Taking Tuscany by Renée Riva Page A

very long cord. “Daddy, it’s Aunt Genevieve this time.”
    â€œOh, great,” he mumbles. “Hello, Genevieve, what’s going on?”
    Leaning closer, all I catch is Aunt Gen’s high tones of hysteria.
    Daddy calmly replies, “She always does that, Gen, just take the scissors away from her and hide them.”
    Mama comes over and I tell her it’s her sister. She sits next to Daddy and tries to listen in too.
    â€œWell, if you don’t want her cutting paper doll chains out of your bed sheets just give her some paper instead.”
    All I can catch is, “ Something, something … statues.”
    â€œDon’t worry, she won’t take your statues with her, she just misses having her own to talk to.”
    Daddy cups the phone, and whispers, “She rounded up all the Greek statues in the house, dragged them to her room, and is now cutting the bed sheets into paper doll chains.”
    â€œOh, for crying out loud, give me the phone.”
    Daddy willingly hands over the phone.
    â€œGenevieve, I have been caring for our mother for over three years now. You’ve had her for what … two days ?And you’re calling us on our vacation to whine over a few bed sheets? Grow up . ”Mama hangs up.
    Nice to see Mama’s talking to her sister again.
    Daddy looks over at Mama and says, “Soph, I think there are very few people in this world gifted enough to deal with your mother … and you may be it.” Then he stands up and holds out his hand to her. “So what do you say we hit some waves?”
    Mama and Daddy are splashing each other in the waves like a couple of kids. It’s so weird to see grown-ups not acting their age. At least they have each other to help get their minds off Nonna and the strange relatives we aren’t talking to.
    Sinking comfortably into my beach chair, I immerse myself in Doctor Zhivago . I am really enjoying where Yuri and Lara find each other again after the war ends. He shows up on her doorstep as a human ice cube, then he goes inside to defrost in her cozy little apartment. But pretty soon I’m thinking, wait a minute here, this Yuri guy is married to sweet Tonya now, and here he is back with Nurse Lara. But you almost want him back with Lara because they loved each other before. Then I realize how horrible it is to make your reader like both women and you don’t know which one he should pick. But, really, Yuri’s a jerk for being with both of them since he’s married to Tonya. I’m so disturbed over having my emotions compromised!
    I slam the book shut, refusing to finish it. I will not put my readers in a compromising situation like that in Moon over Milan .
    Adriana comes over and pulls up a chair next to me. “What are you reading?”
    â€œWell, I was reading Doctor Zhivago , until Yuri decided to be in love with that Nurse Lara again after he married Tonya. I refuse to spend my summer vacation with a two-timing doctor who can’t make up his mind.”
    â€œYeah, well, if that bothered you, it’s probably best to quit now then. I saw the movie—it only gets worse.”
    â€œSounds like another love tragedy gone wrong.” I’ll have to end Moon over Milan on a happy note to help balance the scales with these tragic love stories they keep coming out with.
    â€œSo, speaking of tragic love stories, how would you like to go dancing at the beach club tonight?”
    â€œHow is that related to tragic love stories?”
    â€œWell, when you dance with the Italians, they always convince themselves they’re madly in love because foreign girls seem so intriguing to them. They’ll tell the story for generations to come about the American girl they once danced with who stole their heart and left them. They love the drama.”
    â€œWell …” Adriana’s never invited me along before. “I don’t know.”
    â€œCome on. It’ll be