Salvatore's mother looked Adriana up and down at an agonisingly slow pace. Her eyes practically burning through her in the most intimidating manner. Adriana opened her mouth to say something but closed it again after nothing came out, she was speechless. It was clear his mother had no idea she would be here. How embarrassing. She thought to herself utterly humiliated. Her fingers nervously played with the front of her strapless white dress wishing for someone to finally break the awkward silence.
"Salvatore!" His mother's voice shrieked. "Ho detto, chi è questa?" (I said, who is she?), she repeated turning her attention from Adriana and back to her son who was looking calm and un phased.
"Mamma smetila. E attenta a quello che dici. capisce Italiano". (stop it and be careful what you say, she understands Italian)
His mother remained un phased with the information. She rolled her eyes and stopped the waiter walking by with a tray of champagne. Slowly she took two flutes handing one to the nervous wreck which was Adriana and immediately started to fire away with the questions.
"Come ti chiami?" (What's your name?)
"Adriana" she replied sheepishly taking a sip from the crystal flute. Her lips were parched, she wasn't sure if it was from the long drive or her sudden state of nervousness.
"How old are you?" As if the question wasn't intimidating enough, she looked her up and down suspiciously as if trying to guess her age in her mind.
"Twenty five Signora Abandonato" (Mrs. Abandonato)
"Please, call me Josephine" she corrected her almost immediately.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to continue the very awkward interrogation, they heard Salvatore's father call out to him to come and join the men. Although Salvatore was a little sceptical, his mother practically pushed him towards them eagerly encouraging him to leave the two ladies alone. Perfect. Josephine thought trying to hide her smirk.
"So Josephine" Adriana began once they were alone, "you have a lovely home. Salvo tells me you enjoy entertaining"
"As do you dear"
"Sorry?" She choked on the champagne bubbles in shock. Did she just say that?
"At least I know you're not pregnant" Josephine continued, "you're drinking champagne after all"
Once she recovered from her coughing fit, Adriana took a deep breath and another sip of her champagne. This time though, the sip was more of a large gulp. She needed something stronger to put up with this.
"I assume you're Italian seeing though you understand it. Tell me, what other Italian practices are you following?" Josephine kept her eyes on her knowing full well it was making her an absolute nervous wreck. She was pressing her and did not intend to let up. This woman was on her property which gave her the right to find out everything about her.
"I'm not sure I understand Josephine?"
"Oh don't be coy Adriana. Are you having sex with my son?"
"What? No!" Her response could not have sounded anymore shocking. Was she really asking her these questions? This is why she wanted Salvo away from us.
"Why not?"
"Josephine, I ah, I'm not really comfortable with this..."
"I was not brought on this earth to make you comfortable. Does it look like I honestly care?" She retorted placing her empty champagne flute on the tray of the waiter walking by and reaching for yet another.
"I suppose not..."
"Well then, why are you here even though you're not sleeping with my son?"
Adriana was growing quickly tired of Josephine's antics. What did she even mean by all this? She knew if she responded yes to the original question she would have received a slap in the face, yet answering no wasn't exactly a walk in the park either. Her questions were completely out of line and it was become increasingly harder to respond.
"I'm sorry; does your son bring home random women he sleeps with? I don't know where we're going with this"
Josephine perched her lips together and let out a small chuckle. Her smiling eyes watching Adriana squirm. She was finally getting a reaction out of her. "My son doesn't bring anyone home Adriana" she replied in a matter of fact tone. "I know my son though, and you are not his type. You seem... Modest"
She took that as a compliment, as least she had moved on from calling her an entertainer.
"He will get bored of you, you know that right?"
"I'm confused. Are you telling me to sleep with your son?"
Josephine rolled her eyes, took a drink and responded. "I'm telling you you're just a phase. He's obviously moved on from the easy women and has decided he'd be more excited dabbling in the game of the chase. Mark my words though, he will drop you once he's done. Save yourself the humiliation and end it"
The laughter rolling off Adriana's lips was not something Josephine expected to hear. She watched her throw her head back and whole heartedly laugh out loud. She replaced her drink with another and drank half of it down before regaining composure.
"Your son invited me here" she began trying to keep her voice as low as possible so to not alert the other guests.
"My son does a lot of stupid things Adriana. Now if its money you want mark my words you won't be getting any from us. Stop trying to entrap him or I will have you taken care of myself" she threatened without a care in the world.
"If I were trying to entrap him Josephine", Adriana placed a hand on her hip. "I'd be fũcking him. Which I already told you, I'm not!" Holy shĩt I did not just say that..?
So she can fight back. Josephine smiled and slowly nodded her head as if suddenly impressed with the reaction she was seeing before her. "Now that's more like it" she murmured fixing a strand of her hair escaping her stylish side bun. "We don't need any more whiney women in this family" she elaborated seeing the look of confusion spreading across her face. "Salvatore isn't like my other boys. He is my oldest, he has seen more than the others. He has had to put up with many things Adriana and he needs a strong woman. Not some whiney little puppy waiting for someone to throw them a bone. Do you understand?" She asked but didn't wait for a response. "He won't shower you with the sort of love you're expecting, if that's something you want you need to end this thing. He only knows how to protect his own"
"So no love and nurturing then, that explains a lot Josephine. You should be ashamed of yourself! You haven't even taught him the basics of how to treat people. He's completely shut off from the world if you ask me!"
