Page 18 of Three Times You

“No, thanks. None for me. I don’t drink.”

“But I wanted to drink a toast.”

“Just a tiny splash, then. Thanks.”

“This is rice pilaf,” Kyra points out. “These dolmas are filled with meat, in this case lamb, and here is a stew.”

The last bowl is a strange and not particularly well-defined amalgam of foodstuffs. But further along, I recognize a bowl of fresh salad.

“Thanks. I think I’ll just have a taste of everything.”

I start with the rice, but only after Fabiola has served herself, of course. I’m not quick enough to get a fork to my mouth before Papà raises his glass in the air.

“Now then, I’d like to propose a toast.”

We all raise our glasses and wait to hear what he has to say.

“First of all, I’d like to raise a toast to this day. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and we ought to do this more often because it’s always nice to have you all in one place, even if your mother is no longer here…”He looks at Kyra for a moment as if to say,You’re all right with me saying that, right?And she smiles without showing the slightest sign of annoyance. “We’re still a lovely family, and in fact, we get along better now than we did before.” He looks around at the rest of us, seeking our approval. I listen to him impassively, and of course Paolo is much more caught up in what he says.

“Certainly, Papà. How true.”

And so, encouraged, he continues his little speech: “Yes, so today I’m happy to have you all here, precisely because of how important my family is to me…”Stirred and emotional, he swallows. Yes, in other words, it’s clear that he’s about to say something important but doesn’t know quite how to get it out. Anyway, in the end, he apparently decides to just go for it. “What I want to tell you all is that…Yes, that is, you’re all going to have a little brother…Or maybe a little sister.”

At that point, Paolo turns pale, but I smile. I can’t quite put my finger on it but somehow that’s exactly what I’d been anticipating. No, actually, I really expected my father to start talking about getting married.

Now my father is a bit more relaxed, and he lifts his glass in our direction. “Will you toast with me?”

“Of course, Papà.” And I gently elbow Paolo. “Get a grip on yourself,” I tell him softly. “It’s good news.”

“Yes, of course.” Somehow, Paolo suddenly appears to abandon all his reservations. So we all raise our glasses.

“To your happiness, Papà.”

“Yes…”

“And to yours!” Fabiola adds, with a smile at Kyra.

“Thanks.”

Kyra looks at Papà, who immediately nods as if he’d forgotten. “Oh, right. We’re getting married in July. In Tirana.”

“Well, then, it’s going to be a time of celebrating.”

“That’s right!” Papà is finally relaxed. “And now let’s eat!” Then he turns to me. “I’ve heard that, in Tirana, they’re doing a lot of work with Italians, a major TV network…”

“Yes, I know.”

“You could take advantage of the fact.”

“Certainly.”

I don’t tell him that they’ve already purchased several projects of ours. They wanted the writers, too, but after the first week, they stopped paying everyone. Almost everyone just came back home, though two writers did stay on.

“Try this.” Kyra passes around a strange mishmash. “It’s tavë kosi. It’s very good. I make it with eggs, lamb, and yogurt. And you should also try some byrek…”And she hands around a savory cheese tart.

I take the tavë kosi with a spoon. Paolo waits to see me taste it first so he can tell whether it’s a good idea to dare to try it, whereas Fabiola has an excellent excuse. “I’m on a diet.” And she takes only a small bowl of salad. Little Fabio had already eaten at home before coming over.

I decide to taste everything on offer. After all, I’m curious to try. And so I eat while I watch Papà caressing Kyra’s hand and telling her, “It’s good, it’s really good.”

---