The Day After The Funeral

Saturday, March 5th (Rome, Italy)

The plan was to go food shopping today. My mother came into the living room where I slept and yelled at me telling me that it was late! Like it was my fault! No one tried waking me earlier, how the heck am I suppose to know what time it is. My cousin GianLuca and Danilo were already over the house. I had to get up because we had to have lunch. GianLuca and Danilo went to the travel agency to check on either flights or a train ride to Palermo Sicily while I was getting ready.

My mother spoke with Zia Franca on the telephone. Zia Franca found a flight, but my father thought it was too expensive. I was ready, my cousins returned and told us about the prices then we decided to all go. Me, my father and my cousins, to talk to the travel agent before we went food shopping. We went, we spoke we made reservations to depart Rome Monday returning Thursday 191 Euro, about $255 American dollars. My father called my mother on Danilo's cell phone. The travel agent told us to come back Monday to pick up the tickets and we could pay for it then. GianLuca waited in the car. Danilo was parked illegally. Happy with the reservations we thanked the travel agent as she pulled her blinds down. My father asked if they were closing and the travel agent replied that she was hungry. In Rome they close up all shops at 1pm till 3:30. That my friend, is their lunch hour. Don't you wish we had it like that in America? Don't go wishing on a star yet, my cousins get up at 5am and don't get out of work till 8pm.

The supermarket was about 15 to 20 minutes away. We arrived and took a shopping cart from this couple that were leaving next to us. They asked us for "uno euro". Their shopping carts were the ones you lock after your use and then you’ll get your money back. You had to put one euro in it to unlock the cart. My cousin GianLuca gave them the money and we were on our way. Man was it crowded in there. We filled our cart over the rim. I took my debit/ATM/MasterCard out and paid. 150 euro later (200 bucks out of my checking account).

Once we arrived to Zia Giovanna's I started to cut open the bags with a small ass scissor. They tied up the bags so our groceries wouldn't fall out on the ride home. GianLuca left to go walk the dog. I prepared lunch. GianLuca was upset because my aunt said it was going to take to long to cook the fresh ravioli’s I bought. GianLuca was starving, he left and supposedly ate out.

I made pasta with garlic and extra virgin olive oil and fresh parsley and then made spinach with extra virgin olive oil garlic and lemon. I put some olives in a bowl, my aunt had cheese and fruit already on the table with the wine and soda, bread and salad. We all ate lunch like a big happy family, well except for GianLuca. He sat in the kitchen. He came back when we were about to eat lunch. I probably had 3 glasses of wine, let me inform you these glasses are small.

My family always had a joke to share, it kept up our spirits especially my cousins. They needed something to lift their spirits up and lighten their heart. As fast as we at lunch, time raced. It was dinner. I cooked again and made fresh sauce from the tomatoes I bought. I diced them up and put them in a hot pot with the fresh garlic I chopped up with the extra virgin olive oil. Zia Giovanna threw the ravioli in boiling water. I grilled some eggplant and put them in a bowl with fresh garlic, fresh parsley, extra virgin olive oil and vinegar and of course salt and pepper. As you can see I love to cook with extra virgin olive oil and the oil in Italy is to die for. A salad was made and like lunch, cheese, fruit and wine were on the table along with the olives and bread. When everyone was done, I cooked the steaks. Vegetarian who cooks meat, they all laughed at me.

Tony came home late. As he stuffed his face, I told him I cooked everything, he asked why I wasn’t married. My parents, zia Giovanna and Tony and I sat at the table and chatted as I sipped my wine. It was getting even later; Tony had to be up and about at 6am.

Zia Giovanna took the cushions off the couch and laid them on the floor. The couch had a mattress as big as the cushions. She made my bed as I helped. We then made a bed from the cushions on the floor. She slept on the cushions, when I begged her to sleep on the couch.