Page 25 of My Italian Roommate

I look over at Mallory and wink, “I’m going to be taking my girlfriend on vacation to Italy so she can see my hometown and meet my family.”

12

ITALY

MARIO

We take the journey from Rome to the cliffs of Positano takes just over three hours by train. After the plane ride, Mallory falls asleep with her head on my shoulder. I can’t help but stare out the window at all of the familiar scenery. I wish she was awake to watch the landscape change from the city to grassland and then to the rocky cliffs that hang above the coast.

When we arrive in Positano, I gently nudge her, “Baby girl, we’re here.”

She opens her eyes, yawns, and stretches.

“Someone should be waiting to meet us.”

“Oh, now I’m a little nervous.”

“Why? I told you before they’re all gonna love you. You’re perfect.”

The train stops with the squeaking of breaks and one final, steamy exhale. We file into the line of passengers waiting to embark on the village. The moment we step onto the platform, I lock eyes with my cousin, Dario. He flaps his arms as if he plans to fly over the crowd to greet us. I wave to let him know that I’ve seen him.

“That’s my cousin, Dario. That means the rest of the family is probably waiting to feed us.”

“What do you mean by the whole family exactly?” she winces.

“Well, mother, father, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, that sort of thing.”

“Oh boy.”

“Relax. They’re all very good people. You’re going to have a great time here. I wouldn’t bring you if I wasn’t sure.”

Dario hugs us both and kisses each of our cheeks.

“Come, everybody is waiting,” he cheers as he helps me take our luggage to his car.

“This is beautiful,” Mallory says as she takes in the view for the first time.

“Just wait. It gets better,” I tell her as I help her into the car.

We traverse the tiny road that winds up the cliff to my family’s home and I point out the window at the blue water on the coast below us.

“We’ll take a hike down to the beach while we’re here. I think you’ll like it.”

She wraps her arm around mine and says, “I think I’ll love it.”

As expected, the entire family is waiting for us to arrive. The outdoor table is set for dinner and my mother and aunts are busy in the kitchen. They stop to come outside and greet us when they hear the commotion caused by our arrival. Mallory gets caught up in a whirlwind of hugs and kisses from people she’s never met. Most of whom barely speak English. I figure I can go through the family tree with her once the dust settles.

We sit in the shade of the olive trees and I breathe in the crisp breeze coming from the ocean. The table is filled with enough food to feed an army. It wouldn’t be a meal from Positano if it didn’t include fish from the Amalfi coast. There’s shrimp, pezzogne, mussels, and octopus and everything tastes just like I remember.

“How’s the food, baby girl?” I ask Mallory.

“It tastes like I’m going to gain a lot of weight while I’m here,” she grins. “Everything is delicious.”

I lean in to kiss her on the lips. When I turn my head, I see that my mother is watching. She smiles and nods to show me that she approves.

The afternoon turns to night and my father and uncle light the torches that line the garden. My nieces take Mallory by both hands and lead her into the center of the garden where they dance in circles to the music coming from my father’s old radio. As they dance, my eldest sister, Maria, comes to sit beside me. She takes my hand in hers and says, “She’s a sweet, beautiful girl, brother. What are your plans for her?”

“What does that mean?” I ask but I know exactly what she’s asking me.

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