Page 370 of Marcello

A lifetime ago.

I stood there, my heart thudding in my chest.

Laura squeezed my hand. “You ready?”

I forced myself to breathe. “…yeah.”

As we walked up to the door, Laura stood behind me, and I rang the bell.

There were voices inside – He’s here, he’s here! – and the door opened wide.

The woman standing in front of me was very different from the one I’d left. Her hair was mostly grey now –

But it was still the face that I loved.

I smiled. “Hi, Mama.”

She immediately burst into tears and wrapped me up in her arms. “Marcello – Blessed Virgin, thank you!”

Behind her was a middle-aged man I’d seen in Facebook photos –

And also my sister and brother.

Gemma held a baby in her arms, and a toddler hid shyly behind her legs.

Edoardo stood there with his arm around his new wife.

Everyone was all smiles, and rushed in to hug me along with my mom.

“Marcello!” Gemma cried out.

“Where the hell have you been, bro?!” Edoardo laughed.

“I’ll tell you all about it,” I promised, “but first, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

I stepped aside to reveal Laura, who smiled and waved shyly.

“Everybody, this is Laura,” I said. “My fiancée.”

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Emilia

We got married at his family’s place outside Montepulciano. It was a small wedding – an outdoor ceremony in the backyard.

Giorgio’s entire family was there: his parents, his five brothers and sisters, their spouses and partners, and all his nieces and nephews.

I invited my estranged sister in Milan, but she made an excuse about not being able to come.

I didn’t care. I had a new family now.

Giorgio’s mother welcomed me into the family with open arms. I’d lost my own mother during the pandemic, and it felt like I got a little of her back.

Giorgio’s father, who had been so grumpy when we visited him the first time, served as Giorgio’s best man –

And he cried silently throughout the entire ceremony.

During the reception, he came over to me and hugged me.