Chapter 23
Saturday, April 24th
Anna's Trattoria, 11:30 am
Vincent and Rachel had arrived a little early. Rachel had immediately followed Daisy to the kitchen, because Daisy had insisted on cooking, and Rachel had offered to help her. Louise, Vincent and Anna could hear them chatting and laughing from the dining room.
Vincent looked around and noticed the two landscape pictures hanging on the wall. Beneath each of them Anna and Silvia had added a plaque with the name of the two towns.
Vincent said:
“They are wonderful.” He walked around to watch them more closely. He asked:
“Are you from one of these towns, Anna?”
“I am from Chioggia,” She stood up and indicated, in the photo, the part where her little town was visible, just south of Venice.
“I have always wanted to visit Venice. My wife and I planned to go there, but then she started not to feel well, and…” He stopped because the remembrance of his wife had been even more vivid in the last weeks.
Anna realized the emotional moment, and she turned to the other photo.
“This is Livorno, in Tuscany. It is the hometown of my cook, Bruno. He is such a pleasant man. I don’t know what I would do without his help in the kitchen. The photos were a gift from Neil and Billy for Easter. They were taken from the parachute and the helicopter, when Neil went to Italy for a visit to the parachute divisions of the army there.”
“It must be wonderful to see places from above.”
“But scary as well, I believe.”
“I had a friend who was in the army during the Second World War. He was a parachutist, and he always told me that the greatest fear was not the flight, but what would happen when they landed, the danger of finding themselves among enemies, of risking their lives, of having to kill other people.”
Louise was sitting at one of the tables, and she commented:
“Yes, I think that army parachutists must be prepared and skilled. I think of the way Neil didn't hesitate to jump into cold water to save Daisy's life. And, when we saw him at the hospital, he seemed absolutely fine.”
Anna went to sit beside her friend, and she said:
“They are used to risking their lives. I think they don't think of themselves at that moment, they just see what they have to do to save a life. Neil is specialized in rescuing hostages, so he is trained.”
Louise turned tearful eyes to her friend:
“I know, but I would never have forgiven myself if he had been injured or worse….”
At that moment, the door to the Trattoria was opened by a beautiful woman, and two cute children entered and went directly to Anna;
“Grandma,” the boy said, then he realized that there was a person he didn't know, and he stopped.
“Mario, this is Vincent. Say hello.”
The boy turned to the man, and he extended his hand.
“My name is Mario. Are you a friend of my grandma's, Mr. Vincent?”
“Yes, darling. And I am Vincent, not Mr. Vincent.”
The woman and the man went to embrace Anna with affection, and shook hands with Mr. Clancy.
“I am Silvia, Anna's daughter. This is my husband Mark, and those are our twins, Mario and Giulia.”
Vincent caressed the face of the little girl, and he said:
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Giulia and Mario.”
Anna asked:
“How was your basketball training?”
“We worked hard, because tomorrow we are having a game. Billy was there to watch us, and he said we are very good, even better than his basketball team when he was at the orphanage. And next Sunday we are going to watch a basketball game together at the orphanage.”
Silvia said:
“Yes, Neil has just told us that next Sunday there will be an afternoon game of the NBA, and they want to watch it with the orphans, but they have invited the rest of the team as well.”
Anna turned to Vincent, and she explained:
“My son,” she couldn't help looking at the photo on the wall, and Louise took her hand, “started a basketball team a few months ago, then unfortunately he died.” She bowed her head, and it was evident that she still had difficulty talking about Luca without getting emotional, “When Neil came here a couple of months ago, he volunteered as coach, since he had trained the basketball team in his orphanage. He has been able to conquer the hearts of his little players and the trust of the parents. They have already played a game in a tournament, and they won, so they are even more excited. Neil and Billy have started to watch some NBA games with the children of our little orphanage, and the little orphans say that it is funny. The other children on the team have been tormenting Neil and the Sisters at the orphanage to let them watch the game together, and evidently they have given in to their entreaties.”
Attracted by the voices of the children, Rachel and Daisy came into the room, and Giulia went to embrace Daisy. Silvia and Mark went to shake hands with Rachel.
Giulia asked:
“How are you, Daisy? I was so worried when mum told me you were in hospital.”
“I am fine, thanks, Giulia. I only remained in hospital one day.”
The bump on her head was still visible but it was less swollen.
Mario intervened:
“Is it true that Neil saved you? Billy told us, but Neil didn't say anything.”
Daisy sat down, and she said:
“Yes. I was drowning, because I had my hands tied, but Neil jumped into the water and saved me.”
“Wow,” Mario said with admiration, “dad, are they going to give him another medal now?”
Vincent Clancy couldn't help smiling at the spontaneity of the children, which reminded him of Rachel, when she was a little child.
Mark started to laugh, and he answered:
“From what his colleagues said, he didn't want to accept the medal he received, and I don't think he would want another one. I believe it is not even possible to give two medals to the same person.”
Anna drew Mario to her, and she embraced him affectionately. She said:
“The best medal we can give Neil is our love and our prayers, Mario. That medal is such an incredible award, that you can receive only one, but the admiration of his colleagues, of you and of us all is the best way to thank him for what he does for our community.”
Mario nodded solemnly, and Giulia said:
“When we left, he told us that he would stay with Amy for a while, and then he would come.”
“Thanks, Giulia. How is Amy?”
“When Neil is with her, she looks happy, even if she doesn't smile. He is the only one who can embrace and cuddle her.”
Silvia said:
“Children, we have to go home now. Say goodbye to grandma and to her guests.”
She hugged her mum, followed by her husband, Mario and Giulia. The children shook hands politely with Rachel, Vincent and Louise, and the family left.
