Page 31 of Little Last Words
“What made you interested in being head of the family?”
“For starters, it’s about time women are put into positions of power. I was a hard sell at first. Once the transition was made, Giovanni and I had a long talk.”
“About what?”
“We didn’t want the future to be a reflection of the past. It’s not to say we don’t respect the life we grew up in or who was running things before us—we do. It was time for a change. We wanted things to be different, and itisdifferent. It’s not any one person pulling the strings, making the decisions. It’s all of us, together, as a family unit.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“I do.”
“What about your personal life? Are you seeing anyone?”
“I’m married to the business. And I know … before you say anything, I’m aware it’s not a healthy way to live long-term. I’m working on creating a work-life balance, which, as it turns out, is a beautiful thought. It’s not easy to implement.”
I crossed one leg over the other and reclined back. “I know what you mean, believe me.”
We pulled to a stop in front of Columbia University, where the three of us had attended college.
“Here we are!” Daniela said.
We got out of the car, and she threw her arms around me.
“I have no idea what I’m doing here,” I said.
“I know … isn’t it exciting?” She pointed in the direction of Hamilton Hall. “Walk that way, and I’ll see you tonight!”
Before I had the chance to say anything else, she’d hopped back into the car and pulled out onto the street.
I did as Daniela suggested and started walking, looking left and right, hoping to see some indication of where I was going and why. It wasn’t long before I spotted Giovanni sitting on a blanket beneath a spindle tree. I made my way over to him, and he smiled up at me, saying, “Good morning, again. Come, sit next to me.”
I cozied in beside him and said, “Are we here to reminisce about our college days?”
“We’re here because it was in this spot that I saw you for the first time. I’ll never forget it. I was passing by, admiring the tree, and then my eyes fell upon the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. You were wearing a gingham pencil skirt and a black cardigan, and your hair was wrapped up in a loose bun on top of your head. You were barefoot, and you were so engrossed in the book you were reading you didn’t even see me standing there, staring at you.”
“I thought the first time we saw each other was in a creative writing class.”
“It was the first timeyousawme. What you don’t know is I never planned on taking that class. I switched my schedule around when I found out you were in it.”
I’d first met Giovanni in 1996 when I was eighteen and in my freshman year of college. He was several years my senior. It had always seemed odd to me that he’d taken the class since he never showed much of an interest in it. Now, I understood why.
I reached for his hand. “I can’t believe you never mentioned this to me before. Is there anything else I don’t know?”
“A few things.”
“A few things? Like …?”
“Remember when your roommate bailed on rent and moved out when you weren’t home?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“I may have overheard you talking to one of the other students in our class about needing a roommate. My sister was looking for a place to rent at the same time, and I suggested she talk to you. I figured it would be a great way for us to get to know each other.”
The revelations kept on coming.
“I wish you would have told me this back then,” I said. “Maybe things would have been different between us. I always knew we had an attraction to each other. I just didn’t know if you felt the same way about me that I felt about you.”
“Of course I did. I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”