Taming Theresa (5 page)

Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right. Nothing
I guess. It's not your fault.”

John picked up a dishtowel and
absent-mindedly began to dry dishes and put them away. A frequent
visitor to the farmhouse, he knew his way around the kitchen.
“Who’s Tony?” he asked.

Theresa kept her head down and whispered,
“Why do you want to know? What do you care?”

“Your Mom mentioned him, that's all.”

“I don’t want to talk about him, okay?"

"All right, sure.” John reached for her chin
and gently turned her to face him. Tears glistened on her lashes.
“I’m sorry if he hurt you, but I understand if you don't want to
talk about it.” He released her, reached for his towel, and began
to dry again.

“My mother talks too much,” she grumbled from
behind her curls.

“Yeah, mine did too.” John tossed the towel
down. “But I miss it like crazy now that she's gone,” he said, and
walked back to the dining room.

Rose's Italian Meatballs - Gluten Free

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground veal

1 lb. ground pork

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 large eggs

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, firmly
packed

Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a large
bowl.

Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll meatballs and drop into simmering tomato
sauce.

Simmer, gently stirring, until meatballs are
cooked through.

Vicky tapped softly on the guest room door
and peeked in to see if Marsha was sleeping. “Hey, Marsha. How are
you? I thought you might be hungry. Do you want me to bring you
something?"

Marsha sat up. "No, I'll come down now. Maybe
I'll have some tea."

"Hey, are you feeling okay? You look pale.
Should I ask Doc to come up and check you out?”

"No! Not Dr. Sweeney. He can't help me,"
Marsha blurted, as tears filled her eyes. "I’m going to have a
baby.”

"A baby! That’s wonderful!"

Theresa stopped in the doorway, afraid she'd
interrupted a private conversation. "Are you all right?"

Vicky and Marsha looked up at her. "Come on
in, Terry. I don't mind if you know. I'm pregnant. About two months
along," said Marsha sighing heavily. “I’m just so sick all the
time.”

"Oh my god, a baby," Theresa breathed as she
collapsed into a chair.

“Does Joe know?” asked Vicky.

Marsha shook her head. "There hasn't been a
good opportunity yet. I’m in love with him, but I don’t think he
really wants to see me anymore. Every time we’re supposed to go
out, something seems to come up.” She wiped away a few more
tears.

“That bastard.” Theresa was indignant. "Men.
They never think.

Vicky murmured. “I’d like to tell him what I
think! What will you do?”

“Whatever I need to. This baby is more
important to me than anything else.” Marsha looked determined. “I
think I have enough steady clients to move out of the city. Then I
can afford to work part-time from home until the baby's older. I
always wanted kids, but I never expected to do it on my own.”

“You’ll be a fabulous mother. Don't worry,”
Vicky said, giving her a hug. “If you need me for any reason, just
call me. You're not alone."

"Thanks. I will," said Marsha.

"We’ll be starting dessert soon. Are you
sure, you wouldn’t like something? My Aunt Rose out did herself, as
usual. There’s so much food leftover, we won’t need a thing for the
party tonight or all next week.”

Marsha smiled wanly and leaned back on her
stack of pillows. “I’m not hungry, but I’m feeling better. I’ll be
down soon. Vick, I don't want to be a drag on your party tonight.
I'm feeling sick most of the time, but I really want to be there.
I’ll try not to spoil your day."

"Listen, I’m marrying the best guy in the
world. Don’t worry about me. I’m more concerned about you two.”

"Vicky, I'll be okay." Theresa slumped in her
chair. "Marsha, I just told her this morning that I dumped my
cheating fiancé. I walked in on him doing my best friend."

“Oh my god, yuck. That's so bad.” Marsha
looked sympathetic.

"Come on you two. Don't worry. None of this
is going to ruin our wedding. Jack and I just want you to be here
for our special day. We’ll do whatever we can to help you guys.

Marsha gave her a small smile and Theresa
began to chuckle.

"What? What is it?" asked Vicky.

"You know the guy downstairs, that John Van
something, with the black eye?"

"John Van Wart. What about him?" asked
Vicky.

"I’m the one that gave him the black
eye.”

“No!" Vicky’s eyes popped. "You’re
kidding.”

