Page 44 of My Lemon Grove Summer
‘Ooh, it’s hot! Don’t know how you can stand it.’
‘So what made you come out to Sicily, Valerie?’ Barry asks. ‘What with you not liking the heat.’
‘Well, when I heard the news about Lennie and Zelda, I was just so excited. I want to enjoy every minute of it. I mean, I’ve always thought they would be perfect for each other. Always hoped it would happen . . . they’ve been so close for so many years. They drifted apart a bit when they first left college, but they were soon back to being the best of friends. And now this!’ She beams, her red rosy cheeks positively gleaming.
‘My parents didn’t come to my wedding,’ Barry says.
‘Really?’ She looks sad.
‘Well, the third one anyway.’
‘Three weddings?’ Valerie’s jaw drops.
‘Yup. Nothing to be proud of really. I was just waiting to find the one I’d stick with. I think even I wasn’t sure when I married the last time, but I hoped.’ He looks wistful.
‘I only married the once. Lennie’s dad. He was older than me. Much older. But he was the only man for me,’ she says, a little misty-eyed.
‘I never really got that feeling. I just thought that if we stuck at it, well, it would come. We’d love each other deeply. I thought all the right ingredients were there, but it seems there was something missing.’
‘The chemistry. You have to have chemistry. You never know who it’s going to be with.’ Valerie beams again.
I cough, and they look up and see me.
‘Oh, hello, love. I was just telling Barry how thrilled I am about the wedding. So thrilled.’
‘Looks like the town are too!’ I say, holding up two tomato plants. ‘Found these on the doorstep. Another welcome present.’
‘We didn’t hear anyone, did we, Barry?’
He shakes his head. ‘They obviously don’t feel they can be seen mixing with us. How about I take those and plant them up?’ he says, and takes the plants from me. ‘That should give us a nice crop. I’ll see if Billy wants to help.’
‘And what about dresses? How did you get on?’ Valerie smiles at me. ‘I’d offer you mine, but it’s back home in the attic. Probably not your style anyway,’ she sighs.
‘Actually, I was just going to go through the boxes where I found my overalls. See if there’s any gems in there.’
‘Oh, lovely, I’ll come and help.’ She heaves herself to her feet and follows me upstairs.
‘You can’t wear that. It’s your wedding, not a funeral,’ says Valerie.
I look in the mirror. If I ask Luca to let it out a bit, maybe lose a bit of weight, add some trim . . . I turn left and then right. Maybe add a jacket. I pick one up from the box and slide it on. Valerie’s right. The dress is too tight, and it’s not for a wedding.
I’ve been through several of the boxes. There’s lots of stuff there, though I’m not really sure who it all belongs to. I must ask Giuseppe. It’s his family farm after all.
‘I’ll get us some drinks,’ says Valerie. ‘Don’t know how they stand this heat!’ She fans herself and heads towards the bedroom door, then stops. ‘I’m so pleased about you and Lennie, dear. I wish his father could be here to see it. You’ve made me a very happy woman.’ I smile. What with Valerie, and Giuseppe, and now the townspeople leaving gifts, it looks like lots of people are delighted that Lennie and I are getting married. Including Luca!
I look in the mirror again and sigh. I slide off the jacket and go to pack it away in amongst the other garments: classic Italian vintage. They could be great for getting my business off the ground. I’ll ask Giuseppe if I can buy them . . . or at least give him a percentage of every piece I sell.
There are some handbags here that would sell really well. Small clutch bags and over-the-arm everyday bags, fifties classics. I love them. I open one up and feel the lining. There’s a rustle from inside one of the pockets. I put my hand in and pull out a postcard, folded up. I unfold it gently and straighten it out. There looks to be a recipe written on the back of it. I try and decipher it, but can’t really make it out. I think it’s something to do with lemons.
Suddenly I feel like I’m intruding on someone’s private belongings and memories. This is obviously all very personal stuff and I don’t feel I should be rummaging through it like this. I’ll go and see Giuseppe, I decide. I can’t look through any more of it without his say-so.
I slip off the dress and pack it away. A light green velvet ribbon slips to the floor. I bend to pick it up, but have no idea where it came from, which dress. I roll it up and tuck it into the handbag.
I carry the box with the handbag in it downstairs, where Valerie is drinking water with Barry.
‘Here, love, I was just bringing this up to you. Lennie has gone into town to ask around about work. And Tabitha is up in her room, contacting moving-abroad magazines, trying to see if she can do some writing for them. Ralph’s gone to buy a cash box, for the B and B business, so there isn’t all that cash lying around. How did you get on? Did you find anything else in those boxes?’
I shake my head. ‘Nothing that’s right for a wedding. Besides, to be honest, it feels a bit personal. I think I should ask Giuseppe who it all belongs to and what he wants to do with it. This is his family home, after all.’
