nights in Polignano, we descended the
60 steps into the cave for dinner.
When we emerged onto the deck,
the view took my breath away. We
were suspended some ten metres
above the sea. The emerald water’s
reflection danced against the lime-
stone dome of the cave.
Aldo had refused to come because
the memories of losing the nearby
Hotel Sportelli in a financial dispute
20 years ago were too painful. My
grandmother respected his decision.
“Isn’t it amazing?” she said, gazing
out at the sea. “Only nature knows
how many millions of years this has
been here.”
The next day, at another coffee
shop, Aldo pulled out a family pho-
to from 1934, and my grandmother
studiedit.“Imeteveryoneofthem,”
she said.“We’vehadthissharedlife
together.Isn’tthatcrazy?”
Aldocaughtheruponwhathap-
penedtoeachpersoninthephoto.
“Whendoyouleave?”heasked.
“Tomorrow,”shesaid.
Theystillhad 40 minutesbefore
Aldohadtoheadhome.Afterchap-
eroningeverymomenttheyspent
together, I leftmy grandmother
alonetoenjoythelastmomentsof
her lastdate.
T
he next morning, Aldo,
SabrinaandGiorgiometusat
thehotel.Wethankedthem
fortheirhospitalityandfor
making mygrandmothersohappy.
“Our familywillbeanextensionof
yours,” mydadsaid.
I was surprisedtoseetearsrun-
ning downSabrina’sface.“Takecare
of him,” mygrandmothersaid,hug-
ging her. Shenodded,sobbing.
Aldo tookmygrandmother’shand
in his. “Now,I willdothehardest
thing: turnaroundandwalkaway,”
he said.
My grandmotherdidn’tallowher-
self to indulgeinthefinalityofthe
moment. ShegaveAldoonelasthug,
and, as wewalkedaway,sheheldup
her phoneandsaid:“I’llseeyou
tomorrow.”Aldo and Marilenacontinuetospeak
daily. Marilenasaysshemayvisit
Italy later thisyear.Aldo’swifeis
still alive butherhealthcontinuesto
decline. AldohastoldMarilenathat
he believedhertobetheloveofhis
life when theyfirstmetandthattheir
reuniting was“ablessingfromGod”.FROM WASHINGTONPOST(FEBRUARY6,2019),© 2019
BY MARINA LOPES,WASHINGTONPOST.COMPoor Timing
I can’t believe I got fired from the calendar factory.AllI didwas
take a day off. http://www.wattpad.com77
“I Never Forgot You”