Silence Is Golden (16 page)

For a moment I worry she’s going to slap me, as her face reddens with anger.

“He is! I’ve taken care of him since he was a child! How dare you?”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “You’re right. But can’t we discuss this calmly?”

“I don’t want to discuss anything with you. I just want you out of our lives. Now!”

“I can’t make that happen, nor do I want to. And Aris doesn’t want that either. Can’t you and I try to get along, if we both love him?”

“You don’t love him. You’re not capable of loving him. Only I understand him.”

“Don’t you want him to be happy?” I try again. “He’s happy with me.”

“That’s not true! You’ve seduced him! He only likes you for your body. It won’t last.”

Trying to reason with her is impossible. The look on her face reminds me of that terrible inkling I had the first time I saw her with Aris. I realize now that she doesn’t consider him a son. She wants him to be hers in another way. And she thinks that I’m the only thing standing in the way of her and her dream. She won’t hesitate to get rid of me if I continue to impede her.

“Please leave now,” I say.

“This isn’t over. I want him back home tomorrow.”

“If he’s feeling better.”

Dora finally opens the door, and once she’s outside, I make sure to have the last word.

“If Aris doesn’t feel well enough to go home tomorrow, don’t bother coming back here—I won’t let you in.”

She clearly didn’t expect to hear that, and I slam the door in her shocked face.

That night, while I’m reading a book in the chair, Aris enters the room. He’s still pale, but there’s a little color in his cheeks. I go over to him.

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Hungry . . .”

I smile, touching my hand to his forehead. He’s finally cool. I take him into the kitchen and start making him something to eat.

“Emi?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m so sorry. For everything. I was an idiot.”

“That’s true.”

“I shouldn’t have—”

I clamp a hand over his mouth. “I get it. You don’t have to say anything else. You know, I’m not used to hearing you talk so much,” I say, smiling. He hugs me, and I feel like I have to tell him. “Dora came by earlier today.”

He raises his head to look at me. Even though we were fighting only inches away from him, he clearly has no idea what happened.

“She said she wants you back home tomorrow. I told her I’ll take you home if you’re feeling better.”

“I want to live here with you. I can help pay the rent.”

“You can stay here as long as you’d like, but I don’t need any more trouble, Aris. She’s hated me since she first laid eyes on me.”

“You’ll change your mind about me moving in someday,” he replies obstinately.

“Yeah, in another lifetime,” I say with a laugh. “And I don’t want you to help pay the rent. I can manage it on my own.”

“You really are the most stubborn person in the world.”

“Coming from someone who almost died of exposure from staying outside my house all night. I’d say I still have a lot to learn about being stubborn.” He lowers his head, and I ruffle his hair. I bring my lips to his ear and murmur, “Don’t ever do anything that stupid again. If you were to die, I would die too.”

While we’re in bed, Aris takes my face in his hands.

“After what I did to you, you have every right to leave me. But I swear it’ll never happen again. I can’t stand Valerio. I’ve never liked him. But if you want me to, I’ll hide my feelings and try to be nice to him.”

The next morning, I say good-bye to Aris on my doorstep as he leaves for work. He looks at me like a child who doesn’t want to go to school.

“What are you going to do today?” he asks.

“I’m going to search for a job, obviously.”

He pulls me to him, his eyes bluer than ever. His face is still a little pale.

“When we get married,” he says, staring at me, “will you let me take care of you?”

I stiffen. Get married? “You already take care of me. I just don’t want to take your money too,” I reply, sounding more serious than I intended, but I don’t want to have to explain myself to him right now. I have to explain things to myself first. He doesn’t respond. Instead, he gives me a light kiss on the lips and leaves.

Marry, marriage . . . Those are empty words for me.

Not just empty.

Dangerous.

CHAPTER TWENTY

I follow the forest path to the village, considering what’ll happen to me next. I’ve been able to push those thoughts to a corner of my mind these last few days, but I can feel them looming large now. What’s going to happen to me? How can I prove that I didn’t steal that money from my father, that it was mine? If I tell the truth, like Aris says, will the court believe me? What if I have to go to jail? I’m terrified at the thought of the police forcibly taking me into custody. I need to take my mind off this. I’ve got more pressing issues to resolve, namely, getting a job.

I go into several stores, only avoiding the bar. I don’t want to be surrounded by a bunch of drunk guys every night. Everyone I meet eyes me suspiciously and says they don’t need any help. The last place I visit is a fabric store, where I find Dora’s friend Teresa browsing. I want to turn and run, but my Abruzzan spirit keeps me rooted to the spot.

“Good morning. My name is Emilia. I’m wondering if you’re looking to hire some help in your store,” I say to the storeowner, who doesn’t answer me but instead shoots Teresa a quick look.

“Nobody here wants your help. When are you going to realize that you need to go back where you came from?” Teresa sneers.

