by J. R. Sharp
“Count the Martin’s in.”
“The Manzon’s are in as well,” John said.
They all turned and looked at the Pelliccia family. Anthony looked at his wife and then his mother and said, “I don’t agree with what was said in here and believe that all of you are overreacting to this situation that happened in town.” Anthony’s mother smiled because she knew her son was the smartest in the bunch. Anthony’s wife, Gilda, was good friends with Anna and looked at her with fear in her eyes because she knew in her heart that Pietro was right.
“Well, Anthony,” said Pietro, “I am sorry you feel that way—”
Anthony interrupted. “I am not done yet, Pietro, let me finish speaking before you take my wine away and send us home. Like I said, I believe everyone in here is overreacting to this situation, but my father, God rest his soul, did tell me often about the hard times that fell on this area back in the last war. We too took a long time to get back to profit and now are doing very well. I want to continue this and will join you in this endeavor of yours, Pietro. I would rather be prepared than be loitered into poverty.”
Anthony raised his glass. “So here is to Pietro’s plan and the future of all of our farms!”
Chapter 3
HIDING PLACES
CATHERINA SAT BESIDE GINO’S bed while he slept, and as she looked up from the daily newspaper she could see that he was getting stronger and had started to gain some weight. He was so skinny when she arrived here weeks ago, but now it was just a matter of time before he would have to go back to the army. She wondered what would happen to him and if they had any future together after she returned to Cimpello.
Gino had been in this hospital for over a month and nobody from his family came to visit him. Catherina thought that was very sad and knew that if anything ever happened to her brother Chester there would be a line to help him out.
It seemed to be colder here in Treviso and Catherina was always covered up in layers of clothing that really didn’t make her feel very pretty; or maybe it was the hospital that was cold. The building was very old and she couldn’t walk past a window without feeling a draft. It was a wonder that most of the patients didn’t have some type of cold or pneumonia from all the drafts, but they did have plenty of blankets available. Catherina used them to stay warm while watching her beloved Gino.
It was getting close to lunch when the nurse, Trisha, and Father Russo came by to see how Gino was doing.
“Well this one has come a long way since he first arrived. I know I gave him his last rights at least three times but it wasn’t his time yet. Plus his beautiful Catherina being here has also helped, and she has been taking such great care of him. You know if you want to get married I can perform weddings here in the rooms. I have done many of them over the years.”
The nurse was smiling from ear to ear and looked very guilty for conspiring with Father Russo. She put Gino’s lunch down next to his bed and stood next to Father Russo. Catherina just smiled at both of them and remarked that she needed to wake up Gino for his lunch.
“I need to go finish serving lunch to the other patients, and Father Russo don’t you need to see other patients?” remarked the nurse.
Gino stirred and looked at Catherina. “What was all that about?”
Catherina just shrugged her shoulders. “Father Russo was just saying how remarkable it was that you have come so far in your recovery, and the nurse was just bringing your lunch.”
Catherina gave Gino his napkin so he didn’t spill his meal on his hospital nightgown. Gino hated the gown and wanted to wear his own clothes, but he had none and needed some eventually. As Catherina adjusted the hospital bed, Gino was eating his bread and pouring himself some water. Catherina looked at the window.
“It’s dark in here. How about we open these drapes for some light.” Gino nodded approval. As Catherina moved the drapes to let some light into the room she noticed that it was a very nice day, even though it was winter and cold. She adjusted the blanket around the bottom of the window to stop the chill from coming into the room and heard Gino clear his throat and begin to speak.
“Catherina, you know I have always cared about you and never stopped thinking about you the whole time I was gone. You mean so much to me and since my family doesn’t even care about me, I really do consider Chester and you as my family. I miss your brother and hope he is doing well in Ethiopia.”
Catherina turned around and gave him a seductive look, brushing her hair over her shoulder.
“That was very nice to say, and I missed you as well, and you really do mean a lot to our family or my father wouldn’t have let me come here and take care of you,” she replied.
Gino smiled and thought, This is the moment I have been waiting for. Gino took a deep breath and looked deep into Catherina’s eyes.
“Honey, why don’t we take advantage of Father Russo here at the hospital, and then you will be taken care of for the rest of your life if something should happen to me. What I am trying to say is will you marry me, Catherina Zucchet?”
She almost fell to her knees and looked at him with her big eyes and started to cry. Catherina moved closer to the bed and put her left hand on the right side of his face and then continued to move her fingers through his hair. She moved her head closer to his and simply said, “Yes, Gino Cartelli, I will marry you!”
Before he could say or do anything she was kissing him more passionately than she had ever before, and he noticed that she was crying at the same time that she was kissing him and shaking as well. He returned her kiss and started to smile. At the same time he placed his right and left hands on both of her cheeks to make this kiss one that she would never forget. After about two minutes they both let go and started to smile and laugh.
Nurse Trisha, who attended to Gino most of the time, was at her station when Catherina walked up to her and told her the great news. She immediately gave Catherina a big hug and said, “I knew you guys were going to get married, you looked so right for one another. We must go find Father Russo and let him know that you two want to get married here at the hospital.”
