Chapter 22
22
PINOCCHIO
A small boy approaches our booth holding a book in his hands. His parents are not too far away, mingling with others, so I lean forward. He seems unsure, and I’ve never met him before, so he’s likely a tourist from another part of Italy. “ Buona sera . Are you enjoying the Autumn Festival?” I smile at him, and he nods.
The past nine months have been glorious—busy, but wonderful. Papa has remained in good health, though he uses a cane. He was hesitant at first to cut back his hours at the shop, but now he’s enjoying his time with the senior group. I pray with gratitude every night for his strength and safety.
Of course, I am also grateful for my boyfriend. Lampwick is perfectly ensconced in every facet of my life, and I couldn’t be happier. We work together, room together, and have supper with Papa and Arpeggio every evening. While we don’t have sex frequently, we make it a point to hold each other to sleep nightly. The sound of his heartbeat is like the most decadent lullaby, easing me to dreamland every night. I don’t know how I ever slept without him.
We carve out moments to steal away to the creek and abandoned shack to bathe when the weather is nice. And yes, those moments usually lead to us making love under the stars— I’m only human after all.
Business has been booming, and no one in town has harassed me for being in a homosexual relationship. By the spring, people stopped giving us curious stares; I suppose we’re old news. Signore Delluomo looks unhappy when we’re together, but when I buy food from him alone, it’s like everything is normal. We’ll take these wins when we get them.
And with Lampwick getting better at carving, Geppetto everyone in town except Mr. Delluomo loves Lampwick. “What thing?”
“This.” He hands me a folded piece of paper, clearly a new copy of his list.
“What do we got?” I mutter. I can barely read it in the darkness, so I move to the window. Smoothing out the pages, I notice only a few words. Lampwick’s handwriting is a work in progress, but I’m able to read what it says. The words make my eyebrows jump and my heart stop.
Make Pinocchio happy for the rest of my life.
Does this mean what I think it means?
“Wha…what?” When I turn to my right, my knees nearly give out.
Lampwick is on one knee. And he’s holding a small gold ring.
“Pinocchio Carlo. You saved my life as kids.” His eyes are watery and I can’t even breathe. “I’ve loved you for so long, and living with you this past year only made me realize I will continue to love you until my dying days. The Fairy made you a real boy, but I’d like to make you a happy man, and hopefully, the perfect husband.”
I bring my hand to my mouth in shock as tears well up in my eyes.
“Pinocchio, will you marry me?” His face reads like a combination of fear and joy.
I nod and get down on my knees so I’m at eye level. “Life is only half of what it could be without you. So yes.” I take his hands. “I’ll marry you.”
He sniffs, and we’re both a mess now. “Even if the church won’t officiate us?”
I nod and roll my eyes. “No matter what. I’m a puppet brought to life, after all. We can make anything possible.”
He laughs and places the ring on my finger. Right there, in the bookshop, we kiss to seal our love.
We’ve completed Lampwick’s list. And I get the honor of claiming him as mine for the rest of our days.