The Blue Dress Sisters

CHAPTER 17: THE LAST NIGHT OF MY CHILDHOOD

Spaghetti walked across the meadow with a bucket of freshly milked goat's milk in one hand and a math book in the other, his gaze fixed on the problem Father Flavio had asked him to solve.

When he entered the home through the kitchen door, he found Delilah playing with Cannoli while furtively giving him bits of meat.

Her hair, face, and uniform were covered in flour, while her hands had sticky remnants of mashed potatoes because she had just mixed the dough for the gnocchi. Since she was grounded, she was tasked with preparing the meal for everyone.

Massimo placed the bucket of milk and the book on the table before sighing in frustration.

"Can you help me, Patata Piccolina?" he asked kindly. "I can't get the same result as the example in Father Flavio's book."

The girl stopped what she was doing to examine the mathematical operation that Spaghetti had done in the book.

After analyzing it several times, concentrating, she began to count on her fingers. Then, she picked up the pencil that was resting in the middle of the pages and began to write numbers on the edges of the paper.

"There must be a mistake in the first calculations," she commented as she solved the equation. "I think that's why the final result is different."

Spaghetti scratched his head, confused.

"Are you sure?"

Delilah dropped the pencil, letting out air through her mouth impatiently.

"No, it's not there." Again, she took a general look at the calculations done by her friend. "So where's the mistake?" Suddenly, she spotted a number that seemed higher than it should be. "Oh, it must be this one." She circled it in the book, pointing to the figure. "Doesn't it seem like it's a very big number?"

Massimo studied the figure.

"You're right, I must have made a mistake in the division."

Quickly, Delilah redid the calculation to substitute the number in the formula.

"The rest of the procedure is fine, but there was one number wrong."

"You're brilliant, Patata Piccolina," Massimo admitted humbly as she finished doing the calculation.

The girl jumped, raising her arms up in triumph, when she got the correct result.

"Yes! I did it!"

"Alright, but don't let it go to your head. I'm still smarter than you," the boy teased jokingly.

Delilah narrowed her eyes before rolling them.

"Oh, Spaghetti, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't even know how to read. Besides, I'm younger than you and still smarter."

"In your dreams!" He lifted Cannoli in his arms. "Cannoli, who's smarter between the two of us? Tell this girl she can't compete with me."

The puppy stretched to lick the flour-covered face of the girl as both of them laughed. Delilah returned the kisses to Cannoli's snout.

"Are you coming tonight to the Nightgown Club meeting?" she asked her friend.

He thought for a moment.

"I don't know, Father Flavio gave me a lot of homework."

Annoyed, she frowned.

"Since when do you care so much about homework? Are you going to miss Fatima's farewell? Are your silly assignments more important than your friends?"

"Of course not." He shrugged. "But I'm interested in learning. Father Flavio said he'd teach me more complex problems if I solved the simpler ones. And you know well that Mother Superior has forbidden me from seeing you all in nightgowns. What can I do?"