She hated not trusting her daughter, but her instincts were telling her more and more that Anabella was seeing a man behind her back. After all, she, too, had once been a young woman who had lied to her family for love.
CHAPTER 15
Maria Rossi
Florence, 1943
Maria and her family were enjoying panini made with fried eggs and potatoes for their evening supper. But she was merely taking small bites from her sandwich. Maria and her sister-in-law took turns cooking dinner on different days of the week. Whoever didn’t cook was in charge of washing the dishes. But many times they just decided to cook side by side and help each other out. Enza had become like a sister to Maria, and she enjoyed her company.
“What is the matter with you, Maria? Usually you are the first one to finish eating, but you’ve barely eaten your panino,” Papà bellowed in his boisterous voice.
“I’m really not hungry. I’m still full from the lasagna we had for lunch.” She patted her stomach before continuing, “I don’t even know why I bothered with the panino.” Maria smiled, looking in Enza’s direction. She hoped none of them had heard the slight tremor in her voice.
“My wife is the best cook—no offense to you, Maria.” Michele winked at Maria before leaning over and planting a kiss on Enza’s cheek.
“Ah! You are a very good cook, Enza, but I still miss some of my wife’s dishes.” Papà’s eyes filled with tears, which he quickly blinked back before taking a bite out of his egg sandwich.
Silence followed as they all remembered Signora Rossi. Maria missed her mother and thought about her every day. Suddenly, an intense sorrow filled her, making it even harder for her to finish eating. But it was her nerves that were truly to blame for taking her appetite away.
“I think I am done. If you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to take a bicycle ride.”
Maria avoided glancing in Enza’s direction and prayed fervently that she didn’t offer to accompany her. They often rode their bikes or took a passeggiata in the evening after supper.
“Si, Enza and I are going to take a walk and enjoy this weather. Before we know it, autumn will be here and the gloomy rain and cold that come with it,” Michele said as his eyes met Enza’s.
Maria sensed they were exchanging a silent message with each other. She breathed a sigh of relief. She just had to hurry and leave home before them so they wouldn’t see where she was headed.
“Maria, don’t worry about cleaning up. I’ll do it. Go enjoy yourself.” Enza patted Maria’s arm as she stood up and began clearing the dishes from the table.
“Grazie, Enza.”
A few minutes later, Maria was applying lipstick in her bedroom. With one final look in the mirror, she grabbed her purse on the bed and was about to leave her room when she noticed her perfume bottle on her dresser. Remembering Franco’s compliment about her perfume, she hurried over to the dresser and sprayed a few pumps on her neck and wrists.
Once on her bicycle, Maria pedaled quickly until she was certain there was no way Michele or Enza could see her in the distance. They had been about to leave the house as she had gotten on her bike. Glancing at her wristwatch, she saw she still had plenty of time before the meeting started. She could feel her heart racing, and, once she arrived at the address Franco had written on the back of the leaflet, her stomach did somersaults.
“Calm down, Maria. It is just a meeting, nothing more. You are not attending an assassination plot or getting ready to detonate a bomb,” she softly said aloud to herself. Then, realizing her foolishness, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was standing nearby and had heard her.
The address Franco had given her belonged to an old, abandoned church. She wished Franco had told her this, for how was she to enter when the doors were all bolted? A moment later, she saw a woman scurry by, glancing side to side, as she quickly made her way down the dark alleyway that ran beside the church. Was she also attending the meeting? Maria left her bike perched against a lamppost and hurried her step as she followed the woman who looked to be in her forties.
The alleyway led to a small yard. The woman was on the opposite side of the yard, lifting what looked to be a large bush from the ground. But then Maria saw the bush was being used simply as a ruse to cover a basement door. As the woman pulled open the door, she noticed Maria. Her eyes widened in fear.
“Don’t worry. I am here for the meeting, too.” Maria smiled reassuringly as she glanced down the alleyway to make sure no one had followed them.
“You could have said something instead of standing there like a phantom!” The woman’s brows knitted furiously. “Hurry!” She gestured with her hand for Maria to enter the basement first.
Maria carefully stepped down the basement steps. When she reached the bottom, she waited for the woman, who seemed to be struggling to prop the bush in place with one hand while closing the door with the other. She then joined Maria at the foot of the stairs.
“There is no way you were able to completely cover the door. What if someone sees it?” Maria immediately began regretting her decision to come here.
“It will soon be pitch-black outside. It’ll be good enough. Besides, once the meeting starts, one of our members stands guard outside and comes around to the back to make sure the bush completely covers the door. What is your name? I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before.”
“Maria. Maria Rossi.” She held out her hand. The woman gripped it with an ironlike strength that momentarily startled her. She’d never had a woman shake her hand so firmly.
“Ninetta. We don’t exchange last names here. It’s for the better. But don’t worry. I’ve already forgotten yours.” The woman smiled before turning her back to Maria and knocking on another door that led to the interior of the church’s basement. She knocked three times, then waited a few seconds before knocking twice. The knocks were done slowly, and sounded more like loud thumps than a quick succession of knocks.
