Page 42 of Broken Rules
Chapter Thirteen
Savannah opened thedoor to her nonna’s condo and breathed deep, drinking in the familiar smell. Instantly, Savannah was transported back to happier days when she had always felt cared for and secure—to a time when her parents were still alive and her Nonna lived in a beautiful Victorian home on the North Shore. Vines had crawled up its teeming brick exterior, curling around turreted rooftops, convincing a young Savannah that her nonna lived in a castle.
Glancing around, Savannah sighed—the same could not be said of her nonna’s simple, townhouse-style condo, although the inside was just as magical as ever. It was filled with books and replicas of famous statues and paintings. Regrettably, the scent of rich marinara and meatballs no longer radiated from the kitchen and never would again.
A pang struck her heart. Taking a deep breath, she called out, “Hi Nonna,” and set her bag on the catchall near the door before passing a large ornate mirror, which filled the entryway wall. It seemed out of place in the small, white-toast condo compared to its former place above the grand mantle of the Victorian fireplace.
She found her grandmother just where she had expected—sitting in her recliner, watching an old black and white movie.
“Hi, Nonna,” she said, pressing a kiss to her softly perfumed cheek.
“You’re here,” the old woman exclaimed. She fumbled for the remote control and turned off the TV. “How’s my granddaughter? Anything to report?”
Smiling, Savannah shook her head. “Nothing new. How are you feeling?”
The old woman shrugged her shoulders. “Fit as a fiddle.”
Savannah’s eyes widened. “You just lied to me.”
Nonna arched her brow. “You lied to me first. I can tell you have something on your mind, Savannah. Your worries are there on your face, plain for anyone to see.”
Savannah stood and sighed, collapsing onto the couch. “Fair enough. All right...I’ve met someone.”
Nonna sat straighter and beamed. “I should have known it was a man. So, what’s he like?”
“He’s really nice and smart.”
What was the harm in telling Nonna the truth—the whole truth? She would just forget about it in a few hours.
“And...well...he’s a thief, Nonna.”
Nonna clasped her hands together. “And he’s stolen your heart!”
Savannah cleared her throat. “Well, yeah, he has, but I mean, he really is a thief. He robs people for a living. Well...not exactly. He is hired by people to steal something they want. He doesn’t actually steal anything for himself.”
“Does he make a decent living?”
“Nonna!” Savannah exclaimed, shocked by her grandmother’s casual response to her confession. “I’m telling you that he’s a criminal.”
She shooed the air with her hand. “A thief? That’s nothing. When I was growing up in Brooklyn, my first boyfriend was in the olive oil business, if you know what I mean.”
“Nonna!” Savannah cried. “You dated someone connected to the mafia?”
She lifted her shoulders. “We were Italian in Brooklyn in the 1940s, what do you expect? Anyway, I adored Tony.” She shrugged. “I didn’t blame him for what he did. It was the only life he had ever known.”
“What happened?”
A dark shadow crossed her face. “The war happened. He died in Normandy.” Nonna’s eyes clouded over, and then she looked up, her face confused. “What were we talking about?”
Savannah squeezed her hand. “I was just about to tell you that the Italian boy-band you love so much is supposed to be on TV this morning. Shall I put it on?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, her face brightening. “Please do.”
Savannah turned on Nonna’s program, then went into the kitchen to make breakfast. While she cooked Nonna’s favorite oatmeal, she thought about her grandmother’s forgiving words.It was the only life he had ever known.
Savannah stirred in some cranberries and walnuts before removing the oatmeal from the heat. After pouring it into one of her nonna’s lovely china bowls, she sprinkled a generous spoonful of brown sugar over the steaming oats, then went out to the living room. “Here you go, Nonna,” she said, smiling.
“Oh, my, thank you!” Nonna beamed. Taking up her spoon, she looked up at Savannah and gave her a mischievous smile. “I see that glint in your eye, Savannah. What’s his name?”
