The Witch of Little Italy (6 page)

“No, no. Don’t be sorry. I guess I deserved some of that.” He leaned on his shovel. “You know, we were friends once. I wrote to you, but you never wrote back.”

“We were kids.”
Did he write? I never got a letter. Did Carmen hide it from me?
Eleanor’s mind did tumblesets. She felt like she was swimming in foreign waters except the water knew
her
. Nothing was familiar and everything was familiar.
Déjà-vu all over again,
she thought, understanding the term in a way she never thought she’d understand anything.

“So? I still consider you a friend. No matter what. Okay? You’re gonna need one.”

“Why?”

“They’re good, but crazy … your family here. These Amore women. They may take some figuring out.”

“Maybe not. Don’t forget, I’m one of them.”

Anthony laughed again. It sounded like honey. A ladies’ man laugh. “True, true … well, in that case, you’ll need a nickname.”

“I already have one. They call me Babygirl. At least they used to.”

Anthony looked at her, walked forward and tilted up her chin with a callused finger, “Yeah, but you definitely ain’t no baby. I hereby dub you Elly. Elly Amore.”

“Elly,” she said, letting the sound roll around in her mouth. She liked it. A new name for a new life. “Hey, Anthony, do you know their real names? Mom never…”

Mimi’s kitchen window shot open, interrupting her. “Did you throw up on my carpet?”

Elly put her head in her hands.

“Hey Meems.” Anthony looked up to the open window, shielding his eyes from the bright winter sun. “I just gave our girl here a new nickname. How do you like
Elly
?”

Mimi smiled. “It’ll do nicely.
Elly!
Get inside and out of that cold.
Now
.” The window slammed shut. Eleanor … now Elly, thought she could hear buildings rattling all throughout the Bronx.

She got up and stumbled, her feet caught in the coat. Anthony righted her. He smelled like Old Spice. Cheap, but thickly interesting. He fixed her hat. She looked at him and their eyes locked. She pulled away from him. Took her gaze and her body back from what could be unsafe territory. Only it didn’t feel unsafe, his arms … his eyes, like the safest haven she’d ever felt.

“Hey, Anthony,” Elly said clearing her throat. “Were you inside Mimi’s apartment earlier, crying?”

“Me? Crying? I don’t think so,” he laughed.

“Oh,” said Elly, walking back inside. She stopped at the door and turned back. “Anthony?”

“Yes, Elly?”

“Why doesn’t Itsy talk?”

Anthony gave her a long look and then continued shoveling. “She never spoke a word after The Day the Amores Died. That’s when Fee lost most of her hearing, too.”

“You know a lot about them,” she said, looking straight in his eyes for the first time.

“Like I said, they’re my family,” he said, not shying away from her.

“I want to know everything, too,” she said.

“You will, but go inside okay? It’s cold out here. We’ve got nothing but time, Elly.”

Nothing but time.
Elly Amore exhaled. It was long and delicious. She felt as if she’d been holding her breath for as long as she could remember.

*   *   *

“He’s nice that boy. You could do worse,” said Mimi, pulling Elly by the hands into the living room.

“I don’t think so, Mimi, he’s not my type.”
But he is, he’s exactly my type.

“Sit down,” said Mimi pointing at the sofa. “Take off that hat why don’t you?” Elly sat down. “But don’t we have to clean up the mess in the hallway? And I’m not taking off my hat.”

“I already did that,” said Mimi. “Do you really think I’d leave it for you? And that’s fine about the hat. Everyone has to have a quirk, right? Forget about it. We have more important things to do—” Mimi moved from in front of Elly revealing the Christmas tree, beautifully lit with a mountain of presents around the stand, “—like open Christmas presents!” Mimi clapped like a child and then called “
Fee,
Itsy!”

The aunts, who must have been waiting in the hall, burst into the room. Fee sat next to Elly making a deep indentation in the cushions, Elly sunk into her supple side, and Fee hugged her close. Elly didn’t move, and that she didn’t want to puzzled her.
When in Rome
 … she thought.

Itsy was piling up the presents, putting them in order. There were already two at Elly’s feet. Mimi had quite a few, and Fee had one enormous box. “
Books!
” she yelled, making Elly finally pull away.
“I love getting books at Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, Ladies!” said Anthony, coming in from the cold carrying a large bag and sitting cross-legged on the floor like a little boy. Itsy wrote him a note.

