It's Always Been You

The Feast

The next two weeks had been excellent for the Marcovaldos’ business. The warm weather brought out more fish, which meant bigger, better product and more demand. A few years prior, Nonna Paguro had sold Massimo on the idea of selling other seafood delicacies. It had taken time for the people of Portorosso to come around to the idea of eating things like seaweed and urchins, but once they tried it, the demand only grew.

Today was another successful day. Their catch had been abundant, so they had plenty of leftover fish after making deliveries, and their stall had been swept clean by two in the afternoon. Massimo had been in exceptionally high spirits, and had asked Giulia and Alberto if they would like something special for dinner that night.

Giulia had eagerly started listing off some of her favorite dishes. Alberto said nothing, but a sudden feeling overtook him. It felt the way he felt when he was expecting a phone call from Luca and Giulia in Genova or when he landed a successful kick in calico. It made his heart start fluttering and his stomach twist.

“Can I cook?” He had no idea where the idea had come from, but as soon as the words were out, Alberto felt better. Massimo and Giulia looked at him curiously. “I just mean,” Alberto scratched the back of his neck to try and keep his hands busy, “I um, I want to try and make dinner. You always cook, Papa, and I wanna take care of it tonight. Give you a break.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, figlio. I am always happy to provide for you and your sorella.”

“I know! I just really wanna cook. You’ve taught me a lot, and I want to show you what I’ve learned.”

“Well, I certainly won’t complain,” Giulia said happily. “You're gonna make that lasagna you made last summer, right? I swear, I thought I was gonna die, it was so good!” Alberto snickered at her description. 

“I’ll see what I can do.” The feeling was still there, and Alberto had the sudden urge to keep talking. He looked up at Massimo and asked “Can we invite Luca and his family?” Massimo’s warm smile had Alberto’s stomach twisting more.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Alberto. Why don’t Giulia and I finish cleaning up here and you can go let them know and get started?”

Alberto was already making a beeline towards the pier, shouting out a quick “Grazie, Papa!” over his shoulder. 

-

Alberto had been hard at work all afternoon. He’d swam faster than usual to get to the Paguro home, and had greeted both Daniela and Nonna with a bright smile. When he’d extended the invitation to dinner, explaining that they’d been having a good week and wanted to celebrate, Nonna had assured him that they would be there. 

He’d missed the meaningful look shared between the two women as he thanked him. After agreeing on a time, Alberto left in a rush, shouting out his goodbye.

Since then, he’d been in the kitchen. He hadn’t really thought as he started pulling out pots and pans and flipped open the lid to the Marcovaldo family’s recipe box. He had a few dishes that he knew by heart, but it just wasn’t enough. There was a pounding inside of him that seemed to be propelling him forward, guiding his thoughts as he moved around the kitchen. 

It has to be perfect, the feeling told him. It has to be absolutely perfect.

Massimo and Giulia had been unofficially banned from the kitchen. Massimo had offered to help with some of the hot dishes, particularly one that required white wine, but Alberto had insisted that he could handle it. When Giulia had tried to stir one of the saucepans, Alberto had actually growled at her. 

That had been a surprise to them both. Giulia had held up her hands in surrender, her eyes wide. Alberto felt his ears burning as he offered a hasty apology, muttering that he had no idea what that had been.