The First Nine Lives of Isabella LaFelini

by Harvey, Rhonda

  “He’s fine, and no, no fish,” Isabella answered for him. She repeated, “Who’s this?”

  The man scrambled to his feet and extended a hand to Isabella, who to no one’s surprise ignored it, and said, “Hi, Isabella. I’ve looked forward to this. Rick. Rick Tomasetti. Nice to finally meet you.”

  Continuing to ignore his extended hand, Isabella looked at Rick and then to her mother. “So, um, Mom. Who is this guy?”

  Luci and Rick exchanged meaningful glances, and he stood up. “I was just leaving, anyway. Ty? Is that your name? Want to walk out with me?”

  Ty looked quickly toward Isabella for her approval, but she was glaring at her mother, so he nodded, “Yeah, um, sure.”

  Luci waited until the two males had left the kitchen. “Isabella, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a little while now. Rick…Mr. Tomasetti and I have been seeing each other, Isabella.”

  Isabella’s green eyes narrowed. “Seeing each other? How? When? When have you had a chance to see this guy? You’re home every night.”

  Luci nodded and sat back down, taking a sip from her cup. “Lunch, Isabella. We go out for lunch. I’ve been trying to find a way to have this conversation with you. I know you loved your father, Isabella. I loved him, too. He was my world—I thought that you and he and I would be a family forever. But he’s gone, honey. He’s been gone for five years now. I need,” she stopped, struggling for the right words, “…I need to have some fun, Isabella. I love you, and I love the time we spend together, I do. But Rick is nice, Isabella. He’s handsome, and he’s funny, and he likes me. He…he thinks I’m beautiful. I…” she tried blinking back tears, but they fell anyway. “Isabella, I really like this guy. I’m not trying to replace your father. No one can replace Bobby LaFelini. I just…”

  Isabella wiped away her own tears and went to her mother and hugged her. “Mom, it’s okay.” She swallowed hard and said, “I’m glad you found someone, Mom. I am.”

  Luci looked up with disbelief. “Seriously, Isabella?”

  Isabella nodded. “Yeah. I wish you hadn’t kept him a secret, but yeah. Do you think he’s gone yet? Maybe you can have him come back?”

  Luci stood up from table, hugged her daughter and said, “I love you so much, Isabella Rose LaFelini. More than I could ever, ever tell you!” And she ran out to see if Rick was still out front.

  Ty peeked from around the corner of the kitchen. “Hey…you okay?”

  Isabella sighed and nodded slowly.

  “I…um…” Ty was careful to choose his words, “…I like him, Isabella. He’s a nice guy. He’s from New York! How cool is that? And his car is really cool, too. He said that maybe he’d let me drive on one of the back roads! I’m telling you, Isabella, he really is a nice guy.”

  “Ty, you would think freakin’ Jack the Ripper was a ‘nice guy’.”

  Ty scowled. “Isabella, you said you’d keep an open mind, remember?” he reminded her. “And I’m telling you—he’s a good guy. At least give him a chance.”

  Just then Luci and Rick came back into the kitchen. “Okay, now for a proper introduction. Isabella, this is Rick Tomasetti. Rick, this is my daughter, Isabella.”

  This time Isabella took Rick’s offered hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Maybe you want to stay for dinner?”

  Rick looked over at Luci, who nodded quickly. “Yeah, that’d be nice. But instead of having your mom cook, why don’t we go out to dinner? My treat.”

  “What about Ty?”

  “You can bring your friend if you want.” Isabella and Ty exchanged glances. “But either we’ll have to go in separate cars, or I’ll have to go home and get my other car. The convertible is a two-seater!”

  “Can we go to La Bella?”

  “La Bella?” he asked.

  “Isabella, perhaps we should let Rick choose, since it is his treat?” Luci looked at Isabella with a look that said, please don’t blow this for me.

  Rick shook his head. “No, Luce, it’s fine…what’s La Bella? Some fancy-schmancy place?”

  Isabella grinned widely. “Nope. Not fancy at all. It’s just the best New York-style pizza in all of North Carolina! The lady that owns it is from Brooklyn, just like Mom and me!”

  “Hey, no kidding?” Rick put on a thick Brooklyn accent. “Fuggettaboudit! Did your mom tell you I’m a paesano?”

