She sighs in relief and walks ahead of me. The dramatic open back of her fitted dress is molded to her body in a way that makes me wonder if she exists just to torment me. I force myself to keep my eyes on the door ahead and not the curve of her waist.
I catch up to her in two steps so I can open the door. She pauses for a moment, seemingly in surprise, before walking through the threshold to the patio.
Given how late it is, we’re the only ones here. Tessa’s gaze roams the open space, lingering on the vines creeping up the side of the pergolato and the little vase housing one rose in the center of the nearest table. We both sit down at the same time, and a wave of silence flows between us. I don’t know where to begin. I rarely make it out to see my family, and I want this to go smoothly. To reassure them I’m thriving in the states.
Tessa starts. “So, what are your parents like?”
“My parents are…” I search for the right English word. “Generous.”
Tessa nods. “Like, giving their money to charity?”
“They do that, too, but I mean they’re generous in all ways. They’re generous with food, they’re generous with love, they’re generous with… communication.”
A smile pulls at Tessa’s glossy lips. I lean in slightly and identify the coral-tinted flavor as melon today.
“Overcommunicators, huh?”
“You could say that.”
Tugging at the sleeve of her dress, she looks a bit nervous. “What do I have to do to win them over?”
“They already like you,” I admit.
When I first mentioned the “girl I was seeing” to my parents, they asked what she was like, so I started listing off my ideal qualities in a woman.
Smart.
Beautiful.
Talented.
I didn’t set out to describe Tessa specifically, but it all rings true. And now that I’ve filled in my parents on the specifics, it’s almost embarrassing how much they know about my pretend girlfriend.
Her eyes widen. “How do they already like me?”
I go with a partial-truth. “Well, they’re just happy I’m bringing someone home.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” She retrieves the gloss out of her clutch again and swipes it over her lips. It’s excruciating to watch.
“Tell me more about where you grew up.”
I lean back in my seat. “We live in a village on the outskirts of Brescia. We’ll take a rental car to get there. There’s not much to do, but there’s plenty of open space. Fresh air and good people. Our region has many hills, and my papa and I used to bike them often growing up. He’s eager to meet you.”
I can’t help the small smile that forms when I talk about my family. There’s this perpetual ache for home in me, right in my chest. Whenever I feel particularly lonely in New York, it pangs, reminding me I could always move back. But my goal of expanding Nonno’s legacy, and my relationship with Lu and Micheletto tend to soothe it away.
Tessa’s wearing an unreadable expression when I make eye contact with her again. “Your dad sounds really nice.” She looks down at her nails. “Um, you should probably know… I’ve never actually met a boyfriend’s family before.”
My brows knit together. “What?”
She looks up from her nails, shoulders hunched. “I don’t think anyone pictured a serious future with me, so I guess it wouldn’t have made sense.”
I can’t begin to understand why anyone wouldn’t want to show her off to family. Tessa isn’t even my real girlfriend, and I’m pathetically impatient to introduce her to Mamma and Papa.
She clears her throat. “What I’m trying to say is, I’ll do my best to fit in.”
Before I can contain them, the words come tumbling out. “Be yourself. You don’t have to fit in.”
Her nose wrinkles. “What do you mean?”
