Pesto and Potholes

by Baganz, Susan M. ;

  “I’ll get our coats.”

  She returned. Tony put on his coat and helped Renata with hers. Her mother entered the hallway.

  Mrs. Hennison had walked by and halted when she noticed them. “Leaving?”

  “Yes. Thank you for inviting us.” Renata’s voice was flat.

  “But you haven’t had dessert yet.”

  “I think we’ll survive the loss,” said Tony, clenching his teeth to prevent himself from saying what he thought.

  “Aren’t you going to kiss me goodbye?”

  Renata stepped over to her mom and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Goodbye, Mom.”

  “We’ll see you at Christmas? I’ll e-mail you the date.”

  Renata glanced at Tony then back to her mother. “I doubt I’ll be coming, but thank you for thinking of me.”

  “What about your veggie plate?”

  “Keep it in good health, Mom.” She turned away towards the exit.

  Tony placed his hand on her back and guided her out the door. They walked to the car in silence. “Let me drive.” Tony opened the passenger door and helped her up into the truck.

  She handed him the keys. He shut her door and walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and chuckled as he started up the car. His left foot automatically reached for a clutch. “I’m used to a manual transmission.” They took off back toward Oshkosh and were soon on the highway south to Milwaukee.

  “We didn’t get dessert, and you didn’t get to finish watching the Packers.” Renata’s voice was soft, but he heard the hurt behind it.

  “I’ll survive not seeing the end of the game.” Tony was still working to contain his anger.

  “There’s a truck stop in Fond du Lac where we could get pie and coffee,” Renata offered.

  “Let me know when to exit.”

  * * *

  They drove on in silence for the twenty minutes it took to get to Fond du Lac. Renata felt a wave of shame Tony had heard the lies and insults directed at her. She hoped he didn’t believe they were true. She glanced at him. His knuckles were white as his hands gripped the steering wheel. She could see a muscle flexing in his jaw, and his mouth set in a grim line.

  “Exit up ahead on the right. Turn left. Now right. The truck stop should have pie.”

  Tony did as she said, parked the truck, got out, came around to open her door, and helped her down. He closed the door and looked at her.

  “Never go back there.” Tony’s voice was fierce.

  “They are my family,” Renata pleaded.

  “That was not a family. That was a brood of vipers. Please promise me you will not return to them.”

  “Tony, you know I can’t promise that.”

  He walked away from her with long strides. He kicked the block of cement they had parked beside. “I wanted to punch your brother and your father. I’m sorry, Renata, but their treatment of you was inexcusable. It was slanderous.” He growled and turned toward her. “I thought you had exaggerated when you told me how bad it would be. But, even so, I doubt I would have believed you had you told me this is what we would experience today.”

  Renata nodded and walked over to him, put her hand in his, and guided him to the restaurant. “Let’s set it aside and try to enjoy the rest of this day.” She wished there was some way to help him get past the anger, but she struggled as well. It was hard to hear him be spoken to as he had been and not be able to defend himself. She knew defending her would have led to more trouble.

  Sin was ugly.

  He allowed her to lead him inside.

  The restaurant was like any truck stop, cluttered but clean. They sat in a booth and the waitress handed them their menus.

  “What will you have, Renata? Pumpkin pie? They have a broad selection here.”

  “Pecan, I think.” Her stomach growled.

  “Are you nuts?” Tony grinned at the pun, and she groaned.

  “I love pecan pie, and it’s been forever since I’ve had some.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind for the future when I want to sweeten you up. I can make pecan pie. I am a chef, you know.” The dimple was back, and Renata relaxed. For now, they would forget what had happened and redeem the day for themselves.

  They placed their orders. Tony ordered pumpkin pie. “Because that’s tradition on Thanksgiving, you heretic!”

  Their coffee and pie arrived, and Tony reached over to grab Renata’s hand.