Vincent turned to Anna, and he said:
“You have a beautiful, affectionate family, and your grandchildren are gorgeous.”
“They are my comfort, especially now that I miss my son so much.”
Vincent put a hand on her arm, and he smiled warmly, but he didn't say anything. He could only imagine the pain of losing a son or a daughter, and in front of him he had two courageous women who were facing a similar tragedy.
After a few minutes of pleasant chat, they heard a knock on the door. Anna went to open it, and Neil came in. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a striped shirt. He never wore suits or ties, but his clothes were chosen with taste, and, even if he wasn't one of those men who wore tight shirts to show off their muscles, his athletic build was evident and made him look attractive whatever he chose to wear. He was welcomed affectionately by Anna, and he embraced Louise and Daisy.
He looked at the bump on Daisy’s temple, and he asked:
“How are you?.”
She answered:
“I am fine. Yesterday I was still a little dizzy, but today I am ok.”
Neil looked at Rachel, and he said softly:
“How are you, Rachel? And your mum?”
“I am fine, and mum is better. She is seeing a psychologist every day, and I think he is helping her. He told us that it will take time for her to make peace with what happened to her. They said that she can come home in a couple of weeks, then she will have a period of rest.” She looked at Daisy, and she said: “I am so sorry, Daisy. The doctors say that she didn't know what she was doing, she was under a kind of spell or something like that.”
Daisy said:
“Don’t worry. It was a shock for all of us to discover what my father had done. And your mother must have loved him very much.”
Rachel nodded silently, and Anna said kindly:
“Why don't we all sit down and have a good lunch. Daisy is a wonderful chef,” she turned to Neil, and added: “And she has insisted on cooking everything without my help.”
***
Anna's Trattoria, 2 pm
After a good lunch and a pleasant conversation, the atmosphere was relaxed when Anna came with coffee.
“In Italy coffee is really inevitable at the end of lunch.” She said proudly.
Daisy was the only one who had remained silent most of the time. She had seldom smiled, and she had looked distracted. Anna had exchanged a worried glance with Neil, but he had smiled reassuringly, and she was sure he had something in store.
Vincent sipped his coffee, and looked at Daisy.
“You are really an exceptional cook, Daisy. ” The girl smiled feebly, and she bowed her head. The old man went on: “It is evident that you love cooking and you do everything with dedication.”
“I have learnt a lot from Bruno and Anna. But…” Daisy stopped because she felt tears coming to her eyes.
Anna put an arm around her waist, and she said softly:
“I have already told you, Daisy, that we will find a way.”
“How, Anna?” Daisy asked in an anguished voice, “I don’t even know how my father was able to pay my college fee and the rent of the apartment, since he wasn't working.” She turned to Vincent Clancy, and she said:
“I think he used your money, but I don't know how to pay you back.”
Vincent, who was sitting next to Rachel, exchanged his seat with hers and put a hand on Daisy's arm, he looked at Neil, and then he said:
“Daisy, if my son-in-law used my daughter’s money to pay for your studies, I must say that I am happy, and that it is far better than spending it for his vices.” Daisy looked at him through her tears. He went on: “Inspector McKinley has talked to me about your worries, and we may have found a solution that will be advantageous for both of us.”
Anna exchanged a glance with Louise, and she smiled because she knew that, if Neil had interceded, something good would certainly come.
“I intend to pay for your college studies.” Vincent said, and Daisy immediately shook her head and interrupted him: “No, I can't accept it…”
Vincent smiled and told her kindly:
“Let me finish, Daisy. I want something from you in return…”
Daisy relaxed a little, wondering what she could do for the businessman.
“I frequently have meetings with important customers, and we usually organize lunch with a catering company, because we don't have time to go to restaurants. I was wondering if you could take care of the food service. In my company we have an equipped kitchen. It is not very large, but I think you can find everything you need, and if there is something you want, we can provide it. It would be a good way to practice and also to make yourself known. What do you think?”
Daisy was smiling for the first time in the last few days. She nodded enthusiastically, and she said:
“Thanks for your trust. I will do my best, sir.”
“Vincent, not sir! Now take it easy for a few days, and then we will meet and talk about a plan for the next meetings. I don't want you to miss your lessons.”
Daisy looked at Neil, who was leaning back in his chair and looking as if he had nothing to do with it. She stood up and she went to embrace him, because she was sure that he was behind all this. He looked at her, and he said:
“Oh, but you must do something for me, too, Daisy. Don't think that I don’t want anything in return…”
She looked at him questioningly, and he continued:
“Since you are the queen of the chocolate cake, I want one for my basketball players after every game, and possibly also when we watch NBA games at the orphanage.” He winked at her, and she started to laugh.
“Of course, Neil. This is a promise! I can start tomorrow, if you prefer.”
“Wow! I didn't dare ask, Daisy. So you can see why I jumped into the water immediately. I didn't want to lose my chocolate cake!”
Everybody laughed, and Daisy bent to kiss him on the cheek.
Anna couldn't help admiring that handsome man who kept surprising her with his sensitivity.
Vincent Clancy looked at him, and he said:
“Certainly you are a remarkable person, Inspector. Magazines say that you never had a family, but you are really good at keeping people together, at creating bonds.”
Neil reflected for a few minutes, and he answered:
“Maybe it is the fact that I have always missed having a family. When I see people like your son-in-law I wonder how a person can destroy his own family, his children, his wife, how he can despise the love that surrounds him. The family is a gift, and nobody knows it better than me or Billy, I can assure you.”
It was really difficult for the tablemates to leave after a while, because, after many days of apprehension and worry, they were enjoying the relaxed atmosphere Anna was always able to create.
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