“If Papa said you could go out with David after all,
would you reconsider?”
“I
said, stop bringing him up.”
“That
would certainly be the ultimate test of your commitment, don’t you think?”
Connie said. “Wouldn’t you want to know?”
Gianna
scowled.“No. It wouldn’t make any difference at this point. I told you, he’s
nothing to me.”
Connie
looked back at her mother. “Then, I think we should invite him to dinner. Don’t
you, Mamma?”
Angie
looked up from the table, her expression brightening.
Mamma
looked confused. “ Non capisco .”
“He’s
been in the seminary,” Connie explained. “He knows what it’s like to have made
a decision like this, and he can understand what Gianna’s going through better
than any of us. Maybe he can at least help me understand. I’m not all
that big on giving my sister to the Church.”
Angie
smiled as she kept her gaze on Connie’s face.
“I
would find that embarrassing,” Gianna said angrily. “I wouldn’t stay.”
“Why?”
Connie asked with a smile. “You know, it’s perfectly okay to have friends of
the opposite sex, Gi. It doesn’t mean anything. You like him as a person; you
said so. So, let him be a friend.”
“I
don’t see the point.”
Connie
shrugged. “Okay, then I’ll just ask him to meet with me. I want to understand
this calling thing and why someone would choose to close themselves off from so
much that’s wonderful about God’s world.”
Gianna’s
eyes narrowed once more. “Why don’t you just come out and say it, Connie? You
don’t understand how somebody could choose to give up sex.”
“You’re
right. I don’t understand why you would give up sex or kids or having a family.”
Connie’s temper flared once more. “Your own house. Freedom. The ability to eat
what you want, go to the movies, watch TV, listen to the Rolling Stones. Choose
your own clothes. Take a trip. Sleep in. Go shopping. Change your hairstyle.
You’ll never have an independent moment again, Gi!”
“Nuns
go places. Cousin Vittoria was at Teresa’s wedding. I see nuns in bookstores,”
Gianna answered.
“Yeah,
but I bet they’re not buying Arthur Hailey novels. And Vittoria hasn’t been let
out to see her sister’s new baby.”
“Enough!”
Mamma held her hands up to stop them. “You give me the headache.”
Gianna
went down the hallway to the bedrooms, out of sight without another word.
Angie
stood up from the table and smiled at Connie. “Don’t give up. If anyone can
stop her, it’s you.”
Connie
watched Angie follow their mother into the living room, then went to the oven
and pulled out the pan of eggplant, ready to eat it no matter what its
temperature might be. She didn’t believe Gianna was serious about joining a
convent, but, just in case, tomorrow morning she would get contact information
for David Thomas from Father Ianelli.
Chapter Five
Saturday,
September 14
David
Thomas was easy to spot in the busy Main Street Diner. He was the only African
American in a restaurant full of people.
As
Connie approached, he rose from his seat in the booth and extended his hand. His
skin was the color of her father’s dark-roast coffee, and he was tall and fit,
dressed in a beige three-button shirt and slim-legged blue jeans. “I see the
resemblance,” he said with a friendly smile, and she noticed how brilliantly
white his even teeth were against the darkness of his face.
She
slipped her hand into his. He was the first black person she had ever touched,
and she hated the fact that she was so aware of his color, as if she expected
his skin to feel different. He shook her hand, then released it and waited for
her to slide into the seat across from his before he settled onto the red
plastic upholstery once more.
Connie
swallowed back her nervousness and forced a smile. “Thank you for agreeing to
meet me on such short notice. This is a little weird for me. I mean, I’m here
to talk to you about my sister, and yet
would you reconsider?”
“I
said, stop bringing him up.”
“That
would certainly be the ultimate test of your commitment, don’t you think?”
Connie said. “Wouldn’t you want to know?”
Gianna
scowled.“No. It wouldn’t make any difference at this point. I told you, he’s
nothing to me.”
Connie
looked back at her mother. “Then, I think we should invite him to dinner. Don’t
you, Mamma?”
Angie
looked up from the table, her expression brightening.
Mamma
looked confused. “ Non capisco .”
“He’s
been in the seminary,” Connie explained. “He knows what it’s like to have made
a decision like this, and he can understand what Gianna’s going through better
than any of us. Maybe he can at least help me understand. I’m not all
that big on giving my sister to the Church.”
Angie
smiled as she kept her gaze on Connie’s face.
“I
would find that embarrassing,” Gianna said angrily. “I wouldn’t stay.”
“Why?”
Connie asked with a smile. “You know, it’s perfectly okay to have friends of
the opposite sex, Gi. It doesn’t mean anything. You like him as a person; you
said so. So, let him be a friend.”
“I
don’t see the point.”
Connie
shrugged. “Okay, then I’ll just ask him to meet with me. I want to understand
this calling thing and why someone would choose to close themselves off from so
much that’s wonderful about God’s world.”
Gianna’s
eyes narrowed once more. “Why don’t you just come out and say it, Connie? You
don’t understand how somebody could choose to give up sex.”
“You’re
right. I don’t understand why you would give up sex or kids or having a family.”
Connie’s temper flared once more. “Your own house. Freedom. The ability to eat
what you want, go to the movies, watch TV, listen to the Rolling Stones. Choose
your own clothes. Take a trip. Sleep in. Go shopping. Change your hairstyle.
You’ll never have an independent moment again, Gi!”
“Nuns
go places. Cousin Vittoria was at Teresa’s wedding. I see nuns in bookstores,”
Gianna answered.
“Yeah,
but I bet they’re not buying Arthur Hailey novels. And Vittoria hasn’t been let
out to see her sister’s new baby.”
“Enough!”
Mamma held her hands up to stop them. “You give me the headache.”
Gianna
went down the hallway to the bedrooms, out of sight without another word.
Angie
stood up from the table and smiled at Connie. “Don’t give up. If anyone can
stop her, it’s you.”
Connie
watched Angie follow their mother into the living room, then went to the oven
and pulled out the pan of eggplant, ready to eat it no matter what its
temperature might be. She didn’t believe Gianna was serious about joining a
convent, but, just in case, tomorrow morning she would get contact information
for David Thomas from Father Ianelli.
Chapter Five
Saturday,
September 14
David
Thomas was easy to spot in the busy Main Street Diner. He was the only African
American in a restaurant full of people.
As
Connie approached, he rose from his seat in the booth and extended his hand. His
skin was the color of her father’s dark-roast coffee, and he was tall and fit,
dressed in a beige three-button shirt and slim-legged blue jeans. “I see the
resemblance,” he said with a friendly smile, and she noticed how brilliantly
white his even teeth were against the darkness of his face.
She
slipped her hand into his. He was the first black person she had ever touched,
and she hated the fact that she was so aware of his color, as if she expected
his skin to feel different. He shook her hand, then released it and waited for
her to slide into the seat across from his before he settled onto the red
plastic upholstery once more.
Connie
swallowed back her nervousness and forced a smile. “Thank you for agreeing to
meet me on such short notice. This is a little weird for me. I mean, I’m here
to talk to you about my sister, and yet
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