20. Luca
Luca
The drive to my mom’s house takes a little under fifteen minutes. Sarah sits beside me with one hand resting over mine on the center console while the radio plays quietly through the speakers. Every now and then she glances out the window before looking back at me.
“Your mom’s going to tell me I don’t eat enough,” she says.
I laugh.
“And then she’s going to feed me enough for the next week.”
“Probably.”
She smiles.
“I love coming here.”
The wrought-iron gate is already open when I turn into the driveway.
The headlights sweep beneath the old oak trees lining the property before the house comes into view beneath the warm glow of the porch lights.
The yellow siding, the white trim, the flower beds my mother still refuses to let anyone else take care of, and the rocking chairs beneath the covered porch all look exactly the way they always have.
I pull in behind Carmela and Emilio’s SUV and shut off the engine.
Before either of us has a chance to get out, the front door opens.
Ma steps onto the porch with a kitchen towel still draped over her shoulder.
Children’s voices spill out behind her, followed by laughter, and the clatter of dishes from the kitchen.
I climb out and walk around to Sarah’s side as she closes her door.
“Ma.”
She wraps me in a hug and kisses both of my cheeks when we get to the porch before stepping back to look me over.
“You work too much.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
A smile spreads across her face before she turns to Sarah and pulls her into an equally warm hug.
“Cara.”
“It’s good to see you, Sofia.”
“You’ve lost weight.”
Sarah laughs.
“I don’t think I have.”
“We’ll find out.”
Ma slips her arm through Sarah’s and starts toward the house. I follow them inside, closing the front door behind me as Veronica’s excited voice carries down the hallway.
The second we step inside, she comes flying down the hallway.
“Uncle Luca!”
I barely have time to bend my knees before she launches herself into my arms. I catch her easily, settling her against my hip as she wraps both arms around my neck.
“Hi, Bug.”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
She pulls back.
“You were gone.”
“I was.”
“I didn’t like it.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll try not to be gone so much.”
Satisfied with that answer, she shifts her attention to Sarah.
“Sarah!”
She reaches both arms toward her without another thought. Sarah laughs as I hand Veronica over.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
Veronica immediately starts talking, her words tumbling over each other so fast neither of us can keep up.
“I got a new Barbie, and Mommy said I could bring cupcakes to school on Friday because it’s my birthday next week and Daddy let me stay up until eight-thirty and Leone says I can’t beat him at Mario Kart but I almost did.”
Sarah smiles.
“That’s a lot to catch up on.”
“It is.”
I glance toward the living room as Leone and Rafael appear in the doorway.
“Uncle Luca,” Rafael says.
Leone hangs back with the kind of confidence only a ten-year-old can manage.
“Hi, Uncle Luca.”
I grin.
“Hey, boys.”
Rafael closes the distance first.
“Come outside with us.”
I smile.
“I just got here.”
“So.” He says.
Leone rolls his eyes.
“Mom said we have to wait until after dinner,” Leone tells him.
“I know what Mom said,” Rafael scoffs.
“You never listen.”
“I listen sometimes.”
“You don’t.”
Before Rafael can defend himself, Carmela walks into the foyer carrying a serving bowl.
“I can hear you two arguing from the kitchen.”
“We’re not arguing,” Rafael says.
Leone looks at him.
“We’re literally arguing.”
Carmela sighs, though she’s smiling.
“I don’t care what you’re calling it. Wash your hands. Dinner’s almost ready.”
The boys disappear down the hallway without another word. Carmela stops in front of me and wraps me in a quick hug.
“It’s good to see you.”
“You too.”
She steps back before looking at Sarah.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
The two of them hug.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Carmela says.
“I wouldn’t miss one of your mom’s dinners.” Sarah smiles.
“If you try helping her in the kitchen, she’s going to tell you to sit down,” Carmela says.
“She always does.”
Emilio appears behind her with a stack of plates balanced against one arm. He kisses the top of her head as he walks past, and she swats at his arm without looking up.
“You gonna stand in the foyer all night?” Emilio asks. “Or are you planning to help, Luca?”
“I was wondering how long it’d take before somebody put me to work,” I say.
“Good,” Ma calls from the kitchen. “Set the table.”
Sarah shifts Veronica onto her hip.
“I can help.”
“No,” Ma says immediately.
“No?”
“You’re a guest.”
Sarah smiles.
“Sofia, we’ve had this conversation.”
“And we’ll keep having it.”
Sarah laughs before carefully setting Veronica back on her feet.
“I’ll help anyway.”
Ma points a wooden spoon in her direction.
“Stubborn.”
“So I’ve been told.”
I carry the stack of plates from Emilio into the dining room while Sarah disappears into the kitchen beside Ma anyway. Neither of them says another word about it. Within seconds, they’re moving around each other, reaching for bowls, serving spoons, and baskets of bread.
By the time the table is set, dinner is ready.
Emilio carries in a platter of chicken while Ma follows with a bowl of pasta, the rich aroma of tomatoes, garlic, basil, and fresh bread filling the dining room.
Sarah comes in behind her with the bread basket before setting it in the middle of the table.
Everyone finds their seat. Leone and Rafael immediately reach toward the bread until Carmela gives them a look. They both pull their hands back, and Rafael lets out an exaggerated sigh.
“Hands,” Ma says.
Around the table, everyone reaches for the person beside them. Sarah slips her hand into mine while Veronica takes my free hand and Rafael’s. Across from us, Carmela and Emilio bow their heads with the boys.
