18. Keith #2
I suppose I could put the ringer on full volume, but that seemed borderline criminal.
“Sorry about that,” I said, looking up to address the elder matriarch and little brother again, only to find that the two were now nearly on the opposite side of the room, Nonna holding onto another woman’s arm while gesticulating emphatically.
What a character.
Freed once more, I made my way to the kitchen, figuring that if she was helping anywhere, it was likely there. For the first time since I had ever been in the Rizoli residence, I managed to make it a solid twenty feet without anyone stopping me or putting hands on my person.
Which meant I got to watch.
That sounded way creepier in my head than I meant it to, but when I was so focused on impressing the Rizolis and being a good guest, it was difficult to take in all the background details of their life that were written so lovingly in the décor of the home.
Now that the spotlight was off me, so to speak, I got to pick up on a lot as I strode toward the kitchen.
The first being that the family sure did love gold.
While I would never consider their interior design gaudy, it was on the more maximalist side of things, which would usually lead me to expect different areas to have different metallic aspect colors, something silver, something bronze, and, of course, gold.
But no. As far as I could tell so far, there wasn’t a lick of silver anywhere in the house other than the kitchen, and technically, that was chrome, not the precious metal.
Also, everyone except the kids wore jewelry, and that was all gold as well.
Maybe it was a family thing. Or maybe it was a fashion thing?
I’d have to ask Amanda and hope she didn’t start talking about the seasons again, so I could actually understand.
“Maybe it’s a traditional thing...” I wondered to myself.
The second thing I noticed was that for a family who supposedly went on big group hikes and runs together every single month, there wasn’t a whole lot of workout equipment around.
I was aware that they could have a home gym, and there were various sports balls tucked into forgotten corners, no doubt left there by a young kid who wasn’t supposed to be playing inside, but there were no shoes.
No hiking sticks. No mudroom. Surely it had to be somewhere, which spoke to the fact there was more than half the house I’d never laid eyes on.
The rich were something else, that was for sure.
This time, I didn’t take the route that would lead me past the astrology altar, but I did see a calendar nailed to the wall at the end of the hallway. It was a little different from the calendars I was used to. When I looked closer, I realized it was a lunar calendar.
“Huh, for being so into the moon, I would expect a bit more silver.”
“What was that?”
I didn’t know how it was possible for so many loud and enthusiastic people to constantly sneak up on me. I jolted and spun to see Serafina coming out from a side room, holding a baby in each arm. I had to say, they were looking quite healthy from what little I knew about babies.
“Would you like me to hold one of them for you?” I asked on instinct. Even if I wasn’t the most experienced with children, I knew exhaustion when I saw it, and if I had to hazard a guess, she’d likely been breastfeeding in private.
“Oh my god, yes!” she exclaimed, then caught herself. “I mean, that is, if you want to...”
The blush that crept into her cheeks reminded me of Olivia, and once more I marveled a bit at all the different combinations of similarities and traits that family members could share.
I slid my phone back into my pocket, sternly reminding myself to check it once I was done holding the baby. “I don’t mind at all. I’d offer to hold both of them, but I don’t think I’ve reached that level of expertise yet.”
The laugh she let out was exhausted, but genuine, and she carefully handed over one of the cooing babies to me.
I had to say, even though the anxiety that so often liked to undercut me was whispering in the back of my head, it was hard to believe a word it was saying with how much members of the family were already trusting me.
After all, I was holding a baby. Surely that had to be one hell of a mark of approval.
“What’s his name?” I murmured, looking down at the precious face that seemed so small within my arms. Sometimes, when I gazed at something so tiny and sweet, it was hard to imagine that it would grow up into an adult with their own career, their own failures, scars and successes.
Sometimes, it made me feel so very small, and sometimes, it made me feel wonderfully connected to things.
Thankfully, as I held the little one, I felt the latter more than the former.
“That is Castor,” Serafina answered, bouncing the one she was holding. “And this is Pollux.”
“Those are beautiful names.”
“You think so? Thank you! They are a bit less... traditional, but my husband was the one who suggested them and I wanted to feel more connected to them.” I nodded along, not quite knowing what she meant, but she continued.