“What about rings?” asked Catherina.
“The church will provide you with rings, and the army will pay for them. They want their men married so they will fight better for their country.”
Catherina returned to the room and told Gino that the nurse was going to find Father Russo and give him the news.
“I must tell Patricia that we are getting married. She has been so kind to me and let me stay at their house for this past month. She will be my maid of honor, if that is alright with you.”
Gino just nodded approval. He still wasn’t very strong and he needed at least another month to recover from his surgery and malaria.
“I will need to tell my mother and father at some point, but I don’t want them to come out here for the wedding. What do you think we should do about them?”
“Well why don’t we just get married and let them know later on so there is less for them to worry about if everything you say is true about what is going on in Cimpello.”
The nurse entered the room with Father Russo and both of them looked very happy and pleased.
“Let’s see if I understand the situation here; you two want to get married, and when do you want this to happen?”
“As soon as possible if that works for you, Father,” Gino said.
“Well, my son, I have never given a soldier his last rights three times and then had that same soldier come back from the other side to ask me to perform a marriage. It is rare indeed, and the Lord works in mysterious ways, and I am only his humble servant. So what about tomorrow? Is that too soon?”
Gino looked at Catherine who nodded. “That will be fine, Father Russo. Tomorrow it is,” said Gino.
***
Catherina walked down the main road of Treviso from the hospital and headed towards the house of her mother’s cousin Patricia. Her mind was swirling with all that just occurred at the hospital and wonde
red if this was the right thing to do in her life. It was cold again and she always wanted to get married in the spring, but Catherina wanted this man and didn’t want to wait. She really wasn’t looking at getting married at the young age of twenty-two, but she really loved Gino, who was twenty-seven. He was smart, gentle, and very good-looking, and he was best friends with her brother Chester. She always thought that her father didn’t like Gino, but why would he approve of her coming here to take care of him?
She needed to get a dress for the wedding ceremony and needed Patricia’s help. As she turned right towards the house she could see her cousin sitting on her chair and looking out the window. The street was located in an ideal place and was blocked from most of the wind, so it always seemed that it was warmer in the house. As she headed towards the house, Patricia jumped up from her chair and looked at Catherina as if something was wrong.
“Why are you home so soon, is everything okay with Gino?”
Catherina just smiled. “Gino is doing just fine, but I need a dress Patricia, and I need your help to go buy one for tomorrow.”
“Okay, let me get my coat and purse and we can go get you a dress. What kind of a dress do you need, and why do you need it by tomorrow?”
“I am getting married tomorrow and need a better dress than the ones I brought with me!”
Patricia took both of her hands over her mouth and yelled. “Oh my god, you are getting married. Hurry up and get into the house. We need to get so much done by tomorrow. Have you told your mother yet?”
Catherina opened the front door of the house and stepped into her open arms, and what a huge hug she gave her.
“We must tell your mother that you are getting married. We need to call Cimpello and leave a message for her to come tomorrow. What time is the wedding?”
“The wedding is at one o’clock, and would you be my maid of honor?”
There was only ten years difference in their ages and Catherina had become very close to Patricia in the past month and considered her like a big sister more than a distant cousin.
***
It was about eight o’clock when they finally got back home. The dress was picked and so were the shoes. The dress was getting tailored and would be ready in the late morning. It was white and off the shoulder with floral patterns in the lower section of the dress. The dress was mid-way to her ankles from her knees and, of course, she would be wearing silk hose for the first time in her life. Patricia bought the hose for her as a wedding gift and they were almost the same price as the dress. Catherina felt like a princess when she tried on the dress. It really wasn’t a wedding dress in the traditional sense but it would work in this situation. Patricia would be going to the market first thing in the morning on the way to pick up the dress to see if they had flowers for Catherina. With winter setting in, it would be hard to find any type of flowers for this small wedding. If there were any flowers, they would be from Africa, but she knew it was a long shot.
As the ladies settled in for the evening and were in the kitchen having supper, Patricia asked Catherina a question that stopped her in her tracks. What was she going to do if Gino went back to Ethiopia?
Catherina looked down at the floor and then looked at Patricia. “I love Gino and will wait for him no matter where they send him, but he doesn’t think he will be sent back overseas because of his wounds he suffered. He has to be medically qualified for service and he is still recovering from all his wounds and malaria.”
Patricia smiled and finished handing Catherina the last of the dishes to wash, and as she leaned against the kitchen counter she could not help but ask her some other deep questions.
“If Gino gets to go home, where are you two going to live, and what will he do for work?”
Catherina was starting to get cold feet. Gino never really talked about any of these issues in the hospital.
“There is one thing I know about my Gino, he is very good at anything he does so getting a job in Cimpello will not be a problem. We can stay at his father’s house or the Zucchet farm until we get a place of our own. There is plenty of room at both locations, and I have my own room on the farm that he can share with me.”
