You will never be coming in my back dom, “1 mutter drply.
“Tammis last words “He peers imo the oven to see what I’m cooking
“Listen, dont talk to me,” I whisper as 1 look around to see
to see if I can talk without anyone hearing. You are in the doghe
“Tarellem.”
How is that excelle
“Doggy style is when I’m at my best.“What?”
“Mom,” Lucia walks in, interrupting us “We’re playing tho and lurking a fire ontöde.“
“Great,” I say over enthusiastically. “Th joy. This is the best night of my life.”
Lucia turns her back and I cross my eyes and stick my finger down my threat. Gabriel’s eyes dan kitchen counter. “And look I bought snacks.”
dance with misele. He puts a shopping bag on the
Tunay you say that, I was just about to cook you up something extra special.”
Please don’t
“Ha ha, you’re so funny,” I mutter as I turn back to check on the Brownies
This is a nightmare, but the kids are so excited, I can’t ruin this for them.
And he knows
The master manipulator. Infuriating
Half an hour later, we are sitting around the little card table on the lake’s edge and Gabriel is reading the instructions to Uno out loud while the children listen intently.
For fucks sake, this isn’t rocket science, just deal the cards already I don’t have time for this shit.
“Each player gets seven cards,” he reads.
“We know” sigh.
He glances up. “You know” He looks around, disappointed. “You’ve all played this game before?
“Not this exact one,” Dominic lies. This is a different sort
Huh?
“Oh, good” Gabriel smiles in relief
Why did Dom say that? We have played this game ten million times before.
Lucia sales over at me. “This is so fun, isn’t it, Mom?”
“Best night of my life. I sip my wine, unimpressed. I’m si
sure gardening with Jack would be more fun than thes
Gabriel deals out the cards and we all pick them up and begin to organize them in our hand. I glance over to the kids, who are smiling goofily, they’re
happy
That a momentary out of body experience as I remember dreaming of a night just like this for them.
Simple fun with their father.
I TOO Esked Meath and Found REAL FREEDOM
Emotion overwhelms me and I unexpectedly tear up. I blink to hide my te
how I feel he gives me a ant smile and a subileod, and I smile foo
I need to take me and my feelings out of the equation. This night means everything to the twins and Gabeled and ther’s all
Two hours later.
The burning wood cracks, and Gabriel and Dominic hold their sticks in the flickering name. Night has fallen and along with its chen serenity of the lake.
It’s beautiful out here.
“I can’t wait to laste these teasted marshmallows. Locia beams, she and bare sitting at the card table, waiting the the boys to serve us out desker.
“I can’t believe you’ve never had this before? Gabriel smiles proudly as he twists his stick.
I think we did have them years ago and someone burned the bejens out of their lip so never got them again, not that I’m telling them that
“Just about done,” Gabriel tells Dominic. Turn it over again.”
Dominic turns the stick again, he’s concentrating as if this is brain surgery. He hasn’t said anything much directly to Gabriel tonight but he’s hanging off every word be says.
I’m happy
y and sad and overwhelmed, and damn it, seeing them with him makes me realize how much they’ve missed out on
“All done,” Gabriel tells Dominir. They walk over and proudly hand over our sticks with the melted marshmallows on the end. “Careful, they’re hot,” he warns us. “Blow on it to cool them down.”
His words are gospel, and the children begin to blow on their marshmallows in an over exaggerated way.
He takes a nibble and smiles. “Ah, davvero delizioso” (“Ah delicious.
Dominic tastes it.” la cosa più deliziosa che abbia mai assaggiato.”
(“Thas is the best thing I ever tasted.” Gabriel smiles.
To mangeremo quando andremo in Italia, non è vero, Mamma? (“When we move to haly we will eat this, won’t we, Mom?“)
“Speak English, Dom, I don’t understand,” I tell him.
we move to Italy we will eat this won’t we, Mom?” he repeats himself.
When we
“We will.” I smile,
Gabriel’s face falls as he stares an Dominic. You want to live in Italy?
Domini nods “Lo stesso vale per Lucia” (“Lucia does too. “Mamma ha detto che non appena compremosedici anni ci trasferiremo per un paio di anni per imparare la lingua e le tradizioni” (“Mom said when we are
sixteen, we are moving there for two years to learn the culture.” Gabriel’s eyes search mine.
“I want them to know who they truly are.” I smile sadly.
His eyes well with tears as he stares at me across the table.
This is one of those moments where the planets align and you know that all the decisions and hard work that you put in years ago have paid eff
Twanted to prepare them for your world as best as I could.”
“Our world, Vee,” he whispers. “It’s our world-