“Yours are under the tree,”
he read aloud. “Well thanks!” He reached into his bag and took out presents for each of them, laying one for Elly on top of her others.

Elly looked at him and cocked her head, confused. “How did you know I’d be here?”

“Come on, Elly! These women are special. They can see things. They told me you were coming this year.”

“He’s only asked us every single year since you were thirteen,” said Mimi, teasing. “I was glad to give him a smile this year.” She reached down and pinched his cheek. “Move your fat butt,
Fee!
Let me scootch in next to my granddaughter.” And then to Elly, “Open a present.” Elly reached down and picked up a rectangular box. She tried to peek at Anthony to see if he was disappointed that she hadn’t picked up his first—but he was staring right at her. He smiled. Elly blushed and ripped open the shiny wrapping. “That’s from me,” said Mimi.

It was a beautiful white christening gown. Crocheted. And booties and a hat, too.

“Mimi,” whispered Elly. “How did you know?” Elly remembered Anthony’s odd comment outside …
In your condition
 …

“Are you a fortune-teller, Mimi?” she asked, taking a deeper look at the woman beside her.

Mimi smiled. “Well, we all have a little … what did that program on public television call it girls? ESP? Extra Sensory Projection?”

“Perception,” yelled Fee.

“Yes. That. Every one of us. You, too, Elly.”

“They’re witches,” said Anthony. Fee and Itsy nodded.

“You know we don’t use that word!” said Mimi. And then to Elly, “It’s a bit of ESP darling, that’s all. Nothing to be afraid of. Humans only use a fraction of brain space, there could be magic there, no?”

“I doubt very much that I have ESP,” laughed Elly. “If I did, it might have been able to help me avoid my current predicament.”
But what about that voice? The one saying, ‘Come home?’ What about that feeling I had when I touched Mom’s hand?

“Why is it a predicament and not a gift?” asked Mimi.

“So you all know?” she asked softly.

Itsy, Fee, Anthony, and Mimi all nodded.

“Great,” said Elly, embarrassed. “You really want me to believe you are all witches?”

“Not me, only them. Probably you, too. Now, open the rest of your presents,” said Anthony.

They were all for the baby. A Tiffany’s rattle from Anthony. A pregnancy journal from Fee. A music box from Itsy. Elly wound it up. “Let me call you sweetheart…” was the melody.

“Let me have your hand, honey,” said Mimi, taking Elly’s palm and stroking it with rough, cracked fingers.

“What are you doing, Mimi?”

“Well, I want to find out more about this whole situation. Hmmmm. Who is this? A baker? Is the baby’s father a baker? That wouldn’t be so horrible. Unless he was a Polish baker. Ugh. I hate Polish pastries. And where is this? What? Coopersmith? Is that a town or something? Where, my Elly? In England?”

Elly couldn’t help it. She pulled away her hands and began to laugh. She laughed so hard she almost threw up again on the sofa.

“No, no, Mimi! His name is Cooper Bakersmith! He goes to Yale. He’s going to be a lawyer.”

Mentioning Cooper made Elly glance over at Anthony. He was trying not to look at her. She watched as he pretended to flip through a
Sports Illustrated
magazine. “Itsy gets me a subscription every year,” he said.

Mimi, who’d begun to crack a smile, jumped from the sofa, hurtling Elly toward Fee once again. “Damn Anglos! Always mixing me up with those mix and match names!” She paced to and from the Christmas tree mumbling. “Cooper Smithbaker, Smith Cooperbaker, Baker Coopersmith … could have been any of those.” Mimi walked to the kitchen. “Did you have coffee?”

“No. The smell made me nauseous.”

“I’ll have some,” said Anthony.

“I’ll make a fresh pot,” yelled Mimi over her back.

“
Well,
I’m taking my books and going!” yelled Fee, winking and motioning her head toward the door at Itsy. Itsy nodded and wrote a note. She gave it to Elly.
Merry Christmas.

Elly stood up and kissed both her aunts. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

“And God bless us, every one,” laughed Anthony when the door closed.

The two sat in an awkward silence, both trying to start conversations and failing miserably. Anthony laughed, “I guess we have to get the hang of this,” he said, scratching his head.

The smell of fresh coffee wafted through the apartment. “Mmmm, that smells good now,” said Elly. And it did. It smelled like the coffee in the best coffee shops. Dark and rich.

