386 All Stories Are the Same

In the following days, Emily stayed in Rome, accompanying her Uncle Bert as they explored the city. Although Bert enjoyed visiting some of the historical sites, he struggled with the local cuisine. Being in his middle years, he found it difficult to adapt to the food in a foreign country. While the sights brought him joy, the meals left him uncomfortable. In fact, after a few attempts to avoid troubling Emily to fetch him food, he forced himself to eat local dishes, only to end up with a bad case of food poisoning, leaving him feeling weak and drained.

Emily grew increasingly concerned. “Uncle, let me take you to the hospital. You’re not looking well.”

But Bert firmly refused. “If I can’t handle the food here, what makes you think I’ll do better in one of their hospitals? I’ll be fine. I just need a few days of rest. When we get home, the first thing I’ll do is have a proper meal.”

No matter how hard Emily tried to convince him, Bert adamantly avoided anything related to Rome. Instead