  Ty looked at Isabella quizzically. “You’re a what?” Ty blurted before she could translate.

  Rick laughed, showing absolutely perfect white teeth. “It means I’m Italian, too. And from New Yawk,” he said with a laugh. “But from upstate,” he added in his normal voice.

  “Wow! How cool is that, Isabella? Italian and a New Yorker? Pretty great coincidence, huh, Isabella?” Ty asked.

  Isabella experienced a prickling sensation along the base of her skull, and she felt as if all the little hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight up. She remembered Nonna Rose’s vehement reaction to her suggestion that Giovanni’s daughter’s disappearance had been a coincidence, and although Isabella had made fun of her great-grandmother at the time, she now understood. There were times in life when you just knew that things were too convenient to be truly coincidental. And although she didn’t know why, she was sure this was the case with Rick Tomasetti. He seemed too good to be true. And Isabella shuddered a little as she remembered her father telling her, “If things seem too good to be true, Izzy, they usually are.”

  But she put on a big smile for her mother’s sake and said, “Well, you’re gonna love this place, Rick; their food is awesome!”

  Luci laughed. “She’s fourteen, Rick; everything is either ‘awesome’, ‘wicked’ or ‘freakin’’! But the food there really is delicious! Anyway, let’s take two cars—I need to stop for groceries; we go through tuna here like we were feeding a bunch of cats! Plus, the restaurant is in Washington, and since you live in Greenville, it would be silly for you to have to backtrack and take us home, so…”

  “Okay, sounds great. Ty, are you coming with us?” Rick asked.

  Ty looked at Isabella for approval, and he caught it in her eyes. “Yes, sir, thank you, Mr. Tomasetti.”

  “Call me ‘Rick’,” he told Ty. “Any friend of Isabella’s is a friend of mine…” He laughed as if he’d made a great joke.

  Isabella’s eyes met Ty’s over the kitchen counter. “Well,” she said, “I need to change my clothes. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Um, Mrs. LaFelini? I should go home and change, too. Is that a problem? Could you guys pick me up at my house?” Ty asked.

  “Sure, Ty,” Luci smiled. “We’ll pick you in about fifteen minutes. That all right?”

  Ty smiled and thanked Luci before running out the kitchen door. “See ya soon!”

  Rick walked over to Luci and hugged her. “Well, that went well,” he murmured in her ear.

  “Yeah, it did,” Luci agreed, but silently added a little too well.

  “So, what do you think? We’re gonna have to take separate cars—should Ty ride with me or do I dare take Isabella?” he asked her.

  Luci laughed sardonically. “Um, yeah…you had better take Ty. I’m sure Isabella is going to have something to say so she might as well blast me now.”

  “Are you sure?” Rick asked her. “I mean, she seemed okay to me.”

  Luci let a little laugh slip. “Yes, to an outsider, she seemed fine. But I know my daughter, Rick. Her ‘who is this?’ is just the tip of the iceberg. And I might as well get it done with today rather than wait.”

  Rick laughed. “Well, maybe it’s good that I’m taking Ty then. Hey, you think if I can get him on my side, it’ll be easier to get Isabella?”

  It was Luci’s turn to laugh. “Wow! You know my daughter already! Yes, I think that’s a great idea! She and Ty are very close—I keep thinking that they may be more than friends, but she always dismisses the idea—anyway, I think that winning Ty over would definitely ease the way with Isabella!”

  “Did I hear my name?” Isabella
asked as she emerged from her bedroom, pulling her hair into a high ponytail as she did.

  “We were just talking about who’s riding with whom,” her mother lied quickly. “And Rick is going to take Ty, and I’m taking you. Is that all right?”

  Isabella grinned. “Sure! You and I need to talk about a couple things, anyway, Mom.”

  “Oh, geez! Um, maybe you can ride with Rick?” she half-joked. “Just kidding, Isabella. Let’s get going—La Bella closes at eight. Rick, follow us to Ty’s, and then we’ll lead the way to the restaurant.”

  “Okay, sounds good.” Rick considered leaning in to kiss Luci, but took a look at Isabella and changed his mind. “Lead the way, ladies.” He gestured in an over-the-top bow, like a knight before a queen. Luci giggled a little, and Isabella rolled her eyes in mild disgust.

