Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100605 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100605 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
I squinted. “Do you…have sparkles in your hair?”
Her smile widened. “My grandmother had a pretty big stash.”
Before I could do the honors, Luciana grabbed a fork from the table and tapped it against her wine glass. “Everyone, I want to introduce you to Allegra. She only speaks un po di Italiano, so practice your Inglese tonight.”
The entire group turned, and conversations halted. Twenty-five pairs of eyes locked on the woman standing between me and my sister. Allegra stiffened.
“Ciao, Allegra!” half the group chorused, raising glasses. From the far end of the table, my great-uncle cupped his hands around his mouth. “Bellissima! You sit next to me!”
My mother swatted him with a napkin. “Be good, Salvatore. Or I cut off your wine at half a bottle.”
Uncle Sal pouted, and both Allegra and I laughed. My cousin’s wife, Theresa, came to the rescue and shoved a glass of merlot into her hand. “Tip from a newcomer,” she said. “Don’t sit anywhere near Salvatore without checking the seat first, or you’ll find a hand goosing your culo.”
Luciana leaned in. “And drink. It’s the only way to survive this family.”
“I heard dat!” my mother yelled from the other end of the table.
Introductions shot at Allegra from every direction after that. Aunt Rosa Maria pinched her cheeks like she was three years old, my cousin Marciella warned her to only eat her roasted figs with walnuts and honey because communion wafers had more flavor than her sister’s dish, and the son of my mother’s best friend brought her a glass of white wine from his vineyard. That prompted me to put my arm around Allegra to make sure he understood who she was here with.
I watched it all unfold, ready to step in and rescue her if she needed it, but Allegra held her own. She was nervous, that I could see, but she still managed a comeback when my cousin Vito made a slightly insulting comment after he found out she was a lawyer.
A little while later, Luciana and the neighbor brought out a dozen trays of food, and then my mother came over.
“Allegra, this is my mother, Elena. Mamma, this is Allegra.”
My mother kissed both her cheeks. “I’ve heard so much about you. Of course, not from my son—he tells me nothing—but from Luciana. Apparently, you are very special, because not just anyone could make this boy go to da club and dance.”
Allegra laughed. “It’s very nice to meet you, Elena.”
Mom took Allegra’s hand. “Come. You sit next to me. On da left side, so my uncle doesn’t try to cop a feel, yes?” She pointed to the other side of the table. “You go across, Matteo.”
I would’ve liked to sit next to Allegra so she felt more comfortable, but there was no point in arguing with my mother. She guided her to a chair, and I followed to pull out my mother’s and her seat. My sister took the one next to me.
“I’m very sorry about your grandmother,” Mom said. “I met Sophia a few times when I visited Matteo. She was a lovely woman, vibrant and spirited.”
Allegra smiled. “She was. Thank you.”
Trays of food flew around the table, passing left to right, right to left, and across two tables. I watched as Allegra tried to figure out what to grab and when.
“Chicken parm?” I reached over, holding two trays out. “And gnocchi pomodoro. My favorites.”
She looked relieved and took the trays. “Grazie.”
“Hey, Porky!” my cousin Carlo yelled. “Pass da gnocchi.”
I rolled my eyes and hoped Allegra didn’t catch the name, but of course, she did.
“Porky?”
I shook my head. “Just a dumb nickname.”
My sister couldn’t wait to chime in. “It’s short for porcupine. And not because he’s prickly, which he is.” She grinned. “Back when we were eight or nine, Matteo had a crush on Maria Rosetti. We’d all just watched the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. Do you know it?”
Allegra nodded. “I loved it.”
“Well, Maria and all the girls had a crush on Marcello, the handsome actor who plays the love interest. He wore his hair slicked back, so my brother decided he was going to do the same to impress his Maria. He slicked it back with way too much gel, and walked to school on a windy day.” She put her hands up, forming a point on top of her head. “All his hair, it hardened to a pointy spike. One of Matteo’s friends went over to tell Maria that Matteo liked her, and she said, ‘Who? The porcupine kid?’ The name stuck.”
I closed my eyes. “God forbid anyone in this family ever forget anything.”
Allegra laughed. “Awww… Don’t be embarrassed, Porky. I think it’s sweet.”
“It didn’t deter him, though,” my sister said. “I’ll give him that much. At least not until middle school when he again tried to impress Maria by rollerblading at a backyard birthday party for one of their classmates. He tripped over the hose and accidentally turned on da water. It sprayed all over Maria and got her white shirt soaked. Poor girl didn’t have a bra on, and her little boobies were pointy. The kids all started calling her Spike.” Luciana laughed. “Such a shame. They were a match made in heaven—Porky and Spike—but Maria hated him after dat.”