Home to Italy (21 page)

Peppi and Lucrezia
exchanged wedding vows at La Chiesa di San Giuseppe one Friday evening in late August. The simple but joyful ceremony was attended by Luca, Filomena, Costanzo, his wife and children, and a few other relatives who lived in the area. Despite their efforts to keep it a quiet, private affair, a rousing cheer greeted the newlyweds when they stepped out onto the church steps. To Peppi and Lucrezia's surprise, dozens of townspeople had gathered in the piazza outside to wish them well.

Later, after a quiet celebration with the family at a local restaurant, the couple left to spend a long weekend on Capri. It was a short honeymoon, for both were anxious to return home to Villa San Giuseppe and start their lives over together.

Making a home of Peppi's apartment, however, would take a little while. For the time being, it was more than enough space for the two of them, but the Spartan decor did not suit Lucrezia at all. That being the case, the two of them stayed in the main house with Lucrezia's parents. Luca and Filomena were more than happy to have them while Lucrezia directed the long overdue redecoration efforts needed to rend Peppi's apartment more suitable for cohabitation.

One October night, a few weeks after Peppi and Lucrezia had finally settled back into the apartment, Luca showed up at the door. Both were very pleased to see him as it was his first official visit since the two had moved out of the house. Though all of them saw each other often enough during the day, Luca and Filomena had been wise enough to keep their distance after work hours; they wanted to give their daughter and her new husband time alone to devote exclusively to themselves.

“Ayyy,
finalmente,”
said Lucrezia when she opened the door for her father. She gave him a hug and a kiss and pulled him inside.

“I just felt like taking a little stroll,” said Luca when he stepped into the room, “so I thought I'd stop by for a few minutes to see what you two have been up to.”

“It took you long enough,” said Lucrezia, giving Peppi a wink. “We thought you and Mama might be mad at us for moving out of the house.”

“She's still upset about that,” joked Luca. “She was just getting used to having the two of you around. But she'll get over it.” He looked about the apartment and gave an approving nod at the new decor. “I like what you've done with the place,” he said. “Nice and bright.”

“Go sit at our new table with Peppi,” Lucrezia told him.

“Very nice,” said Luca, settling into a chair. “But what happened to all the old furniture? There was nothing wrong with it.”

“Heh, gone with the wind,” chuckled Peppi. “Your daughter is like a whirlwind. She tossed out all the old stuff the first day.”

“Uff,
che brutt'!”
shuddered Lucrezia. “That bed and that rickety old table and chairs weren't fit for dogs to sit on.”

“They weren't all that bad,” offered Peppi.

“Oh, please,” she replied, giving the two men a dismissive wave of the hand. “You're both the same.”

Lucrezia went to the kitchen to make a plate of dry sausage and olives for her father and Peppi to pick on while they talked. “You'll note the new serving dishes,” she announced when she set them on the table along with a loaf of bread. “No more eating like barbarians.”

“I hadn't realized I was so backward,” said Peppi.

Luca popped an olive into his mouth and sliced off a piece of dry sausage. While he chewed it, he looked about the apartment for a moment with a curious look on his face.

“Hey,” he said. “I just noticed something. What happened to your bicycles, Peppi?”

“Banished to the shed out back,” said Peppi ruefully. “She won't let me have them in the kitchen anymore.”

“Lucrezia!” her father chided her. “What's wrong with you?”

“Sta zita,
you!” she warned him, wagging her finger. “And you too,” she said, turning to her husband. “This is our home, not a bicycle shop. I'm not going to have dirty wheels and bike grease all over everything. I don't care what you two say.”

In the face of such a hostile judiciary, Peppi and Luca knew better than to argue the merits of their case. Instead they both shrugged and resumed munching on the appetizers Lucrezia had set out.

“Filomena and I have missed having you two up to the house at night,” Luca told Peppi. “What have you two been doing with yourselves lately?”

