baby [h.s.]

forty

[NOTE: the italicized words are those spoken in italian]

            The start to our final day in Italy was quiet. I awoke the morning after Christmas to silence in the house. For the mornings prior, the pounding of feet in the halls from my cousins or the shouts from downstairs pulled us awake by eight.

I was awake before Harry. I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was nearly ten. Harry was bundled beneath the blankets, so I threw my legs over the side of the bed and tiptoed out.

I passed no one on the stairs. The living room was empty. The radio in the kitchen wasn't playing. I pushed the door to the kitchen open and the only person inside was my grandfather. He sat at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. He didn't turn when I walked in.

"Good morning, Nonno." I said.

"Matilda, come sit." he said. "Everyone's gone out shopping and eating."

I shuffled my feet across the floor and sat across from him at the hardwood floor. He folded the paper up and set it in front of him.

"I'd like to talk to you." he said, looking up at me. "I can tell he makes you happy."

I nodded. "He does."

"I know who he is." he said, sighing. "I'm not going to explain how. I'm sure you'll put two and two together. Just tell me one thing: do you trust him?"

I opened my mouth in surprise, then my shoulders slumped. "With my life. You're worried, but I'll never be hurt as long as I'm with him."

Nonno nodded. "I assumed just as much. He loves you, girl. He really does."

I glanced at the ring on my finger. "I know he does. I love him, too."

"How involved are you in it all?"

I looked away, at the window. "Quite. I don't always need Harry coming to my rescue; I can handle myself."

"I know you can." he said. He reached and grabbed my hand. "Be careful."

I nodded. "Always, Nonno. Always."

I kissed the top of his hand and he squeezed mine. Without another word, he stood.

"I'll be out for a while." he said, over his shoulder. He waved to me before disappearing through the kitchen door. I stared it at a moment, thinking about what he had said. I wasn't surprised he knew, I was just surprised at the fact that he wasn't upset.

For a moment I worried that he'd tell my mother, but I knew better than that. He wouldn't do that to me. If he was involved in something of this nature in his own way, then he knew how to keep that secret.

After a few minutes, I stood and started putting together some breakfast. Harry joined me in the kitchen halfway through my cooking.

"Hey," I said. He walked past me, to the coffee pot on the other side of the kitchen. He dragged his hand across my back as he passed.

"Where is everyone?" he said. He poured himself coffee into a ceramic mug.

"Out shopping and having breakfast." I said as I stirred the eggs in the pan.