Adriana Trigiani - Brava, Valentine

Without taking his eyes off Kathleen, Gabriel grabs a cookie off the platter, bites it, and chews. It’s as if the cast of General Hospital is doing a live scene in the shop. He’s riveted.

Rocco runs up to Kathleen. “You have hair like Raggedy Ann.”

“I know.” Kathleen smiles. “Who are you?” Kathleen kneels down to talk to Rocco. Gabriel shoots me a look. The melodramatic kneeling makes this scene something out of Jezebel.

“I’m Rocco.”

Alfred Jr. pushes Rocco to the side. “I’m Alfred Junior.”

“You are?” Kathleen acts impressed.

“Yeah. That’s my name.”

“That’s a cool name,” she says. Kathleen takes in Alfred’s children. She looks at them carefully, as though she wants to wed the conversations she had with my brother about his family to the reality. She might even be wondering what her children with Alfred might look like. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Suddenly Pamela looks up from her work. My mother and sisters look at one another.

I jump in to cover for Kathleen. Doesn’t she know all Italian mothers and sisters are on high alert for interlopers? Tess alone could blow this affair wide open with a couple of pointed questions. “Oh, I bore everybody on the planet with stories about my nephews and my nieces. I make them look at pictures. I’m a very pushy auntie.” I go in for the save.

Gabriel shoots me a look that says, Stop it. You’re overcompensating. If he could, he’d take the ruler and rap my hand and say, “Bad actress! Bad actress!”

“This is my wife…Pamela.” Alfred introduces her to Kathleen.

“Nice to meet you.” Pamela extends her hand.

From the look on Kathleen’s face, I don’t think she counted on The Wife being so attractive. Pamela’s long champagne blond hair hangs loose, with chalk-colored highlights around her face, and her cigarette-leg jeans show off her lean shape after two babies. Kathleen cannot blame the affair on Pamela with the old “the wife let herself go” excuse. Kathleen will have to invent some other reason for Alfred’s fall.

“Why don’t we go upstairs?” I offer. I turn to my family. “Back to work, people. Alfred and I have some business to attend to. I want this table cleared by the time I get back.”

Kathleen, Alfred, and I go up the stairs to the apartment. I show her to the table, offering her a seat. She sits and opens her briefcase. “I make it a habit to visit the establishments that we give our loans to. I’m sorry I interrupted family time downstairs.”

“No problem. I just put everybody to work on shipping days.”

Kathleen looks down at the paperwork. She shuffles through it. She pulls out a document and gives it to Alfred. “Here is the loan repayment plan.” She avoids eye contact.

“Thank you,” he says.

“And here’s the check.” Kathleen hands me an envelope containing enough money to produce and launch the Bella Rosa , the first design in our Angel Shoes line.

“Thank you. This is really going to help us.”

“I’m happy to have been a part of this venture.”

Kathleen Sweeney has tears in her eyes. I feel bad for her, even though I know she’s been involved with my married brother, and I believe that’s wrong down to my bones. But I’m afraid she may actually be in love with my brother. She looks at Alfred with sadness. “I’d also like to say…” Kathleen looks at me. “I’m sorry.”

I look over at my brother, whose eyes fill with tears.

“Everything is going to be all right,” I say-for the life of me, I can’t think of anything else that would be apt. If you’d asked me a month ago, I would have imagined yelling, “Get out of my house, you tramp!” at her. But the truth is, she isn’t a tramp, and I would never have the temerity to judge another woman anyway.

I stand to go. I don’t offer my hand in gratitude, nor do I embrace her. I am, after all, part of the family that her actions could have destroyed. I have to stick with my team, even when I understand the weakness of the opposition.

Kathleen stands up. I can tell that she would like a moment with my brother, alone. But this is my house, and it’s my shop, and my sister-in-law is down the stairs, innocent of their nonsense, so I say, “I’ll see you out.”

I show her to the stairs. Alfred stands by the table, not knowing what to do. Instead of following Kathleen and me, he stays behind. When I look back before leaving him, his expression is one of pure loss.

I follow her out into the street and pull the door shut behind me. “That was rough,” Kathleen says. She holds her shoulder bag tight to her body with one arm and runs her hand through her hair with the other. “I’m sorry,” she says with frustration. “I have to think about myself right now. I didn’t set out to cause any harm,” she goes on. “I wasn’t looking for…I wasn’t planning on a relationship…it just happened.”

It’s so hard for me to imagine a love affair just happening , unfolding like a strip of fine leather under the roller. Wouldn’t it be nice to be one of those people who wanders the world and runs into love like it’s a corner bodega? Kathleen is one of those people who is surprised when love arrives, as if it is made of whim and fancy, and not of choice. But that’s never been true for me. I have to choose. I’ve always had to look for trouble to find it, and the same goes for love.

“I have to go,” Kathleen says, looking up at the street sign, looking for the quickest route out of here.

“Kathleen, before you go, you need to understand something. Thank you for putting your feelings aside, for letting go of my brother-for whatever reason. You’ve saved us all a lot of heartache. But…I’m with them. My family. They come first. If you need to discuss business with me, I’ll come to your office day or night. I’m very grateful for all you’ve done for me. But I don’t expect to see you on Perry Street again. Understood?”

As she walks away, perhaps she is thinking about how she could have saved her own heart from breaking. But it’s too late for that now.

I watch as Kathleen crosses Perry Street, avoiding the pits and grooves of the cobblestone street. I wish my brother would have navigated his path as carefully.

Alfred should have known better, after all we had been through with Dad. Alfred always knew best until it came to his own life. Now he’ll have to figure out a new philosophy, because the one he chose walks away with every step she takes.

I fold my arms as Kathleen makes the turn onto Washington and disappears out of my view, and, I hope, out of my brother’s life, and the story of our family-for good.

My suitcases are lined up next to the door, and my outfit is laid out for the flight to Buenos Aires. My mind races. I think of a thousand things that I will need to do, should ask, and hope to accomplish in Argentina.

Roberta has been cagey about providing any family information. She wants to share it all in person, which is fine, but I hate to travel a few thousand miles to get upsetting news. On the other hand, I’m excited about seeing her factory, and about the potential business opportunity for her and the Bella Rosa .

I am grateful for the timing of this trip. Alfred and Kathleen’s secret affair took a toll on me, as did the shipment to Milwaukee. Gabriel has begun to implement his renovation and redecoration of the apartment, and it will be helpful for him to have the space to himself to get the job done. Alfred will take over the shop in my absence, June’s vacation is planned, and Gabriel will be on hand to help out when he’s needed. It would seem that all is in order. Until I open the most recent letter from Gianluca.