  Oh, man, if she ’s gonna be like this with this guy, my stomach may not be able to take it! she thought, but she said, “Out of our way, peasant!” which just made Luci giggle more. Oh-em-gee! My mom is acting like a kid; guess I have to be the adult. Well, that oughta make for an interesting night…

  Eighteen: Another Meal at La Bella

  AS SHE PULLED the car out of the driveway, Luci chatted nervously. “How about the Bakers needing their septic tank fixed? Two houses on this street? In less than a month? I hope we’re not next. I don’t know how I would pay for it…”

  Isabella felt sorry for her mother. She was so worried about what Isabella was going to say that she was rattling on about septic tanks! Isabella decided to give her mother a break and to not discuss Rick other than to ask her mother, “So, how did you two meet?”

  Luci blushed. “You don’t want to hear about that…”

  “Yes, I do,” Isabella reassured her and was a little surprised to learn that she really did.

  Luci blushed more deeply. “He…he spilled coffee on me.”

  Isabella looked at her mother as if she’d lost her mind.

  “I know,” Luci laughed, “but thank goodness it was iced coffee! Anyway, I was on my break; he was at the hospital visiting a friend. He felt so bad about dumping his drink on me that he offered to pay for the dry-cleaning. When I told him that my scrubs were washable, and that I had another set in my locker, he asked when I had lunch and offered to buy me lunch to make it up to me.” She was quiet for a moment, remembering. “And that was it. We hit it off immediately—just seemed to have so much in common…” Luci’s voice drifted off. “This is bothering you, isn’t it?”

  “No,” Isabella lied, but just a little, to spare her mother’s feelings. “No, Mom, it’s fine. I’m glad you found someone. Really I am. Even if the guy is a klutz!”

  La Bella was busy when they arrived, so they had to sit at the sidewalk café, which wasn’t bad since the night was cooler than most July nights in North Carolina. Aimee, the girl at the counter, recognized Isabella, Ty and Luci from their previous visits, and she welcomed them with a grin.

  “So, don’t tell me. Garlic knots and the everything pizza?”

  Rick looked impressed. “Wow. She knows your order? You guys must be regulars!”

  “Actually,” Luci blushed, “we’ve just been here two or three times before. Aimee just has a great memory.” And to Aimee she said, “Not totally sure about the pizza yet, Aimee. We’ve got a ‘newbie’ with us!”

  “Okay, well, take your time, then,” Aimee told her. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

  “How’d the ride go?” Isabella quietly asked Ty as Rick studied the menu board.

  “It was good. He’s a really nice guy, Isabella. I think you’ll like him once you get to know him! Did you know he’s a concert promoter? He said he can get us tickets for shows like Taylor Swift and even Lady Gaga! How cool is that?”

  Isabella dropped her guard for a moment. “Really? Concert tickets? Probably crappy seats, though, right?”

  “Nope. He said he can get us back-stage passes and everything!”

  “Wow. I gotta admit—that would be pretty cool.”

  “What would be cool?” Luci asked.

  Isabella shook her head. “Nothing, Mom…what did you order?”

  “Two orders of garlic knots, an order of chicken wings, a white pizza and the everything pie. Do you think that’ll be enough?”

  Isabella grinned, suddenly realizing she was famished. “Well, if it’s not, we’ll just order more!” She and Ty laughed and took the paper cups that Rick handed them.

  “So,” Ty told her as they settled in at a table outside on the little patio, “you have to admit—Rick’s not a bad guy.”

  Isabella frowned. “Yeah, maybe…but there’s something about that guy I just…” she stopped, not sure how to finish the sentence. What was it? There was something about Rick that she what? Didn’t trust? Playing devil’s advocate, Isabella had to admit that she wouldn’t have trusted any man who came into her mother’s life. Still, even if she tried to be objective about Rick Tomasetti, she was sensing that there was truly something “off” about him. On the surface, he was a great guy—the kind of man Grandma Theresa said “looked good on paper”. Rick seemed to have all the qualifications one would want: he was well off, seemed nice enough, had a nice car, and he liked her mother. He was Italian and from New York.

  “What is it?” Ty asked her quietly.

