Gianluca Ginoble and I

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

          Later that evening, my mother went out with Piero and Ignazio’s mothers to have dinner, and I was left at the Ginoble house with Gianluca and his parents.

          I borrowed Gianluca’s iPod and sat alone in the guestroom to try writing a short story I had been rolling around in my mind. I wasn’t completely sure what the plot was yet, but I scribbled over several pages, trying to begin by conveying the love of a young couple. Down the hallway, Gianluca was finalizing that song he had been working on. Every once in a while he would sing a few notes, and repeat them over and over again to test them out, and I decided to forsake the iPod to listen to him.

          His parents were talking downstairs, and the constant murmur of their voices was comforting. It reminded me of when my parents used to chat in the kitchen when I played in the living room.

          I straightened my stack of loose-leaf, and tapped the pencil thoughtfully against my knee.

          “Gianluca!?” Mrs. Ginoble called up the stairs. “Your father and I need to talk to you about something important!”

          I sat up and listened as Gianluca went down the hallway and down the staircase to join in on the murmur of voices.

          I looked down at the blank pages before me and tried to think of what would happen in my story now that I had introduced the couple, but nothing came to mind.

          I twisted a curl around my finger as I pondered over the nonexistent plotline, listening to the murmuring, which stopped moments later. I heard Gianluca began to speak, quicker and louder than his parents. His mother spoke, slower than before, and his dad said something sharply. Gianluca started to speak again, and his voice was raised, which provoked a harsh response from his father.

          There was definitely an argument going on, quick words being exchanged in raised voices from all of them.

          I felt out of place, as if I wasn’t supposed to hear this. My mother wasn’t in the house at the moment, and I was the only one present who was not a Ginoble. The argument continued, and I stood and pulled on my tennis shoes, feeling a bit uneasy at hearing the family argument.

          I went to the window and opened it, peering downward to discover that I couldn’t safely reach the ground.

          So I left the guestroom and crept down the steps, peering cautiously into the living room. The three of them were in the master bedroom, and arguing in Italian.

          I could see Gianluca in the doorway with his back to me, speaking slowly, obviously frustrated, and his father tried to silence him to no avail. He sounded desperate, and he began to plead with his mother, his Italian starting to sound choked up. When she began to speak, I was reminded of my being out of place.

          I went quickly through the living room and out the front door, closing it quietly behind me.

          I jumped off the porch steps and looked around. Where would I go? I wasn’t allowed to go exploring after dark. I impulsively set out in the direction of Piero and Ignazio’s houses, jogging through the dirt path. I stopped in between them, unsure of where I was going.

          I slid my hands into my pockets and turned to gaze at the mountains in the distance, wondering what the Ginobles were arguing about.

          A door opening interrupted the quiet, and I heard Ignazio call, “Naomi, what are you doing?”

          I turned to see him standing on his porch, smiling at me.