Fugitive Angel

Chapter Eighteen

Italian music played in the background of my home while I stood in the kitchen with Ferruccio's father, Geoffrey. He was teaching me the basics of what he called 'true Italian cooking'. I never questioned it. I would have done anything to get my mind off Gabriel and Heaven, and all that stuff.

"Roll the dough like you are flattening soft sand, gently, and um," his father snapped at Ferruccio as he struggled to say the word in English,"attento."

"Careful," Ferruccio said as he sat at the table reading the newspaper. We had a bunch of people over for tonight. I decided it would have been fun for me to have my family and friends over for dinner. After all that happened, with Gabriel, I figured it was time to get back in touch with the rich and precious things that reality had to offer, and one of those was dinner parties. My favourite kind of party.

"Ci, careful. You see this?" Geoffrey said, his heavy Italian accent making me smile. I loved Italian accents, they were my favourite and I thought they were so beautiful. I watched Geoffrey roll the dough carefully and with all the care I had ever seen come from rolling dough. We were making home-made pizza for everyone. I thought it would be nice to start simple, but elegant and tasty. I began to roll the dough like he showed me, and he looked at me with an approving smile and nod. He looks at Ferruccio and laughs.

"She is good, you have not told me this," he said. My mother came in with Ramona and Alice in her arms. I smiled as she handed Alice to me and I held her tightly. I swayed her around slightly as Geoffrey went back to the pizza and talking about the beauty of food. Geoffrey Bandini was a true and amazing cook, plus a fascinating man. He talked of all the wars he had fought in, and his stories of his Italian soldier father who received a medal for something he had done in World War One. I was glad that there were more stories to come.

"Yes, Auralia always had the cooking strength of the family. Which we were lucky of, because without her we would have survived on pizza and French fries," my mother said with a laugh. I laughed and swayed my newborn baby to sleep. It didn't take long, Alice was always the one to fall asleep first. In the month I had these babies for, I had no trouble realizing their different patterns. When I got Alice to sleep I silently and slowly put her into her crib and let her sleep for the night. I kissed her forehead and left the room to get Ramona and make sure she fell asleep as well. Ramona liked to stay awake, and she did her best to stay up as long as she could. I had to get her to rest, because if she was up too long she would be crying all night due to her being so overtired. So I took her into my quiet bedroom until she fell asleep. I sang to her for half an hour before she fell asleep, and then I put her in her crib and left the room. I went back to the kitchen and found everyone in there, getting their plates ready. In my home was Geoffrey, Ferruccio, my mother, Delfina, my dad, Umberto, and my friend Raimondo from class. Him and Delfina were getting on well, quite needless to say.

"Pizza sarà pronto in 30 minuti. Sorseggiare un drink!" Geoffrey said in Italian. I looked at Ferruccio so he could translate for me.

"The food will be ready in thirty minutes, and to have a drink. My father believes a little alcohol helps one enjoy a meal more," Ferruccio said. I smiled and took a drink from the tray I had set out earlier. I clinked glasses with my dad and took a drink, smiling.

"Your father is a smart man. I really should catch up on my Italian. Ever since I had the babies I haven't been able to find the time to learn again," I said. Umberto came, took a drink, and sat down at the kitchen table.

"I recall telling you I would teach you, Auralia, and once your girls are older I shall teach them as well. You will all have to learn the language to live in Italy for the rest of your lives," Umberto said. I chuckled and sat down next to him.