What Nonna wants, Nonna gets. She wanted him happily married and he was “playacting” a very convincing part in the whole very elaborate charade.
‘Anywhere,’ I answered Kendall, in a tone that said everything I was suddenly feeling.
I saw her head snap around as she looked at me in surprise.
I bet she thinks I’m a right bitch.
‘What I meant to say was,’ I offered her a smile and tried to recover the situation, ‘anywhere under my skirts… I think it would be better pinned inside the dress as we don’t want to clash with Nico’s mamma’s cross and chain, do we?’
Appearing appeased, Kendall took the pin from my hand and bent down once again in front of me, I heard the tulle of the skirt sound as she flicked it up a little and pinned my new gift inside one of the layers.
‘I think you should put the cross inside your dress, wear it close to your heart, so she can feel your heartbeat when you marry her son.’ Nonna stepped around me on the opposite side to Kendall and lifting the chain with her fingertips she managed to drop it beneath the round neck of my dress. ‘Now, Pearl do you have the things I gave you earlier?’ she questioned.
‘Yes… hold on.’ I turned my head to the side to watch Pearl retrieve whatever it was she was looking for, just as Kendall began to stand up and flicked down my skirt as she righted herself.
‘I hope you’ll accept these from me, Bee.’ I looked up from Pearl’s closed hand to her face. She was almost unrecognisable, wearing a smart cream suit, with the roots of her pink hair also having been recently done and some subtle make-up on her face.
‘These are a few of the things that according to Greek tradition,’ Pearl slightly nodded at Nonna, who I knew was once again stood behind me, ‘are to be given by the bride’s family to the bride on her wedding day and as we are as close as family, I hope you don’t mind them coming from me?’ I watched her dab at her eyes with the lace handkerchief she was holding in her other hand.
I could feel pressure building up behind the back of my eyes and not being able to speak momentarily at her emotion and my own, I shook my head at her and offered her a small smile. She stepped forward and I watched her tie a sugar cube into the inside of my bouquet.
‘This sugar is given in the hope that you and Nico will have a sweet life together. This small piece of iron is given to ward off all evil spirits from entering your marriage.’
My eyes rested on her fingers as she deftly placed and tied the rust coloured iron once again inside my bouquet.
Evil spirits are one thing, but mafia is entirely different. I managed to stop myself from blowing air out forcibly through my closed lips at my thoughts.
Looking back up at the mirror I cast my eyes over myself fleetingly, unable to hold my own gaze for any length of time as the feeling of confusion hung heavily over me. Then I took in each of the three women stood in the large room with me. I had known only Pearl for any length of time and understood the love and commitment she had to making sure my wedding day was truly happy. But, Nonna, as I’d been instructed to call her from the moment we had met a few days ago and Kendall, as the wife of Nico’s best friend, were as equally committed into making this a day we would both remember. The two women loved him, so surely that meant that he couldn’t be all bad, could he?
I smiled at them all in turn, trying to wordlessly show them my thanks and gratitude. Then after watching Kendall check the time for the umpteenth time, I turned away from the mirror to face the door and my impending future.
‘Okay, it’s time to go… the chapel is only a short five-minute walk up the hill, but we’re already late and we don’t want to keep your husband-to-be waiting any longer than necessary, do we?’ Kendall assertively put out into the room and made her way to the door.
I laughed nervously out loud in response and put my fingers to my lips to silence it.
‘Can you both give us a couple of minutes please?’ Nonna asked, looking between Kendall and Pearl.
‘Sure,’ Pearl answered and placing a hand on Kendall’s arm they walked out of the door talking in excitement.
Please don’t say I’ve cocked it up.
After hearing their shoes click down the wooden staircase, I turned back to face Nonna and prepared myself.
‘I never thought this day would come, Barbara. You look so beautiful,’ she started and then when she took another breath, I knew that there was more to come.
‘Thank you,’ I replied, having really hoped that was the end of her speech.
She was a petite lady, but inside her was a strength and force that would take some reckoning with. Everything about her was borne from her desire to provide for and protect her family. It was very evident that she’d had to fight for her family before and she wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. Now that family only consisted of Nico and his brother Cade, they were all that mattered in her world. I had grown to admire her over the past few days and honestly believed that I could easily like her very much, I just hoped she felt the same about me.
‘I don’t know if Nico has already told you, but I was married to his grandfather, his namesake, for many years and after an unsteady first few months, they were genuinely the happiest of my life.’
I nodded at her nervously, unsure of what was coming next.
‘But as the wife of one Morello to the soon-to-be wife of another, I feel I need to offer you some advice…’
Nonna stretched out her arm and touched her hand to my forearm as she continued.
‘Barbara, I was once in your shoes, and I married to escape a life I wasn’t happy with.’
‘I…’ I began to protest but was truly grateful when she lifted her hand to stop me before the lie fell out.
‘They’re not easy men to be married to, but when they love you, you become the centre of their entire world, the axis point from which they pivot… I can see that you are not in love with Nico, just as I wasn’t with his grandfather when I married him.’
I took in a quick breath trying to stop the panic that had entered my body and to calm down the now very erratic beat of my heart as it stopped, stuttered and accelerated waiting for her next words.
‘But that doesn’t matter, because you see love can grow. The best and longest lasting marriages start as a seed of friendship. Then a kind word, some shared laughter, a thoughtful gesture and a loving touch are freely given and all of these things will enable that seed to shoot and flourish. In the past few days, I have seen Nico wholeheartedly give you all of those things and you have reciprocated. These gestures you are offering each other are all the things needed to make the seed of friendship you have, grow into a deep, long lasting love between you both. There will be ups and downs over your years together, of which I wish you many. But when you both accept and nurture these, a solid, loving foundation will be created. It becomes so strong and so much a part of you, that you will struggle to remember anything that came before it… So, Barbara, I just want to ask one thing of you.’
‘Anything,’ I replied, stunned with the woman’s perceptiveness, acceptance and understanding.
‘Often the men who are the hardest to love, need love the most.’
I let her words wash over me. I knew what she was asking. She wanted my promise that I’d try. That when things got difficult I’d try harder to love her brash boss of a grandson. She felt he was worth it, like her husband had been. But mainly she was checking my commitment to my impending marriage.