Love & Gelato (18 page)

“Where will you live when you leave Florence?”

“Hopefully with my friend Addie. I stayed with them for the rest of sophomore year, and she's going to ask her parents if I can stay with them next year too.”

He looked at the journal. “So what have you been reading about in there?”

“Well, so far I know that they had to keep their relationship a secret. He was an assistant teacher at the school she was going to, and I guess the school wouldn't have liked it. And she was hard-core about keeping it a secret. Like after they started dating, she stopped writing his name because was afraid someone would read her journal and find out about them. She just calls him ‘X.' ”

He shook his head. “Scandalous. Well, that's probably your answer right there. Seems like most secret romances have a shelf life.”

“Maybe. But when I first got here Sonia told me that my mom lived with Howard at the cemetery for a while, so that's not exactly secretive. And she said that one day my mom just left. She didn't even say good-bye to Sonia.”

“Wow. Something must have happened. Something big.”

“Like . . . my mom got pregnant?”

“Oh. I guess that would be a big deal.” He chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. “Now you have me curious. Keep me in the loop, would you?”

“Sure.”

“So she loved Ponte Vecchio. What other places did she write about?”

I took the journal from him and started flipping through it. “She talks about this club a couple of times, Space.”

“Space Electronic?” He laughed. “No way. I was there like two weeks ago. Elena loves it. She knows one of the DJs, so we usually get in for free. Where else?”

“The Duomo, Boboli Gardens . . . He also took her to a secret bakery. Do you know where one is?”

“A secret bakery?”

I handed him the journal. “Read here.”

He scanned the entry. “I've never heard of this, but it sounds awesome. Too bad she didn't write down the address—I could totally go for a fresh
cornetta
.”

His phone started ringing and he pulled it out of his pocket and hesitated for a second, then hit
SILENCE
. It started ringing again right away and he hit
SILENCE
again.

“Who is it?”

“No one.”

He shoved the phone back in his pocket, but not before I saw the name on the screen.
Mimi.

“Hey, do you want to get a gelato?”

I wrinkled my forehead. “What's that?”

He groaned. “Gelato. Italian ice cream. The greatest thing that will ever happen to you. What have you been
doing
since you arrived?”

“Hanging out with you.”

“And you're telling me I only have one summer.” He shook his head, then stood up. “Come on, Lina. We've got work to do.”

SO . . . ITALIAN GELATO. TAKE THE
deliciousness of a regular ice-cream cone, times it by a million, then sprinkle it with crushed-up unicorn horns. Ren stopped me after my fourth scoop. I probably would have kept going forever.

When I walked in the front door Howard was watching an old James Bond movie with his bare feet propped up on the coffee table. There was an industrial-size bucket of popcorn sitting next to him.

“Movie just started—want to watch?”

I glanced at the screen. Old-school James Bond was swimming toward a building wearing a disguise that basically consisted of a stuffed duck attached to a helmet. Normally I was all over cheesy old movies, but tonight I had other things on my mind. “No thanks. I'm going to get some rest.”
And hopefully some answers.

NOVEMBER 9

Tonight was the best night of my life, and I have a statue to thank for it.

X and I were standing in Piazza della Signoria looking at a statue by Giambologna called
The Rape of the Sabine Women
. The name confused me because it doesn't match what's going on. It's of three figures: a man holding a woman up in the air and a second man crouching down on the ground looking up at her. There's obviously something distressing going on, but the three of them are graceful, harmonious even.

I told X that I thought the woman looked like she was being lifted up, not hurt, and as usual he knew the story. When Rome was first settled, the men realized their civilization was missing one very important ingredient: women. But where to find them? The only women within striking distance belonged to a neighboring tribe called the Sabines, and when the Romans went to ask for permission to marry some of their daughters, all they got was a big fat no. So in a particularly Roman move, they invited the Sabines to a party, then, partway through the night, overpowered the men and dragged all the women kicking and screaming back to their city. Eventually the Sabines managed to break into Rome, but by that time they were too late. The women didn't want to be rescued. They'd fallen for their captors and it turned out life in Rome was actually pretty great. The reason I was confused by the statue's title is that it is mistranslated in English. The Latin word “raptio” sounds like “rape” but actually means “kidnapping.” So really the sculpture should be called
The Kidnapping of the Sabine Women
.

It was already late and I told X I needed to head home, but suddenly he turned to me and told me he loved me. He said it casually, like it wasn't the first time he'd said it, and it took a moment for the words to seep in. Then I made him repeat it. He LOVES me. Carry me off. I'm invested.

NOVEMBER 10

Went to class this morning on about two hours of sleep. X arrived late, and even though I knew he'd probably gotten even less sleep than I had, he somehow looked perfect. He broke our act-like-friends-in-school rule and gave me a big shiny smile that anyone could see. I wish I could pause this moment and live in it forever.

NOVEMBER 17

Sometimes I feel like my time is divided into two categories: time with X, and time spent waiting to be with X. Since that night in Piazza della Signoria, things have been up and down between us. Some days we get along perfectly, and other days he acts like I really
am
just a friend. Lately I feel like he's been overly cautious about keeping things secret. Would it be that big of a deal if everyone knew? I think they'd be happy for us.

NOVEMBER 21

When I left for Italy in June, six months sounded like an eternity. Now it feels like it's slipping through my fingers. I only have a month left! The school director, Signore Petrucione, told me they'd love to admit me for another semester, and I would kill for a little extra time to study and be with X, but how would I make that work financially? And would it completely devastate my parents? Every time I talk to them, they bring up nursing school and I can hear that I'm disappointing them.

When I got home from class today there was a letter waiting for me from my parents. They'd enclosed two letters from the university telling me that if I don't return for spring semester I will lose my spot in the program. I basically just skimmed the letters, then shoved them in my closet. I secretly wish it would just be over with.

Uh-oh. First signs of trouble. Like those minishakes you feel before an earthquake hits. What were they called? Tremors? I was definitely feeling them in these entries. He told her he loved her, but he wouldn't let her tell their friends about their relationship? Why was he so adamant about keeping things a secret? She didn't seem all that worried about it.

I lay back on my bed and covered my eyes with my arm. Young Howard seemed pretty hot and cold. Had he used the whole secrecy thing as an excuse for not really committing? Had she been way more into him than he was her? That was
crazy
depressing. My poor mom. But then how did that fit in with what Sonia told me about Howard being crazy about her?

I glanced at the photograph on my nightstand. I couldn't stop thinking about that feeling I'd gotten at Ponte Vecchio. After she died a bunch of people had told me my mom would stay close to me, but I'd never actually felt that. Until tonight.

I rolled off the bed and grabbed Howard's cell phone from the dresser.

“
Pronto
?” Ren sounded groggy.

“Sorry, are you asleep?”

“Not anymore. I saw Howard's number on my phone and had a panic attack.”

I smiled. “I've commandeered his phone. He said I can keep it until further notice. So I have a question for you.”

“You want to know if I'll take you to Space?”

I blinked. “Uh . . . yeah. How'd you know what I was going to ask?”

“I just had a feeling. And I'm way ahead of you. I texted Elena when I got home. She thinks her DJ buddy is working this week, which means we'll get in for free. Want to go tomorrow? I can see if other people from the school want to go too.”

Yes.
“Ren, that's perfect. And thanks again for taking me to Ponte Vecchio.”

“And for introducing you to your new best friend? I think you set a new world record for most gelato ever eaten in one sitting.”

“I want to try for another record tomorrow. What was that last kind I had? With the chocolate chunks?”

“
Stracciatella
.”

“I'm naming my first daughter after it.”

“Lucky her.”