"Love and nurturing? Where we grew up there was no time for such things! My son would die for his family. That's more than we could ever ask for" hey eyes darted behind Adriana suspiciously, "he's coming back" she quietly announced. "Do not hurt my son Adriana. This is not the family you want to mess with"
"Tutto bene?" (Everything ok?) Salvatore called out approaching the women with his father. Josephine smiled briefly taking Adriana's hand and squeezing it tightly.
"Everything is perfect Salvo. I was just telling Adriana how lovely she looks in white. It most certainly is her colour. Wouldn't you agree?" She let go of her hand taking a step towards Salvatore and embracing him before pulling back away. "Maybe one day Adriana would have reason to buy another white dress hmm?" She watched her son roll his eyes and practically stop breathing at the thought.
"Mamma smetila!" (Stop it!) He turned his attention to his father and introduced him to Adriana who smiled politely silently hoping he had no further questions.
================================================================================
Lunch was just as awkward as the introductions. A large table had been setup in the gardens for the adults and a smaller table was set up to the side for all the teenagers and children.
"So Adriana" Salvatore's father began as he dug the fork into the fresh roast and began slicing it with a sharp knife at the head of the table. "How long have you known my son?"
She picked at pink nails under the table nervously, her eyes drawn down towards her lap and slowly rising to meet his father's overwhelming gaze. There was something about him, a power he gave off which screamed authority through every pore in his body. This is exactly where Salvo gets this from.
"A little while now", her reply was delayed and it only came when she felt Salvatore's elbow slightly nudge her.
"A few weeks? Months? What are we talking here?"
"Months I guess"
He nodded and finished up slicing. He reached for a spoon collecting the juices from the meat and delicately pouring it back over the meat moistening it before instructing his wife to commence passing it around the table.
Josephine began cutting up the lasagne in the tray as the meat went around the table. Suddenly she looked up with the knife pointed to the sky glistening in the sunlight.
"Oh I forgot to ask Adriana, will you be needing your own room tonight or would you like to sleep with my son?"
"Cazzo mamma! Finiscila!" (Fũck! Stop it!) Salvatore smacked his clenched fist on the table in anger shocking almost everybody.
"Hey!" Josephine challenged back, "non to rischiare a parlare cosi con me!" (Don't you dare speak to me like that)
"Allora finiscila perché mi stai facendo incazzare mamma" (Well then stop it because you're pissing me off)
"Se non ti piace Salvo" (If you don't like it) Josephine's voice was now harsh towards her son, "te ne puoi andare". (you can leave) She knew very well Salvatore would never dare to get up and leave. He loved her too much to show her such disrespect.
As predicted, she watched him mumble something to himself before slapping some meat onto his plate.
"As I was saying Adriana..."
"I'd appreciate my own room" Adriana replied quite simply before allowing her to finish her sentence, she no longer wanted to hear anything further leave her lips, especially in front of their entire family.
The birthday girl Isabella began to grow quite fond of Adriana. She was a new face after all and the small three year old was very curious about her. The fact that she gave her a pink and purple princess castle doll house also had a little something to do with it.
When she made her way to Adriana half way through lunch tugging on her dress Salvatore attempted to grumpily shoo her away immediately. He loved Isabella, but he was in a foul mood with his mother.
"Princess castle?" Isabella pleaded with her big dark brown eyes turning to point to the box across the garden.
Adriana chuckled rising from her chair taking her napkin from her lap and placing it on the table.
"Where are you going?" Salvatore was quick to query. "Isabella and I have a Princess castle to put together" she squatted down to the three year olds level and loudly whispered, "do you think zio Salvatore wants to help with the princess castle?"
Isabella scrunched up her nose and burst out laughing, "guns are for boys, princess castles are for girls!" She stated with her hands on her hips. Salvatore secretly smirked as Isabella reached for Adriana's hand and proceeded to pull her along towards the princess castle box.
What the heck did that child just say? Adriana thought to herself mortified as she was being dragged towards the box. What has this little girl seen and heard?
Why hi there readers!
TGIF! TGIF! TGIF! Woohoo! How are we all? I really appreciate all the extra votes lately it really means a lot guys, keep them coming! It really makes me feel appreciated & it motivates me to post more & more.
Sharing my work is a new experience for me, I honestly never thought I ever would.
You guys are also helping me strive towards a possible book two, I have a whole plan for it but before we all get too excited I think I'll wait & see the outcome from book one.
So... Little Isabella hey! She knows her zio Salvatore far too well!
What do you guys think about family time in the Abandonato house hold?
Stay tuned for some interesting things to come... x