“Not kidding. He's the guy who called me a
stripper in front of the whole restaurant yesterday. He yelled it
across the room, for god’s sake.”

"Oh my god! What an asshole!" said
Marsha.

"You're telling me! I was so embarrassed."
She shrugged. “I only slapped him, but I must have hit him pretty
hard, because he's got that black eye. Then Ma had to go on and on
about how terrible it was somebody hit him. I wonder what she’d
think if she knew what he said to me. Daddy would kill him.”

Marsha began to giggle. “I wish I’d been
there.”

Then all three women burst out laughing.

"I needed that," said Marsha. "What made him
think you were a stripper?"

"I don't know. Men don’t think. That's the
whole problem."

"You've got that right," said Marsha, and
then suddenly grimaced. "Oh dear, be right back." She rolled off
the bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. The door banged shut
and then there came the sound of running water.

"Poor Marsha," said Vicky.

"Yeah. At least Joe sounded like he was
concerned about her. I wish Ma hadn't kept running her mouth about
him and John getting married. Hey, didn't Joe say something about
wanting to get married while we were at the table? He must have
been talking about Marsha, right?"

"They'd be perfect together,” said Vicky. I
hope he does propose, but it would be nice if he asked her before
he finds out she's pregnant. Oh well, like you said, men don't
think."

“Your Jack's a real sweetheart. I'm really
happy for you. John needed a smack in the face, but underneath all
his bullshit, he's kind of a nice guy too.” Theresa admitted. "When
we were alone in the kitchen, he mentioned missing his mother. I
just wondered. Did she die recently?"

Vicky nodded. "Died about two years ago of
breast cancer. Jack said he took it pretty hard.”

"Oh, I see."

Vicky changed the subject. "It was so nice of
your mom and dad to bring that awesome lunch. I should get back
down and help clean up for dessert. I'm so ready to sample the
Italian pastries."

"You know Ma. She always goes overboard.”
Theresa stood up. “All right, let’s go down. I can't wait to try
Mrs. Sweeney's lemon cake. It looks awesome. I'll ask her for the
recipe."

When the women came in and began to clear the
table, Jack stood up and reached for a large serving dish that
Vicky was lifting.

“Here, let me get that for you,” he said.

“Please.” Uncle Dominick pointed to Jack's
seat. “Stay. The women will take care of this.”

Jack looked surprised. “It’s no trouble, I’d
like to help.”

“Today I would like for you to remain here
with me. Please.”

Jack looked at Vicky, uncertain.

“It’s okay, Jack. But remember, Uncle Dom,
after we’re married he’ll be doing the dishes all the time. At
least that's what he's promised,” she said with a smile and went to
help the others in the kitchen.

Dominick watched her go. "This is wonderful.
You and my little Victoria getting married.” He turned to Jack and
narrowed his eyes. “Do you love her?”

“Of course I love her!” Jack was startled. “I
would do anything for her.”

“And will you be a faithful husband? A good
father, should God bless you with children?”

“I would never do anything to hurt Victoria.”
Jack was no wimp. He stared unwavering, into her uncle’s cool gaze.
“She’s my life. We want a family, soon.”

Dominick leaned over, put an arm around
Jack’s neck, and pulled him close. After bestowing a noisy kiss, he
released him. Sitting back in his chair Dom wiped a tear from the
corner of his eye. “My brother would have loved to see this day. My
Rose and I, we're both so glad Victoria found you. She hasn't
always had it so easy; you know what I'm saying? Her mother and
father, God rest them both, killed in that accident years ago, I
know it went hard with her. Victoria's a strong girl, a good girl,
has a mind of her own and she turned out all right. Took care of
her grandmother all those years, God bless her." He nodded
thoughtfully at Jack. "I always said, my Victoria, she’s smart as a
whip that one."

Dominick insisted that the men stay seated as
the women brought out dessert and coffee. Elvira's lemon cake
dominated the center of the table, flanked by the tiramisu and a
large platter of pastries. Everything the Buonadies served seemed
to appear as though by magic, with a little help from Rose and her
children. The Buonadies boys opened Doc's champagne and the glasses
were filled.

