Page 175 of La Dolce Vita

“The Red Roof Inn. A...”

“Motel.... Yes, yes, but that’s not what this place is for. Do you understandBella?We are not staying here.”

“Giovanni. It's a small town. This is the only motel in Apple Grove close to te farm and expressway. All kinds of people visit here. Truckers, transient's, people passing through. I need to be alone with you. So, can we do this?"

He sighed and drove around the building and looked for the number on the door. And just as his Bella said he parked directly in front of their door. He sat there with her. She held their dinners in her lap and stared at the door of their room.

"Not much to do in Apple Grove,” she began. “You either bowl, drink, have sex or do all three when you’re a teenager. This is the place I lost my virginity.”

“Cutter?”

“Yes.”

“How old were you?”

“Fifteen. Too young to know what I was doing.”

He frowned. Mirabella opened her door and got out. Giovanni again eyed the motel and digested what she said. He wasn’t sure how to take the news. How to digest it. And she hasn't given him a chance to keep up. He got out of the van and walked over to her.

“This is our room?” she asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said and used the key slot on the door. He pushed it open. The lights were off. Mirabella went inside. The motel had two bed and brown carpet. There was a television and a floor refrigerator. It looked relatively clean.

He closed the door. Mirabella walked over to the table near the window. She set the containers of food down.

“Bella? I know you have a past sweetheart. We all do. We don’t have to do this.”

“So, you don’t want to know my reasons? Why I left this town and never came back? Because if we stay a week here, Gio, someone is going to tell their version of the story. I brought you here so I could do it.”

"And that is what angers me."

"Huh?"

"It angers me that after all of these years you want to do it here, this way. Have I not been trusting enough for you to be honest?"

"I'm sorry." She looked away ashamed. "I know. And I'm sorry."

He kissed her head. “You’ve been through a lot. More than one woman should go through in a lifetime. And I’m not talking about Apple Grove. I’m talking about our life in Italy. I’m talking about Fabiana, Kei, Me and our kids. Good, bad, and terrible, we survived it all.”

“And it’s taken a toll. That doctor was right Gio. The best therapy I’ve had lately is facing the terrible. With you. And I feel stronger every day when we hold hands and I can stand up on my own.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He held her. They stood still for a long moment just holding each other. He patted her on the romp. “Let’s eat. What do we have?”

"Okay," she said and let him go. She turned to the food, and he took a seat and small round square table in the room. Mirabella handed him a fork. She sat down as if they were served a five-star meal.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I got you the best thing on the menu. Mama’s specialty. Maple quail with cornbread stuffing and macaroni and cheese and mixed vegetables.”

“Quail, that’s a bird right?”

“Yep, I got the roasted chicken and macaroni,” she said.

She forked some in her mouth and winked. Giovanni dug into the food. He sampled it and then savored it. It didn't take long for him to devour the dinner. She passed him a cup of lemonade, and he couldn't stop eating to drink it. They often ate in silence. This time, it felt different. He glanced up at her.

Why didn't she tell him?

How could she keep a secret like this from him?

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