“Eh,” Peppi shrugged. “We've been keeping busy.” He gave his new wife a nod. “I put in some new plumbing fixtures this week and Lucrezia was looking around for some new cabinets, but we decided to put that project on hold.”

“How come?” said Luca.

Peppi shrugged again. “We're not sure of what we want to do yet,” he said a bit evasively.

Lucrezia put a slab of cheese on the table before sitting down with them. She lopped off two good-sized slices and gave one each to Peppi and Luca. Her hand reached out for an olive, but then she changed her mind. Giving Peppi a sideways look, she settled back into her chair and let out a little sigh.

“What's the matter, Lucrezia?” said Luca. “Aren't you going to have something? These olives are good. Try some.”

“Not right now,” said his daughter, suddenly looking a bit pale. “Maybe later.”

“Ooh, and I like this cheese,” said Luca, taking a big bite.

“Please, Papa,” said Lucrezia, putting her hand to her mouth. Suddenly she jumped up from the table, ran to the bathroom, and slammed the door behind her. A series of rather unpleasant guttural sounds ensued.

“Is she okay?” said Luca to Peppi, who seemed not at all nonplussed by the whole thing.

“Yes, she's fine,” he said with a nod. “Don't worry. This just happens every so often lately. From what I've read it's nothing to be too concerned about.”

Luca put down his cheese and bread, and stared at his friend. Peppi, for his part, was sitting there, looking very much like the cat who swallowed the canary.

“What's going on?” said Luca. “What aren't you telling me?”

Peppi shifted uncomfortably in his chair and fidgeted with the end of the tablecloth. He rubbed his chin nervously and opened his mouth to speak, but for some reason he couldn't quite make it form the words he wanted to say.

“Like I said,” he finally managed to reply, “it's really nothing to worry about. Supposedly it will pass in a few weeks. This is just a phase a woman in her condition goes through.”

“What do you mean, ‘a woman in her condition'?” said Luca sharply. Then he noted the sparkle in Peppi's eye. Understanding gradually dawned on him like the morning sun climbing over the mountains. Now it was Luca's turn to have trouble putting together an intelligible sentence. “Are you trying to tell me,” he stammered, “that Lucrezia is…what I mean to say is that she's going to have a…that Filomena and I are going to have another…”

Peppi could only nod and smile in reply.

At that point Luca stopped and his face lit up in pure joy. With a great laugh he reached out and slapped Peppi on the shoulder. “Well, at least now I know what you two have been up to all these nights!” he cried. Then he paused for a moment and looked about the apartment.

“You two are going to need a bigger place pretty soon,” he remarked.

“Yes, I know,” said Peppi. “And I know just where to build it.”

After the baptism
they all went back to the house. It was a sparkling June day and Lucrezia threw open the windows to let in the warm, pleasant breeze that tumbled down from the mountains. Before long the house was filled with people, some who had gone to the church and others who skipped the mass and came straight to the celebration. Despite the beautiful weather, everyone was milling about inside in little groups, talking and laughing. The women took turns holding the baby while the men wandered about, admiring the new home Peppi and Lucrezia had built. The food was put out and soon everyone was lining up at the buffet table.

Peppi walked in. He had been strolling around out back with Luca and Carmine. The three had been looking over the new flower beds and assessing the condition of the plants in the tomato garden. The grounds around the mulino had fallen into disarray from years of neglect, but little by little Peppi was bringing order back to things. One day, if all went well, he hoped to plant fig trees and apple trees and perhaps even some grapes, for those are the things a man plants for his son.

“There he is!” said someone when Peppi came through the back door to the kitchen. Everyone turned and smiled at the proud new father.

“Where's my baby boy?” said Peppi with a big grin. “Who's got my little Niccolo?”

“I do,” cooed Angie, cradling the little bundle in her arms. “And don't ask me to give him to you. I flew all the way over here to see him, so I'm not letting him go—he's too adorable!”

“Okay,” laughed Peppi, not wanting to ruin the fun, “but be careful, he's valuable property.”