  “There was nothing of Thanksgiving at your parents’ home.” He bent his head and said a prayer of Thanksgiving that warmed Renata’s heart. Yes, she was grateful for this man across from her. Thank You, Lord, for Antonio.

  “So, I am facing nineteen kids on Sunday. Can you brief me on them, so I’m not struggling to remember the names?”

  “You assume I remember them all. Okay, let me try.” He paused, set down his fork, and started with a fist. “First there is Alexandr and his wife, Sophie. Delightful gal, you’ll love her. They have six kids…Adaline, Bailee, Cameron, Dawn, Eliot and Faith. Alphabetical order and I hope they don’t try to get to Z.”

  “Ages?”

  “Ada is twelve, I think, and Faith is two. The rest fall in between. They jokingly call it family planning because they have three girls and three boys.” Tony smiled. It was clear he loved his family.

  “Next?”

  “Ginger is next. She’s the oldest of the twins by five minutes, sometimes waitresses at the restaurant and, like her name, has red hair. She is married to Peter, who is a pharmacist at St. Michael’s Hospital. Their kids range from two to eleven. There’s Nicholas, Kasie, Randi, Sabrina, Sebastian and Annalise. Sabrina and Sebastian are five-year-old twins, and I need to warn you that Annalise has selected me as her future husband.”

  “Will she see me as competition? That should make things interesting.”

  “You will be enchanted by her. By all of them.”

  “Next?”

  “Gianna is Ginger’s identical twin. She also waitresses, and her husband, Michael, manages a medical lab near Froedert.”

  “I met him at the Packer game. He impressed me with his devotion to his wife and family.”

  “He’s a good man. She couldn’t have picked better.”

  “And the kids?”

  “Well, she and Ginger have to live life in tandem.”

  “Six kids including a set of twins?”

  Tony nodded, smiled, and started to count on his fingers again. “Violet, Zander, Tabitha and Antonia are the twins, age seven, followed by Daniel and Bennett.”

  “Whew! I know Gabby, Paul, and their son, Jacob. How am I going to remember all these people? I know I met some at Jacob’s birthday party, but that was an emotional evening for me, and I don’t recall much.”

  “Don’t worry. They know you are coming. Many have already met you, and they will be content to remind you who they are, and before long you’ll have them all straight.” Tony stopped his fork midair. “Well, except for the kids, even I get them mixed up.”

  Renata laughed, but sobered as she sipped her coffee. “Being with the children is the one thing that worries me most.”

  “Because of Angela?”

  “Yeah.” She leaned against the back of the booth.

  “Maybe it will help to try to think of them as God’s way of filling your arms until He provides you with another child someday. I had hoped to have my own family by now, and fight sadness when I’m confronted with all the kids.”

  “I’m sorry, Tony.”

  “For what?” He shoveled in the last piece of his pie.

  “I forget you have suffered and have losses to grieve too.”

  Tony was silent as he sipped the last of his coffee. Renata had already finished hers, and the waitress came to refill their cups and remove the plates. Renata watched him stir some sugar in and set the spoon down. The door had closed on that conversation. She cleared her throat.

  “Tony, what did you think when my family said all those mean things about me?”

  He
leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “At first I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I initially suspected it was some kind of sick joke to play on the new guy.” He looked across the table at her, and she could see his brown eyes glimmer with unshed tears. “As it went on and I realized the depth of animosity they had for you, it confused and infuriated me. I was jealous for them to love you like I do.”

  “Did it ever cross your mind that maybe they were telling the truth?” Renata bit her lip. She had to know if he had any doubts about her.

  Tony reached his hand across the table. She reached across with her own, and they joined. “I believe you. You have never given me any reason to question your story. I know there is more than one perspective. I’m sure you were not the perfect wife and never could be. Mick must have been a master, though, to be able to snow everyone else, discredit you, and strip you of your dignity and any sense of worth.” Tony snorted. “It’s a good thing he’s dead, or I’d be tempted to—”

  Renata smiled and let out a breath of air she had been holding. He squeezed her hand.

