huge garden—she even saw some grapevines along a fencerow. The moo of a cow told her theremust be a pasture full of cattle, maybe behind the barn where she couldn’t see. And looked like somebody had been busy loading fresh hay into the barn, getting ready for winter—just like she and her brothers were trying to do. “Well, ain’t this nice,” she said.
When neither of her brothers replied, she could figure out why easily enough: envy. Any of them would be plum lucky to ever end up with a place this nice, and things weren’t looking too promising for any of her family these days.
Dellmarched up onto the porch and knocked while she and Wally stood back, waiting. But no one came to the door.
“Son of a bitch,” Wally muttered, then threw his hat down on the narrow front walk. Edna didn’t bother scolding him this time. When she’d seen this place, she’d been filled with hope, but now she realized that was silly. Nothing had gone right on this trip so far—why had she expected their luck to suddenly change?
Silently, the three trudged toward the lane, headed back to the road—when they all looked up to see what had to be the fanciest car on God’s green earth crossing the bridge toward them. It was long and sleek and turquoise. “Damn,” Dell murmured, eyes wide.
“What kinda car is that?” Edna asked. Dell knew about cars—Mr. Dills at the drugstore in town sometimes let him have the car magazines from the rack in back if they sat there a long time without selling.
“That, sis, is a Cadillac,” he said, still in awe as it neared them. “An Eldorado Biarritz. First one I ever seen outside of pictures. Look at them fins.”
But by now Edna was too busy studying the fella inside the convertible to worry about the car’s fins. The man appeared dark and handsome in a beige suit and matching hat, and to Edna’s way of thinking, he was just as nice to look at as the Cadillac.
He didn’t seem alarmed to see three strangers standing in his yard—instead he just smiled and waved as if he knew them, the picture of confidence as he drove past to park behind the house.
Edna’s knees nearly knocked beneath her skirt a she approached.
“Buongiorno ,” he said. “How can I help you?”
And then she nearly swooned. He had some kind of foreign accent she’d never heard before, except maybe in the movies.
Dell explained, hat in hand, their run of bad luck—the broken-down truck and that they were looking for work. “Anything you got, we’d be willin’ to take. Me and Wally here are good field hands, and Edna, too—and she can cook and clean a blue streak. Makes the best apple pie you ever had—even better than our mama’s, and that’s sayin’ a lot.”
Edna had no idea why she was suddenly so nervous—except that she’d never been in the presence of such a handsome, well-dressed man before. And in this moment, it felt like he held their fate in his hands.
“As luck would have it,” he said, “I am alone here, keeping the place up myself. I had two hired men, but they quit a week ago for factory jobs in Columbus. I could use some help.”
Dell looked like he might drop to his knees in gratitude, and it was all Edna could do to hold back tears. Wally, always the tough one, stepped up to negotiate wages, but they all knew they’d accept whatever the handsome man offered. Turned out, though, he was willing to pay a fair price, and even said they could sleep in a spare room in his home, all with a genuine smile on his face. As Edna listened to the exchange, she found herself caught up in the way he talked.
“Mister,” Edna stepped up to ask once the arrangements had been made, “mind if I ask where you’re from?”
He smiled at her curiosity and her heart flip-flopped in her chest. “I come from a small fishing village called Vernazza, on the Italian coast.”
The Italian coast? Heavens above. One day Edna hadn’t traveled out of the county where she’d been born, and a few
When neither of her brothers replied, she could figure out why easily enough: envy. Any of them would be plum lucky to ever end up with a place this nice, and things weren’t looking too promising for any of her family these days.
Dellmarched up onto the porch and knocked while she and Wally stood back, waiting. But no one came to the door.
“Son of a bitch,” Wally muttered, then threw his hat down on the narrow front walk. Edna didn’t bother scolding him this time. When she’d seen this place, she’d been filled with hope, but now she realized that was silly. Nothing had gone right on this trip so far—why had she expected their luck to suddenly change?
Silently, the three trudged toward the lane, headed back to the road—when they all looked up to see what had to be the fanciest car on God’s green earth crossing the bridge toward them. It was long and sleek and turquoise. “Damn,” Dell murmured, eyes wide.
“What kinda car is that?” Edna asked. Dell knew about cars—Mr. Dills at the drugstore in town sometimes let him have the car magazines from the rack in back if they sat there a long time without selling.
“That, sis, is a Cadillac,” he said, still in awe as it neared them. “An Eldorado Biarritz. First one I ever seen outside of pictures. Look at them fins.”
But by now Edna was too busy studying the fella inside the convertible to worry about the car’s fins. The man appeared dark and handsome in a beige suit and matching hat, and to Edna’s way of thinking, he was just as nice to look at as the Cadillac.
He didn’t seem alarmed to see three strangers standing in his yard—instead he just smiled and waved as if he knew them, the picture of confidence as he drove past to park behind the house.
Edna’s knees nearly knocked beneath her skirt a she approached.
“Buongiorno ,” he said. “How can I help you?”
And then she nearly swooned. He had some kind of foreign accent she’d never heard before, except maybe in the movies.
Dell explained, hat in hand, their run of bad luck—the broken-down truck and that they were looking for work. “Anything you got, we’d be willin’ to take. Me and Wally here are good field hands, and Edna, too—and she can cook and clean a blue streak. Makes the best apple pie you ever had—even better than our mama’s, and that’s sayin’ a lot.”
Edna had no idea why she was suddenly so nervous—except that she’d never been in the presence of such a handsome, well-dressed man before. And in this moment, it felt like he held their fate in his hands.
“As luck would have it,” he said, “I am alone here, keeping the place up myself. I had two hired men, but they quit a week ago for factory jobs in Columbus. I could use some help.”
Dell looked like he might drop to his knees in gratitude, and it was all Edna could do to hold back tears. Wally, always the tough one, stepped up to negotiate wages, but they all knew they’d accept whatever the handsome man offered. Turned out, though, he was willing to pay a fair price, and even said they could sleep in a spare room in his home, all with a genuine smile on his face. As Edna listened to the exchange, she found herself caught up in the way he talked.
“Mister,” Edna stepped up to ask once the arrangements had been made, “mind if I ask where you’re from?”
He smiled at her curiosity and her heart flip-flopped in her chest. “I come from a small fishing village called Vernazza, on the Italian coast.”
The Italian coast? Heavens above. One day Edna hadn’t traveled out of the county where she’d been born, and a few
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