She kept waiting for them to fill the empty silence with some sort of polite response like,Aren’t you sweet?and then to ask, And what about your family, dear? But they just looked at her with kind expressions. And somehow, she felt as though that empty space they’d given her with their silence and those gentle faces were a gift, and she could do with it whatever she wanted. That’s when she realized her heart wasn’t beating frantically, her palms weren’t sweating, and her shoulders weren’t hunched near her earlobes.
She looked at Rocco’s mother. “I never really knew my mother. She died when I was very young. I carry her photo with me.”
“Do you have it with you now?” Beatrice cried, suddenly running up and seemingly appearing from out of nowhere.
Nico nodded.
“May I see it?” Rocco’s mother asked.
Nico reached in her pocket and drew it out, handing it to her.
Sofia had joined her sister. The girls looked over their grandmother’s shoulder.
“She’s pretty,” Sofia said.
“Really pretty,” said Beatrice.
“She is,” said their mother, Isabella, who’d walked over to see.
“She’s beautiful,” said Rocco’s mother, handing the photo to Rocco’s grandmother. “Like her daughter.”
“And loved,” said the grandmother, running her fingers over the cracks and folds in the photo. “Loved deeply, still to this day.”
Nico felt her eyes sting and drew a deep breath to still any tears.
Rocco’s mother sighed. “There are all kinds of families, aren’t there? Some you’re born with, and others come to you.” She looked over at Nico. “Rocco has told us about your friend Charles. We’ve seen him at a couple of the races. Will you bring him with you the next time you visit?”
Nico was afraid if her mouth or head made any movement or her vocal cords any sound, that might make the tears her eyelids had managed to hold on to spill over. She offered a tentative smile and hoped it was enough to convey what she was really feeling, which was a warmth and gratitude that felt bigger than the night sky.
Reaching over, Rocco’s mother squeezed Nico’s hand.
“And Templeton!” cried Beatrice and Sofia. “Can Templeton come too?”
“Of course. Templeton is always welcome.”
Nico sighed.
“It’s so good to have you here,” his mother said. “We can see how happy Rocco is.”
“Stop already,” Isabella cried. “You’re making Nico uncomfortable.”
Nico froze. She couldn’t think how to respond.
“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, dear. I’m not presuming anything. That’s why I put you in separate rooms.” She reached overand placed a hand on Nico’s arm. “It’s just I know my son. I know when he’s happy. And I see the way he looks at you.”
“Mamma, stop!”
“Okay, okay, but don’t tell me you can’t see the change in him.”
The grandmother nodded. “It’s true. Such a difference. That woman made the last few years absolutely hell for him.”
Are they talking about Carolyn Wickham?
“She never forgave him for ending the relationship,” said his mother.
His sister sighed. “She never forgave him for not loving her.”
The grandmother looked at Nico. “We thought she might ruin his racing career altogether.”
