Page 30 of Summer, in Between
13
HOW surreal.I’m sandwichedbetween my grandmother and Paul GD Lightwood in his car.His hand rests on the gearstick beside my right knee, and on the underside of his forearm I see the faint blue of his vein.The glass of wine I had with lunch must have really gone to my head because I’d love to lay my fingertips against it just to feel his pulse.Nonna’s handbag is sticking into my hip, so I shift slightly towards Paul.It doesn’t go unnoticed.
‘Catarina!’Nonna hisses under breath.
‘What?’
‘You know what,’ she says in Italian.
‘I honestly don’t, Nonna.’
‘Be like your mama, not your Nonna,’ she says.‘First education, then babies.’
‘Oh, for the love of God,’ I say in English.
Paul clears his throat.He grips the steering wheel with both hands.‘What’s up?’he says.
‘Believe me, you don’t want to know,’ I say.
‘I was just telling my granddaughter to make more of an effort to help her mother.’She smacks my leg.‘I’m sorry, it’s so rude, I sometimes can’t find the right words in English so it’s easier to speak in my language.’
‘That’s fine,’ he says.‘I think it’s so cool you’re all bilingual.I bet it comes in handy when you don’t want people to know what you’re saying.’He’s barely hiding a smirk.
We arrive at Nonna’s and as usual she refuses to let me walk her to the door.Instead, she kisses me on both cheeks.‘He’s a good person, I can tell,’ she tells me in Italian.
‘He works for Dad.It has absolutely nothing to do with me.’
‘You think I’m stupid, that I don’t see things?I see everything, Caterina.’She taps me on my temple.‘Use your brain.Remember your future.Now tell him I’m saying, “study hard.”’
I turn to Paul to translate.
‘She says you’re an arsehole.’
‘Catarina!’Nonna shrieks.‘Paulo, I said no such thing.Thank you for driving me home.If you’re smart, you’ll let this one walk.’She shuts the door and skulks to her front door.She turns to wave, and that’s Nonna done and dusted for the evening.
‘Man, that was a first,’ says Paul.‘I’m going to have to learn Italian, aren’t I?’
‘You don’t trust my translation skills?’
‘That would be a no.Want to enlighten me?’
‘Now, that would be a no,’ I say.‘It’s boring anyway, “work hard, Catarina, remember your future, Catarina.”Yeah, yeah, yeah.As if I’m not.’
