Finding Angelo (The Wine Lover's Daughter, Book 2) (21 page)

“I ran into Frank Leonardi,” Angelo said, when he came back
from his visit to the cemetery.

“Oh, yes?” Martin raised an
eyebrow. “How did that go?”

“Fine. He apologized for having
suspected me of killing Fred.”

“Oh, I guess he truly had a change
of heart. He came by here to apologize to us as well,” Martin said.

“He seems lonely.” Angelo told
Martin and Maria about their talk.

“Yes, he’s had a hard time since
his wife died. Also, he’s not in good health, and the farm is getting to be too
much for him,” Maria said. “At least, his sons come by frequently and they seem
to be close.”

She went into the kitchen and came
back with glasses and a bottle of wine. “I’m glad we reestablished some kind of
pleasant relationship again. We felt really bad, not being on speaking terms
with him.”

“True,” Martin said. “It must be
hard for Frank to lose his cousin and his brother like this, one of them a
killer who commits suicide and the other one being murdered by the first.”

The door opened and Nicholas and
Sofia came in. “We just saw Frank Leonardi. He was very friendly and asked us
how we’re doing with our new field,” Nicholas said.

Angelo told them about running
into him at the cemetery and Martin mentioned that Frank had apologized to him
and Maria as well.

“I still wonder if he was the one
who organized the break-in at our house.” Nicholas narrowed his eyes. “Did he
say anything?”

Maria shook her head. “No, he
didn’t and we may never know. I still think it was him, or rather someone he
hired to search for the diary. What else could it have been?”

“Yes, well nothing has happened
since, so I hope that was it,” Nicholas said.

“What break-in?” Angelo asked.

“That’s right, we haven’t told you
yet.” Nicholas glanced at Martin.

“I wanted to wait until Silver
gave us back Elvira’s diary,” Martin said.

Angelo felt a jolt in his stomach.
“Elvira’s diary?”

“Yes,” Martin gave him a worried
look. “I hope this isn’t too much of a shock. Sofia found a diary when she
cleaned out the storage room in their place, you know the house you and Elvira
lived in for a while. The diary belonged to Elvira. We read it, hoping to find
some clues about what happened that made you disappear so suddenly.”

“Oh, God,” Angelo said. He sat
down and covered his face with his hands, then looked up again. “Was it …
painful to read? I caused her so much grief.”

“Well …” Martin hesitated. “She
worried about you, about the stuff you got involved in.”

Angelo exhaled deeply. “I don’t
know if I want to read it.”

“We’re sorry we read it, Angelo,”
Maria said. “It seemed the only way to get some possible clues of your
whereabouts.”

“I don’t mind that you read it,”
Angelo said. “You all know about my screwed-up life back then. But of all the
things I regret the most is the way I treated Elvira.” Angelo’s voice trembled.

Sofia put her hand on Angelo’s
shoulder. “She was just very worried about you. But we also found something
positive. There was a bundle of letters, love letters you wrote to her that she
kept. I only read one,” Sofia hurried to say.

“I remember, I did write her a few
letters.” Angelo gave a quick chortle. “It feels as if my past, the past that I
ran from, is attacking me full force.”

“You can’t run away from the past.
But you came back to face it. Now it’s time to move on,” Martin said.

“You’re right, but it will take me
a while,” Angelo said.

They all sat down to a dinner of barbecued steak, baked
potato, and salad. “We need to get Angelo used to an all-American meal again.
Forget pasta and risotto for a while,” Martin said with a twinkle in his eyes
as he brought in the steaks from the grill on the patio.

Maria distributed the baked
potatoes and sour cream, and passed around the salad bowl.

“Nothing wrong with a juicy
steak,” Angelo said. He inhaled the scent of grilled meat and a smile spread
across his face. It was good to be back.

After dinner, they sat on the
patio. It had been a hot day, and the warmth lingered into the evening. It
smelled of sagebrush mixed with whiffs from the fire in the barbecue. Angelo
took a deep breath and glanced at Sofia.

“I forgot to tell you Miriam says
hello.”

“Ah, the mysterious Miriam. You
have to tell us about her,” Maria said. “Wait, until I get the cake. It’s
easier to talk over dessert.”

