Page 50 of Vita Mia

Giovanni glanced to Mirabella and shook his head. It was too soon. She agreed. They sat under the sun until the coolness abated and the heatwave blew in. Giovanni whistled to the boys. One was digging at the grass with a stick and the other was running about. The boys immediately came up the hill to their father.

“Can we have a picnic mummy? Out here?”

“We sure can,” Mirabella said.

Giovanni took Eve from her.

“C’mon mummy! Let’s go!” Gino said. He ran and Gianni followed. Mirabella raced with the boys letting them stay ahead. It wasn’t hard. For little ones, they moved pretty fast. She was bent over panting for breath before they were. They went back inside and Eve was put in her bed. Catalina asked Giovanni and Mirabella if she could come inside and read to Eve.

Mirabella’s first reaction was to say no. After all she hadn’t left Eve side. They were in a good space. She had hoped they could take an afternoon nap together. But Giovanni stopped her with the squeeze of her hand. He suggested to the women that they ask Eve. “You want Catalina to stay with you?” Giovanni asked.

“Yes,” Eve smiled. “Hi, Zia Catalina.”

“Hi sweetheart,” Catalina said. She walked over to the bed and eased on top with Eve. “I have missed you, bambina.”

Eve grinned.

“Me too.”

“Come with me Bella,” Giovanni said.

“I think I should stay close, Gio.”

“Give her a moment. Look at Eve. She needs to feel normal.”

Eve giggled as Catalina tickled her. Mirabella chewed on her nail and felt herself tensing all over with anxiety. If she left her for a minute and she needed her what then? It would kill her. Giovanni’s arms slid around her waist. He squeezed her closer to him. He kissed her cheek.

“Please Bella. We will be next door. Not far.”

“Okay, okay,” she relented. However, he had to take her hand and force her to walk out of the room. They went inside the bedroom next door and the moment Giovanni closed the door she was in his arms hugging him. She let go tears of relief against his chest. The kind of tears that she should only shed in private with him, but had been doing constantly shedding in front of everyone since Belinda’s death.

He didn’t stop her, he didn’t speak. Giovanni stood in the room and held her as she clung to him for strength. It was Mirabella that let go first.

“I’m so terrible at this. I can’t even answer simple questions for her. It’s like something in me broke. In my head.” She put her hand out for Giovanni to see. It was wracked with tremors. “The anxiety is getting worse. I’m paranoid, and afraid. Gio, I’m going crazy.”

“No,” He took her face in his hands. “You have been through so much Bella. We all have. But you aren’t crazy. You’re a good mother. You’re a good wife. You just need to let the blame and guilt go.”

“How? When she is asking for Lorenzo? When she doesn’t know why Marietta and Rosetta are gone. When she woke up and told me to tell Zia not to forget to check on her puppy that’s dead. How am I supposed to face my guilt?” Mirabella paced away. She put her hands to her hair. “I just feel like I can’t breathe if I’m not checking on her every second of the day. And my baby, the boys. All they do is see me cry.” Mirabella wiped her tears. She crossed her arms. She looked back at him. “What are we going to do?”

“We can’t pretend it didn’t happen. We have to start over, I will rebuild and—”

“I heard you with Dominic. This morning.”

“What did you hear?”

“Carlo sent Shae away. He’s back to drinking. He’s given up on his life. Hasn’t he?”

“Don’t worry, about Carlo I’ll handle him.”

“No! No. We don’t handle it anymore Gio. We finish it. Do you understand me? We are family. This is all we have left. And we have to protect each other.” She looked up to the ceiling. “Please. Find a way to free Carlo. Let him go. Send him to Spain, Portugal, Australia, I don’t care. Just no more death. Agreed?”

“Okay Bella. I’ll find a way to let him go.”

She smiled and nodded. “Thank you. I need to check on Eve.”

She started toward the door but he stepped in front of her.

“Gio, move.”

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