Chapter 5 by Nina D.

Chapter 5

The next day went uneventfully, with everyone just chilling around the house. Before they went to bed, Gio told them what time church was in the morning. The girls got clothes ready that night. The next morning, of course, they did not want to wear what they had picked, so no time was saved after all. They all managed to be ready in time, miraculously(even Romeo), and headed off to the service.

They arrived at the little church, down in the city. As they walked in, the girls noticed that the congregation was mostly old people. The prelude was playing, and most of the people were sitting quietly, or whispering to each other. Over all the scene was meditative as the people seriously prepared their hearts for the service.

"This looks familiar" Eva whispered. Maria nodded.

Alex and his family sat nearby. Alex, his hair slicked and his collar looking a little too tight, glanced their way briefly. Gio led the way to a row of seats, and they all filed in and sat down. Romeo crashed into his seat, due to the fact he was staring at the piano and not watching where he was going. Francis glared at him. Romeo looked back, his big brown eyes innocent.

"Do you see the piano? It's really nice!" He whispered loudly. Francis nodded irritably and motioned for him to be quiet as the pastor stood up.

"Benevenuto! Welcome!" He began. The service was pretty normal. They sang some hymns. More than a few heads turned when Romeo began to sing, his powerful tenor voice echoing through the small room. Eva and Maria's soprano also stood out, though they made more of an effort to sing quietly. After the offering, the message began. The pastor spoke on  Romans 8:28 .

'and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose'

"This dosen't mean everythings going to be good all the time. It doesn't mean we'll never hurt. It means that through these things God is going to be orchestrating something so beautiful it will be worth it all in the end. Metal has to go through fire, pottery starts out as mud, paintings start out as blank canvas... and our sincursed lifes are the same. Stark, ugly things made glorious in God's Grace. Let us pray."

After the closing hymn, the congregation mingled, chatting. Eva and Maria, and the cousins as well, stood, somewhat awkward in the buzz of unknown people. Alex came over.

"What did you think?" He asked them.

"It was a wonderful message!" Maria exclaimed.

"I loved his illustration of our life's as God's artwork." Eva added softly. She was always quiet and reserved in crowds, and crazy bizarre at home where she was comfortable. But the majority of people probably would never guess that.

 Romeo gazed around unabashedly, despite Sofie's repeated injunctions to 'stop staring!!'. Francis stood in his typical fashion, his slightly bowed legs relaxed, his hands clasped behind his back, and his head cocked slightly as he observed his surroundings. Gio had been snagged by an old lady who was talking to him with great enthusiasm. Mrs. Guttuso was talking with a curious friend who wanted to know all about the guests- especially the strange Americanos. Ernie had disappeared. At last everyone was ready to go, and Ernie resurfaced suddenly.

"Sunday dinner!!!" Gio exulted as he got into his moms car, and the cousins into Romeo's.

"See you at the house!" He added in a cheerful voice as they pulled away.

"That was a great service! I love the piano- do you think they'd let me play it?" Romeo said as he drove along.

"Romeo, here's the thing. You have got to WATCH THE ROAD." Francis commanded his brother.

"I am!!" Romeo said as he stared over his shoulder at Francis, who just shook his head at him in disbelief.

"You're going to get us all killed one of these days" He prophesied dourly. Romeo just laughed at his tone.

"I know how to drive!" He informed Francis. Francis did not reply, but adjusted his seatbelt.

They made it back to the Guttuso's home safely though, and headed inside to the delicious smell of Mrs. Guttusos Sunday cena- a wonderful meat sauce that had been simmering while they were at church, some fresh spaghetti, bread, and nutella pastries. They sat and ate until they were stuffed- for the girls, this wasn't long, but the boys all ate an unbelievable amount. At last, everyone was satisfied.

"That. Was delicious." Francis thanked Mrs. Guttuso, respectful and polite as always- to adults.

"Oh, thank you, it was nothing," She replied in a weary tone that seemed to imply the opposite of her words. He smiled at her as he walked away. Gio threw himself on the couch with an unnecessary amount of drama.

"I am soooooo full." He moaned.

"Well, you ate enough." Eva remarked, somewhat under her breath. Gio looked injured.

"I'm a growing boy!" He defended himself.

"Growing is right!" Francis needled him, and Romeo jabbed him in the stomach.

"Oww!" Gio rolled into a ball and moved away. He glowered at Francis with reproachful eyes. Maria giggled.

"Everyone is soo mean to me." He joked, sitting back up, a safe distance from Francis,  Romeo, and Eva. To Maria's happiness, this placed him next to her. Sofie caught Maria's glance and rolled her eyes when Gio wasn't looking. Maria smiled back, her expression innocently asking 'What?' Sofie shook her head.