Sofia and Maria brought back a
homemade chocolate cake and a pot of coffee. While they ate, Angelo told them
about Miriam, how he met her and that he left her behind because he was afraid
his presence might endanger her life.

“And now?” Maria asked, after
Angelo finished his story.

“I hope she has forgiven me for
abandoning her,” Angelo said.

“Well, and?” Maria sounded
impatient. “Is there the possibility of a romance?”

“I know Miriam still loves him,”
Sofia said.

Angelo shook his head and grinned.
“You’re a bunch of hopeless romantics. I’m sixty-five years old. I have nothing
to offer a woman. I don’t even know what I’m going to live on when I get even
older. I have some savings, but that won’t get me very far. I can’t expect a
woman to share her life with me.”

“Oh, fiddlesticks. If you love
each other, you’ll find ways,” Maria said.

“Well, Angelo, you will have
options if you decide to live here,” Martin said. “We are family and we support
each other.”

“No, Martin, you’ve supported me
enough and look how I paid you back.” Angelo said gruffly.

“That’s in the past. You’ve become
a different person. It’s obvious.” Martin coughed. “And I say this also for
selfish reasons. I’d like to have you around in my old age. We missed so much
of each other’s lives. And it wasn’t only your fault. I didn’t try very hard to
find you when you disappeared. I was angry and resentful and judged you too
harshly.”

“No, you didn’t. I deserved your
contempt. I’ve disappointed you many times over the years when you tried to
help me get out of the mess I put myself in,” Angelo protested.

“All right, you two. You have
admitted and regretted your faults and now it’s time to put it all behind you.
End of confessions,” Maria said with a stern voice, then tittered.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Angelo and Martin
said in unison.

Martin accompanied Angelo to George
Silver’s office. Angelo made and signed a statement so the police could
officially close the case against Anton Leonardi. It was mainly a formality,
but for Angelo, it meant an end to a life of hiding and running. A burden
lifted off his shoulders and his heart felt lighter.

No mention was made of Angelo and
Fred’s illegal work twenty years before. Silver returned his passport and
wished him a good trip back. There was a tense moment when the investigator
handed Angelo Elvira’s diary. Angelo’s hand trembled when he took it.

“Are you going to read it?” Martin
asked him as they were driving home.

“I don’t know.” Angelo glanced at
the notebook he held tenderly in his hands, as if it was part of his wife. “A
diary is something private, isn’t it? It’s really just for the person who
writes it.” He paused. “Or is this just an excuse because I’m afraid to read
it?”

“You don’t need to read it. Those
are Elvira’s personal thoughts. I felt guilty reading it, but we had no choice.
But just to put your mind at rest. Elvira was worried about you, but she didn’t
hate you. She loved you. And if reading it would just awaken your regret and
guilt again, let it be. She is at peace and you’ve started a new life. Why dig
in old stuff?”

Angelo nodded. “You’re right.”

Two weeks later, the family took
Angelo to the airport for his flight back to Italy. Martin wished to have his
younger brother around for a longer time. Angelo promised to keep in touch and
to come back at least for a visit soon. And Maria and Martin were planning a
trip to Italy as well. The sadness of seeing Angelo leave was somewhat tempered
by the knowledge that he was alive and well.

Now, they were at the airport and
Martin tried to think positive thoughts. He’d see his brother again one way or
the other. They would keep in touch by phone or email. Of course, he hoped that
Angelo would decide to move back to the United States. He had even checked with
Medicare and Social Security and found out that Angelo had just enough credits
from the years he worked here to qualify for some social security benefits and,
what was even more important, he was eligible to join Medicare.

“I’ll think about it,” Angelo had
said. Martin knew that he had to accept his brother’s decision. But when they
hugged goodbye and he saw him walk through customs waving at them, Martin felt
a knot in his throat.

“Are you okay, honey?” Maria put
her arm around him. “He’ll be back.”

Martin nodded. “I know.” He blinked
the rising tears away. “And if not, we’re going to track him down. After all,
we have a private investigator in the family now.”

Sofia chuckled. “Don’t you worry.
Miriam and I will find him again. Promise.”

“Excuse me?” Nicholas glared at
her and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, sorry.” Sofia grinned. “
Nicholas
,
Miriam and I, of course.”

