CHAPTER 20
“Hey, beauty!” Galen said softly, his hand reaching toward the young, solid-white mare, who shyly backed into the farthest corner of her stall.
“Aww, come on, let’s be friends,” the kid continued soothingly.
“I come in peace, bringing treats.” He pulled an apple from the paper bag he was holding. “Here you go. Come and get it.”
“I don’t know if you’ll have any luck with that one,” a stable hand who witnessed the scene shook his head. “Don Nuzzo had quite a few clients for her, but they all gave up in the end. Not that I blame them. No one likes a horse who just…hides like that.”
“Maybe she does it because people let her down too soon,” Galen got as close as he could to the stall’s gate, holding the apple. “Or maybe it's because they didn’t try hard enough to understand her, to communicate with her. Isn’t it, beauty?” The teen turned to the hand. “Does she have a name?”
“Yes, Bella,” the man said in a bored voice.
“But I don’t think she answers to it anymore; no one here has used it in quite a few months.
” He straightened and rolled his eyes slightly at the boy.
“Look, ragazzino, we’re just a handful of people here, working from dawn till dusk and the other way around.
We’re too damn busy to play shrink for the horses. ”
Galen ignored the stable hand’s words, focusing on the horse. “Come on, Bella, look at this big, round, juicy apple,” he coaxed her in the same soft voice as before. Finally, the young mare cautiously moved closer, nuzzled the apple, and took a good bite. “That’s it, sweetie, well done.”
“Here you are, figlio mio.” Ottavio let out a long sigh of relief. “I asked your cousins and friends where you were, and they were a bit confused, which worried me. Then Gianluca said the two of you parted ways here, and…” He cleared his throat. “Do you see anything you like?”
“Yes, papa,” Galen nodded toward the little mare, who was taking the rest of the apple from his hand. “Her name is Bella, and she's a very sweet girl. A little sad and shy because no one really cares about her, talks to her, or spends time with her.”
“I see,” Ottavio nodded in understanding. “You want to see her happy, and I want the same for you, so consider it done.”
“Consider what done?” Galen frowned in confusion at his father’s words, then turned to him and saw the light in his eyes. “Papa, are you… do you really mean it? Am I going to have my own horse, Bella? Are we going to take her home?”
“Si, figlio mio, we are.” Ottavio ran his fingers through the teen’s light-brown strands.
“I stood in the doorway for a few good minutes, watching how you talked to that shy horse, how you put time, patience, and sensibility into the interaction. It was long enough for me to see that you and Bella are a good match, so to say.”
“Mille grazie, papà.” Galen threw himself into the man’s open arms, wrapping his arms around his neck. “You’re a fantastic father, and I love you very much. Ives, too. And Basile, Ivy, Poisoned Ivy, and…”
“I got the message,” Ottavio laughed softly, kissing his son’s forehead.
“You are super excited and enthusiastic about having your first horse, and you want to hug everyone you know and tell them how much you appreciate them.” He smiled, and it reached his eyes.
“Don’t forget to add the Wisdom Keeper to the list of people you love because he offered to keep Bella at The Base’s vet clinic’s stables. ”
“Wait…” Galen disentangled from the embrace and looked into his father’s eyes. “You guys talked about it… when? How did you know I’d like Bella so much that I’d want you to buy her for me?”
“I wasn’t sure it was Bella, but I had a feeling you wouldn’t leave this place without a horse of your own, so I went ahead and made the arrangements.
” Ottavio inhaled sharply. “Of course, I could have been wrong, but deep in my heart, I know it wasn’t.
I can’t explain it right; it’s like a sixth sense.
I think you’ll understand when you’re a father yourself. ”
“Here you are!” Gianluca exclaimed from the stable door. “Come, let’s go to the barn; Signor Bernardo told us there are a bunch of little kitties in the hay.” The little boy looked at his uncle. “Zio, can he go? Please?”
“Of course he can,” Ottavio nodded with a smile, then jabbed a finger at his son. “No kitty for home, though. Six are more than enough.”
Galen didn’t reply; he just giggled and took the hand his cousin offered, then followed the younger boy outside the stable.
Ottavio stood in the doorway for a few more minutes, watching the two kids head toward the barn, the air filled with their happy voices and laughter.
I bet my son is now telling his cousin about the horse he just got. The man smiled inwardly.
A smile began to form on Ottavio’s face, visible in his eyes, as memories of his first horse, a white-and-reddish-brown mare he named Cappuccino, flooded his mind. Those treasured moments played in his thoughts like scenes from a movie, each special in its own way.
The only thing Ottavio couldn’t remember from his time with the beautiful, gentle, yet spirited horse was the exact moment he first got her.
It seemed the mare had been there since the beginning of time, like his parents or the staff.
The thought began to bother him, so he shoved it into that part of his mind where all the problems were stored.
Meanwhile, Galen and Gianluca arrived at the barn and joined the other kids, who were gathered around something or someone.
The youngest were softly clapping now and then, their faces showing a mix of tenderness, affection, and excitement.
Occasionally, one of them would let out an oh or an aww, placing a hand over their heart.
