Page 165 of La Dolce Vita

Giovanni laughed and hugged her. “You and my kids will be buried next to me. In Sicilia. By the sea, with blue roses growing for eternity.”

She turned and hugged him. “Can we not talk about death?”

He kissed the top of her head. “Yes. But I want to see the graves. Let’s go and...”

“No. Not now," she said. "Gianni, do you wanna play with Eve and Gino, honey?"

“No, No! mommy!” Gianni said.

“Ah, c’mon sweetie-pie, they are having fun,” she tried to put him down. He screamed and clung to her.

“I think he’s sleepy. The time difference is making him cranky,” she said. Giovanni shrugged. His gaze lifted over the top of his sunglasses and connected with Cutter who watched them from under the tent. He then looked to Marietta who had knelt before a grave. Her long curls covered her face by the wind but he could tell it must be an intense moment. Lorenzo hovered over her watching.

“Bella, you sure you don’t want to join your sister? Look over there.”

Mirabella didn’t answer. She fretted with their son who refused to stop crying. Giovanni reached over and took him. He bounced him twice in his arm, and he stopped crying.

"Thank you, honey," Mirabella said and smiled. "Let's get you a plate of food. There are so many people I want to introduce you to."

Giovanni took her hand. Together they approached the family.

***

“You okay Marie?” Lorenzo asked.

She wiped at her tears and nodded. She went into her husband's arms. He hugged her. It only took them a few minutes to locate the graves. The moment she stood before them emotions she couldn't express crashed in on her. She wasn't sad or angry. She was filled with so many feelings that felt similar to the love she felt for her husband and baby. Pure love. Lorenzo kissed her face. He took her hand, and they left the cemetery and returned to the tents. Immediately family swarmed them. Lorenzo was seated a table where the men gathered, and she was pulled over to where the women gathered.

"I'm sorry. I can't keep the names straight." Marietta chuckled.

Her cousin Deloris grinned. Deloris was doing the majority of talking. "Forget the introductions. You have so much family here, girl, you would need a pen and paper to get it all down. Just know that we are all excited to finally meet you."

There was a total of twelve women and kids seated with her now. And more were coming to stand around the picnic table.

"So, where are you from?" Deloris asked.

"Chicago," Marietta answered.

"And how did you find Mia? How did you know she was your sister?" A woman named Tannie asked.

"My parents told me I was adopted. I was searching my records and found my father's name. It sent me to Italy. Once there I found out who my mother was. And that's how I found her," Marietta said.

"Wow," Deloris shook her head. "I was little when Lisa ran away. But I remember when she came back. She was so beautiful. Like you. And sad. I guess I would be too if I was separated from my baby. Is it true? What that man in Sicily said. You're his sister? Does that mean James ain’t your father?”

Marietta drank from a plastic cup. It was the only thing she could do to delay her answer. But the women all looked at her and waited for an answer. "Well, it turns out that James isn't our father. A man, a very powerful man in Sicily, is. He is dead now. We met him before he died and he told us the truth about our mother.

"Wow,” Deloris said, and the women all exchanged looks.

"And that's your husband? Over there? The tall one," A woman named Angela asked.

"Yes, he's my husband, and he's the cousin of Mirabella's husband," she said. The women exchanged another look. Marietta could sense there was something to the women being around her and not Mirabella. A few people spoke to Mirabella, but none of them were as friendly to her as they were to her. And it was slowly pissing her off.

"Deloris, can I ask you a question?" Marietta said.

"Sure," Deloris said. Someone put an infant in Deloris arms and a bottle. Deloris began to feed the baby. A few of the women got up to join other tables for conversation. And others got up to fix plates. The crowd had thinned enough for Marietta to be frank.

"What's the big secret?" Marietta asked.

"Huh?"

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