  “I wonder if maybe you intimidate your family,” Tony suggested.

  “Me? They are all about wealth, career, and appearances. I have nothing.”

  “You have countenance. You held your head up in the midst of the insults. I was proud of how you kept yourself together. That had to be hard. Renata, I don’t think you realize that what you have inside, as a follower of Christ, threatens them and their way of life. Maybe it’s not you they are attacking, but Jesus. I suspect they try to put you down to make up for their own shortcomings. Is it possible they feel guilty for the way they treated you before Mick died?”

  Renata shook her head and removed her hand, dropping it in her lap. “I doubt it. They took his side before we wed. Rape? They didn’t care, thought I deserved it for trying to be ‘high and mighty.’”

  “I know I have no right to dictate your future, but it would make me feel better if I knew you were never going back there again.”

  “I have no intention of returning at any point in the immediate future. But what if things changed? I’m not going to make a promise to avoid them forever. They have wounded me. It hurts more than I can say that they cannot love me for who I am. But they are still my family.”

  Tony tipped his head to the side at that last comment. “Maybe blood relations, but they are not family.” He sighed. “Fair enough. Done with your coffee? Maybe we should head back to Milwaukee.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Tony paid the bill, leaving a generous tip for the waitress as she had to work on Thanksgiving, and they went outside.

  “It’s snowing, Tony.”

  Renata spun with the large snowflakes falling down and sprinkling the world like jewels. Tony rushed Renata, scooped her up in his arms, and spun her around as they both laughed. He took her to the truck to continue their journey home.

  * * *

  That night, Renata dreamed her monsters attacked her, attempting to overwhelm her. Faceless, but terrifying and ugly, and she lashed out with her feet and legs and screamed for help against the evil and darkness that threatened her. She shivered. The dream changed, and Tony was fighting by her side, protecting her and warding off the evil. He was intense and fierce, strong and careful to shield her, and managed to get her to safety and light. He kissed her hand, winked at her and was gone. She knew it was God who fought her battles, but awoke doubly grateful. He had brought Tony to help with the real-life flesh and blood battle waged that day.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Sunday was bright and shiny as the sun reflected off the inch of snow covering the ground. The roads were clear, and the air was crisp outside. Renata prepared nervously for church. Today, Tony was picking her up to bring her to church so they could go straight to his parents’ home afterward.

  Renata dressed with care. She had selected black dress pants and a teal sweater on top, with a scarf that combined those colors with purple and maroon woven in. She put her hair up on the sides, pulling it up and off her face. She wore her black suede boots. Not practical for snow, but more for the look they gave her lean legs.

  Tony arrived wearing black khakis and a button-down shirt under his leather jacket that now had a furry lining in it. He escorted her to the car and helped her in. After he entered, she asked, “What time did you get home from work?”

  “Close to one-thirty.”

  “You must be tired.”

  Tony smiled. “I’m always tired. Somehow I keep going. Caffeine helps.”

  “I hope you have time today to relax.”

  “With my family? I doubt it. Don’t worry, Ren, I’ll be fine.”

  She was silent and thought if she could provide him with a little respite today, somehow, she would.

  After the service, Dan and Sharon had joined them in the atrium.

  “Dan, Renata is curious about what it takes to be on a worship team,” Tony said, ignoring her glare.

  “I’ve already heard you sing, but would still want you to audition to find out your range and how best to use it in a group. Have you ever sung on a team before?”

  “No. I was in choir in High School and sang some solo ensemble, but that’s it.”

  “That’s okay. We meet on Monday nights at six-thirty if you want to come and check us out. We have a devotion, prayer, and dig in. We’re usually done by nine. Team rotations are four to five weeks so no one gets burned out, since our teams are made up of volunteer musicians and singers.”

  “I’m still not certain. I feel so young in my faith, and the teaching Pastor Drew has been doing on spiritual gifts has been all new to me.”

