“Hmm… When was that?”
I find it impossible to set a timeline. My grandparents haven’t visited me since I moved here. My aunt hasn’t even talked to me during this time. Nona was with me all the time.
She stares at me, and I get a hint that I need to think harder.
When could she possibly hear them?
“Was it before I moved here?”
She shakes her head.
“Was it…?”
My mind spins, looking for clues.
“Wait a minute. You were on vacation a couple of months ago. Weren’t you?” I ask, trying to make sense of this.
She went up north to meet her niece, relieved of her duties, with no obligation to even talk to my family.
“Did they summon you to Tuscany?” I murmur, and then my mouth drops.
I can’t believe this. They must’ve asked her to take some time off so she can travel up there and meet with them. They were in Italy and didn’t even bother to come visit me?
Wow.
The ploy is bigger than I had imagined.
Why did they need her to sneak out of the house and meet them?
Oh, my.They wanted her to spy on me. They needed her to report on the state of my mind.
Her expression changes as mine does.
It’s true. I can tell from how she looks at me.
“What did you tell them about me?” I say, picking up the key and sliding into the chair.
“You’ve gone so far, Nona. You clearly have a problem with keeping it to yourself, so please tell me exactly what happened. You’re a woman of faith. I can’t say the same thing about myself. Too many things have happened in my life to be humble and listen to a voice other than the crazy one inside my head. But you are here with me because you listened to that voice. And that voice had told you that what they did behind my back was wrong.”
The more I talk, the more her eyes glint with emotions, and then she brushes off a tear from her face.
“They’ll kill me if they know I talked to you,” she says quietly.
“I’ll kill them first if they dare to touch you. You know me. I have no fear.”
A few moments pass.
“If you tell me what you know, I’ll let you walk when I get in power. Full retirement. You can buy a little house someplace nice. You have my word.”
She sucks in a long breath and quietly exhales, and then I know she is about to speak.
8
LELANI
Her hand crumplesan embroidered handkerchief while her tears roll down her face like tiny gemstones.
She feels bad for me.And I feel bad for her.The story of our lives.