Intrigued, Galen and Gianluca moved closer to get a better look at the object of the other children’s interest. Both let out loud gasps when they saw what it was. In a hole in the hay, shaped like a nest, a medium-sized tabby cat was nursing seven kittens that didn’t appear to be older than a week.
One was solid white, one was gray, and the others came in different shades of orange.
Judging by their swollen bellies, the seven balls of fluff had just stopped by the milk bar.
They were sleeping now, in a milk-drunk state, and the mama cat was licking them, making soft sounds now and then, as if telling her little ones how adorable they were and how much she loved them.
Soon, other cats from the barn came over to the kids, trying to get their attention by purring softly, barely audible, or loudly like a tractor engine.
Some rubbed their heads or sides against the children’s legs, while others, a little more daring, pawed at their ankles and even showed their bellies to attract attention.
The only one who didn’t leave the momma cat and her seven kittens was Eugenie, who sat beside the feline, ignoring the straws that were rough against her tender skin.
With her palm flat, the little girl was petting the small creature’s soft fur, affectionately gazing at her as she whispered words of endearment in Sicilian.
Eugenie fell silent as an idea entered her mind. She stood and moved to stand beside Gianluca and Galen. “I want to bring that cat home, and I need your help.”
“What cat? Home, where?” Galen crouched in front of the little girl, a slightly worried look on his face. “And how are we supposed to help you?”
“The one with seven babies. Home, where I live with my daddies. You can talk to papa. He listens to you.” Eugenie pointed to her older cousin and answered his questions.
“And you’ll help me get them out of the barn and into the van,” she said, turning to Gianluca.
“It shouldn’t be so hard,” the little girl added before the youngest of the two boys could reply.
“Whoa, hold on a bit,” Galen stopped his cousin with a gesture.
“It’s not how this works. First, you didn’t use the magic word when you asked for our help.
Second, you should never hide things from your daddies, so why don’t you talk to them first?
I can’t see them telling you no, especially zio Baldassare. ”
“Cugino Galen is right,” Gianluca nodded. "Zio never denied you anything. He didn’t even try to, so why don’t you go to him first? It’s what I do when I want something.”
“Besides, why take a cat from here, where New York City shelters are full of felines, big and small, waiting for a chance at safety and love?” Galen spoke in a soft, pain-tinged voice.
“The mama cat and her kitties have a good life here, but what about the hundreds of poor souls on the streets, who no one cares about?”
“Yes, you’re right,” Eugenie nodded. “I’ll ask daddies to go to a shelter when we get back home. I’ll ask them if I can have three cats.”
“You do that,” Galen smiled at the little girl, then fell silent, reflecting for a moment.
“On the other hand, you’re right. I didn’t see any cats around Palazzo Van Necker when I was there with Papa and Ives, so you can still ask your daddies if you’re allowed to bring the momma cat there.
I’ll do the same with my fathers. I’m sure Ivy and Poisoned Ivy will help me. ”
“Do you want the momma cat and her kitties for you?” Eugenie’s big, sky-blue eyes filled with tears. “Meanie,” she exclaimed, then turned her back on the two boys.
“No, silly,” Galen shook his head, wrapping an arm around her fragile shoulders and pulling her into a warm, brotherly hug.
“I have my eye on a couple of black cats, a girl and a boy. The plan is to smuggle them into the Palazzo Sforza, let them... um... multiply, and make the place swarm with black kitties.”
“Yay, that’s genius!” Eugenie looked up at her cousin. “Your palace will be turned into a witch’s home, complete with black cats, a broom, and all that.”
“Nope,” Galen popped the p, looking at all his cousins and friends gathered around him again, each holding at least one cat or kitten. “My palace will be turned into a wizard’s home, with lots of books on magic, a lab for spells and potions, a lot of black cats, and all that.”
The sound of loud, innocent children’s laughter, crystalline in the summer afternoon, made Ottavio, who was heading to the barn, stop in his tracks and listen. I wish I knew what they were talking about, what made them react this way, the man said to himself, his heart melting at the sight.
I bet the fantastic cousins, Galen, Gianluca, and Eugenie, were planning something—maybe how to sneak kittens into Palazzo Sforza, Luca’s family’s house, or even Palazzo Van Necker.
Or even all three at once. Ottavio smiled, amused at the thought.
I also bet they think we, the grown-ups, can be fooled—that they could hide the fluff balls right under our noses.
Let them do that, and talk to Martinio, Luca, Baldassare, and Elyan to do the same.
Encourage them to speak with people, put in the time and effort to persuade them to help, and let them succeed.
As future members of The Council, they must learn to develop a plan and earn the respect and loyalty of those under their command.
Then, in front of all their fathers, reveal to the group of young schemers that you have known about their plan from the beginning.
With patience and understanding, highlight all its flaws and explain what gave them away, so they can learn and avoid repeating the same mistakes. Because that’s what learning is about.
You and the other adults have the duty to let them try, and when they fail, you must encourage them to keep going.
One day, Galen, Gianluca, Blaise, and the children of the other Council members, hopefully including Eugenie, will follow in their fathers’ footsteps.
They need to stick together. Be ready. Be prepared.
Because they represent the future, they must not allow the echoes of the past to become a siren’s song that distracts them from their mission.