Page 220 of The Wicked
“I hang this for you.” She smiled. “And yes, feel at home; my Gemma bought this place, so no landlord coming to bang and say, pay rent. Fucking Paolo,” she said before walking out of the kitchen.
My gaze settled on Gemma to find her leaning on the oven, a fond smile on her face. “She’s a handful, isn’t she?”
“She’s wonderful,” I answered.
Gemma nodded. “She also loves having people over; it makes her feel like she’s made a new friend. The first day we met, I told her about it, and she was excited that I helped a stranger, and then when I told her we were texting, she was glad I finally made a friend.”
“You don’t have friends?”
Her smile dimmed. “I used to, back in our old neighborhood,”she said, turning off the stove. “It wasn’t as peaceful and spacious as this, and nobody minded their own business. When I saved enough to move, they just stopped talking to me. They have this notion that anyone who moves away stops being part of the community, and well, since I dared to move into the middle-class area, I’m now one of the people they think oppresses them.” She sighed with a sad smile.
“You haven’t talked to any of them since you moved?”
“Aside from fucking Luigi and Uncle Rod, no.”
I nodded. “You’re doing well, Gemma.”
A smile brightened her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Anything I can help out with?” I asked her, rolling up my sleeves.
“You can help out in a kitchen?”
“Yes, Gemma. I had a mother and a very mean sister.”
She smiled at me. “Well, you can help set the table.”
I got to work, and was setting the table like she had asked when she called me.
“Hey.”
I turned to look at her.
“I just want us to be clear about something first, before Gran Louisa comes in.”
“What is it?”
“This thing between us, it’s just friendship, right?”
“Yes.”
She blew out a breath of relief. “Great, because I’m not really looking for a serious thing, and you seem like someone who wants a serious thing. I’m not even sure if I want another boyfriend after Giacomo, at least not so soon… I just really need a friend.”
“I can say the same.”
“Okay, that’s a relief. Thank you for coming today.”
“I’m glad I did,” I told her with a nod before going back to set the table.
Gran Louisa reappeared. “Ah, handsome, and know how to set table; your girlfriend very lucky.”
I suppressed a smile.
“Nonna,” Gemma’s voice warned.
“Shut it. You have girlfriend, Elio? You are fine man; you should have lover.”
I allowed a smile to slip onto my lips as I arranged the utensils beside the plates.
