Page 43 of Honeymoon for Seven

The back door squeaked open and Mina carried in an empty bowl of chips. “The masses are starving.”

“Hold your horses.” His aunt waved a wooden spoon at her eldest daughter. “Tell the masses the pasta is almost ready.”

Another moment and Jo came into the kitchen as well. “Aunt Maria wants to know where her salad is.”

“In the fridge. Your cousin Rosa tossed it a little while ago.”

The sisters mulled around the kitchen, helping their mother feed an army. Not that he knew very much about pregnant women but he didn’t see anything different about any of Aunt Antoinette’s daughters.

“Hey, as long as you’re all here.” Giovanni crossed his arms. “Which one of you is pregnant?”

All three sputtered, stammered, dropped their jaws, and blinked back their bulging eyes.

“Giovanni Ummarino, what’s the matter with you?” His aunt scowled at him. “When did you become a blabbermouth?”

“Since my curiosity got the better of me.” He spun around to face his cousins again. “So, who is it?”

“Don’t look at me.” Ginnie shook her head and opened the fridge again, pulling out Aunt Maria’s salad.

Jo and Mina looked at each other, then each gave a slow shake of the head.

“No one?”

All heads in the room turned from side to side.

“Aunt Antoinette, why are you messing with me? No one’s pregnant.”

His aunt shrugged her shoulders.

“Why would you tell cousin Johnny that one of us is pregnant?” Mina stared at her mother.

“You know how often your father gets a toothache?”

All the sisters rolled their eyes, but it was Mina who spoke up. “Yes, Mama. Three times in his life.”

“That’s right.” Mina’s mom nodded. “When I was pregnant with each of you.” The family matriarch waited a moment before continuing. “You know how I feel about olives.”

“You don’t like them,” Jo answered quickly.

“Except?” their mother prodded.

This time it was Ginnie to answer. “When you were pregnant with the three of us.”

“Exactly. And do you know what happened yesterday?”

Everyone in the kitchen shook their heads.

“I went grocery shopping for Sunday supper ingredients, and I bought olives.”

“So you bought olives? So what?” Giovanni asked.

His aunt’s head whipped around to face him. “And today, your uncle woke up with a toothache. I know I’m not the one who’s pregnant so that means only one thing.”

“That Uncle Vito needs to go see a dentist?”

“No.” She waved a frustrated arm at her nephew. “At least one of my girls is going to have a baby.”

“At least?” Mina and Jo echoed.

“Like I said,” Ginnie flashed a toothy grin at her sisters, “not me.”

Simultaneously the voices in the kitchen suddenly grew louder and faster and Giovanni had a feeling that his aunt might be right after all.

Coming up beside him, his aunt leaned in. “I didn’t tell them, but I bought two jars of olives.” And just like that, grinning, his aunt went back to her pot of gravy.

Two olive jars could only mean one thing, the next generation of Ummarinos might share a birthday, and he was definitely going to relish his role as Uncle Johnny.

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