I can’t even respond. I’m too tired of doors slamming in my face. I leave the store, followed by malicious glares from both of them. I walk along village streets, and for the first time, I hope I don’t run into Aris. He’d see discouragement written all over my face, and I just can’t handle that right now. Benedetto’s café seems like a beacon in the night, even if it’s daytime and the sun is shining. I peek through the window before I go inside. There are only two people there, and I don’t know either of them.

“Hello, little one,” Benedetto greets me once I’m inside. “Is Aris feeling better?” Why am I not surprised? The town doesn’t even need the Internet. News travels faster than the speed of light around here.

“He’s fine,” I answer.

“He’s so strong, even though he’s so thin . . .”

“Yeah.”

“You’re strong too. Don’t worry. It’ll all turn out okay,” he says with a sweet smile.

“What makes you say that, Benedetto? Do you have a crystal ball hidden under the counter?”

“If only. I can see the future in your eyes. Yours looks good. You just need to have patience. Would you like some tea?”

“No, thanks. I just stopped in to say hi.” I hop off the stool.

“Rumor has it you need a job.”

“Is there anything that gets by you people?” I say, a little too abruptly.

“Well, if you wanted to stay anonymous, you should have moved to a big city.”

“You’re right. Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“You couldn’t be rude even if you wanted to, my dear. Sit back down for a second.”

I sit.

“How about giving me a hand here?” he asks. “From morning until early afternoon. One of our waitresses quit yesterday, and I can’t manage by myself.”

I stare at him, trying to figure out if he’s telling the truth or just doing me a favor. Unfortunately, my mind-reading abilities only work on Aris.

“But I’ve never been a waitress before.”

“Perfect. That means you don’t have any bad habits to correct,” he says, laughing.

“Are you serious, Benedetto? You’re really offering me a job?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

With that goofy grin, yes,
I think to myself.

“You’re amazing. When should I start?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Sure! What time?”

“How about seven? We open early. The suppliers come tomorrow.”

“Seven it is then,” I say, smiling. “I can come earlier if you want.”

“Seven’s fine. Don’t come any earlier since I won’t be here to let you in and you’ll freeze.”

I laugh and thank him again before leaving. I can finally walk down the street with my head held high. I have a job again!

I head over to the carpenter’s shop to tell Aris my good news and to see how he’s doing. Before going in his shop, I peek through the window out of habit. He’s in there, standing in front of one of his blueprints. But sitting at the desk where Aris usually sketches is Dora. I don’t know what to do. Aris sees me and motions for me to come in, but I motion for him to join me instead.

“It’s cold,” he says once he’s outside. “Why don’t you come in?”

“I’m not cold,” I lie. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay. I had the perfect nurse,” he replies, caressing my cheek.

“I’ve been instructed to tell you that she’s resigned,” I say, smiling. “So no more sleeping outside, okay?”

He returns my smile, though guilt is written all over his face.
Just as well,
I think.
At least he won’t do that again.
But who knows what else he might come up with next.

“Will you join me for dinner tonight?”

He turns back to the shop before meeting my eyes, and I know he’s concerned about Dora.

“That’s fine,” I say, pretending it’s okay. “I’ll see you later?”

He nods. I start to leave, but he grabs me by the arm and pulls me close. I can feel Dora’s eyes boring into me. I try to glance over his shoulder into the shop, but he takes my face in his hands and kisses me on the lips. I’m so worried about Dora that I barely respond, but then his kiss deepens. It’s one of those kisses that probably shouldn’t happen in public. I instantly forget about Dora, along with everything else in the world.

When our lips part, one of my hands is tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck, and the other is under the back of his shirt. He grins at me like a cat that caught a mouse. I push him away, laughing.

“If anyone’s crazy between the two of us, it’s you.” I walk away before he can grab me again.

Aris laughs. He’s so beautiful when he laughs.

It’s not until I’m well on my way home that I realize I never told Aris about my new job at the café. I had gone to see him to share my news. Though in truth, that’s not the only reason I went to see him. I also went because I only feel calm when I’m with him. He always makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay—despite everything that’s happened.

By early afternoon, my house is in order. The dessert that I decided to make is ready, so I settle down in the chair with a book. Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. It’s too early for it to be Aris, even if I’m no longer sure what tricks he has up his sleeve. I open the door and find Emma on my doorstep. I greet her with a smile. She must have been waiting to see how I’d react to her surprise visit, because it takes her a minute to return my smile.

“I’m so happy to see you,” I say. “Come in.” I close the door after she enters. “I’ll make us some tea.” Emma doesn’t say a word. She eyes me warily, although her smile lingers on her lips.

“Are you mad at me?” she finally asks.

“What are you talking about, Emma? You were my first friend here, and you gave me a job when everyone else turned me away. How could I possibly be mad at you?”

“Yeah, but then I fired you. And only because I listened to a teenage girl’s petty jealousy.” She stares at the floor, and she looks truly sorry. But I’m not one to judge. Really, all I feel toward her is gratitude. I put my hands on her shoulders and force her to look me in the eye.

