Chapter 65
“You will never be coming in my back door,” I mutter dryly.
“Famous last words.” He peers into the oven to see what I’m cooking.
“Listen, don’t talk to me,” I whisper as I look around to see if I can talk without anyone hearing. “You are in the doghouse.”
“Excellent.”
“How is that excellent?”
“Doggy style is when I’m at my best.” What?
“Mom.” Lucia walks in, interrupting us. “We’re playing Uno and having a fire outside.”
“Great,” I say over enthusiastically. “Oh joy. This is the best night of my life.”
Lucia turns her back and I cross my eyes and stick my finger down my throat. Gabriel’s eyes dance with mischief. He puts a shopping bag on the kitchen counter. “And look…I bought snacks.”
“Funny you say that, I was just about to cook you up something extra special.”
“Please don’t.”
“Ha–ha, you’re so funny,” I mutter as I turn back to check on the brownies.
Kill me now.
This is a nightmare, but the kids are so excited, I can’t ruin this for them.
And he knows it.
The master manipulator. Infuriating.
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Half an hour later, we are sitting around the little card table on the lake’s edge and Gabriel is beading the instructions to Uno out loud while the children listen intently.
For fuck’s sake, this isn’t rocket science. Just deal the cards already, I don’t have time for
this shit.
“Each player gets seven cards,” he reads.
“We know.” I sigh.
He glances up. “You know?” He looks around, disappointed. “You’ve all played this game before?”
“Not this exact one,” Dominic lies. “This is a different sort.”
Huh?
“Oh, good.” Gabriel smiles in relief.
Why did Dom say that? We have played this game ten million times before.
Lucia smiles over at me. “This is so fun, isn’t it, Mom?“,
“Best night of my life.” I sip my wine, unimpressed. I’m sure gardening with Jack would be more fun than this.
Gabriel deals out the cards and we all pick them up and begin to organize them in our hand. I glance over to the kids, who are smiling goofily, they’re so happy.
I have a momentary out–of–body experience as I remember dreaming of a night just like
this for them.
Simple fun with their father.
Emotion overwhelms me and I unexpectedly tear up. I blink to hide my tears and then glance up to see Gabriel watching me. As if knowing exactly how I feel, he gives me a soft smile and a subtle nod, and I smile too.
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need to take me and my feelings out of the equation. This night means everything to the wins and Gabriel and that’s all that matters.
Two hours later.
The burning wood cracks, and Gabriel and Dominic hold their sticks in the flickering flame. Night has fallen and along with it has come the peaceful serenity of the lake.
It’s beautiful out here.
“I can’t wait to taste these toasted marshmallows.” Lucia beams, she and I are sitting at the card table, waiting for the boys to serve us our dessert.
“I can’t believe you’ve never had this before?” Gabriel smiles proudly as he twists his stick.
I think we did have them years ago and someone burned the bejesus out of their lip so I never got them again, not that I’m telling them that.
“Just about done,” Gabriel tells Dominic. “Turn it over again.”
Dominic turns the stick again, he’s concentrating as if this is brain surgery. He hasn’t said anything much directly to Gabriel tonight but he’s hanging off every word he says.
I’m happy and sad and overwhelmed, and damn it, seeing them with him makes me realize how much they’ve missed out on.
“All done,” Gabriel tells Dominic. They walk over and proudly hand over our sticks with the melted marshmallows on the end. “Careful, they’re hot,” he warns us. “Blow on it to cool,
them down.”
His words are gospel, and the children begin to blow on their marshmallows in an over exaggerated way.
He takes a nibble and smiles. “Ah, davvero delizioso.” (“Ah delicious.“)
Dominic tastes it. “è la cosa più deliziosa che abbia mai assaggiato.”
(“This is the best thing I ever tasted.“) Gabriel smiles.
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Lo mangeremo quando andremo in Italia, non è vero, Mamma?” (“When we move to Italy we will eat this, won’t we, Mom?“)
“Speak English, Dom, I don’t understand,” I tell him.
“When we move to Italy we will eat this, won’t we, Mom?” he repeats himself.
“We will.” I smile.
Gabriel’s face falls as he stares at Dominic. “You want to live in Italy?”
Dominic nods. “Lo stesso vale per Lucia.“” (“Lucia does too.“) “Mamma ha detto che non appena compiremo sedici anni ci trasferiremo li per un paio di anni per imparare la lingua e le tradizioni.” (“Mom said when we are
sixteen, we are moving there for two years to learn the culture.“) Gabriel’s eyes search mine.
“I want them to know who they truly are.” I smile sadly.
His eyes well with tears as he stares at me across the table.
This is one of those moments where the planets align and you know that all the decisions and hard work that you put in years ago have paid off.
“I wanted to prepare them for your world as best as I could.”
“Our world, Vee,” he whispers. “It’s our world.” oh
