Summer With Em
By Julie D Cole
Chapter 49

Frankie and I said goodnight and agreed not to say anything to anybody and to stay calm and chat to him again the following day.

I was quiet as we headed to our room and my emotions were all over the place. I felt so sorry for dads family after they had tried to break free from the stranglehold of The Family in Sicily and dad had been encouraged to start a new life in the UK by Nanno Mia. It must have been very hard for her to lose contact with her only son and miss his wedding and then not see the birth of their grandchild. I wondered if things had been different for me if mum and I had moved to Terni as dad wanted where I would have had an extended family. I’d probably have been working in the family business and who knows what effect an Italian diet and lifestyle might have had.

Frankie obviously realised that I was deep in thought and didn’t say anything. Eventually as we reached the door of our room she put her arms around me and spoke.’ Kim I really like your dad. He was placed in a very difficult position and he tried his best to protect all of you. I could see the love in his eyes and it was a father/daughter love so I’m sure that he is going to do whatever he can to help you. You have two loving parents even though they were forced apart.’

‘Yes I realise that but these people are crazy. I thought the Mafia ended years ago and they were all like Al Capone.’
‘Probably in parts of the world they are still like that. At least they seem to have left you and your mum alone since your dad did as they wanted. I’m not keen on Elena though nor her two children. They are not like you. We ought to go inside since anybody could be listening.’

‘Well I suppose not. I wonder how much Em knows about what was going on. She was at their wedding even though she was quite a bit younger than mum. She must know all about The Family and so must mum. I’ve been with Em all summer and she knows we have come here for dads permission and blessing.’

‘Yes she is bound to know something and maybe that’s why she coaxed you to stay with her in Manchester hoping you’d be happy to move there out of the way.’

As we prepared for bed I thought back to the events leading up to me agreeing to spend the summer away from London. Mum and Em had discussed it several times. Almost immediately I arrived Em had encouraged me to dress in a feminine style and then we went out with her friends with me dressed as a young woman. Soon I was offered a summer job with her best friend and I was treated like one of the girls rather than as a male employee. Were they in collusion and perhaps trying to create a new identity for me to reduce the risk of some sort of vengeance or even to avoid further threats against dad using me as some sort of bait?

Frankie told me I was over-thinking it and she definitely wasn’t in on any sort of plan although she did think Em and Kims mum had probably colluded but probably to let Kim explore his feminine side. However the upside was that Kims dad was in agreement with their relationship and the prospect of giving a daughter away didn’t seem to phase him at all.
They snuggled up together and since Kim felt emotionally drained Frankie stroked her hair and soon she heard the occasional sound of light snoring. Even though she anticipated further difficulties with Gabriella in particular.

Frankie had to wake Kim early the following morning since she was due to have breakfast at 8am with Nanno Mia and then they’d go to church together. Frankie decided that she would go for a walk to the family vineyard and stop for a coffee and a croissant at a bar in the town square. She didn’t want Kim to feel obliged to invite her along and she was looking forward to stretching her legs.

Kim wasn’t sure what she should wear to attend church so Frankie suggested that he avoided shorts and covered his bosom. It didn’t leave much choice but to wear the more masculine trousers and shirt that Kim had packed in case of emergency. He decided to tie his hair into a low pony tail and minimize his make-up but at least he still did look more girl than boy. Frankie approved the look but suggested Kim wore a little mascara and a hint of lipstick.
Downstairs Nanno Mia was sitting in a chair waiting and she smiled as Kim arrived. ‘ Buongiorno la mia dolce cosa che hai un bell'aspetto. Sei pronto per la colazione? Hai un velo nella borsa per la chiesa.’ She complemented Kim and asked if he had a scarf to cover his head that most women were required to do.

‘Non ho una sciarpa. Devo davvero portarne uno.’ Kim didn’t have a scarf and asked if he needed one. Nanno Mia had a spare scarf in her bag that she insisted Kim borrow. Whist it didn’t match his outfit Nanno Mia appeared unfazed.
We strolled across to a small outdoor café on the next street corner looking out across the square that was run by family friends of Nonno Rossi and Nanno Mia. Her friend was sitting waiting and I was introduced to her.
‘Maria, questa è mia nipote. Ci sta visitando questo fine settimana e sono così felice. Non è bellissima.’ She explained that I was her granddaughter and that I was visiting for the weekend and to my embarrassment said that I was beautiful.
Breakfast was a simple plate of meats and cheese with bread rolls and croissants with Nanno Mia and Maria drinking water whilst I drank coffee. I answered a few polite questions from Maria but Nanno Mia explained that I had been raised in the UK. She seemed to know that dad had married mum in the UK and that Elana wasn’t his wife. It was clear that they were close friends and that they trusted each other.

