Oblivion

19| The only true magic is a book

JOSEPHINE

"Idiot." Domenico was still looking at Matteo angrily when we sat down at the table to eat. It was already afternoon and Maria had made a vegetable casserole that smelled fantastic.

"I said I'm sorry!" Matteo assured while raising his hands in apology. The other two brothers smiled smugly and I couldn't help but grin too.

"Which of your two brain cells thought it was a good idea to send out the blue tank while your team member is in the lead?"As I found out, Domenico wasn't exactly the best loser. But the way he played, he didn't lose often, so maybe it was a lack of opportunity to learn from. He or his team always won in the end, both in the individual races and in the team races, and in combination with Riccardo, he was virtually invincible. I was surprised at how well they worked as a team, but they did. I also had the impression that Riccardo enjoyed playing with his older brothers. Not that I would ever say that, nor would he admit it.

"The left," Matteo grinned and helped himself to something to eat. He looked at me questioningly, but I just shook my head slightly. My stomach still felt weird; one scene like that was enough for me in a day.

Domenico started to answer again, but Vito quickly interrupted him. "That's enough. You lost, and we won; now it's time to eat. Josephine, do you want anything else? I'm sure we have other things in the fridge."

"I cooked rice pudding, Micina. Wait, I'll bring you something," Maria anticipated my answer and smiled at me so lovingly that I didn't have the heart to refuse her offer.

"Can I have rice pudding too?" asked Riccardo, looking hopefully at the stove. His voice sounded so different—so friendly.

"No, you eat the casserole," Maria replied sternly, but he looked at her so heartwarmingly that she sighed. "You may have some afterwards. But first, the casserole is eaten!"

Apparently satisfied with himself, Riccardo turned back to us before filling his plate with vegetables. No one missed his small portion compared to Matteo's, but Vito just smiled. While the older two filled their plates one after the other, Maria brought me a bowl half-filled with rice pudding. She assured me that I could have more if I wanted and gently stroked my short hair. Unsure of how to react, I tried to show her how grateful I was with my eyes.

"At any time, Pulcino," she answered me quietly and squeezed my shoulder briefly. Then she looked back at the others. "When is Valentino coming back today? I thought he would be back home for dinner."

Vito pushed up his sleeve to look at his watch. "He wrote half an hour ago that he was leaving. So he should be there at some point."

"And if he misses a meal, he won't starve to death, Maria," Domenico said and received a stern look from Maria, who raised a spoon in support. He seemed only mildly impressed. Instead of apologizing with appropriate remorse, he lowered his fork and continued eating, undeterred.

"A volte sei impossibile, Domenico!" [Sometimes you're impossible, Domenico!] Maria scolded in Italian and went out of the kitchen, snorting in anger. Matteo and Riccardo laughed quietly, while Vito just rolled his eyes and sighed. I didn't understand what she said, but it certainly wasn't as nice as it sounded to me. However, no one seemed seriously upset, so I cautiously tried the rice pudding. I liked it, and after a few spoonfuls, I noticed how my stomach seemed to calm down again.

It really didn't take long for Valentino to join us, and you could tell that he had Maria wrapped around his finger. As soon as he sat down, she appeared again and, probably to disturb Domenico, filled him with a very large portion of the casserole and also gave him a bowl of rice pudding. Needless to say, he emptied both without much effort.