Lina's Many Lives

by Sally Rippin

  Bodgies! Lina thought in fright. This was what her brothers called them. Their girlfriends were called widgies. Bodgies were mean and rough and you sure didn’t want to get in their way. From the corner of her eye, Lina saw two more bodgies saunter up towards her from another doorway. One spat and the other drew back hard on a cigarette.

  ‘Wha-chew doin’ here?’ the main bodgie with the big red pimples said in a low, menacing voice.

  ‘N-nothing . . .’ Lina stammered. ‘I’m . . . I’m just on my way home.’

  ‘She’s a dago,’ the widgie hissed into her boyfriend’s ear, her top lip curling.

  ‘You a dago?’ the bodgie repeated, grinning meanly.

  What’s a dago? thought Lina. What is he talking about?

  ‘Dago, wog, spag-eatin’ Eye-ta-lian,’ he said slowly.

  So that’s what he meant. Lina felt her blood curdle. She had heard from her brother that the bodgies around here hated Italians. She shook her head. ‘N-no,’ she assured him. She wasn’t stupid enough to tell him the truth.

  ‘She looks like one,’ the widgie sneered.

  ‘Doesn’t sound like one, but,’ another bodgie said, shrugging. ‘She doesn’t have that woggy accent like them others do. They don’t even know how to speak English proper, them dagos. Filthy foreigners.’ He spat in the dust again near Lina’s shiny school shoes.

  ‘You sure you’re not a dago?’ Pimple Face narrowed his eyes.

  Lina shook her head, eyes wide and heart in her mouth.

  ‘Well, git then, Missy!’ Pimple Face said, jutting out his chin. ‘Coz this here’s our turf. And don’t let me see you round here again, you hear?’

  Lina didn’t need to be told twice. Her satchel slapped up and down on her back as she ran out of that alleyway and all the way home as fast as she could.

  LINA arrived only a little earlier than usual but, to her relief, Nonna didn’t seem to notice. She changed out of her uniform, collected the washing off the line, swept the back porch, and put away all the dishes to keep busy while she waited for her brother Bruno to get home. Finally, she heard the familiar sound of his key in the front door and dashed down the corridor to meet him.

  ‘Bruno, I need to talk to you,’ she whispered urgently as she followed him into his bedroom.

  ‘Now?’ Bruno said grumpily, yanking off his tie and hanging his school shirt in his wardrobe. He pulled out an old work shirt and slipped it over his head. ‘I have to do my chores.’

  ‘I’ll help you,’ Lina said.

  Bruno stared at her suspiciously. ‘You’re going to help me clean out the goat’s pen?’ He leant over and put his palm on Lina’s forehead. ‘You feeling okay, sis?’

  Lina nodded. It was true she hated cleaning up after the animals but she had to talk to Bruno. There was no one else she could tell about what she had seen.

  Bruno raised his eyebrows and grinned. ‘Okay. Better get your boots on, then.’

  Lina followed Bruno through the kitchen, where Nonna was snapping the ends off a pile of string beans and dropping them into a colander. Lina’s little brother was perched on a stool beside her, lining the beans up like a highway from one side of the table to the other.

  ‘Can I come with you?’ Enzo asked, sliding off the stool and running up to Lina.

  ‘Not this time, Enz,’ Lina said, slipping on her father’s old work boots. ‘I’m busy.’

  ‘Take him with you!’ Nonna grumbled. ‘You think I don’t have enough to do?’

  ‘But Nonna . . .’ Lina began.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Bruno said, swinging Enzo up onto his shoulders. ‘You can help me. You’re a good helper, aren’t you, mate?’

  ‘I’m a good helper!’ Enzo said proudly, sticking out his chest and patting Bruno’s head.

  Lina followed her brothers through the narrow garden to the old tin shed out the back. Winter had almost come to an end and Lina could see tiny pea shoots unfurling out of the dirt. Bessie was tethered to a post, chewing an old stick, with a bored expression on her face. Lina wasn’t fooled. Just because she looked like a rickety old goat, didn’t mean she couldn’t take off at a hundred miles an hour down the back lane if you accidentally let go of her rope.

  Bruno lifted Enzo off his shoulders and slid open the door of the shed. He reached in, took out a shovel and handed it to Lina. Then he took a second one for himself and grabbed a handful of feed from the big hessian sack by the doorway.