Franco opened the door. Maria’s heart beat hard against her chest when she saw him.
“Ninetta. Ciao! Ah!” He stopped when he saw Maria. Though he had invited her, she could tell he was surprised she’d come.
“This is Maria. I met her outside,” Ninetta offered before walking ahead and joining a small crowd that was gathered at a folding table.
“Si, we’ve met,” Franco said, smiling as he held out his hand to Maria. “Please, come in. I am so happy you decided to come.”
Maria began to shake his hand, but Franco instead pulled her close to him. A soft gasp escaped from Maria. Franco looked into her eyes, his expression growing somber. But then, just as quickly, he cleared his throat and said, “Go on inside and make yourself comfortable. There is espresso on the table. I’ll be there in a moment.” He dropped her hand and made his way to a door on the opposite side of the basement and stepped out.
She walked over to the crowd at the table.
“Ciao! Welcome!”
Everyone welcomed her and introduced himself or herself. Immediately, she felt comfortable.
A young man who looked to be in his early twenties went behind the table and clapped his hands. “Silenzio, per favore! We are about to commence our meeting.”
Everyone took his or her seat on the folding chairs that were lined up in front of a makeshift podium, forming a semicircle. Maria sat next to Ninetta.
“My name is Alfredo, for those of you who are new. I welcome you here tonight, and thank you for attending. I believe this is the largest gathering we’ve had so far. Ah! And a few latecomers.”
The group of six people who entered from the door Franco had disappeared through earlier paused after Alfredo’s comment.
“Vieni! Vieni!” He motioned with his hand for them to come in before adding, “I was just joking. The more the merrier. I’m afraid we’ve run out of chairs. I hope you don’t mind standing.”
The group walked to the side of the room. Franco followed behind them. His gaze searched the room until it landed on Maria.
He winked and smiled. Maria felt herself warming all over. She nodded in his direction, but refrained from smiling.
Alfredo resumed talking, telling the audience that FAF could use help from everyone in attendance. In addition to writers for their newspaper and leaflets, they needed couriers who could discreetly deliver the papers and leaflets to people around the city. They also needed administrative help in the office in the abandoned church. Then the next statement he made caused a flurry of whispers across the room.
“We know that everyone realizes this work is risky, and there is the chance of being jailed or worse if one is discovered working here in the office or delivering our literature, but we need to remind everyone of that, especially the newcomers. While we need all of the help we can get, we do not want to mislead you. So if there are those of you who feel this might not be right for you, you may leave. Again, no judgments from us. We appreciate your coming here.”
He waited. Maria glanced around the room. Others were doing the same. Then, one young woman stood up and quickly made her way out. A couple stood up a moment later and also exited.
Hearing Alfredo remind them of the risks this work entailed heightened Maria’s anxiety. She thought about taking her opportunity to leave once the other attendees had left, but she remained frozen. It was silly, but she felt Franco’s eyes on her, even though he stood to the back of the room. Why should she care what he thought? He was practically a stranger to her. But then the answer came to her. She didn’t want him to think she was a coward. Not after he had told her that day at the market that he sensed she didn’t frighten easily, and she’d told him she didn’t. But again, she shouldn’t care about the impression she made on him if she left. All she had to do was get up, walk to the exit, and never return here again. What were the odds she would run into him again? That was a mere fluke the day she’d seen him at the market.
But just as she was about to stand up, Alfredo announced, “Now I am going to give the floor to my comrade Franco, who will tell you more about FAF and our history, how we got started and so on.”
Franco made his way to the front of the room. Alfredo slapped Franco on the back as he passed him.
Maria observed Franco’s features while he spoke. His complexion was a medium olive tone that offset his deep brown eyes. They reminded her of the espresso beans Papà ground every morning. His hair was a rich sable shade, and his bangs, which needed a trim, hung over his right eye, giving him a dangerous allure. But his black horn-rimmed eyeglasses softened his features and made him look very intelligent. Maria wondered what he looked like without them. For if he was this handsome with the glasses, she could only imagine how much more attractive he looked without them. She blushed as she saw Franco glance in her direction for a moment before he continued what he was saying. Had he been able to tell she was scrutinizing him?
She felt her knees go weak, but once she heard Franco remind people again that this was risky work and they needed to exert the highest level of secrecy and caution, she forgot about the way Franco was making her feel whenever he looked at her, and her nervousness from earlier returned. What was she getting herself into? She didn’t belong here. Standing up, she excused herself as she made her way past the members. Avoiding Franco’s gaze, she quickly exited via the basement door she had come in from. She was relieved to hear he was still talking.
Pushing open the exterior basement door, she struggled to push the bush out of the way. Once outside, she took a deep breath and lowered the basement door, but she felt someone pushing it back open.
“Maria, it’s me, Franco.”
