Page 65 of Three Times You

I imagine these might be their words. Perhaps Gabriele might be even tougher. He wouldn’t be afraid of me. He’d feel justified by the pain and grief he’s experiencing. Maybe he’d insult me, safe in the knowledge that I’d never lift a hand to him. And he’d be right. They’d all be right. I could never find it in myself to forgive myself, first and foremost.

In the afternoon, my father arrives with Kyra. They’ve brought flowers. Actually, to be exact, an oversized plant.

“You can put it outside on the terrace or you can keep it in the house. I can’t remember which is better. But it’ll grow along with Aurora.”

Then Paolo arrives. He came with Fabiola, and together they give me a giftwrapped present.

“Hold on. Come inside and say hello to Gin.”

They’ve moved her to room 102. When we arrive at the door, I knock. “Can we come in?”

I cautiously open the door, and inside I see her aunt and uncle.

“Ciao, Stefano. Come in, come in. After all, we’re just leaving.” So they file out, and Paolo and Fabiola go in.

Gin smiles as she looks up at them, clearly a little tired, but also on the mend. “Thanks for coming. Come on in!”

Fabiola takes the package out of Paolo’s hands and gives it to her. “We brought you this. You’ll see, it’ll save you.”

Gin starts to unwrap it. She puts the wrapping paper on the bed, and I take it. I crumple it up and throw it in the trash can crammed full of wrapping paper from other gifts.

Gin looks at the gift with a big smile. “How nice!”

Fabiola puts her arm around Paolo’s and pulls him close.

“It’s a music box, a moon that turns around and projects pictures on the wall.” Fabiola is clearly proud of this gift of hers. “Trust me, this is a godsend! I don’t know what Aurora is going to be like, but when Fabio was born, he just wouldn’t stop crying. I was exhausted and hysterical, and Paolo was even worse off than I was. But this music box was the only thing that could get Fabio to relax, the only way to get him to sleep. Practically speaking, this turning moon saved us as a couple.”

Happily, she turns and plants a kiss on Paolo’s lips, and he smiles. A few other relatives show up. Aurora has been taken to the nursery, so I accompany them to look at her from behind a sheet of glass.

“There she is, that one there.” And I show them who I mean.

A short distance away, a newly created parent is doing the same. A papa argues with a relative who’s uncertain about which one is actually his son, unable to get a clear view of the number on the bracelet wrapped around the baby’s wrist.

“It’s this one…”

“No, I’m telling you, it’s that other one, farther down. He’s longer…”

So I leave them to their bickering and go back to Gin. “Can I come in?”

She’s finally alone. “Yes, my love, I’m glad you came back. I was afraid you’d left…”

“Are you kidding? Here, I brought you something.” I hand her a package, and she unwraps it.

“Oh, it’s lovely.” It’s a little necklace charm made of white gold, in the shape of a baby girl, with a diamond and a fine chain. On the back is engraved the name Aurora. “Thanks. Should I put it around my neck?”

I step close and delicately manage to slip it under her hair and fasten it.

She places a hand on her heart. “I’m so happy.”

“So am I.”

“It all went well.”

“Yes, you were so brave.”

“You held my hand, and you bolstered my courage. When I felt you close to me, I stopped being afraid. With you, nothing bad can happen to me.”

She smiles at me as I say nothing and smile back.

---