  ‘Here, you feed Bessie while Lina and I clean up, okay?’ Bruno said, tipping the pellets into Enzo’s grubby palms.

  Enzo nodded importantly and trotted off to feed the goat.

  ‘So,’ Bruno said, scooping droppings into a wheelbarrow. ‘What’s up?’

  Lina drew in closer so that Enzo wouldn’t hear. ‘I saw Zio Mario today.’ She paused for effect. ‘In Johnny’s Cafe!’

  Bruno stopped shovelling. ‘You sure?’

  Lina nodded.

  Bruno’s eyes widened. ‘What was he doing?’

  ‘Playing cards, of course,’ Lina whispered. ‘And drinking!’

  ‘No!’ said Bruno, shaking his head. ‘I can’t believe it.’

  ‘Can’t believe what?’ Enzo called out.

  ‘Nothing,’ snapped Bruno. He lowered his voice. ‘Are you sure it was him?’

  Lina nodded again.

  ‘Did he see you?’ Bruno asked.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Lina said.

  ‘What were you doing down that way, anyway?’ Bruno frowned.

  ‘I finished school early,’ Lina said quickly. She had her answer ready. ‘So I thought I’d look at the shops on Lygon Street on my way home.’

  ‘So much for looking for a job, hey?’ Bruno’s face clouded in anger. ‘I can’t believe it! Lying to Mama and Pa all that time.’

  ‘Should we tell them?’ Lina said.

  Bruno shook his head. ‘No. You know what Ma’s been like lately. I don’t think that would be a good idea.’

  Lina knew what her brother meant. Her mother had been strange lately. She was pale, and crankier than usual, and when she was home she spent most of her time in bed, which wasn’t like her at all. And Lina’s father seemed worried about her, too. Bruno was right. It wasn’t a good time to bother her parents. ‘How about Nonna?’ she suggested.

  Bruno snorted with laughter. ‘Are you nuts? She’d kill him! She never liked Zio in the first place.’

  ‘Well, we have to tell someone,’ Lina grumbled. ‘If he doesn’t get a job he’ll be sleeping in our lounge room forever!’

  Bruno rubbed his eyes, thinking. Then he took a deep breath. ‘Look, leave it to me, okay?’ he said. ‘I’ll talk to him.’

  Lina was relieved. It wasn’t a secret she wanted to carry on her own. Now, hopefully, Bruno would fix it all without her parents finding out about her skipping school. Things were looking up.

  Just then Enzo squealed loudly and began to cry.

  ‘What happened?’ Lina said rushing over.

  Enzo had his fingers curled up tight against his chest. ‘Bessie bit me!’ he wailed.

  ‘Horrible old Bessie!’ Lina scolded. She swung Enzo up onto her hip. He was still crying and tears, snot and dirt were smeared all over his cheeks. Lina wiped his eyes with the hem of the old dress she was wearing.

  ‘Hey, what happened to helping me with my chores?’ Bruno called out.

  ‘I have to look after Enzo,’ Lina grinned, carrying her little brother back inside. Looking after Enzo could be tiresome but it was still much nicer than scooping up poo.

  LINA bathed her brother in the laundry trough and changed him into his pyjamas. Then she plonked him on her bed with a tin of pencils and a colouring book, and went into the kitchen to do her homework. A little while later Bruno came inside and began to wash his hands and face at the kitchen sink.

  ‘Hey-ho!’ came a voice at the front door. ‘I’m home!’

  Bruno and Lina exchanged a look. It was Zio Mario. He sauntered into the kitchen in his crumpled navy suit look
ing pink-faced and shiny-eyed. Lina frowned. Now she knew it wasn’t the cold winter air putting the rose into his cheeks.

  Zio sidled up to Nonna at the stove. She was stirring sauce in a big iron pot. ‘Mmm that smells good! You make the best Bolognese sauce outside of Italy, Giuseppina,’ he said, smacking his lips together. ‘Here.’ He pulled a bunch of limp basil out of his jacket pocket and presented it to her like a bouquet. ‘For you.’

  Nonna wasn’t interested in his charming ways. ‘You get a job today?’ she snapped.

  Zio dropped the basil on the bench and wandered over to the table. ‘It’s looking good. Not long now, I’m sure. I made some contacts in the wine business today.’

  ‘I’ll bet you did,’ Bruno said under his breath. Lina bit back a smile.

  ‘Madonna, your poor wife!’ Nonna said, putting her hands together and rolling her eyes to the ceiling. ‘How long she have to wait, huh?’