They turned the TV onto a soccer game, and watched that all afternoon, with great interest on all sides. Gio was the most vocal, however, his commentary even more thorough than the announcers and his cheering loud enough to be comparable to a whole stand of fans. Maria's ears were regretting her pleasure at sitting next to him. Ernie alone was silent, intently taking in the entire game with calm.

In the evening they went to church again. The evening service was, of course, more informal than the morning, and slightly more brief. Afterwards there was a fellowship time, which mainly centered around food- light(to Italian standards) dessert type refreshments and fruit. Eva and Maria were still stuffed, but the others, Gio particularly, ate another enormous helping.

"What?" He asked through a mouthful of food when he noticed Eva's gaze. She simply shook her head despairingly, to his surprise and slight concern. He shrugged.

"Again- he should be fat." Sofie murmured to Eva, when Maria wasn't listening. Eva nodded emphatically.

"He will be." She predicted in a foreboding tone. "he will be..." Sofie snickered.

 Maria turned"What?" She said brightly. The others grinned but didn't reply.

"What's so funny?" She demanded in a good natured tone. Eva laughed, and Sofie said,

"Oh nothing, trust me. it wouldn't be funny to you."

"Try me!" She protested. Sofie shrugged acquiescence.

"FIne- we were just imagining how fat Gio's going to be in 10 years." She stated. Maria's jaw dropped.

"Sofie!"

Eva cracked up. Sofie stared at her with disbelief and some amusement.

"Eva?" Eva simply buried her head in her lap, completely helpless and shaking with laughter. A few people glanced her way with skeptical looks. Francis and Maria simply looked affectionate, though and Romeo didn't seem to think anything of it. Ernie had gone off with his friend(another bespectacled kid whom he had introduced as Zac), so he missed the entire episode. Gio looked a bit annoyed.

"What is the matter?" he questioned, suspiscious that this may come back to his eating habits again.

 Eva just laughed even harder. Francis began to chuckle too, and Maria joined him wearily.

"It's nothing, Gio.. I think we're all just overtired." She assured him. He was not convinced. Eva was at last beginning to subside, slowly, as she repeatedly would start laughing again just as she was managing to desist. Finally, she sat back up.

"Ugh, my mascara." She said despondently, wiping her eyes and looking embarrassed.

"You should wear waterproof." Sofie told her. Maria nodded agreement.

"That washes off too hard." Eva negated this suggestion. She glanced over at Gio, who was still stuffing his face while watching her with a bemused expression. She choked.

"Don't," Maria put a warning hand on her shoulder. With a valiant effort, Eva contained herself, and sat primly the rest of the evening. Gio was officially weirded out, while Romeo and Francis didn't seem overly concerned, nor did Maria and Sofie. Mrs. Guttuso finally came over.

"Ok, kids, it's time to head home," She said in her typical depressed tone. Mr. Guttuso came behind her with a visibly reluctant Ernie in tow.

"We weren't done!" he was protesting.

"You're just fine." His dad said as they all headed outside. It was a beautiful summer evening, and a slight breeze was blowing in from the direction of the sea.

"Ahh." Maria breathed. "I want to take a walk!"

"We can at home if you want." Gio offered. Maria brightened.

"Oh, yes please!" She eagerly said. Gio smiled.

"Sure. See you there!" he grinned out the window. the breeze rumpled his curls as they moved off.

Maria sighed. Too much. She absently got into the car, not hearing Sofie's repeated voice. She was startled out of her revery by a jab in the ribs.

"Ow!"

"Did you not hear me???" Sofie asked her testily.

"Sorry, no!" Maria apologized. "What did you say?"

"Never mind..." Sofie turned to Romeo.

"Why aren't you driving?" Maria asked in surprise. Romeo looked dejected.

"Francis wouldn't let me. Even though it's my car!" He leaned forwards suddenly and bopped poor unsuspecting Francis on the head.

"Oww!!" he shrieked, swerving abruptly. Romeo laughed triumphantly.

"Who's the bad driver?" He crowed. Francis glared ahead over the steering wheel.

"Who's the dummy who distracts the driver??" Sofie interjected.

"Please?" Maria sighed imploringly. Romeo looked guilty.

"Sorry."

They pulled into the Guttuso's driveway. Gio was waiting outside, and after a moment they noticed Ernie too. He was on his hands and knees under the shrubs. The looked at Gio questioningly. He just grinned embarrassment and shrugged. Ernie stood up.

"Caterpillar." He announced, then disappeared into the house to jar it.

"Oh, I want to see," Eva followed him, and quickly reappeared.

"It's really gross looking." She informed them. Ernie was close behind her.

"Ok, let's go." They walked along down the street.

The ancient houses glowed orange in the golden light of the sun, and the tree tops looked tie dyed with the sunset colors. Here and there you could catch sight of the sea, and the tops of the city buildings, contrasting with the old architecture of Montecivillo. Maria was blissful. Gio strolled beside her, perfecting the whole scene.