She frowned. He must’ve quickly ended his speech. She stood back, away from the basement door so he could fully open it. Once he exited, he closed the door and laid the bush back in place.
“That was a short speech you gave.” Maria crossed her arms over her chest. Though it was a mild night, she was shivering.
“I’ll join them in a little while. Would you like to take a walk with me?”
She was about to politely refuse, but something in Franco’s face kept her from doing so.
“All right,” she said softly.
They walked in silence for a few feet before Franco spoke.
“It was very brave of you to come here tonight. I take it your family doesn’t know?”
Maria kept her gaze to the ground, though she could feel he was looking at her.
“No, they don’t.”
“Naturally, they wouldn’t approve.”
“My papà would be very upset. He doesn’t even know—” She caught herself before saying more.
“He doesn’t even know what?”
“Nothing.” Maria shook her head.
“You can tell me, Maria. If there’s anyone who can keep a secret, it’s an anti-Fascist after all.”
Maria laughed.
They walked a few more steps before Franco stopped. Maria had no choice but to look at him now.
“It’s natural to be afraid to work with us, and, as you heard earlier, Alfredo and I didn’t mince words. It is risky work—even just doing administrative work for FAF. I don’t blame you for being afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” Maria lied. Again, his words from that day at the market came back to her: You don’t frighten easily.
“I wouldn’t think less of you, Maria. I was afraid when I decided to write and publish my first anti-Fascist article. I was afraid the first time I was brought in for questioning and later when I was jailed. And I still get afraid from time to time. That won’t change.”
“But you seem so . . .” Maria searched for the right word.
“Brave? Daring? I have to exude confidence at all times for if I, one of FAF’s leaders, show anything less, how can I expect my comrades to take the risk of working with us? We’re all afraid, Maria. We wouldn’t be human if we weren’t.”
Maria nodded.
“Let me ask you, do you like the idea that we have not been truly free for a long time, and, each day, we are losing more of our liberties? Does it ever trouble you to know that innocent men have been rounded up and arrested, many of whom were not even involved in any anti-Fascist rhetoric or activity?”
“Of course. It enrages me at times, especially after I read the leaflet you dropped into my shopping basket.”
“I know. I saw the anger in your face. That’s good. You should be mad. We all should be very mad, but not everyone is. And that is dangerous as well, Maria.”
“How so?”
“Citizens who become indifferent or numb to changes in their government only see too late the dangers. Citizens who accept whatever their government dictates to them and who never question the regime’s authority or decisions might as well be committing suicide. Slowly, their rights are taken away until, when they open their eyes and realize what’s happening, it is too late.”
Maria shivered, but this time it wasn’t because she was cold. It was as if Franco were directly talking about her. Again, it was as if he’d read her mind and had seen how she tried so hard to pretend everything was really all right in their country and that it would not affect her. Her thoughts then turned to her brother and Enza. They were not asleep like she was and had decided to join one of the underground anti-Fascist movements. If they were brave enough to do so, then why wasn’t she?
She turned her back toward Franco and remained silent for a moment before asking him, “Do you know Michele Ferraro?”
“No. Ferraro? Is he a relative of yours?”
“He’s my brother.” She paused for a second. “That is what I almost said earlier. My father doesn’t even know that my brother Michele is attending the meetings of an underground anti-Fascist group. I wasn’t sure if perhaps it was FAF. Please, don’t tell anyone.”
Franco took Maria’s hand in his and gave it a light squeeze. “I told you earlier, you can trust me. Don’t worry. Maybe my path will cross with your brother’s at some point. My group has recently begun combining our efforts with those of a couple of the
other organizations.”
“Michele doesn’t even know that I know. I overheard him and his wife talking about it one day. I think she might be involved in some small way, too, although I can’t see how Michele would ever allow Enza to be placed in danger like that.”
“Maybe it wasn’t his decision. Maybe your sister-in-law insisted on being a part of it.”
“I had never thought of that.”
“Maria, I sense you are curious about our work and are tempted to contribute, but your fear is holding you back. I am not going to talk you into doing this. It must be your own decision. As you heard for yourself, we do not pressure anyone and are fully candid with everyone about the risks. But if you do decide to join FAF, I can promise you I will do my utmost to keep you safe. How about if you helped with some of the duties involving the newspaper? Maybe even write a few articles. You can do that from the safety of your home. You don’t need to come to our office if that makes you feel unsafe.”
“You would let me do that?”
“Of course. If you really want to contribute, I’d do that for you. Ninetta, the woman you walked in with, writes a few articles at home. She has to do it at night while her husband is sleeping. He doesn’t know she is helping us. During the day, when she can, she helps distribute the newspaper and collects donations from the villagers and drops them off at the office.”
“I do like to write. Maybe I could do an article here and there, from home, if that’s really all right with you?”
Franco smiled. “Of course it is.”
“But how would I deliver my articles to you? I would have to come to the office.”
The Sunflower Girl Page 12
