Page 25 of Make Your Play

“Hey, Nonna. What are you doing here?”

Her eyebrows pull together and she adjusts the weird-shaped bag on her shoulder. “Nash didn’t tell you?”

Now I’m the one whose eyebrows are scrunched together. “Tell me what?”

Nonna waves her hand, motioning toward the front of the house. “Never mind. I thought I would stop by and bring you dinner.”

“Did Nash put you up to this?”

She simply smiles, but she doesn’t confirm if he did or didn’t. “Let’s get you out of this frigid air, honey. Come on,” she says as she starts to walk up to the front door, leading me to my own house. A smile drifts across my own lips and I shake my head, laughing softly as I follow after her.

Nonna stands off to the side as she waits for me to unlock the door and she holds it open as I step inside first. She follows behind me, following suit as we both shrug off our winter coats and kick off our shoes. She waits for me to lead the way before she follows me into the kitchen.

“How was your day?” she asks me as she walks up to the counter and sets her bag down.

“It was good,” I tell her as I go over to wash my hands at the sink. She pulls out a few glass dishes with already prepared food inside. “How was yours?”

As I attempt to reach for a dish, she swats at my hand. “You sit down and let me handle all this.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say with a smile, knowing better than to argue with her. If there’s one thing I know about Nonna Rosa, it’s that what she says goes. And right now, this kitchen doesn’t belong to me.

Nonna starts to tell me about her day as she busies herself, pouring herself a glass of wine before heating up the homemade lasagna and dish of vegetables she had prepared. My stomach grumbles in anticipation and I didn’t realize how hungry I wasuntil right now. I ate lunch and snacked throughout the day. Remembering to do so seemed to help my overall physical feelings.

I think my stomach just knows that if it’s a meal prepared by Nonna, it’s going to be the best damn thing it gets all day. Nonna walks over to the counter where I’m sitting and sets a plate in front of me, the aroma of the sauce and cheese drifting to my nostrils. My eyelids instinctively flutter shut and I inhale deeply, savoring the smell.

“Mmm, your lasagna is probably my favorite thing ever.”

Nonna smiles at me as she grabs her own plate and walks around the counter to sit next to me. “A little bird may have told me.”

I raise an eyebrow at her as I cut a piece and slide my fork through the layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese. “Does this little bird talk a lot?”

“It depends on the topic,” she says with a wink as she takes a sip of her wine. “You’re a topic that’s always been hot, although as of late, you seem to be on fire.”

My heart flutters in my chest as the butterflies spring to life in my stomach. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

She turns her head to look at me, her blue eyes twinkling beneath the lights in the kitchen as she stares at me. “I think you do.”

“I’ve always been a topic?”

“Oh, honey.” She lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “That boy has always talked about you. Lately he seems to be quite worried about you. He called me this morning and I told him I would bring dinner and stop by to check on you.”

There’s a part of me that is annoyed at the thought of him feeling like he needs to have someone come and check in on me, but at the same time, I’m also flattered. It creates that warm, fuzzy feeling that tingles all the way down to your toes. In a way,the thought is like a soft embrace. He hasn’t been bothering me to see how I am, but clearly he’s been thinking about it.

“I appreciate you stopping by, Nonna. I really do.” I pause, taking a sip of my water as I give her a soft smile. “Nash has been helping me out lately and I know he’s been a little concerned, but everything is fine.”

“Has your pregnancy been rough? He didn’t tell me the specifics but I know from experience that pregnancies can really take a toll on you.”

I don’t have to tell her our secret, but I’m also not sure I want to tell her what is going on with me and my pregnancy. The last thing I want to do is have her worrying about me when she doesn’t need to. Nonna is an extremely caring and attentive person. I don’t want to scare her at all.

“I’ve just been getting tired really easily. I have to be careful and make sure I don’t overdo things.”

That answer seems to be enough to satisfy her, although I can see the unasked questions burning in her eyes. “If you ever need anything, I’m only a short drive away. I would personally love to help you with anything you might need. Believe it or not, retired life gets a little boring sometimes.”

“But at Christmas you were talking like you really have been enjoying it.”

“Oh, honey, trust me, I do.” She laughs, her eyes crinkling along the sides. “If I don’t keep myself busy, that’s when I tend to get bored, and honestly, I think staying busy is what keeps me young. If I sit around for too long, what happens if it becomes hard for me to get up? A woman at my age has to do whatever she can to stay young and spry.”

“Nonna, you’re hardly that old. I think you’re the one who keeps us all young.”

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