Patricia nodded approval. “Well, young lady, tomorrow is your big day. You will need your sleep and it is getting late. I am going to bed, and I will see you in the morning.”
Catherina gave her cousin a hug and thanked her for all of her help today, and both of them headed in the direction of their bedrooms. As Catherina entered her room, she started to cry but couldn’t figure out why. Was she crying because she was scared, excited, or happy? All she knew was that she needed to stop because if not her eyes would be puffy in the morning. So she got ready for bed and turned out the one lamp in the room and soon she was asleep.
***
Gino was opening his eyes for the first time on this special day and he noticed an army uniform hanging next to his bed. He wondered whose uniform it was, since he had been wearing hospital gowns for as long as he could remember. Nurse Trisha walked into the room carrying his breakfast.
“Good, you’re awake, now we can see if this uniform will fit you for your wedding today.” She placed his meal on the table next to his bed and gestured him to get up and try on the uniform. They also had some new army issued underpants and T-shirts.
“Where did you get that uniform from?” asked Gino.
“We have our ways,” the nurse said. “But you must get up and try it on since we only have so much time to get you ready for your wedding. It is always a wonderful event, the wedding, and in this place. It’s something special that we don’t get very often. We mostly only see the bad side of life and not the good, so you and Catherina are very special to us here at the hospital. There are going to be lots of hospital staff here to watch your ceremony, so get up and try on this uniform!”
Gino smiled at her and began to get out of bed when he noticed that he was the only one in the room. Both of the other patients had been moved and as Nurse Trisha was walking out of the room, Gino asked, “Hey, where are the other two patients?”
“We moved them to the other rooms so we could get all of your guests in the room to watch the ceremony. I will be back in ten minutes to see how the uniform looks.”
Gino got to his feet, and he was dizzy again and wondered if it would ever stop. He could not leave the hospital until the dizziness stopped and he was able to walk down the hall and back on his own. That hallway was a long way, and he could hardly get to the door of the room. He struggled a little with the top of the uniform because it was a little tight, but the pants and everything else was fine. Gino felt a little weird without shoes but the nurse said that they didn’t have any shoes. Guess I’ll be married in socks, he thought.
Just as he was finishing getting dressed, the nurse returned and looked at Gino with a great big smile. “You look amazing, and how does the uniform fit?”
“It is a little tight, but other than that it feels great.”
“Now we need to get you shaved and bathed before your bride gets here.”
Nurse Trisha was looking at Gino and he could see her eyes start to tear up. She was brushing the uniform with her hands when she looked at Gino.
“How you survived is amazing, and all the doctors still talk about you every day. You need to take the top off so you don’t spill anything on it and finish your breakfast. I will be back in ten minutes to help you to the bathroom so you can get ready for your wedding.”
Patricia and Catherina had arrived at the hospital around twelve-thirty. The dress fit like a glove and the shoes were perfect. Catherina was able to get her hair done with the local hairdresser on the way to the dress shop. Patricia was unable to find flowers and was disappointed, but that wasn’t going to stop this wedding. As they made their way to Gino’s floor, Catherina was getting very nervous and feeling a little sick to her stomach. She had to sit down in the dressing room, which was the women’s bathroom, to catch her breath, and Patricia was able to get her a li
ttle breakfast from the nurses so she was able to feel better. Gino was already waiting for Catherina, and Patricia went to the room to see how everything was looking, and also to see how Gino was doing. She hadn’t seen him in over a week and could tell right away he was looking much better as she entered the room. He does look like Earl Flynn with that uniform on, she thought. His hair was combed back and he had had a fresh shave.
“Are you ready to get married, Gino?” asked Patricia.
Gino was sitting in the only chair in the room and was feeling a bit nervous because there were more and more people coming into the room.
“Yes, I am. How is my bride doing this afternoon?”
“She is fine and getting dressed right now. She has a beautiful dress and shoes to match. You will be pleasantly surprised.”
Father Russo entered and asked if anybody had seen the bride and if they were still ready to go at one o’clock.
“She is in the dressing room and will be ready in about ten minutes,” Patricia said.
Father Russo approached Gino. “Are you ready to do this, young man, and can you stand up?”
“Yes, Father, I am ready, and I’ll stand as long as the ceremony will last.”
Father Russo looked down at Gino and put his right hand on his left shoulder. “Perfect, so now we will wait for your bride to come and get you two married.”
It was exactly ten minutes later and Gino could see everyone turn to see Catherina coming towards the room. He knew that was his cue to get up, and he did so. As she entered the room, Gino was speechless and could only stare at his beautiful bride.
***
Bruno walked into the main house and was holding an envelope in his hand. He shouted for his mother and father who were in the kitchen having coffee. His mother was at the sink doing dishes and his father was at the table with Velasco and Valerie finishing breakfast.
“We have a new member of the family as of this afternoon,” Bruno announced. Anna immediately turned around and started to wipe her hands with the dishtowel, but Pietro didn’t even stop drinking his coffee.