The cousins were a little behind them, chattering(mainly Romeo), and Ernie was just ahead, moving back and forth rather erratically. It took Maria a moment to realize he was collecting bits of trash and cool rocks.

"It's pretty nice here, huh?" Gio asked her in a tone of quiet musing.

'His voice is so amazing' Maria thought.

"It's perfect." She said aloud, although her meaning went a bit deeper than the words. Gio didn't know this of course.

"Yeah." He lapsed back into silence. Maria allowed herself the brief thought of how lovely it would be to walk here hand in hand with... someone. She shook her head at herself chidingly and dismissed the thought quickly.

"You speak English really well." She said after a moment. Gio smiled.

"Thank you... I enjoy learning languages. I'm fairly fluent in Spanish as well. I want to learn French too."

"Oui!" Maria laughed. "I love languages too!" She continues with excitement. "Obviously I'm learning Italian-"

"You're doing great by the way!" Gio praised. Maria blushed.

"Aw, thanks... I just really enjoy it. And it's not hard, for me. I want to learn Spanish too, and french. I'm fluent in American Sign Language and Ancient Greek..." She said.

"What? Cool! I could help you with Spanish while you're here. Italian too." Gio offered.

"Really?" Maria delightedly. "I'd love that!"

"Sure! We can start tomorrow if you want!" Gio was pleased.

Maria smiled at him, then looked off into the distance, where the sun had set into a dull red. The colors of the buildings has changed from brilliant orange to a dull purple, heralding the coming of twilight. Above in the winey sky, a few stars were just starting to twinkle. Maria walked along, lost in thought, until Gio broke into her meditation.

"We'd better head back, it's getting kind of dark, and....uh I think we lost the others."

Maria turned, startled. "Wait, what? Where are they?" She looked around. Her sister, cousins and Ernie were no where in sight. "Uhhhh..."

"Yeah." Gio said awkwardly. "I didn't notice they were gone until they were gone." He added a bit lamely.

"Oh, well we should probably find them." Maria headed back in the direction of the house. Gio followed. They saw no signs of the missing persons, until suddenly they heard voices down a little side street leading out into a field. Gio and Maria went towards the sound.

 At the end of the cobblestones, it opened suddenly into a dirt road that disappeared into a waving field. The little group was sitting on the grass, more blue than green in the half light. Ernie was chasing fireflies. The others were looking at the stars. Maria shook her head at her family, but looked with pleasure at the scene. Gio walked over to them.

"There you are!" He exclaimed, flinging himself on the ground beside Romeo, who smiled at him pleasantly.

"Why, did you think we were lost?" He questioned.

"You were lost." Gio said.

"That depends on your point of view," Francis cut in."From our perspective, you were technically the lost ones. We knew exactly where WE were."

 Gio frowned. "Well we didn't know where you were." He protested. "And we didn't know if you knew where you were... either." He looked slightly confused. Francis shrugged.

"Well either way. Here we are." He looked up at the dark sky. His dark eyes glistened as they reflected the twinkling stars, and looked like a new galaxy of their own.

"Well, you know, we should probably head home." Gio suggested. Eva, lying on her back staring absently upward, craned her head backward to look at him. He glanced down at her upside down face.

"What?" He asked, at her odd look. Eva blinked. Her eyes drifted back towards where the moon was rising, and she sighed, then sat up.

"Let's go," She commanded, suddenly on her feet. Romeo groaned beseechingly, but it was no use. It was time to go back to the house, despite the golden moon and gentle breeze, the sounds of the crickets and frogs, and the flickering of the fireflies. Ernie had managed to catch one and was cupping it with utmost gentleness in his slender hands.

"I will put it in a jar," he told them, wide eyed, "and keep it in my room."

"It will die, Ernie."

"I'll let it go free after I watch it blink." He said, trailing off towards the Guttuso's stone house. They all walked along, their voices somewhat hushed in the dimness. The warm light of the windows shone like the beckon of a loving voice. Gio held open the door and they all reluctantly went in.

That night, Maria wrote in her book,

"Summer nights are almost as beautifully sad as anything I can think of. They seem so long, but when they are over, it seems too soon. And you can never get it back, no matter how many more you live, that one is gone forever. Sunk with the moon over the horizon."

She stood for a moment by the open window, holding the fluttering curtains away with one hand and gazing over the moonlit village.  She took a deep breath of the warm air, then exhaled wistfully and climbed into bed. She listened to the deep steady breathing of the completley still Sofie and the fitful, sharp breaths of Eva, who tossed about constantly.

At last Maria, lulled by the breeze and the  crickets, slipped into her own peaceful, sighing sleep.





by Nina D.

Next week a missionary who used to work in Italy is coming to our church. I want to pick his brain for every thing about Italy I can think of-but I probably will not dare. I plan to try though. However, if he says anything about the Church services being different I will update!!:)
As always tell us what you think:) I really love hearing from you- it's so encouraging!! <3