After breakfast we linked arms and strolled across the square to the church where we were welcomed by the Priest. Nanno Mia was keen to introduce me as her granddaughter so once again there seemed to be another person with whom she had confided in about my fathers relationship whilst in UK and in fact the Priest seemed to know that my parents were married. I doubted that he would be happy about him living in sin with Elana and being the father of her two children but nothing was said and none of them apparently attended church regularly if at all. I put on the scarf as required whilst we were chatting and after a few minutes our places in Nanno Mia’s regular pew. I asked her if the Catholic Church opposed the Mafia behavior in Italy and she hushed me indicating it was a contentious issue.

Everyone who entered the church seemed to kneel before taking their seat and many of the women carried rosary beads. Nanno Mia bowed her head in prayer and kneeled and Maria did the same. I was surprised at their ability to kneel given their ages and after she sat back Nanno Mia explained that a good diet and plenty of olives was a major factor. She said she’d given special thanks for finally bringing me home to Italy and that she prayed that I would live a long and happy life. I felt guilty that I’d not attended church regularly in recent years even though both mum and Em attended regularly. Neither put me under any pressure and mum had said that it was my choice.

The church soon filled and Nanno Mia seemed to know acknowledge all the people in close proximity to us. The service took a long time and I felt obliged to take communion following Nanno Mia and Maria. There was a small choir who sang one hymn in Italian and two residents of Terni did readings. I followed most of it even though it was in Italian.
After the service we stood outside in the sunshine and I could see that Nanno Mia know most of the congregation and lots stopped to speak to her. I was introduced as a student from UK who was visiting Terni for the weekend and staying at the family hotel with a girlfriend. She whispered that it was better not to say too much to avoid gossip.

We walked back to the street café where we’d met Maria for breakfast and sat to have a drink and continue our chat. It was a nice experience for me to sit and talk in Italian and whilst I struggled at first I soon became confident. It was also interesting to talk to an older generation and listen to their memories living in Terni. Nanno Mia didn’t say much about her life in Sicily though. Maria asked me about life in London and how it compared with Terni but I said their was no comparison. This was like a paradise to the area where we lived in London and it felt safe.

I spotted Frankie returning from her walk and waved her across to meet Maria and have a drink. She smiled and said hello and bent to kiss both Maria and Nanno Mia on the cheeks. Then she bent and kissed me on the forehead and then quickly on the lips that brought a smile from Maria.
‘Due uccelli d'amore proprio come nei nostri primi giorni.’
I would have to explain later to Frankie since she said we were young love birds just like they had been. I pretended not to understand but saw the look of fondness from Nanno Mia.

Frankie was impressed with the vineyard and olive groves and had met dad whilst having a coffee and croissant. He had suggested we went to Narni in the that was an old village high on the hills and not far from Terni. He wanted us to have a meal together and he would bring Nonno Rossi and Nanno Mia. It would give us chance to relax together away from the restaurant that Elana would take care of with Carlos and Gabriella and a chef they employed. Nanno Mia admitted that it was her idea.

Sitting in such peaceful and picturesque surroundings gave me goose bumps and I wanted to return for a vacation if possible so I could spend more time looking around the area and sampling the lifestyle. Frankie suggested that we walk in the sunshine leaving Nanno Mia and Maria to chat to friends but before we did she took some group photographs on our phones. She said that she noticed a resemblance between Nanno Mia and me that she wanted to record.
When I told Frankie what Maria had said she smiled and said she was happy for them and that she hoped that we would have an even closer relationship and that she would ensure that it lasted just as long.

Since it was getting hot as noon approached, I decided to go to our hotel to change into shorts and a loose-fitting top. Wearing a bra in hot weather wasn’t something I’d experienced growing up and in the heat of Italy it wasn’t particularly comfortable so I decided to remove it. I didn’t have particularly large or protruding nipples like Frankie so she approved even though she giggled.

We found dad and agreed to time and a meeting place in Narni and after a stroll around Terni we returned for our hire car and enjoyed the relatively short journey through the Umbria countryside. Narni was clearly visible ahead of us up on a high hill with its old stone architecture looking beautiful in the backdrop of blue sky and small white clouds. We parked up and walked around the cobbled streets stopping occasionally to take photographs. It was nice to be in the shade of the buildings and look inside gift shops where I was able to buy a sun hat.

We shared a pizza and a bottle of sparkling water in a small café that was welcome and then found the meeting place close to the restaurant that apparently was a friend of the family.

Around 4pm they arrived and we all hugged before sitting at our table and we were introduced to dads friends, Alberto and Paula, who were the owners. Dad surprised me by introducing me as his eldest daughter and Frankie as my fiancee. Alberto insisted that we all enjoy a glass of sparkling wine to welcome us to Narni and to wish us a happy marriage.
Alberto and Paula joined us during the meal that was non-stop banter and laughing where I understood more about my father and my grandparents who had clearly recovered from the threats that had been made by the Family.

Nonno Rossi insisted to say a few words to Frankie and I and he said how sorry he was that he had been unable to resist the threats from the Family that caused dad to come home and leave me behind with mum.
I stood up and hugged him and told him that I had no ill feelings against anybody and I hoped to visit again soon and to spend more time in Italy in future.