Chapter 52 Elena
E LENA
Christian’s a changed man. He’s been nothing but kind and loving to Elena since the pregnancy test yesterday morning. Last night he ordered enough dinner for both of them to eat, and this morning, when Signora Bianchi brought Elena breakfast again, he didn’t act annoyed. In fact, he hasn’t controlled her food intake at all.
‘Just promise me you’ll lay off the caffeine and fried food?’ was all he said last night.
It’s an odd feeling, being allowed to eat. The lack of hunger pangs makes her feel as if she’s in another woman’s skin. She’s being careful and only eating small amounts; she doesn’t want her food privileges revoked if she shows too little self-control.
After breakfast, Christian asked her what she’d like to do today and when she said she wanted to spend it with Mamma, he readily agreed. She just about fell off her chair with shock.
Now they’re walking through the winding streets with Mamma towards her apartment after taking a tour of the Ghetto, rugged up in their coats. The clouds are heavy and the forecast is for rain, but so far they’ve managed to stay dry. Mamma walks beside Elena in silence, staring ahead. Elena’s dying to know what’s going on in Mamma’s mind.
They’ve exchanged a few stolen glances today where Mamma’s grief and heartache have been unmasked, but she’s put on a magnificent show for Christian, laughing at his jokes, impressing him with her knowledge of the Levantine architecture of the ancient synagogue they visited, finding the best coffee for him to sample from her friend Umberta’s bakery on the esplanade.
It’s late afternoon now. The cafes are emptying out and the shops closing up for the day as everyone prepares to welcome in a new year. When they arrive at the cold, run-down apartment building, Mamma looks at the steep stairs with a sigh.
‘It’s a lot for you to climb these stairs every day, Anna-Maria.’ Christian performs an inspection of the ground level of the building, knocking on the stone walls. ‘I wonder if we could install a lift?’
‘And who’d pay for that?’ Elena laughs.
He looks at her earnestly. ‘Us. I want your mum to be able to come and go as she likes. She’s okay for now, but these stairs will get harder for her to manage the older she gets. We can look into it. Hey, Anna-Maria!’ he calls up the staircase to where Mamma’s already nearing the second flight. ‘Would you like a lift in this apartment building?’
‘Lift?’ Mamma leans on the banister. ‘What is “lift”?’
‘Un ascensore,’ Elena translates.
‘Yes, I like,’ Mamma calls down. ‘Is not possible. Building very old.’
‘Anything’s possible at the right price, Anna-Maria. Give me the name of the building manager. I’ll see what I can do.’ Christian smiles.
Elena shakes her head. ‘You’re probably looking at a million dollars minimum, you know.’ She shivers. ‘God, it’s cold. It’s a wind tunnel down here. Let’s go up.’
‘I get access to my trust fund when I’m thirty-five next year, remember? A million’s a drop in the ocean once that money’s ours.’
‘I forgot about that,’ she says truthfully.
‘You forgot?’ He snorts. ‘Isn’t that the reason you married me?’
She laughs and he takes her hand.
‘Ellie, I want to do this for your mum.’
‘It’s a nice thought. But dealing with Italian bureaucracy and tradespeople – you have no idea how hard it will be.’
‘I’m a tenacious man when I want something, babe. I always get what I want. And I want to look after your mum. She’s important to you, so she’s important to me too.’
Today has reminded her of what Christian was like when she first fell for him – generous, warm, charming, funny. But as chivalrous as he’s being about installing the lift, it’s something he won’t have to worry about. Mamma will be long gone by then and so will she.