The Road to Destiny
Attilio Napoli
- Fourteen-year-old
- Sera
- (Serafino)
- escapes
- from
- his
- father’s
- drunken
- clutches.
- He
- runs
- into
- the
- streets
- where
- he
- goes
- to
- the
- defense
- of
- a
- young
- girl
- (Angie).
- Three
- youths
- are
- tormenting
- her
- while
- she
- thrashes
- at
- them
- with
- her
- roses.
- Angie
- and
- Sera
- discover
- they
- both
- come
- from
- fractured
- families.
- Angie
- is
- two
- years
- younger
- than
- Sera,
- but
- they
- become
- friends
- and
- spend
- most
- of
- their
- time
- on
- the
- streets
- together.Four
- years
- later,
- they
- frolic
- down
- a
- street
- when
- a
- drunken
- man
- stumbles
- out
- of
- a
- bar
- and
- latches
- on
- to
- Angie.
- Sera
- cannot
- pry
- the
- man
- away.
- In
- desperation,
- he
- hits
- him
- over
- the
- head
- with
- an
- empty
- wine
- bottle.
- The
- man
- dies.Sera
- is
- now
- eighteen
- years
- old,
- and
- a
- judge
- imprisons
- him
- for
- manslaughter.
- He
- is
- ashamed,
- so
- he
- does
- not
- answer
- Angie’s
- letters,
- or
- accept
- visits
- from
- his
- mother.
- In
- prison,
- he
- suffers
- abuse
- until
- befriended
- by
- an
- inmate
- who
- teaches
- him
- to
- play
- guitar.
- On
- his
- release,
- Sera
- becomes
- an
- itinerant
- musician.
- He
- plies
- his
- trade
- in
- bars
- and
- on
- the
- streets
- through
- France
- and
- Spain.
- He
- accepts
- his
- new
- life
- and
- does
- not
- return
- home.While
- Sera
- is
- in
- Prison,
- a
- modeling
- agent
- ‘discovers’
- Angie.
- She
- becomes
- a
- successful
- clothes
- model.
- Nineteen
- years
- later,
- while
- on
- assignment
- in
- the
- Parque
- del
- Buen
- Retiro
- in
- Madrid,
- Angie
- stops
- and
- listens
- to
- a
- busker.
- Later,
- when
- she
- finishes
- her
- work,
- the
- busker
- approaches
- her.
- He
- hands
- her
- a
- bouquet
- of
- roses,
- and
- she
- recognizes
- her
- childhood
- friend.
- Angie
- accompanies
- Sera
- to
- his
- performance
- in
- a
- bar
- that
- night,
- and
- agrees
- to
- travel
- with
- him
- to
- other
- gigs
- in
- Cordoba
- and
- Barcelona.
- She
- also
- invites
- him
- to
- go
- with
- her
- to
- her
- next
- assignment
- in
- Portofino.
- Their
- rollercoaster
- journey
- of
- rediscovery
- begins.Their
- travel
- takes
- them
- to
- the
- Mesquite
- in
- Cordoba,
- the
- Alhambra
- in
- Granada,
- and
- progresses
- to
- Sera’s
- performance
- at
- Montjuic
- in
- Barcelona.
- They
- become
- lovers
- in
- Granada,
- and
- their
- relationship
- rekindles
- as
- they
- search
- for
- what
- might
- have
- been.At
- Sera’s
- performance
- in
- Montjuic,
- friends
- from
- her
- modeling
- world
- surprise
- Angie.
- They
- are
- traveling
- to
- a
- party
- at
- Lake
- Como
- and
- offer
- Angie
- and
- Sera
- a
- ride
- to
- Italy.
- They
- travel
- across
- France,
- through
- Arles,
- Aix-en-Provence,
- Grasse,
- and
- Le
- Cap
- d’Antibes.
- Sera
- learns
- about
- Angie’s
- new
- life,
- and
- becomes
- disenchanted
- with
- her
- friends.
- While
- she
- has
- been
- her
- old
- self
- throughout
- their
- travel
- together,
- he
- is
- now
- surprised
- at
- how
- easily
- she
- reverts
- to
- her
- new
- life.Their
- journey
- is
- now
- interspersed
- with
- angst
- while
- they
- battle
- to
- keep
- their
- growing
- relationship
- on
- track.
- Angie
- has
- accepted
- his
- new
- life,
- but
- Sera
- feels
- belittled
- her
- friends.
- He
- detests
- their
- pretentiousness,
- and
- their
- glamorous
- lifestyles.
- The
- unrest
- peaks
- at
- the
- party
- in
- Lake
- Como
- when
- Sera
- physically
- assaults
- a
- male
- friend
- of
- Angie’s.After
- initial
- conflict,
- they
- overcome
- the
- issue
- when
- they
- cruise
- the
- lake
- the
- next
- day.
- They
- then
- leave
- for
- Angie’s
- assignment
- in
- Portofino.
- Their
- relationship
- reignites
- while
- they
- tour
- Santa
- Margherita
- and
- Camogli.
- However,
- Sera’s
- presence
- displeases
- Angie’s
- agent.
- While
- Angie
- is
- working,
- her
- agent
- initiates
- another
- chain
- of
- events
- when
- he
- insults
- Sera.
- Sera
- climbs
- to
- a
- lookout
- on
- top
- of
- a
- hill
- and
- reflects
- on
- events.
- As
- he
- looks
- over
- the
- Mediterranean
- Sea,
- it
- reminds
- him
- of
- the
- Bay
- of
- Naples.
- His
- time
- with
- Angie,
- and
- the
- view,
- makes
- him
- homesick.
- He
- leaves
- and
- returns
- to
- Naples.In
- Naples,
- Sera
- reunites
- with
- his
- family.
- He
- now
- sees
- his
- parents
- in
- a
- different
- light.
- No
- longer
- is
- his
- father
- an
- ogre.
- A
- stroke
- has
- confined
- him
- to
- a
- wheelchair
- and
- he
- is
- feeble.
- Sera’s
- younger
- siblings
- have
- families
- of
- their
- own,
- and
- he
- pictures
- a
- life
- that
- might
- have
- been
- his
- if
- he
- had
- not
- stayed
- away.
- He
- settles
- down
- and
- performs
- on
- the
- streets
- and
- in
- bars
- of
- his
- hometown.
- Angie
- turns
- up
- at
- one
- of
- his
- performances
- and
- they
- reflect
- on
- the
- events
- that
- formed
- their
- journey.
- They
- conclude
- there
- is
- no
- reason
- they
- cannot
- have
- a
- relationship
- while
- they
- continue
- with
- their
- individual
- careers,
- and
- still
- enjoy
- the
- life
- Naples
- has
- to offer.
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