  ‘No one wants her here more than me,’ Zio said, shaking his head sadly. He pulled out a tiny black-and-white photograph from his pocket and kissed the paper. ‘Oh, my Rosetta. How I wish you were here!’ he moaned theatrically.

  Bruno snorted and followed Zio Mario into the backyard. Lina sat at the kitchen table pretending to focus on conjugating French verbs, but all she could think about was the conversation going on outside. She hoped Bruno wasn’t being too hard on their uncle. She didn’t really mind Zio Mario. He could be annoying, and she hated that he had taken over their sitting room with all his stuff, but sometimes he could be funny and he was pretty good on the mandolin.

  Lina almost wished she hadn’t uncovered her uncle’s awful secret. She couldn’t imagine how angry her mother would be if she discovered Zio had been lying to them. And for how long? One month? Two? The whole six months he’d been here? Worse still would be her father’s shame. Zio Mario was his youngest brother and Papa had been the one to persuade Mama and Nonna to allow him to stay with them until he found a job.

  Poor Rosetta, too! Lina thought. Sending over love letters and photographs nearly every week, desperate to be with her husband. And they still hadn’t even met! It had been a friend of Nonna’s in her old village in Italy who had suggested that Rosetta would make the perfect wife for Zio Mario, even though she was only seventeen and he was already twenty-eight! They were wedded three months ago in the old stone church on the hill where Lina’s parents and grandparents had married, but as Zio was in Australia and hadn’t been able to make it to the wedding, Rosetta’s brother had stood in for him during the ceremony. Two weeks later, Zio Mario got their wedding photos in the mail.

  Lina hoped that Rosetta wouldn’t be too disappointed when she did finally meet her new husband. Zio Mario had a nice head of hair, according to Nonna, but he wasn’t exactly handsome and, aside from being good at the mandolin, he didn’t seem to have many other talents. Lina knew lots of people were married this way, their partners picked out for them by an old friend from the village, but she thought it was crazy. When she married, it would be to someone she chose herself. And she definitely wouldn’t be getting married at seventeen!

  The back door slammed and Zio marched through the kitchen, red-faced and sweaty. He didn’t look up as he passed Lina, which she hoped was a good sign. Maybe Bruno hadn’t told him that she’d seen him? Or maybe he was just too ashamed to look her in the eye?

  Bruno followed close behind, winking at Lina before he made his way down the corridor to his own bedroom.

  ‘I’m just going to check on Enzo,’ Lina said, quickly jumping up from the table. But Nonna was too busy cooking to pay much attention.

  ‘So, what did he say?’ Lina said, jumping onto Bruno’s bed and pulling her knees up under her chin. She was filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. ‘Did you tell him it was me who saw him?’

  Bruno shook his head. ‘I told him it was a mate of mine.’ He met Lina’s eye. ‘Just in case your “finishing school early” story doesn’t check out.’

  Lina felt her cheeks heat up. ‘Thanks, Bruno,’ she mumbled. He’d seen right through her. She was a terrible liar! ‘I owe you one.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll collect when the time is right,’ he grinned.

  ‘Well, what did Zio say then?’ Lina persisted. ‘When you told him?’

  ‘First he denied it,’ Bruno said, shaking his head, ‘but when I said I’d tell Nonna he came clean. Nonna scares the bejeezus out of him.’

  Lina snorted with laughter.

  ‘Shhh, not so loud!’ Bruno frowned. ‘He says he’s unhappy here. Says he was trying in the beginning to find a job but he reckons those Aussies treat him like dirt. Says they make fun of his accent, that kind of thing. That’s why he stopped trying to find work and just hangs out in that bar with those other no-good bums.’

  ‘Oh. I guess his English isn’t very good,’ Lina said, feeling sorry for Zio. ‘That must be hard.’

  ‘Hard?’ Bruno snorted angrily. ‘You think it was any easier for Ma and Papa? You know how many knockbacks they had to deal with before they found work? Look at our ma. She barely speaks a word of English yet she found a job, didn’t she? You don’t think they have to deal with that kind of rubbish every day? You don’t think I do? Spick, Dago, Wog, Spag-eater – you reckon I enjoy being called all those names?’

