“I can do it.” I have my leg in the air, about to head toward the fridge, when Maria grabs my shoulder.
“You relax. Sit down and talk a bit.” Maria ticks her chin toward the stool on the other side of the island. “Let me do this, please.”
Normally, I’d argue, but the one thing I’ve learned is that you’ll almost never win an argument with a Gallo. I’m pretty sure Maria is no different, so I do what any reasonable woman would; I sit and listen.
Moments later, the other women in the family join us. The kitchen suddenly becomes crowded, and I’m no longer sitting alone watching Maria, I am surrounded by cousins.
Suzy, Joe’s wife, with her effortless beauty, striking blond hair, and happy demeanor, sits on my left side, chin in her palm, watching her children through the window.
Izzy is the only Gallo sister on that side, and from the way she carries herself, I’m guessing she’s the boss. She sips her whiskey and swishes the ice cubes around the glass as she watches her ma and chitchats with Mia and Max.
Gigi walked in with them but collapsed on the couch just a few feet away with headphones in her ears, so the interaction was nonexistent.
“It’s nice to have everyone back together,” Izzy says between sips. “I wish you’d all move to Florida, Aunt Betty.”
Betty leans on the counter next to Maria and stares across at us. “Sweetheart, look at my skin. I’m almost translucent. I could never tolerate the Florida sun. I was born to be in darkness.”
“Kind of like your soul,” Fran says as she walks into the kitchen.
Fran is Santino and Sal’s sister. She’s just as mouthy as Betty and Maria. There’s no doubting that, for as strong as the men are in this family, they like their women even stronger.
Betty gives Fran the middle finger. “I’ve missed your sarcasm and wit. That badass biker of yours hasn’t tamed that mouth.”
“He loves my mouth.” Fran smirks.
Not only do I feel ill, I can tell the ladies around me do too. They’re squirming in their seats just as much as I am.
Izzy gags and holds up a hand because her other one is busy holding the glass of whiskey she’s nursing. “Stop. It’s too much. There are young ears and impressionable minds around.”
I look around the room, but I see no one I’d consider impressionable besides maybe Gigi.
Izzy motions toward her sister-in-law. “Suzy can’t handle this type of talk. You know how innocent she is.”
“That’s so laughable,” Gigi says out of the clear blue.
Izzy spins around on her stool to face her niece. “You didn’t know your mother back in the day, kid. She was as innocent as they come.”
“Not anymore. She’s awfully bad sometimes because Dad spanks her a lot. Like a lot, a lot.”
Everyone in the room turns to look at the beautiful girl stretched out on the couch like she didn’t say anything. Everyone except Suzy. She’s beet red with her mouth hanging open and hasn’t moved an inch.
“Giovanna,” Maria warns, and the look she gives her granddaughter is scary as hell.
“What?” Gigi shrugs and continues to type on her phone without making eye contact. “I’m the one who has to listen to them. It’s gross. They’re too old for all that nonsense.”
“Too old?” Fran asks as she heads toward Gigi. “Baby girl, you have a lot to learn about life. When you love someone, it doesn’t matter how old you are.”
“Uh, yeah, Aunt Fran. At some point, you have to be too old for sex.”
Fran touches Gigi’s head, running her fingers through her long brown hair as she stands on the backside of the couch. “Oh, sweetie, I know you think you know everything, but you’re so wrong, it’s not even funny.”
“Can we not talk about sex? It’s bad enough I have to hear it at home, I don’t want to listen to my aunts and grandma discuss it too.”
Fran plucks Gigi’s phone from her hands. “Who’s Keith?”
Gigi climbs over the back and snatches the phone away from Fran. “That’s private.”
Fran laughs. “Until you no longer live under your parents’ roof, you have no privacy.”
