Angst Along the Appian Way

When my wife and I went to Italy two years ago we had the good fortune of hooking up with a great driver — Giuseppe Mirossi, a.k.a. “Beppe.” He took us all over Tuscany and, trip of trips, all the way up to Campi, a mountain village in Northern Italy that was the native home of my wife’s great-grandmother.
How that woman ever got off that mountain and down to Genoa to sail to America is the wonder, not the voyage itself. It took us hours to get up there and we were dealing with paved roads. We are forever beholden to Beppe for his driving skills and translation services.
Suffice it to say, I got to know Beppe and his passion for soccer, which occasionally drove him to take both hands off the steering wheel. (You know how Italians are always talking with their hands.)
I keep in touch with Beppe, and the e-mails started flying once the World Cup started and the Americans advanced out of pool play while the hopes of defending champion Italy hung in the balance...
*
Ciao, Beppe!
Hey, are you guys going to win a game any time soon?
I will be rooting for Italia today against Slovakia.
That way, your team can join the United States in the next round.
Your favorite American,
Bryant Carpenter
*
Hi Bryant!
How is Laura? I guess she does not care of soccer. Does she???
Italian team is not very good this time. Here there are lot of complaints because we have not been able to win a game up to now and we say that our forwarders are tired as they are coming from a very fighting national tournament (we call it "serie a"; a sort of premier league).
Then other players are too old (over than 33 years old).
It will be not very easy to win with Slovakia; the game will start at 16:00 Eu time today.
If we win Italy will play vs Holland in the next round.
Ciao,
Beppe
*
Beppe!
Laura and I are sorry Italy lost to Slovakia today.
Laura does watch soccer (she wore blue today) and she has a question: Why did Italy play with no passion until it was too late?
If the Azzurri had played as well as they did in those last 20 minutes throughout the tournament, they would be getting ready to play Holland rather than catching an airplane home.
That one goal should have counted -- not the offside one, but the goal earlier that struck off the defender's knee. His leg was behind the end line.
But no matter: The Azzurri have only themselves to blame. This year's Italy team did not play up to Italian tradition.
The rest of the tournament will not be the same without them.
But look on the bright side. At least Italy wasn't as bad as France.
Your favorite Americans,
Bryant and Baby Laura
*
Hi Bryant!
Here it has been almost a tragedy.
The worse team ever played...
Much better to give up and keep going.
A new coach (his name is Cesare Prandelli) will be presented on July 1st. Let's hope better than Marcello Lippi.
Ciao,
Beppe
*
Yes, you’re right, Beppe.
It’s time for Marcello Lippi to go.
Maybe you could take him for a very, very long drive somewhere and just leave him there.
You might be considered a national hero.
Ciao,
Bryant