Read Online Are We There Yet? by David Levithan - Free Book Online
Authors: David Levithan
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sleep. He pulls a chair to the window and takes Dickens's
Pictures from Italy
from his bag. He reads five pages and then, on his sixth page, he finds these words:
“Sunday was a day so bright and blue: so cloudless, balmy, wonderfully bright…that all the previous bad weather vanished from the recollection in a moment.”
And Elijah thinks,
That is exactly it.
The serendipity of the printed page.
Danny wakes up as Elijah turns the twenty-first page of that day. He is happy until he looks at his watch (sitting guiltily on the bedside table). Then he becomes frantic.
“Why didn't you wake me?” he accuses as he pulls on his pants. He can't help it—he feels sabotaged.
“I'm sorry,” Elijah says in a tone that isn't sorry at all.
Danny hustles Elijah out of the room and orders the concierge to call the restaurant and pronounce a delay. Elijah is glad he spent the afternoon wandering, because Danny sprints him to the vaporetto so fast that there isn't much time to look at anything. Even on the boat, the air between them is tense and time-concerned. Elijah wants to let go of Danny's thoughts— after all, no amount of grimacing will make the boat go faster. But Danny's aggravation is inescapable. It imposes.
Elijah closes his eyes and thinks of Julia. He tries to count the number of words they exchanged—whatever the number is, it is unbelievably small. There is no real reason for Elijah to be thinking about her with such wistful longing. And yet, it is exactly because there's no real reason that the emotion is more intriguing.
After a time—a time filled with water and alleyways—they arrive at Antico Capriccio. It is a tiny restaurant, on the corner of somewhere and nowhere. It has been recommended by a friend of a friend of Danny's. He had to mention the friend of a friend's name when making the reservation—the Continental equivalent of a secret handshake.
They are greeted at the door by an old man named Joseph.
It soon becomes clear that he is owner and waiter, maitre d' and busboy. Whenever possible, he stays out of the kitchen. That is his wife's territory.
Joseph doesn't speak much English, and doesn't care to hear it anyway. Danny starts to ask if Visa is accepted, but Joseph brushes the question away like a foul odor. Chatting amiably, he seats Danny and Elijah by an ancient fireplace. They are the only ones in the restaurant—or, at the very least, the only ones they can see. Joseph brings them wine before they even see the menus. Danny tries to protest—he prefers white to red. But Elijah takes the wine gladly; just the sight of it makes him feel warm.
The menus are entirely in Italian. Danny and Elijah both feel the need for Danny's travel dictionary, but they are too abashed to take it out. It doesn't matter anyway—when an answer isn't immediately forthcoming, Joseph pulls the menus from their hands and orders for them. He clearly revels in their confusion, but not in a mean-spirited, French way.
Let me take care of you
, his smile says. Elijah relaxes and submits willingly after it is made clear that he is
vegetariano
. Danny has never been able to submit willingly to anything besides his boss's whims. He is not about to start now. He asks if the fish is good. Joseph laughs and walks away.
“So how was your day?” Danny asks, his fingers tapping the table.
“Fine.”
“Where did you go?”
“Around.”
“The weather was good?”
“Yeah.”
“It didn't rain?”
“Nope.”
“That's good.”
“Yeah.”
Talking like this is like throwing small, round stones— nothing can be built from them, except perhaps the cairn of a lost conversation. Neither brother is trying. Instead, they are filling the space, united by their mutual dislike of awkward silence.
Joseph returns to light a candle. Elijah spots a medal on his lapel and asks if he's ever been in a war. This is clearly the right question to ask. Joseph takes the medal from his jacket and lets Elijah hold it in his
Pictures from Italy
from his bag. He reads five pages and then, on his sixth page, he finds these words:
“Sunday was a day so bright and blue: so cloudless, balmy, wonderfully bright…that all the previous bad weather vanished from the recollection in a moment.”
And Elijah thinks,
That is exactly it.
The serendipity of the printed page.
Danny wakes up as Elijah turns the twenty-first page of that day. He is happy until he looks at his watch (sitting guiltily on the bedside table). Then he becomes frantic.
“Why didn't you wake me?” he accuses as he pulls on his pants. He can't help it—he feels sabotaged.
“I'm sorry,” Elijah says in a tone that isn't sorry at all.
Danny hustles Elijah out of the room and orders the concierge to call the restaurant and pronounce a delay. Elijah is glad he spent the afternoon wandering, because Danny sprints him to the vaporetto so fast that there isn't much time to look at anything. Even on the boat, the air between them is tense and time-concerned. Elijah wants to let go of Danny's thoughts— after all, no amount of grimacing will make the boat go faster. But Danny's aggravation is inescapable. It imposes.
Elijah closes his eyes and thinks of Julia. He tries to count the number of words they exchanged—whatever the number is, it is unbelievably small. There is no real reason for Elijah to be thinking about her with such wistful longing. And yet, it is exactly because there's no real reason that the emotion is more intriguing.
After a time—a time filled with water and alleyways—they arrive at Antico Capriccio. It is a tiny restaurant, on the corner of somewhere and nowhere. It has been recommended by a friend of a friend of Danny's. He had to mention the friend of a friend's name when making the reservation—the Continental equivalent of a secret handshake.
They are greeted at the door by an old man named Joseph.
It soon becomes clear that he is owner and waiter, maitre d' and busboy. Whenever possible, he stays out of the kitchen. That is his wife's territory.
Joseph doesn't speak much English, and doesn't care to hear it anyway. Danny starts to ask if Visa is accepted, but Joseph brushes the question away like a foul odor. Chatting amiably, he seats Danny and Elijah by an ancient fireplace. They are the only ones in the restaurant—or, at the very least, the only ones they can see. Joseph brings them wine before they even see the menus. Danny tries to protest—he prefers white to red. But Elijah takes the wine gladly; just the sight of it makes him feel warm.
The menus are entirely in Italian. Danny and Elijah both feel the need for Danny's travel dictionary, but they are too abashed to take it out. It doesn't matter anyway—when an answer isn't immediately forthcoming, Joseph pulls the menus from their hands and orders for them. He clearly revels in their confusion, but not in a mean-spirited, French way.
Let me take care of you
, his smile says. Elijah relaxes and submits willingly after it is made clear that he is
vegetariano
. Danny has never been able to submit willingly to anything besides his boss's whims. He is not about to start now. He asks if the fish is good. Joseph laughs and walks away.
“So how was your day?” Danny asks, his fingers tapping the table.
“Fine.”
“Where did you go?”
“Around.”
“The weather was good?”
“Yeah.”
“It didn't rain?”
“Nope.”
“That's good.”
“Yeah.”
Talking like this is like throwing small, round stones— nothing can be built from them, except perhaps the cairn of a lost conversation. Neither brother is trying. Instead, they are filling the space, united by their mutual dislike of awkward silence.
Joseph returns to light a candle. Elijah spots a medal on his lapel and asks if he's ever been in a war. This is clearly the right question to ask. Joseph takes the medal from his jacket and lets Elijah hold it in his
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