"Sir, we've arranged everything. Will your wife be coming down?" the funeral director asked me.
"Thank you Paolos. I'll be fetching her in a few minutes," I replied as I waited for Sven to answer the phone.
"Alright Sir. I'll alert the other visitors," he said before walking away.
"Sven, how far are the girls?" I asked him once he answered the phone.
"We've just landed Sir. We'll be there in twenty minutes," he responded.
"Take them straight to Luigi when you get here," I instructed before hanging up.
We were taking a big chance by having my grandmother in law's funeral, but I was willing to risk everything if it meant my wife would get the closure she needed. It hadn't been an easy week for her.
I headed up to our room and found her standing in our closet, looking at her black clothing. I could tell that her thoughts were a million miles away, so I went ahead and picked a dress for her to wear. She looked up at me with glossy eyes and gave me a small smile.
"You always know when I need you," she laughed a little. I reached out to wipe away her tear.
"Are you ok Ari, despite how stupid my question may seem?" I asked.
"It's not stupid Rafe. I don't know how to feel just as yet. I mean, I've cried my eyes out the whole week, and now all I feel is relief and peace. I know she wouldn't want me to mourn her death for the rest of my days, and that makes it easier for me to overcome this. I'm only sad because I've lost my last link to my old life," she explained.
"I have a surprise for you," I told her as I walked over to one of my drawers.
"What is it?" she asked behind me.
"It took a lot to arrange this, but I would do anything for you, and I knew that it would mean the world to you for this to happen. Mi amore, we're not only burying your grandmother today," I said as I handed over the folder.
"What do you mean?" she scowled, looking through the folder.
"When I asked you if you consider Italy your home, you told me that it's the only place that has ever been home to you, so I arranged to have your family members dug up. Your friend, Tobias, helped Rhonda and I to make this possible. Their coffins were delicately handled and were flown in yesterday afternoon. Paolos confirmed that the family plot I bought can fit the six of them. Of course that means I have to buy a new family plot, but I had to get this done for you. I don't want you to have to fly out to D.C every time you want to visit your family, so this way, they'll all be in one place," I explained.
Love.
That's all I could see in her teary eyes as she looked up from the folder. Like I said, it took a lot to make this happen, but luckily for me Tobias knew all the right people in the States; and since I know the right people this side, it was easy to then put the whole thing together.
"What did I do to deserve you?" she whispered.
"You saw the goodness in my daughters and I," I chuckled a little.
"That I did! I can't believe you did this for me caro. I am confident that no other woman on the planet can say that they're this lucky. I don't even know how to thank you," she let her tears free.
"Just keep loving me and all my flaws and we'll be fine," I smiled, wiping away her tears.
"I love you Raphael, more than I ever thought was possible," she wrapped her arms around me, dropping the folder.
YOU ARE READING
The Maestri Amour (Wattys 2015) - ON HIATUS
General Fiction"Child, he doesn't know anything about his own life. You think he's a mystery to you and the world? Little do you know that he's a mystery to himself. He doesn't know of the lies that surround him. He has dark secrets Rita, dark secrets that practic...