“That’s better,” Nicholas grumbled.

Back home, Sofia and Nicholas focused again on the work at
the vineyard. They had taken time out to be with their great-uncle and now had
to get back to racking the aging wine from former harvests and checking the
vines and ripening grapes in preparation for the next one. Martin worked
together with them, although Nicholas said, it wasn’t necessary.

“Helps me keep my mind on the
vineyards and not feel homesick for my brother,” he said.

“Wasn’t it wonderful how it turned
out though?” Nicholas touched Martin’s arm. “He’s alive and well and you are in
touch again.”

“Yes, of course,” Martin said. “I
still can’t believe it. I almost got used to the thought that I’d never see him
again. Even now, there are moments when I worry that somehow the same thing or
something similar will happen again.”

“How do you mean?” Sofia asked.
She lifted one of the grape vine leaves to check on a cluster of grapes.

“I’ve been so used to my younger
brother being involved in illegal and questionable activities that there is
still this slight feeling of distrust. I know it’s unfair and it’s my problem
not his.”

“I think he’s on the right path
now though,” Sofia said. “During the time I spent with him, I experienced him
as a truly good person. And even Miriam who had known him for a few years
didn’t say anything to the contrary. She was upset with him for leaving her,
but we know now why he did it.”

Martin nodded. “You’re right. You
met the changed Angelo, whereas I still carry the baggage of his past. I need
to let go of it.”

“Thanksgiving.” Sofia smiled, as she opened the window,
inhaling the nippy late fall air. The fog still hovered over the fields, but a
few sun rays penetrated the fading mist. It was a cool but sunny day. She
sniffed. No, it wasn’t the smell of the turkey sizzling in the oven yet. It was
the scent of moist grass and soil soaked by the mist and dew, an earthy fall
smell.

Thanksgiving was her favorite
holiday. She even liked it better than Christmas. It was a family get-together
without the pressure of trying to decide what gifts to give to people who
already had everything. It was also a time to give thanks. And in the Segantino
family, there was plenty to be thankful for this year: the reunion of Angelo
with his family, and, of course, having her sister Julietta with her, and
important other news.

Sofia and Nicholas had picked
Julietta up at the airport two weeks before. Julietta would spend the holidays
with them and then start her studies at Cal Poly in the spring.

The Thanksgiving meal took place
at the grandparents. Martin and Maria and Nicholas’s parents usually took turns
inviting people for the feast. This year, however, Robert, Janice, and
Nicholas’s brother and sister spent Thanksgiving with Janice’s family. To Sofia’s
disappointment, Emma, her aunt who lived in Santa Monica and had spent last
Thanksgiving with them, was celebrating with Sofia’s grandparents in Vermont.
But she would be back for Christmas.

In the kitchen, Sofia poured
herself a cup of coffee. Nicholas had already left to do some last-minute
grocery shopping with Martin. Sofia and Julietta were going to help Maria
prepare dinner.

“Ah, coffee,” Julietta said, as
she came out of her room. She picked up a cup and put it under the spout of the
espresso machine.

Sofia and Julietta had been to Cal
Poly a few times to get Julietta ready for her classes in the spring. She had
met with the counselor who had helped her select her courses. During an
informal meeting with other students, she had met a few young men and women,
also from Europe. Now, she felt more relaxed and was looking forward to her
studies.

“Thank God, help is here,” Maria said when Sofia and
Julietta entered the kitchen. She pulled a handkerchief out of her apron pocket
and wiped her sweaty face. “I think I’m getting too old for preparing such a
feast.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Sofia
said. She and Julietta took over at the stove, stirring the green beans and the
gravy, and mashing the potatoes.

Martin and Maria pulled the heavy
turkey out of the oven. Nicholas volunteered to slice the bird. Maria,
Julietta, and Sofia carried the green beans, yams, mashed potatoes, and
cranberries into the living room. Delicious smells permeated the home.

When everything was ready, they
all sat around the table in the dining area. Martin and Nicholas poured glasses
of Sangiovese from their estate. After saying thanks, Martin lifted his glass
and everybody wished each other a happy Thanksgiving. Sofia took a little sip
of her wine, then put the glass down and smiled at Nicholas.

