people to guess things instead of just telling them is such a specific detail that it makes her feel completely real. I love that she calls herself done with love but is secretly a hopeless romantic, because that tension is honestly so relatable. I cannot wait to read the book when it comes out.
Thank you, Paul! 🤗 Carolina was a breeze to write, because there’s so much of me and some of my sister in her. I wanted to make her in a way that people could read and think: “Oh, I’m Carolina!”. There could be a Carolina sitting by us on the bus, on the train, in our workplace…
Nice to meet Carolina. She sounds like a determined young lady.
I’m not done with love, but nor am I a hopeless romantic. After 38 years of marriage I think I’m a realist who is content and comfortable in love.
Thank you, Barbara! I know – I feel the same. It’s so good to be content and comfortable in love, isn’t it! 🤗
It’s cool to meet Carolina. She seems to be a likable person. BTW, as far as finding my love, I already found her (my wife!), but of course I still love other people (not in a romantic way) as commanded in the Scripture.
Ah, thank you, Danwil! It’s lovely to read that. Carolina can get on Lisa’s nerves sometimes, but she IS very likeable! 😀 And yay! to having found your love – God bless you and your marriage! 🙏🏻
Your friend Camila, does sound lovely!! Any friend who shares and interacts in your passion is amazing in my books! I think there’s most definitely a lotta bit of Carolina in me from reading this. Eek!! I’m way too excited for the proper interview. Yayyy! I want me some nosy ones, just kidding – or not? Haha. I honestly, dont know – I don’t think I’m done with love as I am an incurable hopeless romantic to a T. But I’m definitely done with getting hurt. Ugh!! Currently praying for a good man to come into my life. Eep!
Hi Natalie! You are right: Camila IS lovely! 🥰 I love to hear that there’s a lot of Carolina in you… I think there are a lot of “Carolinas” walking around, maybe sitting right next to us on the way to work, in the supermarket… Do you have any particular question you’d like to ask Carolina? I may add it to the interview (as long as the answer isn’t a spoiler! 😉)
Good for you to be an incurable hopeless romantic! I think the world needs more of us right now. And, from experience, praying for a good man to come into your life WORKS! My husband is proof of it. 🤗
“There’s a little bit of Carolina in each of us” – my bit is the chocolate, the coffee and the pizza 🙂
Haha Love this, Tamara! 🤩 Chocolate and pizza (Margherita for me) are non-negotiable! 😉