  Lina hung her head. All this time she had only been thinking of how hard life was for her. And she had been born here. She was a ‘true-blue Australian’. She didn’t have an Italian accent, like everyone else in her family. She didn’t have to struggle to be understood. How can I have been so selfish when it must be a hundred times worse for the others? she thought guiltily.

  Bruno softened. ‘Hey, don’t worry. It’s no big deal,’ he said putting his arm around Lina. ‘At least I get out of cleaning the goat’s pen.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Lina said.

  Bruno grinned. ‘I told Zio I wouldn’t tell anyone about his little secret as long as he cleaned out Bessie’s pen for me. Every week. Until he gets himself a proper job.’

  ‘Bruno!’ Lina said, trying not to laugh. ‘You’re wicked!’

  Bruno shrugged. ‘It’s a tough ol’ town, sis. You gotta do what you gotta do.’

  Lina remembered the other thing she had wanted to talk to Bruno about. ‘I forgot to tell you. When I was in the alleyway behind Johnny’s, a group of bodgies came up to me and called me names like those ones you just said. They were scary.’

  Bruno’s face became suddenly serious. ‘Was the guy really pimply?’ he asked. ‘Ugly, with black hair?’

  Lina nodded.

  Bruno paled. ‘You didn’t tell them who you were, did you?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Don’t ever tell them you’re a Gattuso,’ he said urgently. ‘Don’t let on that you’re Pierino’s and my sister, will you? Oh, man,’ he murmured, running his fingers through his thick black hair. ‘I’d hate anything to happen to you because of us.’ He turned to Lina and looked at her severely. ‘Don’t ever go into that alleyway again, okay?’

  ‘Okay,’ said Lina, feeling nervous.

  ‘Promise?’

  ‘I promise. Bruno, you’re scaring me. Who are those guys?’

  ‘Lina, they’re the Carlton Park gang. They’re our worst enemies. They hate us. They hate all Italians. You see any of them again, you come straight to me, okay?’

  Lina nodded nervously. ‘Okay,’ she said in a little voice. She almost wished she hadn’t told Bruno. Now she felt afraid. She had spent her whole life in Carlton and it had never seemed a scary place before.

  Later that evening, when she was alone in her bedroom, Lina thought about her long, long day and all that’d happened since her argument with Sarah at lunchtime. Why did people hate Italians? she wondered. Her dad told her that a lot of Australians didn’t like the Italians because they had fought on the same side as Hitler in the war. Lina looked at the cover of Anne Frank’s diary by her bedside and Anne gazed back at her. You were hated, too, weren’t you, A
nne? Lina thought sadly. Just because you were Jewish. Does that mean we would have been enemies if our fathers had been in the war? It made no sense to her. How could someone hate you just for being born?

  Lina wondered if this would make a good article for the school magazine. There were lots of  Jewish people in Carlton she could interview. And perhaps she could interview her parents, too? It would be interesting to compare their stories. Perhaps her article wouldn’t be as fun to read as the fashion pages or as exciting as the Olympics. But maybe it would make girls like Sarah see that whether you were Italian or Jewish or even a blonde-haired blue-eyed Australian, you could all share the same hopes and dreams.

  ‘I HAVE the most exciting news!’ Mary dashed into the school library where Lina was reading her book in front of the fire. ‘You’ll never guess what Dad brought home!’

  ‘What?’ Lina said, caught up in her friend’s excitement.

  ‘Our very own television!’ Mary said. ‘Can you believe it? You just have to come and see it, Lina. It’s amazing! Last night we watched two shows and the news. It’s real people being filmed. Not like the movies. It’s like having the whole world in your lounge room.’

  ‘Oh wow!’ Lina said. ‘I can’t wait to see it!’

  ‘You’ll love it!’ said Mary. ‘Tomorrow night Mum’s having a party so that all our neighbours can come and watch. You should come, too!’

  Lina’s face fell. ‘Is Sarah going?’ she mumbled.

  Mary sighed loudly. ‘Well, yes, but that’s only because her parents are friends with my parents. You know that.’

  Lina frowned. ‘Sorry, I just can’t face Sarah after what happened yesterday.’

  ‘Well, come after school today. Then you’ll be the first to see. After me, of course. Gosh, I think I might be the only girl in the whole school to have her very own television!’ Mary said gleefully.

  ‘I don’t think I can come today,’ Lina said.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Mum hasn’t been too well lately. I need to help Nonna with my little brother.

  ‘Oh,’ Mary said, looking disappointed. ‘That’s a shame.’