Field of Blackbirds, Clayton Jeppsen & Lindsey Jeppsen [historical books to read TXT] 📗

by. She had to rescue herself from the boredom. She missed her parents, but knew it was too risky to visit them at their home. She hadn’t yet returned her grandmother’s wedding dress. She thought this would be a good opportunity to get away from the base. She would enjoy a couple weeks with her grandmother, who lived just outside Milan.
Marianna packed the dress and a week’s worth of clothing into a suitcase and tied it to the back of her red Moped. She called her grandmother so she would know when to expect her. And for a new look, she cut her hair a little shorter, which she was able to hide most of it under a full helmet. She didn’t want to attract the wrong people. With a top speed of forty-five kilometers an hour, Marianna wasn’t going to out run anyone. But her Moped was less noticeable than Marcielli’s Fiat, which the Mafia already recognized from when they were dating. When Marianna reached the interstate she felt a sense of relief. It felt better knowing she was already on her way out of the city.
Marianna couldn’t help but think about her new news. She placed her hand on her stomach as she bumped down the interstate. She almost forgot that she wasn’t alone. A new little life was growing inside her. It was all so new, she hardly knew what to expect from one day to the next. Marianna was amazed how much love she felt for someone she had never met nor seen before. But this baby was a part of her and a part of Marcielli. Marcielli? How and when was she going to tell him? She wished he had been there when she found out. It hardly seemed fair. This baby was just as much his as it was hers. It’s just the heartache of war, she thought.
“Just as long as he makes it home to see you take your first breath,” She said out loud to her unborn child. Marianna felt closer to Marcielli than ever before. She was carrying his future within her and she couldn’t wait to shout it from the rooftops.
Marianna exited on marker 6481. Her grandmother’s house was only three kilometers up Via del Lauro. Just as she was convinced that she wasn’t being followed, she noticed a white van, about two hundred meters back, exit on the same marker. She hadn’t noticed it before. She told herself it was only a coincidence. Marianna continued down the road. She made a right hand turn into her grandmother’s neighborhood. She felt like she had to hurry. To prevent being followed, she passed her grandmother’s street and then doubled back when she didn’t see the van. Maybe she was just paranoid, she thought.
When she reached her grandmother’s house, she was alone. She was comforted by that. Marianna saw her grandmother waiting outside on the second story, outdoor landing. She was wrapped in a blanket, leaning against the railing. She’d been waiting for her. Marianna hoped she didn’t appear too nervous. She was happy to see her grandmother.
With a smile, only a grandmother is capable of perfecting, Rosalina called out, “Ciou Marianna! Come va? The front door is open, come on up.”
Marianna removed her helmet and took one last look up and down the street. She didn’t want to cause her grandmother any undue grief. But then she had a feeling, the Mafia probably already knew of every family relation. She pulled her bike into the car storage and climbed the stairwell to meet her grandmother.
Marianna opened her arms. “Nanno, What are you doing outside? You’ll catch a chill.”
“Waiting for you darling. Come sit with me for a little while before we go in. You can smell my tulips out here.” Rosalina wrapped the two of them in her blanket as they sat on a wrought-iron bench.
Ever since Marianna was a little girl, she had fond memories of her grandmother’s flowers. There were no others as beautiful. She took pride in the way she cared for them. Mossimo, Marianna’s grandfather had died of cancer when he was only forty-one years old. Marianna never knew him and she felt that she missed out on so much. It was times like these that she counted on her grandmother to tell her stories of when Mossimo was alive. He seemed like such a great man; caring, compassionate, hard working and loyal to Rosalina. And Rosalina made him sound as though he were her everyday hero.
What Marianna felt was a sign of true love and devotion was the fact that her grandmother spent the last thirty-nine years alone. Even though her wedding ring was now too big and would often be hanging upside down on her finger, Marianna never saw her without it. This was something Marianna would always respect her grandmother for. It was a symbol of strength and commitment, endearment and true love; a love that she would willingly offer Marcielli. Her heart began to swell for him now.
