Page 46 of I Think Olive You

Isabella gives me a little ‘humph’ of agreement before shooing us out again and telling us dinner is at seven. With that I’m left to my own devices (dangerous) and at the mercy of a seven-year-old who will be far too curious for her own good (terrifying). All I have to console me is the hope this will be enough. What I’m able to give Giuliana is at least a small gesture of apology and support.

Digging around the shed, I grab shears, heavy-duty gloves, and a rake for outside. For inside, I find a large push broom, a bucket, and several old rags.

“Chiara… can you keep this secret for me?” I ask as we carry the items up the hill toward the old house.

“Giuliana says secrets are bad.” Fuck. Of course, she does. She’s trying to set a good example for the kid and as usual I’m asserting my bad influence.

“Okay. Not a secret then. A surprise.”

Chiara nods, a giant smile lighting up her face, missing teeth and all.

We crest the little hill and the house is in view, every dilapidated inch.

“I want to help Giuliana, surprise her by cleaning up the old house. I don’t want her to know yet because she’ll want to help and she’s already so busy with the grove.”

The little girl looks down and gives a solemn nod.

“Nonna says she looks old and worn down. All she does is frown and worry, and she’ll never find a man to love her because her face is always miserable and crinkled like an old prune.”

I laugh at that, fully in disagreement with her looking old and worn, or like an old prune but I don’t fight it. To Chiara, Nonna’s word is law. Who am I to argue with the old lady?

“Exactly, so I want to help her with this so she has one less thing to worry about. Can you keep it between us so she doesn’t have to take time on this as well? Will you help me?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Can you come fetch me around six so I have time to clean up before dinner? Can’t have her figuring it out on day one, yeah?”

She laughs and gives me a thumbs up. “I’ll bring you some water, Teo!”

So excited, so happy to be involved. Hearing the nickname jolts me and I wonder why she’s decided to use it. Has Giuliana called me that in private?

I try not to let it get to me. It could just be a common thing, a colloquialism. I’ve never had a nickname before—not when I basically go by one on a daily basis. But “Teo” is so much more than Matt. It feels special. It’s Giuliana’s voice wrapped around the word like a secret she’s kept to herself all this time.

I swallow the unexpected emotion sitting on my throat and give her my thanks. Watching her disappear back into the grove, I’m left with a feeling of “what now”? Where do I even start?

Grabbing the thing closest to me—shears—I hack into the overgrown foliage covering the path. Sweat gathers along my temples, droplets snaking down my neck. By the time I’m done, a pile of growth sits beside the front door and my shirt is plastered to my back. Chiara rushes over with a few bottles of water and skids to a stop outside the door, looking over at the large pile of greenery.

“Wow. I’ve never really been here to the old house but this is a lot. Are you going to fix it?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan. I’m going to clean it out this weekend and then I’ll see what else needs to get done after that.”

“Do you need help?” Sweet, searching. Like she’s afraid I might say no and send her away.

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”

Her smile is back and she enters with wide eyes, taking in her family’s history and the living that happened here, the same way I did before. Kinship lances through me. This little girl and I have a lot in common, I think. She’s never known this part of her history, just bits and pieces from other people since her parents passed. But these walls—this story isn’t one she’s been told.

I shake myself from my introspection, from my stupid thoughts. Next, I’ll have to drag all the furniture on the main level into one room until I can decide what to keep and chuck. I wipe the back of my forearm against my forehead, clearing off some of the sweat dripping into my eyes and look around the rooms.

Are you sure you can do this? You’ve never done anything like this in your whole life. Do you really want to fuck around with Giuliana’s history?

The voice is right, but at least this time I have more than “shut up” to offer in response. Because I know I can do this. I have no other option. This isn’t for me and that’s what will keep me going. At worst she can throw me out. She’s bound to do so anyway when she discovers why I’m here. At best I can help her set up the future she wants to build. Either way, there’s no time to fuck around arguing with myself. I need to conserve my energy for what matters.

“Let’s do this!” I say as I step inside.

It’s going to be a long day, so we better get started. It’s time to save Abundantia.

It’s surprisingly easy to keep Giuliana in the dark, especially when I find out she’s not even at the grove. She’s in Gravina to finalize the list of locals coming to help out with the harvest. And buy a ton of food to feed us all. Last minute preparations. And something else. No one has mentioned what, but tension ripples through them and I can’t escape feeling like something happened while we were away. It’s hard to gauge when my information comes from a seven-year-old translating what Isabella deigns to share.

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