We know many of us connect Rome, Italy with ‘Bella Vita,’ but that was hardly my experience.
It happened many years ago, but frankly others tell me “Not much has changed.” In some regions, when a woman travels unescorted by a male, she occasionally falls victim to a predator’s misdeeds. I know: It happened to me.
I was 42, and my daughters were 16 and 6 respectively. We were on an 8 week, self-directed tour of Europe where we hoped to recover from the 2-year illness and subsequent death of my husband, their father, the year before. We began our trip in the Eternal City, anxious for new adventures.
I’d been given tips: Keep passports and money safely tucked away in a money belt under my clothes; avoid distracting tactics of Gypsy groups who prey on tourists and rob them; keep my girls within reach. I believed I was a savvy traveler and never anticipated what happened next.
Following dinner on our second night, I approached a queue of taxis and hired the driver next in line. Since I speak only a little Italian, I showed him the address of our hotel I’d written down earlier, and he nodded he knew its location.Then, I directed my girls to get into the back of his tiny, Fiat-type cab, while I took the front seat, next to the driver.
A few moments into the drive, he asked me, “Espousa?” which I interpreted to mean “spouse,” and remembering my Latin, I answered “Morte.” I kept my face forward, while I blinked back the tears.
It was then I felt him move his hand over, to cup my breast. Recovering from shock, I screamed: “Stop this car, you sonuvabitch!” Gathering my things hurriedly, I directed my daughters to get out, while my younger one (unaware of what happened) protested “But Mom, this isn’t the hotel.”
As I slammed the car door shut, the cabbie yelled out, demanding his lira (it was before the euro). In fury, I threw whatever coins I had in my hand at him. It was my feeble attempt at retaliation..
But this episode early on in the trip, taught me to keep circumstances of our travel (without a man) private. It was the one travel tip no one had told me ahead of time.
Colleen Kelly Mellor writes “Encouragement in a Difficult World: Biddy Bytes Blog.” Her message is one of hope through life’s crises.