pepper stand because they have the longest line of customers. She’ll never be happy. Alessandro looks at me and winks. He knows. “Why don’t you girls take a break and go take a ride on the Ferris wheel?”
“We don’t have tickets,” Roma says sadly.
Alessandro fishes four yellow tickets out of his shirt pocket. “Now you do. You’ve been working hard all afternoon. Go.”
“Thank you!” Elena says, gathering up Roma and Dianna. She lifts the plank across the side of the stand and we file out. Assunta shoots her husband a dirty look, but before she can call us back to work, we are a part of the crowd, moving toward the line at the Ferris wheel.
“Assunta is in a nasty mood,” I say.
“She has good reason,” Elena replies.
“Don’t make excuses for her. Since the day she got married, she’sbeen hiding her true personality. It’s as though she put a lid on a boiling pot of water and sat on it; now, after a few months of hiding it, the steam is about to blow.”
“She’s going to have a baby,” Elena says quietly.
“She is?” I am ashamed of my fresh mouth.
“I heard her tell Mama.” Elena motions for me to lower my voice so the little ones won’t hear what we’re talking about.
“Why hasn’t she told us?”
“She’s having a lot of pain and isn’t sure the baby will grow.”
“Why is she working? She’s been on her feet all day in the stand in the hot sun. That can’t be good for her.”
“They need the money,” Elena says as she steers us through the crowd. “She wants to keep the house on Dewey Street, and they have a mortgage, and since Alessandro spent the summer helping us on the farm, they are behind.”
“Why didn’t she tell us so we could help?”
“When has Assunta ever asked anyone for help?”
Elena holds Dianna’s hand and Dianna holds Roma’s as they get in the line to take a ride on the Ferris wheel. I follow them, looking around for Chettie. She hadn’t made it to the candy stand, but maybe I’ll run into her. I know she loves the rides.
The line for the Ferris wheel moves quickly. The carney who runs it pulls the large lever crank and stops the ride, depositing a couple out onto the ramp. He motions to Roma and Dianna, who run up the ramp and sit down in the swinging seat.
“This one’s too short without an adult.” He points at Roma.
“I’ll go with them.” Elena goes up the ramp. She puts Roma in the middle and then sits down with her arms around her. I motion to them to go ahead without me: there’s no room for a fourth person in the seat. Dianna and Roma hold hands as the carney snaps the bar shut.
“What about you?” Dianna shouts as the seat jerks up and over my head. I wave and smile at my sisters.
“Are you gonna go alone?” the carney asks me.
I climb up the ramp and sit alone in the seat. The carney goes to close the bar. I look at the line of ticket holders and see Renato Lanzara, smiling at me. I wave to him. “Wait a second,” I tell the carney. I can feel my cheeks flush a little as Renato comes up the ramp and joins me in the seat.
“I can’t fly over Roseto alone,” I tell him. The carney snaps the bar shut across us and pulls the giant lever, the Ferris wheel jerks, and we move up. I pat my hair, which Elena braided neatly. Then I remember the pinafore over my blouse and skirt. Why am I always wearing something childish when I see Renato? Why can’t I be prepared for once?
“Something wrong?” he asks.
I look at him. He is crisp and neat in a white shirt and beige linen trousers. His suspenders are striped red, white, and green, an homage to the Italian celebration, I’m sure. He is tanned, bronzato , Mama calls it. “I always look so silly when I see you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This pinafore. It’s childish.”
“I like it.”
“You’re just being nice.”
“No, really. I like it. What’s the P stand for?”
“Pagano. My brother-in-law’s candy company. We’re next to
“We don’t have tickets,” Roma says sadly.
Alessandro fishes four yellow tickets out of his shirt pocket. “Now you do. You’ve been working hard all afternoon. Go.”
“Thank you!” Elena says, gathering up Roma and Dianna. She lifts the plank across the side of the stand and we file out. Assunta shoots her husband a dirty look, but before she can call us back to work, we are a part of the crowd, moving toward the line at the Ferris wheel.
“Assunta is in a nasty mood,” I say.
“She has good reason,” Elena replies.
“Don’t make excuses for her. Since the day she got married, she’sbeen hiding her true personality. It’s as though she put a lid on a boiling pot of water and sat on it; now, after a few months of hiding it, the steam is about to blow.”
“She’s going to have a baby,” Elena says quietly.
“She is?” I am ashamed of my fresh mouth.
“I heard her tell Mama.” Elena motions for me to lower my voice so the little ones won’t hear what we’re talking about.
“Why hasn’t she told us?”
“She’s having a lot of pain and isn’t sure the baby will grow.”
“Why is she working? She’s been on her feet all day in the stand in the hot sun. That can’t be good for her.”
“They need the money,” Elena says as she steers us through the crowd. “She wants to keep the house on Dewey Street, and they have a mortgage, and since Alessandro spent the summer helping us on the farm, they are behind.”
“Why didn’t she tell us so we could help?”
“When has Assunta ever asked anyone for help?”
Elena holds Dianna’s hand and Dianna holds Roma’s as they get in the line to take a ride on the Ferris wheel. I follow them, looking around for Chettie. She hadn’t made it to the candy stand, but maybe I’ll run into her. I know she loves the rides.
The line for the Ferris wheel moves quickly. The carney who runs it pulls the large lever crank and stops the ride, depositing a couple out onto the ramp. He motions to Roma and Dianna, who run up the ramp and sit down in the swinging seat.
“This one’s too short without an adult.” He points at Roma.
“I’ll go with them.” Elena goes up the ramp. She puts Roma in the middle and then sits down with her arms around her. I motion to them to go ahead without me: there’s no room for a fourth person in the seat. Dianna and Roma hold hands as the carney snaps the bar shut.
“What about you?” Dianna shouts as the seat jerks up and over my head. I wave and smile at my sisters.
“Are you gonna go alone?” the carney asks me.
I climb up the ramp and sit alone in the seat. The carney goes to close the bar. I look at the line of ticket holders and see Renato Lanzara, smiling at me. I wave to him. “Wait a second,” I tell the carney. I can feel my cheeks flush a little as Renato comes up the ramp and joins me in the seat.
“I can’t fly over Roseto alone,” I tell him. The carney snaps the bar shut across us and pulls the giant lever, the Ferris wheel jerks, and we move up. I pat my hair, which Elena braided neatly. Then I remember the pinafore over my blouse and skirt. Why am I always wearing something childish when I see Renato? Why can’t I be prepared for once?
“Something wrong?” he asks.
I look at him. He is crisp and neat in a white shirt and beige linen trousers. His suspenders are striped red, white, and green, an homage to the Italian celebration, I’m sure. He is tanned, bronzato , Mama calls it. “I always look so silly when I see you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This pinafore. It’s childish.”
“I like it.”
“You’re just being nice.”
“No, really. I like it. What’s the P stand for?”
“Pagano. My brother-in-law’s candy company. We’re next to
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