Marianna got up from the bench and opened her suitcase. She unfolded the beautiful white, satin and lace gown and held it in front of her.
“Thank you so much Nanno, for letting me borrow your wedding dress. I couldn’t imagine myself in anything else.”
Rosalina was amused at Marianna’s excitement. “And you looked breathtaking in it, my dear. I can remember catching you in the attic when you were just a young girl, trying it on in front of an old dusty mirror. You used to spin circles just to see it twirl.”
Marianna laughed at the memory as she placed the dress in Rosalina’s lap.
“What are you doing, dear?” asked Rosalina.
Marianna looked confused. “You don’t want it left all folded up in this suitcase, do you, Nanno?”
“Marianna, the dress is yours,” Rosalina said softly.
Marianna’s eyes began to well up with tears.
“I have no use for it anymore.” explained Rosalina. “It will just find its way back into that dusty old attic. You keep it and pass it on to your daughter.”
It was almost as if she knew Marianna was pregnant. She wanted so badly to tell her, but she knew Marcielli should be the first to know.
“Thank you so much Nanno, this means the world to me.” Marianna wiped away a tear, sat back down by her grandmother and embraced her for a moment.
“Seeing the dress again makes me long for Marcielli. It was such a perfect day. I would give anything to be back in that moment, back in his arms. How did you do it? How did you survive when Nonno was off fighting in WW1?”
“Oh my dear,” Rosalina sighed. “The same thing I’m doing now that he has passed away.”
“Which is what?” inquired Marianna.
“No matter where he is, whether it’s off to war or on the other side, you carry his love in your heart. That will get you through Marianna, until you see him again; the power of his love.”
Marianna noticed that the street in front of the house began to light up. It interrupted her concentration. When she realized that the light was coming from a car, she paid close attention as it drew nearer. It didn’t feel right, the way the vehicle was moving so slowly down the street. Marianna’s eyes were able to focus past the light. What she saw, terrified her. The white van she had seen exit off the interstate.
Marianna pretended to pay attention as her grandmother continued to talk, but she kept her eyes on the van. The windows were too dark to see inside. The van never came to a stop. The sun had already set and it was dark outside. Maybe they didn’t notice them up on the landing. Maybe they were looking for the red Moped. For that reason, Marianna had parked it out of sight. When the van disappeared around the corner, Marianna interrupted her grandmother,
“Nanno, I’m starting to get a little cold, let’s go inside and talk.”
Rosalina had prepared some tea and biscotti for them to eat. Marianna couldn’t take her mind off of the van. As another hour ticked by she asked herself, was it even the same van she had seen the first time? It was so far back, how could she really tell? Or maybe her paranoia was simply getting the best of her. She tried to relax a little. Regardless, she knew she’d made a mistake by leaving the base and knew Marcielli would be angry with her if he found out.
Marianna knew her grandmother would usually retire early in the evenings. Being that it was a couple hours past that time, Marianna suggested that they pick up where they left off in the morning. And Rosalina didn’t resist the idea.

************

Two weeks had past and Marianna already had so much more fun than she had at the base. She took advantage of the time they spent together to learn her grandmother’s secrets of gardening, flower pruning, and sewing. She learned cooking tips and copied more recipes down to take home with her in the morning. Marianna could tell her visit was just as fulfilling for her grandmother as it was for her.

After a trip to the mailbox, Rosalina announced, “Look Marianna, the mailman brought you something too. They are good, aren’t they? They always know exactly where you are.”
Suddenly Marianna was filled with dread. She took the letter, if her grandmother only knew how ironic that statement really was. Marianna opened the letter, it read:

Marianna Corleon,

Sorry we missed your wedding! We were out of town. Now that we know where you’re staying these days, we’ll have to catch up on old times. We hope the best for you and Marcielli.