“You know, I understand what it’s like marrying an outsider, with Cillian being Irish and all.
I thought my parents were going to have a heart attack when he first asked permission to court me. ”
Huh. Even though I had been vaguely aware that Serafina had also married someone who wasn’t Italian, I had kind of forgotten about it and it was surprising to hear that it was such a big thing.
Well, I had to say, the family must have done a whole lot of growth, because so far, other than calling me the big white guy, I hadn’t really felt set apart for being Danish American.
It just went to show that anybody could learn when they truly cared to.
“Thankfully, no heart attacks on my account. At least not any that I know of. Will I be meeting your husband today?” As far as I knew, he hadn’t been at the house for what was possibly the most eavesdropped casual lunch that had ever been planned.
“Sure. He’s a bit more introverted than a lot of my family members, so right now he’s been squirreled away at the very back of the yard helping with the grill stuff, but eventually he’ll wander around for some light socialization.”
A man after my own heart. Nothing like a fellow emotional support introvert at a boisterous party.
“I look forward to it.”
We chatted idly, bouncing the twins. I was delighted when there wasn’t so much as an errant cry from either of them.
While that bitter voice that was always running commentary in the back of my head whispered that it was because they were recently fed, the part of me that looked on the bright side chose to take it as a subtle endorsement.
While we were discussing the incredible force that was required when it came to bouncing as opposed to the gentle rocking that was always portrayed in media, I finally heard the voice I had been waiting for from around the corner.
“Do I hear Keith? He texted me that he got here.”
Olivia!
The sound of her voice regulated my very soul. My anxiety dipped, that bitter voice got easier to ignore, and everything got a little brighter and a little easier.
“I’m here,” I said, trying to hit the balance between loud enough for my voice to carry around the corner and not disturb the baby.
I must have gotten at least close, because Castor only let out a slight gurgle, and a moment later, Olivia was rounding the corner.
“There you are!” she said, relief washing over her features. I loved that I could be a place of respite for her as well. I would go from one end of the earth to the other to keep Olivia as safe as I could. “I see you’ve been conscripted into babysitting duty.”
“I’ll have you know he volunteered,” Serafina said primly before shooting me a wink. “I didn’t even have to ask.”
Olivia narrowed her eyes at her sister, and I saw years of interaction pass between them. Inside jokes, fights, and fondness. Having a sibling seemed great in a lot of ways. Then again, I supposed it depended on what kind of sibling you ended up with.
“Is this your way of guilting me into asking you to hold Pollux?”
I blinked for a moment, wondering if the twins were color-coded in a way I hadn’t noticed, because certainly Olivia hadn’t been able to tell which was which at a glance. Even parents occasionally mixed up their twins, if I wasn’t mistaken.
“Olivia! I am shocked and appalled that you would accuse me of such a thing!”
“Is that a yes?”
“Oh, you better believe it.”
“Hand the little cretin over so I can continue being his favorite auntie.”
The two women shared a laugh, and even though their voices were so different, they almost sounded like a chorus. If Olivia and I ever had kids, was this the kind of warmth they could expect? It was almost overwhelming, and it made the future that much brighter.
I really was the luckiest man in the world.
I was grinning so hard that I thought my face might crack as the exhausted mom handed the baby to her sister, leaving her arms free.
“Do you guys mind if I go sit down in the kitchen for a minute? If I don’t rest my back and chug something with enough calories to feed an army, I might actually cease to exist.”
“Please, by all means, rest!” I said, comfortable with the baby now that Olivia was present. She had more experience with the recently born than I did. “We’ve got this.”
“Bless you, both of you. I will remember this when they both are weaned and sleep fully through the night. You’re gonna wake up to the most delicious jam on your doorstep when that happens. Mark my words!”
“Don’t worry about it. Hurry up and take some time for yourself before they change their minds,” Olivia assured, already bouncing her nephew at the exact same pace her sister had.
“Sei un tesoro!”
“Remember that the next time you’re mad at me.”
“Marmocchia…”
“And don’t you forget it!”