Page 87 of Summer, in Between
There’s barely any tabletop visible; it’s covered with platters upon platters of food.There’s a plate with a mountain of meatballs, three giant shallow bowls each with a different type of pasta, a platter of seafood shines in a glaze of garlic and lemon with capers and parsley drizzled on top, and there’s one overflowing with barbecued pork ribs.A steaming earthen tray of baked eggplants sits in the middle of the table and there’s a bowl of marinated mushrooms to its side.Paul takes a sweet pepper from the plate, its skin shiny and blistered black from the barbecue, and plops it in his mouth.There’s a garden salad the size of a small pony and bread is piled haphazardly in any available gap.
Each table setting has a pasta bowl atop a dinner plate and Paul wastes no time getting stuck in when Nonna gives him the nod.
‘Oh my God,’ he says, and as he bites into Nonna’s homemade ravioli his eyes almost roll back into his head.
‘Ti piace?You like?’she says, and he nods enthusiastically.‘This is kind of like our Christmas, really, so we make it special.Although Angela wants all the food out at once; we should doprimi,pastaand thensecondi, but what are you gonna do?’
‘Let’s just keep things simple, Mama,’ says Mum and I catch Paul’s eye.Yeah, like enough food to feed a small nation is simple.Nonna’s been cooking for days.She would have gone through kilos upon kilos of flour for all this pasta.Amongst the cacophony of people talking and crockery and cutlery clattering I quietly explain to him everything that’s on the table.
‘Your timing is perfect,’ I whisper.‘Everyone’s too busy stuffing their faces to give us a hard time.’
‘Food like this?I’ll deal with any kind of drilling from your family.But remind me, who is everyone?Are you related to all these people?’
‘Are you kidding?This isn’t even a fraction of my extended family.’There are eleven extra adults around our table.I point out my Mum’s cousins, Nonna’s sister’s children and their husbands, as well as my uncle (my dad’s brother) and his wife.My brothers are outside on the balcony on the kids’ table with what sounds like four hundred and twenty-two rampaging Huns, the offspring of, well, I’m struggling to recall with any real accuracy.
‘I’d tell you who’s who, but we’d need a whiteboard and some sticky notes,’ I say.‘I know it’s full on.Thank you so much for doing this.’
‘Babe, it’s nothing.I’m happy to meet your family.How good is it that you have such a big family and that they all get along, like even your dad’s family coming along with your Mum’s side.My family can’t even do Christmas Day.’
‘I think that’s more a case of Mum having excellent time management skills.’
‘Man, how much does your dad look like his brother?’
‘I know, right?Although, Dad claims to be the good-looking one.’
Paul’s smile drops when his gaze lands on Matty.‘You and Matty both looked pretty shaken up.You sure you’re okay after this morning?’
I swallow my mouthful of pasta.‘It was full on, especially when he got rough with Matty.And when Steve wouldn’t let me into Sadie’s and she had to rescue me from a slime ball like that.’I shiver.‘How mortifying.I freakin’ hate that I had to be rescued from a nothing loser like Steve.I think that’s the most embarrassing part of it.I never thought I’d need an old lady to protect me, but I really did.I just felt helpless, you know?I was waiting for that fight or flight to kick in, but it felt like I was frozen.’
‘Fight, flight, freeze or fawn,’ he says, just as I fork another huge mouthful of fettuccini.
My mouth full, I twist my face into a question mark.
‘It’s a trauma response.Most people know about fight or flight but there’s freeze and fawn too.But you don’t have to worry about it.You won’t have to deal with any more shit from Steve, he knows not to even step foot in Batter’s Cove.Same with his deadshit cousin.It’s all good.’
‘What do you mean?’I put my fork down on the table.
‘I ran into them on my way home.They won’t ever bother you or your brothers again.’
‘Just like that?’
‘I’m pretty persuasive.These ribs are incredible.You want some?’
I open my mouth to reprimand him for evading any further questioning but Mary, my Mum’s cousin, calls from across the table.‘So, Cat, the big Year Twelve, hey?What’s on the cards for uni?’
‘Medicine,’ says Nonna.
‘Law,’ says Dad.
I roll my eyes.‘Thank god you’re both here to answer anything directed my way.’
‘Well, both are pretty amazing,’ Mary says.‘What are you leaning towards?’
‘I honestly have no idea.All I know is I can’t waste the marks.I love the thought of anything social justice-y, so law would be good, but then so would medicine.’
‘How are you with blood and guts and gross stuff?’her husband asks.
‘Have you met my brothers?I’ll be fine.’