Peppi went into the living room and chatted with the men about how construction on the house was going. The house, parts of which were not quite yet finished, had been built on the site of the old mulino. Peppi had taken great pains to ensure that their new home, though much larger than the original, would still be of a style that evoked the memory of all the people who had lived there before him. While he had left the construction of the house to a local builder, the mill itself he reserved for himself. It would take a long time, but Peppi insisted on rebuilding the old mulino with his own hands, stone by stone, just as his father's father had done. The photograph of his parents, now restored to its proper place on the mantel, would always be there to inspire him.

“Hey, old man,” he heard Lucrezia call. “Why don't you try paying a little attention to the mother of your child?”

Peppi was only too happy to oblige. He went straight to the buffet table, fixed his wife a plate of food, and poured a glass of wine. When he returned with the food and drink, he settled onto the couch next to her. By then Filomena had managed to snatch Niccolo from Angie's arms. She ambled about, showing off her new grandson until someone suggested that she hand him to Peppi and Lucrezia so that a photograph could be taken of the new family.

“Doesn't she look wonderful?” one of the women said of Lucrezia. “You'd never know she just had a baby.”

“What about me?” joked Peppi as the cameras flashed. “Don't I look good too?”

“Why shouldn't you look good?” said Lucrezia, elbowing him in the ribs.
“I'm
the one who did all the work.”

Peppi smiled and looked across the room to the window. A warm, gentle breeze caressed the trees off in the distance while the flowers and shrubs he had planted just outside the window basked in the brilliant sunshine. Everything outside was bursting with life and vitality. It all made Peppi feel young again.

Before long Filomena and Luca squeezed in to pose for a picture of themselves with little Niccolo. That's the way it went for much of the afternoon. Peppi and Lucrezia eventually were shoved off the couch so that all the relatives could take turns posing for photographs with the baby.

Afterwards, coffee and dessert were served outside so that everyone could get out and enjoy the gorgeous weather. One of the men had brought a guitar. He leaned against the edge of one of the old mulino walls and started to strum a soft, sweet melody while the other guests strolled about, soaking in the sunshine. Lucrezia set up the bassinet in the shade and put the baby down for a nap. Peppi and Luca sat on the grass nearby, sipping their wine as they surveyed the whole beautiful scene.

“You've come a long way since you came home,
amico mio,”
said Luca after a time. “Didn't I tell you there was still a lot of life left in this old place?”

“Yes, you did,” said Peppi with a contented grin. “I thought my life's work was over, but now it looks like it's just beginning.”

Luca nodded in agreement. “As long as there is life, there will always be work to be done,” he said. Then he cast his gaze over to the mulino. “What do you think?” he asked Peppi. “Will
Dio
give you time enough to finish rebuilding it by yourself?”

Peppi gazed thoughtfully at the mulino. “It doesn't matter,” he finally said with a shrug. “If I don't finish it, my son will.” He turned a sly gaze to Luca. “And who knows,” he added, “maybe he'll even do it with the help of a brother or two.”

“Hah!” laughed Luca. “Now wouldn't
that
be something?”

Later, the sun was just beginning to drop behind the mountaintops when everyone began to leave. By the time the last of the guests had gone home it was almost dark. It had been a long, beautiful day. Now that it was over, Peppi felt tired, but very happy.

When he collapsed into bed and wrapped his arms around Lucrezia that night, Peppi lay awake for a time, listening to his wife's gentle breathing while he watched over Niccolo sleeping nearby in the basinet. A thousand plans for his wife and son were dancing in his head, dreams for a future that, just a short time ago, he would never have imagined possible. His life, he marvelled, had come full circle, like a wheel spinning around, always ending at the beginning, always beginning at the end. That, he saw, was just the way of things. Peppi tried to keep his eyes open for he did not want to miss a moment of it all. A blissful sense of exhaustion, however, finally overcame him and he soon drifted off into contented sleep.