After about 15 minutes drive, Hidayah suddenly stood up and walked over to Miguel, "Miguel, is it possible for us to stop at San Gimignano? Either on our way now or later in the evening?" she asked.
"Sure, what do you wish to see in San Gimignano? Then we can determine when is the best time for us to go," he replied.
"I would love to explore the different buildings in the town centre and the wall… if we do not have time to reach Cinque Terre, we can always extend the tour period. Of course, if that is fine with you. We will also arrange for accommodation for you. Or if you and Jian Yu don't mind, you can share a room." She explained.
When Jian Yu heard her suggestion, he also voiced his consent. Hence, the group detoured towards San Gimignano as Hidayah's request. In about an hour, they reached their destination and Miguel brought the team around on foot to explore the hillside town.
As the team had started off late, Hidayah had requested for Miguel to extend the tour to 3 days 2 nights instead of a day tour. Luckily, Miguel was free for the week hence he could be flexible and reported the changes with the company.
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"Here, Piazza Della Cisterna is named after the public Cistern that dates back to the year 1287. The piazza was used as a market and a stage for festivals and tournaments. Its current layout dates from the thirteenth century. The cistern is capped by a travertine octagonal pedestal, which was built in 1346 under the mayor Guccio Malavolti and is close to the centre of the square. Let's have some free time to ourselves and I shall meet you all here in an hour's time before we move on to our next destination," Miguel released the group to tour the town on their own after bringing them around the 13th-century walls and the 13 surviving towers. Since they had started late in the day, by the time the group finished going around on foot to enjoy the mediaeval town, it was close to five in the afternoon before Miguel could give some free time before they set off to dinner at a private home for dinner to cater to the group unique dietary.
Luckily, Miguel had spent a couple of years in San Gimignano and had stayed with a Muslim family who also caters to function serving halal authentic local cuisine.
As the group disperse out, Hidayah and Nazreen decided to take a break with Jian Yu at a nearby cafe. Miguel also joined the small group to rest after they had invited him. "So, the family you will be introducing us for dinner is a friend?" Nazreen asked.
"Yes, I used to stay in this town a couple of years back when I was younger. They were my host family. They have their own catering business and their backyard is occasionally used as a gathering space by tour groups and local businesses. Don't worry, I can assure you that the food served is halal."
"Thanks, for the arrangement, Miguel. It's great to know that we can count on you for this and I am really sorry for the last-minute change in our itinerary." Hidayah voiced out her appreciation for Miguel's meticulous arrangements to cater to their needs. It must have been difficult for him to plan a new itinerary for their impromptu trip and accommodation.
"It's fine, Ms Loh. I believe your group is really lucky to be able to secure sufficient rooms to stay for the night too. Hotel Relais La Cappuccina & Spa is usually fully booked in August. They have also rearranged the rooms to accommodate the group to stay as close as they can. It's also thanks to everyone for your understanding of the room types that will be accommodated later," He responded. He believed that this group is the most accommodating group among the 'moneybags' he has ever serviced. In fact, When they made the reservation for the hotel earlier, Hidayah even paid for the rooms in full in one payment! No questions asked, no difficult special requests and didn't even ask for discounts!
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In a suite; Hotel Relais La Cappuccina & Spa
"How often do you drink?" Nazreen asked his wife who is sitting by the vanity table brushing her hair after her bath.
"Whenever I feel like it?" she indifferently replied.
"You do know you can't drink right?" he asked again.
"Don't worry. I have a high tolerance for alcohol and spirits. I made sure to stop before my judgement is impaired ever since I met you that night too."
"Well, yeah, health is a concern but you do know this falls under the unlawfulness of Khamr, right?" he added.
"Well, I guess that falls on different jurists' interpretation. Plus, I will have to drink for business on some occasion too and I think you are going over the line here," Hidayah put the brush down and turned to look at her husband who is sitting at the end of the bed, facing her.
[A/N: Khamr is an Arabic word for wine; is defined as alcoholic beverages, liquor. In Islamic jurisprudence, it refers to certain forbidden substances, and its technical definition depends on the legal school.]
"Haish… Fine, I won't stop you from drinking but we need to agree on the number of glasses you are allowed to per sitting. You won't be able to drink them once you go for the treatment anyway." He elucidated. He knew that he will need to take a step back on this, or they would end up in an argument. His wife is one fiery stubborn woman.
"Okay, five glasses." she negotiated.
"Three glasses and that's the most I can allow. You really need to start now on trying to stop drinking before you start your treatment," he ended the negotiation and sharply stood up from the bed and walked towards the bathroom for his shower.
God, can this be counted as our first official fight? Hidayah wondered...