Mimi was back with a tray. Three coffee cups.

“How did you…? Okay, I’ll stop asking, I guess,” said Elly.

Mimi nodded. Anthony laughed.

“Okay, so if you have ESP … who was crying in your apartment this morning?” asked Elly.

“You heard it again?” asked Mimi.

“Yes, clear as day. But I looked around and there wasn’t anyone here.”

“Ah … Maybe you hear the baby in your belly already? Or maybe your Sight is very strong,” said Mimi.

“Sight?”

“Didn’t you ask how I knew your Anglo’s name?” There was a sparkle in Mimi’s eyes. “I guess it’s the same as what you call ESP.”

“Well, I don’t think my baby is big enough to cry yet.”

“Maybe it was Zelda Grace?” offered Anthony.

“Who is Zelda Grace?” Elly leaned forward almost tipping her coffee.

Mimi sat back into the cushions and sipped her coffee, “Well, Zelda was Bunny’s daughter. She fell out the window and died years ago. Your Great Aunt Bunny, our oldest sister, was such a good mother, and such a beautiful woman.” Mimi started to cry a little. She made the sign of the cross. “No more, no more of this. It’s time to clean up.”

Babygirl

Clean up … clean up … At first Babygirl thought living with her grandmother would be too hard. Like going back into the past and trying really hard just to survive. Babygirl and Mimi did chores every day. It was so different than living with Mommy where there always seemed to be a maid or a mess.

There was nothing modern or magical at all to help out with the cleaning. No garbage disposal, no dishwasher, no dryer. Everything took much more time than necessary. And then there was the bathroom issue. There was only one and it didn’t have a shower, only a big old claw-foot tub.

“No shower, Mimi?” she asked while scrubbing Comet against the tub. Enjoying the strong smell of the bleach crystals.

“Why do you need one? A bath cleans you the same way, no?”

“No dishwasher, Mimi?” she’d asked.

“Only lazy, stupid people wash dishes twice.”

“No garbage disposal, Mimi?”

“No, I don’t want garbage in my sink! Do you? It belongs in the pail, not the sink.”

“I love you, Mimi.”

“I love you, too, Babygirl!”

*   *   *

“Are you okay?” asked Anthony. He was sitting next to her now and had his hands on her shoulders.

“What happened?” asked Elly, shaking off his hands.

“I don’t know, it was weird, like you floated off for a few seconds.” He sat back in relief. His concern warmed her from the inside out.

“It’s strange,” she began. “You know I don’t remember anything, right? We went over that when you were all mad the last time we saw each other. Remember?”

“Yep! ‘Who’s on first,’” Anthony laughed, “No one could believe you couldn’t remember that crazy summer. We all had the best time. It really is a shame. Uncle George, he was the one who was the most disappointed. He was looking forward to seeing you that Christmas.”

“Ah yes,” said Elly. “They must have known in advance about that visit, too.”

“Yes, indeed. Can’t hide much from these women. So what were you about to say?”

“Oh, right. Well, the thing is—since I’ve been pregnant, I’ve had these flashes of memory. Like just now, Mimi went off to clean? And I remembered cleaning the apartment with her. It must be a memory from that summer because I wasn’t here before, right?”

“Did I hear you say you remembered something about cleaning with me?” asked Mimi, as she entered the room again.

“Yes! Isn’t it great!?” Elly exclaimed.

“Sure is,” said Mimi, who threw a white dishcloth into Elly’s lap. “Now come help me out with some of those newfound memories.”

“I’m out,” said Anthony.

“Smart move,” said Elly.

“See you later?” he asked.

“Later?” Elly responded, excitement fluttering in her stomach.

“For Christmas dinner,” he said, and left the apartment.

Elly stared at the door.
How can I feel so close to someone I don’t really know?
she wondered.

“Because you do know him. And you loved him very much, once upon a time,” said Mimi, pulling her granddaughter into a soft embrace.

“Now, let’s get to cleaning. How can we cook if we don’t have a clean house first?” she said, patting Elly on the back. A signal that it was time to get to work.

Elly and Mimi began to clean the already spotless apartment.

Finally, as Elly wiped the invisible dust from the living room windowsills and beautiful antique side tables, Mimi walked in and announced, “Now, come to the kitchen and let me teach you how to make a proper Christmas feast. Do you think your stomach can take it?”