  Isabella shrugged. “Dunno. Ty, I know you think I’m just being…well…me, but there’s something wrong with him. Before you say anything, listen. I don’t think it’s just that he’s not my dad—Ty, I get a bad feeling when I’m close to him. Do you remember when I told you that I hear things better now? That I have a better sense of smell? That I can see farther than I could before the transformations?”

  Ty nodded, so she continued.

  “It’s almost like it’s the cat me that’s uncomfortable around him, Ty. I know we just met and all, but I just feel something’s ‘off’. That’s the best word I can use: ‘off’. I’m not gonna say anything to my mom, but I am gonna watch him carefully. I’d like you to do the same.”

  Ty looked at her with disapproval, but he didn’t have time to speak, as Luci and Rick came outside at that moment, carrying two trays of garlic knots and a handful of napkins.

  “Hey, you two, look what we’ve got,” Luci called in a teasing voice. The appetizing aroma of garlic wafted as she put down the trays of garlic knots. “Hungry?”

  “Heck, yeah!” Isabella and Ty said simultaneously—and just as simultaneously said, “Jinx, you owe me a Coke!”

  They both reached into the silvery foil tray and pulled out the hot, garlicky little rolls, not even pausing before they stuffed them into their mouths. “Mmmm,” they practically purred in unison as they enjoyed the garlic knots.

  “Wow, Mom, these are even better than I remember,” Isabella told her mother in between bites.

  “Mmmm, hmmm,” Ty agreed, his mouth too full to form words.

  Luci and Rick laughed. “Hey, save some for us, huh?” Rick asked, pulling a knot from the tray. He dipped it in the marinara sauce and popped the entire thing into his mouth. “Mmmm,” he chewed and swallowed. “The kids are right, Luci—these things are amazing!”

  She laughed, looking deep into his eyes as she did. “Well, maybe I’d better go place another order, huh?” She leaned in close to him, and with his clean hand, he touched her hair.

  Isabella watched the scene carefully. She had to admit that she had never seen her mother so happy…at least not in the past five years. She had vague memories of her mother laughing—but it seemed like a lifetime ago. At her fifth birthday party, when her father had dressed up as a prince. At Christmas when Isabella was seven, and she and her parents had gone sledding. Their last Independence Day together as a family—watching the fireworks from Battery Park, oohing and ahhing, none of them realizing how precious a memory they were creating; for ten short days later, Bobby LaFelini was dead.

  Isabella suppressed a tear and forced a smile. She reached across the table and grabbed her mother�
�s hand. “I love you, Mom,” she whispered.

  Luci’s eyes widened with surprise. “What brought that on?” Luci whispered back, unsure of why they were whispering in the first place.

  “Just wanted you to know,” Isabella replied.

  “Ahhh, here we are,” Aimee emerged from the restaurant carrying the first of the two pizzas. “Mike’ll be out with the white one and the wings. Do you guys need anything else?”

  Rick checked with everyone at the table before telling her ‘no’. “Except,” he added, “red pepper if you have any…”

  “Sure, I can get that. Anything else?”

  “Guess that’s it. Thanks.”

  Isabella remembered only too well how she burned her mouth the last time, so she was patient this time. The same couldn’t be said for Rick, who grabbed a slice of the everything pizza, folded it in half lengthwise and took a huge bite.

  “Ack!” he said in a muffled, mouth-full-of-food voice. “Dang! That’s hot! I think I burned the roof of my mouth…”

  Luci, Ty and Isabella all cracked up.

  “Well, that’s not very nice,” Rick said, pouting a little. “You people have sick senses of humor—laughing at my pain…”

  “No, no, no,” Isabella stopped him, still giggling. “It’s not that at all.”

  Luci stopped laughing. “She’s right. That’s not at all why we’re laughing…it’s just that Isabella did exactly the same thing the first time we were here!”

  “She was showing off, too!” Ty added, realizing too late that the inclusion of the word ‘too’ meant that he thought Rick was showing off. “Um, I mean, she was showing off—not that you were, Mr. Tomasetti…”

  Rick laughed. “It’s okay, Ty. I was showing off a little,” he conceded, “but only a little!”

  Shortly thereafter, Mike emerged from the restaurant, carrying Isabella’s favorite white garlic pizza with onions and the chicken wings. He cleared a space on the crowded table and put the aromatic foods down.