Ma makes the sign of the cross.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
“Amen,” we answer together.
“Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.”
“Amen.”
As soon as the prayer ends, Veronica reaches for the bread again.
“Now?” she asks hopefully.
A smile spreads across Ma’s face.
“Now.”
For the first few minutes, the only sounds around the table are serving spoons scraping against bowls and the occasional request for another piece of bread or the grated parmesan.
Ma watches all of us the way she always does, making sure every plate stays full before finally allowing herself to take more than a few bites.
“So,” she says, looking at Sarah. “Tell us about Montana.”
Sarah smiles.
“It was wonderful.”
“You loved meeting her family,” Ma says, looking at me.
“I did. They’re exactly the way Sarah described them.”
Sarah laughs.
“I told you Daddy would have him on a horse before the trip was over.”
Emilio looks at me over the rim of his water glass.
“You actually rode?”
“I did.”
“Voluntarily?”
“I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“I gave him one,” Sarah says. “Ride with Daddy or be judged.”
That earns a laugh from everyone around the table.
“So?” Emilio asks. “How bad was he?”
“I wasn’t bad,” I say.
Sarah grins.
“He wasn’t. By the third ride, Daddy barely had to correct him.”
Ma smiles at me with obvious satisfaction.
“I always knew you were capable of learning.”
“You’ll have to take us someday,” Carmela says, looking at Sarah. “The kids would lose their minds.”
“They would,” Sarah agrees. “Daddy would probably have all three of them on horses within an hour.”
Leone’s eyes light up.
“Really?”
Sarah nods.
“If your mom and dad said yes.”
Rafael sits up a little straighter.
“I wanna ride a horse.”
“You’ve never ridden one?” Sarah asks.
He shakes his head.
“I’ve seen them.”
“They’re a lot bigger when you’re standing next to them,” I tell him.
“I wouldn’t be scared.”
Leone smirks.
“You cried when that goose chased you.”
“I was six.”
“You were seven.”
“It was a really mean goose.”
Veronica giggles so hard she nearly drops her fork.
“I don’t like geese either.”
“Veronica gets it.”
Emilio laughs and reaches over to ruffle Rafael’s hair.
“I think we’ll stick to horses.”
Sarah catches my eye, smiling as the conversation moves on.
“When do you leave for the Bahamas?” Carmela asks.
“Friday,” I answer.
“For two weeks,” Sarah adds.
Ma looks up from her plate.
“Two weeks?”
I nod. A quiet sigh escapes her.
“So we’ll miss you for two Sunday dinners.”
“And two Tuesdays,” Carmela says.
Sarah smiles.
“We’ll make it up to you.”
“You’d better,” Ma says before taking another bite of her dinner.
The conversation drifts on, moving from travel to the kids’ school and whatever Rafael managed to get in trouble for that week.
Eventually, the food disappears from the table, and everyone falls into the familiar rhythm they’ve repeated for years.
Emilio and I carry dishes into the kitchen while Carmela loads the dishwasher.
Sarah dries what Ma washes until Ma finally shoos her away, insisting there wasn’t anything left to do.
Within a few minutes, Emilio and Carmela take their places on the couch while Leone and Rafael disappear upstairs in search of whatever game they were arguing about before dinner.
Veronica spreads her Barbies across the living room rug, and Sarah joins her without hesitation, sitting cross-legged on the floor as the two of them immediately become absorbed in an elaborate story only they seem to understand.
Ma, of course, stays in the kitchen. I find her wiping down a countertop that’s already spotless.
“Ma.”
She glances over her shoulder.
“What?”
“Come outside with me for a minute.”
She studies me for a second before setting the dish towel on the counter.
“Alright.”
We step through the back door onto the patio.
The October air is cool enough that she folds her arms across her chest as we walk a few steps away from the house.
Warm light spills through the kitchen windows behind us, and from where we’re standing, I can see Sarah through the living room windows, smiling as Veronica hands her another doll.
Ma follows my gaze before looking back at me.
“What is it?”
I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out the small velvet box. The moment she sees it, her eyes soften.
I open it.
“I’m going to ask Sarah to marry me in the Bahamas.”
For a second, she doesn’t say anything. Then she reaches up and cups my face with both hands.
“Oh, Luca.”
A smile spreads across her face before she looks down at the ring again.
“It’s beautiful.”
“I already asked Ford for his blessing.”
“You did?”
I nod.
“He said yes.”
She pulls me into a tight hug.
“I’m so happy for you.”
I hold her for a moment before stepping back.
“When your father asked me to marry him, he promised he’d spend the rest of his life taking care of me.” She smiles softly. “I know you will do that for Sarah.”
She cups my cheek again.
“He would’ve been so proud of the man you’ve become.”
My throat tightens.
“He would’ve loved Sarah, too.”
I swallow.
“I hope so.”
She smiles.
“I know so.”
“There’s something else.”
She waits.
“Sarah knows.”
Her smile fades into quiet confusion.
“Knows what?”
“Everything.”
I hold her gaze.
“About us. About the family. About what I do.”
She stares at me for a long moment.
“You told her.”
“I did.”
“And she’s still here.”
“She is.”
Ma lets out a slow breath.
“Does anyone else know?”
I shake my head.
“No. You’re the first person I’ve told.”
She nods once.
“So it stays between us.”
“It has to.”
She reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“Then it stays between us.”