around seven. Does that suit?â Sheâs looking at me.
âThank you,â I stutter.
âThank you, Merriem,â Bella says smoothly.
I can hardly bear to look at her. Ruffled, cinnamon-tipped curls, wide smile, sparkling nose stud, a picture of perfect trustworthiness. Almost elegant. Charming. She is a snake. I turn away from her.âThe aunties are coming,â she calls to my back.
âWhat?â
âThe aunties are coming. I thought you should know.â She sounds a little apologetic. âAnd . . . Iâm not leaving, Frankie.â
âPerfect,â I mutter. âThatâs just perfect.â
*Â Â *Â Â *
I clean the cabin angrily. Soak cutlery in boiled water; take a hot, wet cloth to all the surfaces, even the inside of the closet. The omnipresent dust is thick and gray and furry. I tuck the coloring book and crayons into a drawer, and hang the red-and-white quilt over the back of the chair to air. Then I eat rhubarb and yogurt and a hunk of bread, make myself a coffee and drink it standing near the window, watching Bella doing yoga.
She bends and stretches like a cat, long and fluid, as if her limbs are simply strung together. Her skin is as golden as it was when we were kids, spending our days outside, and sheâs lost her teenage softness. Her face is sharper, her arms leaner. She moves languidly, as though nothing has happened, as if sheâs always been here, as though no one was just about to be married, as though no one has died.
I want to shout something cruel: âYou look ridiculous!â Or reel off the colorful mean things Sicilians would say.
But I donât. I donât want her to see me watching her. I donât want her to try to talk to me.
She rolls up her yoga mat and tosses it into the back of her car. Then shakes out her legs and walks into the forest as if she owns the place. As if sheâs in an activewear commercial.
I stare into the trees long after sheâs gone from sight, sending wordless curses after her.
Polpette al Sugo
MEATBALLS IN SIMPLE SAUCE
A typical Sicilian dish to serve family for lunch or dinner
Serves 4
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 garlic cloves
1 handful flat-leaf parsley
12 ounces ground pork (or 6 ounces ground pork and 6 ounces ground veal)
1 / 4 pound pecorino cheese, grated 1 / 2 cup fine dried breadcrumbs
1 onion, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
All-purpose flour
2 1 / 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
A pinch of dried oregano
PREPARATION
In a small bowl, soak fennel seeds in a little water (about 2 teaspoons). Finely chop 2 of the garlic cloves and set aside. Take the 2 remaining garlic cloves and the parsley and chop together so both are finely chopped and the flavors are combined.
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork with the parsley-garlic mixture, pecorino, breadcrumbs, half the onion, and the soaked fennel seeds. Season with salt and pepper, then mix in the beaten eggs.
Spread some flour on a plate. Using your hands, form the meat mixture into balls (about the size of a golf ball). Flatten them slightly, dust with flour, and shake off the excess.
To make the sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in aheavy-bottom saucepan. Add the chopped garlic and remaining chopped onion and cook gently until softened but not colored. Add the tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over high heat until the tomatoes have reduced to a sauce, about 10 minutes.
To cook the meatballs, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet. Add the meatballs and cook until golden brown all over. Transfer to the saucepan of sauce, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Serve the meatballs with the sauce or, for a typical Sicilian meal, remove the meatballs and serve the sauce over pasta, then present the meatballs as a second course with vegetables or
âThank you,â I stutter.
âThank you, Merriem,â Bella says smoothly.
I can hardly bear to look at her. Ruffled, cinnamon-tipped curls, wide smile, sparkling nose stud, a picture of perfect trustworthiness. Almost elegant. Charming. She is a snake. I turn away from her.âThe aunties are coming,â she calls to my back.
âWhat?â
âThe aunties are coming. I thought you should know.â She sounds a little apologetic. âAnd . . . Iâm not leaving, Frankie.â
âPerfect,â I mutter. âThatâs just perfect.â
*Â Â *Â Â *
I clean the cabin angrily. Soak cutlery in boiled water; take a hot, wet cloth to all the surfaces, even the inside of the closet. The omnipresent dust is thick and gray and furry. I tuck the coloring book and crayons into a drawer, and hang the red-and-white quilt over the back of the chair to air. Then I eat rhubarb and yogurt and a hunk of bread, make myself a coffee and drink it standing near the window, watching Bella doing yoga.
She bends and stretches like a cat, long and fluid, as if her limbs are simply strung together. Her skin is as golden as it was when we were kids, spending our days outside, and sheâs lost her teenage softness. Her face is sharper, her arms leaner. She moves languidly, as though nothing has happened, as if sheâs always been here, as though no one was just about to be married, as though no one has died.
I want to shout something cruel: âYou look ridiculous!â Or reel off the colorful mean things Sicilians would say.
But I donât. I donât want her to see me watching her. I donât want her to try to talk to me.
She rolls up her yoga mat and tosses it into the back of her car. Then shakes out her legs and walks into the forest as if she owns the place. As if sheâs in an activewear commercial.
I stare into the trees long after sheâs gone from sight, sending wordless curses after her.
Polpette al Sugo
MEATBALLS IN SIMPLE SAUCE
A typical Sicilian dish to serve family for lunch or dinner
Serves 4
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 garlic cloves
1 handful flat-leaf parsley
12 ounces ground pork (or 6 ounces ground pork and 6 ounces ground veal)
1 / 4 pound pecorino cheese, grated 1 / 2 cup fine dried breadcrumbs
1 onion, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
All-purpose flour
2 1 / 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
A pinch of dried oregano
PREPARATION
In a small bowl, soak fennel seeds in a little water (about 2 teaspoons). Finely chop 2 of the garlic cloves and set aside. Take the 2 remaining garlic cloves and the parsley and chop together so both are finely chopped and the flavors are combined.
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork with the parsley-garlic mixture, pecorino, breadcrumbs, half the onion, and the soaked fennel seeds. Season with salt and pepper, then mix in the beaten eggs.
Spread some flour on a plate. Using your hands, form the meat mixture into balls (about the size of a golf ball). Flatten them slightly, dust with flour, and shake off the excess.
To make the sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in aheavy-bottom saucepan. Add the chopped garlic and remaining chopped onion and cook gently until softened but not colored. Add the tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over high heat until the tomatoes have reduced to a sauce, about 10 minutes.
To cook the meatballs, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet. Add the meatballs and cook until golden brown all over. Transfer to the saucepan of sauce, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Serve the meatballs with the sauce or, for a typical Sicilian meal, remove the meatballs and serve the sauce over pasta, then present the meatballs as a second course with vegetables or
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