Everybody was in good spirits.
Sofia noticed that Martin was in a particularly animated mood. The normally
quiet and somewhat serious man was outright chatty. He told Julietta a few
funny stories about his time at the university.

They also discussed plans for the
following year. Now that the problems with the new field were resolved,
Nicholas and Sofia looked forward to planting their Zinfandel vines in spring.

After a plentiful and satisfying
meal, they sat in the living room next to a roaring fire in the fireplace,
enjoying the traditional pumpkin pie with whipped cream and sipping coffee.
Martin got up and reached for a large envelope on the buffet.

“I have news for you,” he said, a
smile spreading across his face. He pulled some papers out of the envelope and
a couple of photos.

“What is it?” Nicholas asked.

“You’ll see,” Maria smiled as
well.

Martin handed Sofia and Nicholas
the photos. Sofia glanced at one of the picture, then exclaimed, “Miriam and
Angelo … all dressed up. This looks like a special occasion … is this what I
think it is?” She handed the photo to Nicholas.

Maria laughed. “Yes, they got
married.”

“Oh, how wonderful,” Sofia said.
“I was really hoping they’d get together again, but getting married. That’s
even better.”

“Look at them.” Nicholas showed
Sofia the other picture. “She must be quite a bit younger than he is.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Sofia said.

“He’s robbing the cradle, the
devil.” Nicholas laughed.

“Well, there’s more,” Martin said
and handed Nicholas a piece of paper. It was a letter. Sofia and Nicholas read
it together.

Dear Maria and Martin, dear
family,

As you can see from the photos,
Miriam and I embarked on a special adventure. We tied the knot. When I got
back, I went to her and asked her to marry me. I don’t know what drove me to be
so bold, considering I’d treated her quite badly in the past. And I still can’t
believe she actually agreed! But she did. That’s the first piece of good news.

The second one: we are planning
to move back to the United States next year, most likely in spring sometime. I
received an offer (well, more like an order) from Abbot Francesco of the Novalesa
Abbey to work together with its sister abbey in Oceanside, California. I’m
going to be in charge of a similar program for young people as we have here.
And Miriam has the possibility to work at a day care center in the same town.

We’re looking forward to the
move, although it won’t be easy to say goodbye to Italy and our friends. But
we’ll be in touch with the abbey here, and I’ll be traveling back and forth at
least for a while.

I hope this is good news and
won’t shock you too much. We’ll talk on the phone in a couple of days and I’ll
explain everything.

In the meantime, we’re wishing
you and the whole family a Happy Thanksgiving and a joyful Holiday Season. Next
year, we’ll be able to celebrate together.

Thinking of you with love and
gratitude,

Angelo and Miriam

“Wow, no wonder you’re in such a
good mood, Grandpa,” Nicholas said.

“Yes, we’re very happy about it.”
Martin’s face gleamed with joy.

It was quiet for a while, with
everybody digesting the news. Then, Nicholas took a sip of espresso and cleared
his throat.

“Well, now, what about a third
piece of good news?” He put his arm around Sofia. “Do you want to tell them?”

Sofia nodded. “Yes. You may have
wondered why I’m not drinking much wine tonight.” Sofia raised her glass of
lemonade. “Well, in seven months, if everything goes well, there will be a new
family member. I’m two months pregnant.”

There was an explosion of
jubilation and laughter. Maria and Martin hugged Sofia and Nicholas.

“This will be my first niece or
nephew,” Julietta said, beaming with joy.

“Wait,” Martin scrunched his
forehead. “Does this mean, what I think it means? I’m going to be a
great-grandfather? This sounds quite old. Oh, my.”

Maria laughed. “You’ll get used to
it, Grandpa.”

Later that night, after clearing away the dishes and helping
Maria clean up, they sat in the living room, enjoying the last of the fire in
the fireplace.

“This is a true Thanksgiving,”
Maria said. “So much to be thankful for.”

“A lot of wonderful things have
happened this year, that’s for sure.” Martin put his arm around Maria. “Finding
Angelo is one of them. Sometimes, I still can’t believe it.”

“I know what you mean,” Maria
said. “But I think even more important is that Angelo found himself. His true
self. He’s come a long long way.”

The
End

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