One Summer in Rome: a deliciously uplifting summer romance!. Samantha Tonge
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Название: One Summer in Rome: a deliciously uplifting summer romance!
Автор: Samantha Tonge
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современная зарубежная литература
isbn: 9780008239176
isbn:
Natale pursed her lips.
‘Sorry – have I said something wrong?’
‘No, of course not – it’s just … you don’t know the whole story.’
What could she mean? But then they didn’t know the full story about Mary. So why should she expect Natale to share every detail?
‘It’s great that Dante helps out with Lucia,’ said Mary. ‘And that must have helped him build his confidence too, in the beginning – trying out activities with a child who won’t judge.’
‘I’m sure you are right – although he has always spent time with her. Did right from the first weeks when her father ran off, in the days when he could still see.’ Natale fiddled with her watch. ‘I don’t know how I would have managed without him. Papà was so wrapped up with being angry and Mamma …’
Mary squeezed her arm. ‘I caught part of Dante’s conversation with your dad, the other day,’ she said, eventually. ‘He went into a school to give a talk? I’d be scared of doing that.’
‘Dante belongs to a volunteer programme, to spread awareness about his condition. Oro always gets thoroughly spoilt by the schoolchildren.’ Natale’s heart-shaped face fell for a second. ‘I don’t talk about this with Papà – he would only worry – but sometimes I think Dante keeps too busy.’
‘Better than staying in and overthinking his situation, surely?’
Natale finished her water. ‘But he even goes to the cinema now. They provide …’
‘We call it audio description, in English.’
Natale nodded. ‘Thing is, he was never a big fan of the movies, so why bother now …? I think he just does it to prove a point and to block things out – Mamma dying a year after his blindness …’
‘What a terrible time for you all.’ It would have been unbearable to watch this family going through such grief. For just a second, Mary’s heart warmed towards Dante. And Rocco – could the waiter really be so bad if he’d been such a support?
Tears welled in Natale’s eyes. ‘You have no idea,’ she whispered. ‘And sometimes it still feels so raw.’
Mary blinked rapidly. She wanted to ask more but knew that often, all people wanted was someone to listen.
‘Dante hardly spoke for a few weeks and then suddenly came to life with all these intentions and a kind of … harder attitude. After the funeral he threw himself into learning Braille and that was when he started to talk about getting a guide dog.’ Natale dabbed her eyes with a napkin. ‘Whereas Papà … I still see him struggle, really struggle with Mamma’s death.’
‘And you?’ Mary said, gently. Thinking about it, the family hardly ever spoke about the mother.
Natale blew her nose. ‘I am the lucky one – Lucia takes up most of my thoughts. For that I’m grateful.’ She sat more upright. ‘Although there is one thing Dante has given up. Dancing. He used to love going to nightclubs whenever he could. He’s inherited Alfonso’s genes.’
Mary smiled and pictured Alfonso who would occasionally enjoy swaying under the canopy at night, Enzo’s jazz music playing in the background after the last customer had left.
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