  “If you were listening, and I know you were, Renata, you understand that sometimes the best way to discover your gift is trying things out.”

  “I guess you are right. I think I’m just a little scared.”

  “At karaoke, you had no trouble getting up in front of a crowd, and you had the entire place in your hand. Imagine, Renata, if you could do that to bring glory to our King.”

  “I see what you mean. Maybe I’ll come Monday to check it out.”

  “We’d be glad to see you.”

  “We’d better go now. Renata gets to brave the De Luca family Thanksgiving today.” Tony led Renata away amidst farewells as they went to get their jackets.

  Renata sat in the car as Tony started it and headed out of the busy parking lot.

  “Nervous?”

  “A little.”

  “You’ll do fine.”

  “No football game today?”

  “A possible yes to football...no Packers. If it warms up, the guys might go outside for our own game in the backyard.”

  “I bet that would be as entertaining as watching you all enjoy a Packer game.”

  “Definitely more fun than watching your family watch a Packer game.”

  “True. They were pretty dull, weren’t they?”

  “They didn’t live up to the reputation of a true Packer fan, that’s for sure. No wonder you haven’t known the excitement of the game. I’ll make it my mission to convert you.”

  “I’m willing to be converted as long as it’s you doing it.”

  Tony smiled as he turned down the road to his parents’ home.

  * * *

  They entered the house to shouts of “Uncle Tony! Uncle Tony!” The children inundated him. He tried to shepherd Renata in the door and help her with her coat while responding to his various nieces and nephews. The older children held back, awaiting recognition, and Renata smiled at how animated Tony was with them as he started to introduce them to her.

  One little girl gave her uncle a big hug and refused to budge. He rose with her arms tight around his neck. “Annalise, this is my friend, Renata. Renata, the precocious Annalise.”

  Annalise, with the curly red hair and a green jumper, looked at Renata. “Why is she here, Uncle Tony?”

  “She’s my girlfriend.” Tony winked at Renata.

  “You don’t ne
ed a girlfriend. Mama says you need a wife, and that’s going to be me, ’member?” Tony blushed at her statement. Annalise turned to Renata and said, “You can leave now. We don’t need you here.”

  Renata smiled. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll stay. Maybe I’ll find a husband for myself here among this crowd.”

  Annalise thought about this. “Okay, you can stay.”

  When Annalise ran from the room, Tony pulled Renata to his body and gave her a kiss on the forehead as he whispered, “You are mine. Don’t ever forget it.”

  His heart warmed as she looked up at him with her palms on his chest and smiled. “I won’t.” She rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek.

  Everything was right in his world.

  * * *

  After Tony had introduced Renata to all the kids, she sat down on the couch. Soon, Eliot, age four, and Daniel, age five, occupied her lap, vying for her attention. Adaline came forward.

  “Miss Renata, I saw you brought something with you. What is it?”

  Renata had set a package on the floor by the sofa. “Oh, I brought a craft I thought would be fun for all of us to do together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Would you be willing to help me?”

  “Okay.”

  Renata quickly explained what they needed, and Adaline helped her gather up the kids and herd them down to a large playroom in the breezeway between the house and garage. It was a spacious place with a gas fireplace keeping it warm. A large table stood off to one side. The kids swarmed around Renata as Tony hung back by the door to watch. Sophie, Ginger, and Gianna joined him. Gabby was feeding Jacob in the kitchen.

  Renata took out various sheets of colorful construction paper. Several pairs of children’s scissors and washable markers followed. “Adaline, why don’t I use you to show the rest what we are going to do?”

  Adaline came forward, and the kids closed in around them.

  “Today we celebrate Thanksgiving. I thought we would make a little memento of what we are thankful for. Adaline, if you would pick out a color?” Renata held up sheets of construction paper.

  Adaline picked out a bright pink and the other children started fighting over colors and grabbing their own papers. Renata put the paper down and grabbed a black washable marker.