Page 24 of The Convenient Cosentino Wife

“Then let’s not discuss it anymore. Let’s take the proposal off the table and focus on other things, like what could we do with Adriano tomorrow? He certainly seemed to enjoy himself today.”

“He did,” she agreed.

Rocco was silent a moment. “When Marius was a boy, he loved the zoo, which makes me wonder if Adriano has been to the Bioparco di Roma lately?”

Clare shook her head. “He’s never been to Rome’s zoo.”

“It’s in the Villa Borghese gardens and is the best zoo in Italy.”

“Adriano would love it,” she said.

“Good. Why don’t we do that tomorrow and keep things light...no pressure, no decisions, nothing but creating some happy memories for Adriano.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

Clare couldn’t remember ever going to the zoo herself. She hadn’t wanted to confess such a thing to Rocco, but the next day as Gio parked—he’d insisted he’d go, and drive, but promised to follow at a discreet distance—Clare felt a surge of eagerness and excitement. She felt almost as happy as Adriano who skipped between her and Rocco as Rocco handed over the tickets and the four of them entered the zoo grounds to be met by one of the zoologists overseeing Rome’s zoological garden.

The zoologist turned out to be an old friend of the Cosentino family, having gone to primary school with Marius, with an older sibling that had known Rocco. Marilena was delighted to give them a private tour, including behind the scenes where some of the new zoo babies were being zealously observed and nurtured.

They learned that the zoo was over one hundred years old, designed by Carl Hagenbeck who believed animals should have open spaces and moats instead of small cages, a novel idea in 1911. Over time Rome’s zoo became one of the leading zoos in Europe, surpassing even Paris’s and Berlin’s which still had the old system of cages. But the war put the zoo into decline and many thought it wouldn’t survive, but in the nineteen-nineties the zoo was reimagined as a zoological garden, a place of education and conservation, not just entertainment.

At the primate exhibit Marilena let them into a small glassed-in area behind the public space where they could observe one of the chimps holding her new baby. They watched the new mother with the tiny infant for a long time, and Adriano stood, hands pressed to the glass, awed.

“The baby is just a week old,” Marilena said, “and since the mama is a first-time mother, we wanted to give her lots of privacy.”

“But can’t she see us here?” Clare asked, voice low.

“It’s an observation mirror,” the zoologist answered, looking down at Adriano since she noticed he was listening closely. “It’s a special glass that lets us see in, but none of the primates can see us.”

With the tour over and Adriano wilting a little, they were invited to join Marilena for a special lunch on the lawn by the lake in the Villa Borghese grounds. Pizza was provided and Adriano happily chomped on his pizza while Marilena and Rocco visited. The sun made Clare sleepy and she closed her eyes for a moment, only to feel a tap-tap on her arm. She opened her eyes to find Adriano smiling into her face, a smear of red sauce on his cheek.

“Wake up, Mama,” he said.

She yawned and glanced around, feeling guilty she’d been a bad guest, but Rocco and Marilena were gone, and it was just Gio, Clare and Adriano.

“Signor Cosentino walked thesignorinaback to the zoo office,” Gio said.

“Was I asleep long?” Clare asked, running her fingers through her hair, still sleepy and trying to wake up.

“A long time,” Adriano said.

Gio checked his smile. “Just a few minutes.”

Rocco returned ten minutes later with gelato for all, even Gio, and Adriano sat cross-legged on the blanket eating his gelato with great relish. Clare exchanged small smiles with Rocco, aware that Adriano’s face and shirt revealed his lunch, but the little boy was so happy there was no point trying to tidy him up when he was still licking the ice cream cone.

Finally it was time to head back to the villa and as they returned to the car, Clare felt a warmth in her chest that was new, the warmth a mix of hope and a fizzy sort of happiness that was so very different than the usual oppressive weight she carried within her—grief, and worry, and exhausting responsibility.

It felt good to share life with someone. It felt good to know that there was another who cared about Adriano’s well-being.

“Thank you for organizing the private tour,” Clare said as they settled into the back of the Mercedes SUV. “That was really special.”

“I’m sure Adriano’s been to many zoos—”

“He hasn’t,” Clare interrupted, taking a baby wipe from her purse and cleaning off Adriano’s face and hands. “This was his first zoo trip.” She glanced at Rocco and added shyly, “Mine, too.”

Rocco looked stunned, but she returned her attention to Adriano’s hands, making sure they were no longer sticky, before belting him into his car seat.

Gio drove them back with quiet efficiency, Adriano in the car seat in the middle of her and Rocco. Adriano had taken Rocco’s hand and fell asleep holding it.

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