Page 122 of Vita Mia

“Oh? Okay, you expect the meeting to last long?”

“No. I’m starting the class I told you about.” He glanced back at her. “To practice my English.”

“What? I told you that your English is fine.”

“I’m supposed to be an Italian American, not someone straight off the boat. I struggle sometimes. Makes it easy for me to speak Spanish with the laborers, but I need to be able to make deals with those Texan boys who don’t like foreigners. Those Texans don’t like accents.”

The phone rang. Shae gave a startled gasp that drew Carlo’s attention. He stared at her curiously. She had forgotten she brought it into the room.

“What is it?”

She looked down at the caller and saw it was a foreign number. That meant Mirabella would continue to call until she spoke to Carlo.

“Shae?”

Shae stared at him as he put together his attire. He wore jeans now not the silk button down suits she remembered him in. He even started wearing a Stetson. He was taking his role as an American seriously, but for Shae it wasn’t authentic. It was as if he was trying on someone else's life, not his own. The phone stopped ringing

“What the hell is going on?” he demanded.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Then say itcara.”

“I have something to tell Carlo not Lucio.”

She hadn’t spoken the name Carlo since he returned to her. Not once. Not even a slip of the tongue.

“Va bene, speak to Carlo,” he said.

“I got a phone call. Earlier. It was from Italy.”

“I’m listening.”

“Sweetheart, this is hard... I’m really sorry, I panicked when I heard Mirabella’s voice on the other end. I hung up on her. I didn’t know what to do.”

“What did she say?”

“You know Giovanni and your friends are in jail,” she began.

He nodded.

“Mirabella called to tell me to tell you that your friend is dead.”

He stared at her. “What friend?”

“Mirabella called...”

“Stop saying that!” he shouted at her.

Shae jumped.

“What friend?”

Shae picked up Carmine from the bed and held him in her arms.

“She said Renaldo was dead.”

He blinked. He stood there as if she hadn’t spoken English.

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