“Let’s get this straight,” I say with a smile. “I’m not mad at you. I understand why you did what you did. If our roles had been reversed, I might have reacted the same way. Anyway, it was just jealousy. Who hasn’t been jealous? I love him. But I still want to be friends with Giorgia. I’m not mad at her either.” Emma looks at me as if I were the Madonna herself. “Enough of all that. Let’s have some tea.”

She finally relaxes, and her smile clears the air. I put some water on to boil and take my cake out of the oven. It looks perfect. And this time, I’m not saving the whole thing for Aris. The fact that Emma came over means so much to me. I feel like I have enemies everywhere and that Aris is my only safe harbor. Knowing that Emma is also on my side again is almost intoxicating, but perhaps I should still be wary. She says she regretted firing me, but what does she think about my relationship with Aris? I decide to let her tell me when she’s ready. I set the table for tea and invite her to sit down.

“Unfortunately,” she says, “I can’t ask you to work at my shop again, even though I’d like to. Since you’ve left, my bouquets have finally started to look normal again.” We both laugh. For a brief, wonderful moment, I feel pure joy. I’m laughing heartily with the first friend I’ve ever had.

“But I also came to talk to you about something else,” she says.

“What’s that?”

She pauses, clearly choosing her words carefully.

“People are talking about you and Aris. But mostly about you. The disappearance complaint, the charge of theft, and your relationship with Aris.”

“I figured as much,” I reply. “I never kidded myself that these things wouldn’t get out.”

“Yes, but I don’t think you realize what’s happening.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that lies are being spread. People are inventing all kinds of things about you, and I’m worried that living here is going to become really hard for you.”

“Can you tell me what people are saying? And who is spreading these lies?”

“Marcello Ferrari, to name one.”

“To quote Aris,” I say, “‘That guy’s a real dick.’”

“I would have warned you about him, if I had known. I can only imagine what happened. He hit on you, you shut him down, and now he’s getting back at you.”

“Pretty much,” I reply. I’m not going to tell her that we really fought about her daughter’s reputation. “But what is he saying about me?”

“That you tried to seduce him in the bookstore one day, that he rejected you, and that you then threw yourself at Aris. He says you’re just looking for someone to pay your bills and that you’ll stop at nothing until you get your way.”

“And I’m guessing that everyone’s quick to believe him.”

“He’s a teacher, and he’s respected here. Dora, of course, was the first to repeat his lies. She tried to turn Aris against you.”

“That’ll never work, but I can’t stop her from trying.”

“He must really love you. When I went to tell him that the police had taken you in—”

“That was you? Oh, thank you!”

“It was. I didn’t even finish telling him what’d happened. He drove off in his truck like a rocket. I’ve never seen him in that big of a hurry before.”

My entire life, I’ve never had a friend. But now, I clearly do. I tell Emma the story of the cold night that Aris spent on my doorstep, and she can hardly believe it.

“Well, I’ve never exactly thought he was normal,” she says with an apologetic grin. “But that’s not something I would expect even from him.”

“It’s like he had bottled everything inside,” I say. Just now, as I’m talking with Emma, I’m realizing this about him. “It’s like he’s finally woken up, and he now wants to feel all his emotions to the extreme, regardless of the consequences.”

“He’s been through a lot, Emilia. He was always alone, even when Tommaso was alive. He closed himself off. Now he’s afraid to lose you. You’re probably the first person he’s ever really let in.”

“I still can’t figure out his relationship with Dora. It seems like he hates her, so why does he still live with her?”

“He provides for her too!” she exclaims. “It’s Aris’s work that gives Dora a roof over her head and food on the table. And he’s never complained to a soul, not even after Tommaso died.”

“Maybe he would if he actually talked to me,” I say, chuckling. “Sometimes we go an entire afternoon without saying a word.”

“From what you’ve told me, it doesn’t seem like you really mind.”

“No, I don’t. He doesn’t need to speak aloud. I just look at him, and I know what he’s saying.”

Emma suddenly takes me by the shoulders, looking serious.

“Don’t ever let anyone come between you,” she says. “I’m here to tell you this. Don’t worry about the gossip. Don’t respond to the taunting. Sooner or later, it’ll all blow over. Aris will protect you from villagers, and no one will challenge him because he’s one of them. Deep down, they respect him. Stay with him, and you’ll be fine.”

“If I had my way, I’d stay with him for the rest of my life. Unless I’m thrown in jail, that is.”

“Have you heard anything more about the trial?”

“Aris is my lawful ‘guardian’ now, so the summons will be sent to him. He’s vouching for me.”

“I’m beginning to think he’d take a bullet for you.”

After we chat for a while, Emma gets ready to leave. I ask if I can give her a hug, even though I know how private she is. She says yes, and we hug. After feeling awkward about our friendship ever since I last saw her, now I finally feel relaxed.

“You don’t know how much your visit meant to me. I hope you’ll come back,” I tell her.

“You know, Emilia, you said I was your first friend here. You might not believe this, but you were mine too. I hope we can still be friends.”

“Of course we can, Emma. That’s what I want too.”