When the women were finally seated, Dominick
stood at the head of the long table, raised his glass, and offered
a toast. "To Jack and Victoria. May they live together in happiness
for many, many years. And may God bless them with many, many
children! Salute!"

Everyone drank and offered up their best
wishes. Uncle Dominick held his hand up to quiet them and
continued. His dark eyes sparkled and bored directly into Jack's as
though he were the only man in the room. He said softly, "You make
sure you take good care of my little Victoria. Capiche?" His words
hung in the air for a tense moment, before he broke into a soft
rumbling chuckle, then everyone else followed his lead and laughed
as well.

Jack turned to Vicky, took her hands in his,
and smiled. “I love you, I promise I always will.”

John glanced from Dominick to his friend Jack
and back again. “Whoa,” he said under his breath to Joe. “I hope he
knows what he’s in for, marrying into that family. Can you imagine
the poor bastard that wants to marry his daughter?”

Joe grinned back, whispering, “With a
daughter as hot as Theresa, it might just be worth risking it.”

“No way. I’m telling you, that girl is
dangerous.” John leaned over and took a cannoli from the platter.
This seemed to break the ice, and everyone began helping themselves
to coffee and dessert.

Marsha had finally ventured down to the first
floor, but when she overheard Joe's comment about Theresa, she
hesitated and looked as though she might turn and flee back up the
stairs.

Rose bustled into the dining room, coffee pot
in hand. When she saw Marsha, pale and shaky in the doorway she
said kindly, “Marsha, are you feeling better? Sit down; I’ll fix
you a plate. It’s no trouble”

“No, thanks. I just want a little tea.” She
slipped into the chair next to Joe and gave him a weak smile. In
spite of being under the weather, she was stunning with her long
honey colored hair and bright blue eyes.

“Have some dry toast or crackers, that should
help settle your stomach,” Doc suggested. He leaned over and said
confidentially, “This discomfort should pass in a month or so, but
I’d like you to stop and see me tomorrow.” He leaned back in his
chair, looking at Marsha and Joe, a satisfied little smile
spreading over his face.

Joe’s eyes widened and he dropped his
cannoli. It landed squarely in his coffee, sending brown droplets
over the clean tablecloth. He didn't seem to notice. “Are you...?”
he said, turning to stare.

She lifted her chin defiantly. “What if I
am?”

Joe stood up so fast his chair flew backwards
and tumbled to the floor. “Marsha! This is wonderful! I had no
idea. Are you okay? What did the doctor say?”

She smiled and pointed at Doc Sweeney. "He
said I should eat some crackers. It's too soon to go to the doctor,
but yes, I’m having a baby. I'm sure.”

"Oh my god! You're not married!" Rose scowled
at Joe from across the table. "You gotta get married!” She turned
indignantly to her niece. "He said before he wasn't married. He did
tell me that, right? Oh my god, they got to get married pretty
soon."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Buonadies!" Joe flashed a
smile at her and reached for Marsha's hand. "I was going to give
you this as soon as we arrived, but you were avoiding me. I thought
maybe you...well never mind." Fumbling in his pocket, Joe brought
out a small velvet box and awkwardly thrust it at her. “I knew you
were the one the moment I saw you. I ordered it weeks ago and
picked it up the last time I went to New York to see you.”

“Oh, Joe. Oh, my god.” Tears streamed down
her cheeks as she opened the box to reveal a perfect diamond
solitaire.

Joe knelt beside Marsha, held her hand, and
told her, "I love you. Please say you'll marry me."

“I was avoiding you. At first I wasn’t sure
about the baby, and then I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“You’ll marry me?” he asked her as he dabbed
ineffectually at her tears with his napkin.”

“Of course. Yes, yes, I will.”

Joe scooped her up and sat down in her chair,
cradling her in his arms. “We’ll both go see Doc tomorrow,” he said
decisively, sliding the ring on her finger.

“Can we see?” asked Theresa.

Marsha extended her hand.

“Oh my god, that’s the biggest rock I’ve ever
seen,” Theresa gasped.

“Thank god! They're getting married," Rose
crossed herself. "Frankie, Paulie, we need more champagne here.
Dom, we need another toast. Oh my god. This is wonderful! Now we've
got two brides. Who would've thought? Who knew, right?"