Reader\'s Digest AU NZ 03.2020

thehousekeeperwhowaswatching

hiswife.

Aldosentmygrandmothera mes-

sagelatethatnight.“Therewewere,

youandI,asifwehadbeengood

friendsfor 68 years,helpingeach

otherinsorrowandrejoicingtogether

injoy,”hewrote.“IthankGodforal-

lowingmethechancetobewithyou.”

T

heymetforcoffeedaily,during

thefewhourshecouldgetout

ofthehouse.Mygrandmother

refusedtobealonewithhim.

“Whatwouldpeoplethinkif theysaw

ustogether?”shesaid.“Itlooksbad.”

AtfirstI laughedthisoffasan

antiquatedsenseofmodesty.But

every wherewewentAldoseemed

torunintoanacquaintance. “Aldo

Sportelli!”afriendwould

shoutfromacrossthestreet,

makingmy grandmother

cringe.

Ononedatehebrought

hisdaughterandgrandson.I

wasworriedaboutwhatthey

wouldthinkofmy grand-

mother,butallanxietydisap-

pearedwhenwemetthem.

Sabrina, Aldo’sdaughter,

pulledmygrandmotherinto

a tighthug.Mygrandmother

hadbroughthera necklace,

whichsheputonrightaway.

“GiveGrandmaMarilenaa

hug,”SabrinatoldGiorgio,her

12-year-oldson.

“It’sbeenagiftforDad,”

Sabrinasaidlaterthatdaywhen

I askedhowshefeltabouttheirrela-

tionship.“He’sa victimofMother’s

condition.”

Whenweweren’twithAldoand

hisfamily,mygrandmotherwant-

edtoexplorePolignano.Itwasstilla

charminghamletwithnarrowlime-

stonestreetsleadingtoscenicout-

postsoverlookingthesea.Butmuch

hadchangedsinceherlastvisit.Red

BullhadchosenPolignanoasthesite

foritsannualcliff-divingcompetition,

andthetownwasnowoverrunwith

tourists.

Therestaurantinthecavewasstill

operating,andmygrandmother,who

wasallowedtowatchguestsdine

thereonlyfroma distanceat15,want-

ed to see it up close. On one of our last PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

MarilenaandAldoreunitedin

Polignano a Mare

76 March 2020

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