In Front of Her Whole Family
Love and Confusion in Northern Italy
Part 1
You see the young man in the outdoor market there, picking up the barrel of plums he just knocked over? That’s me. Porter. The Malian-Italian girl next to him, gathering her family’s plums from the ground, that’s Luna. This is where we met.
Cattolica, Italy — June 2014
With remarks of Porter’s carelessness surely peppered in, Luna’s been ranting about something since she came over to pick up the fruit. Porter, on the other hand, thinks he just fell in love.
“I am sorry, very very, it was…” Porter refers to his phrasebook, “accident.”
Luna mutters through Porter’s apology and shows no indication of accepting it. Smears of soil streak her olive-brown forearms and the denim apron covering her tank top. She repositions the barrel and walks back to her post at the cash register. Porter decides to buy some plums to make up for spilling them, and grabs a few other fruits before getting in line. Having not made any friends in this town yet, Porter encourages himself to ask the girl for her number, though he seems to have missed this lesson in the seven years he studied Italian in high school and college.
“I buy these, please, thank you,” Porter says to Luna as he sets down the produce.
Luna counts the items and continues organizing bills in the register, “six euro.”
He hands her the cash. “My name is Porter. I am American, from California.”
Luna’s brown eyes meet Porter’s as she looks him over. “You are from California?”
“Yes. But… my relatives, live in Cattolica, and I live, in their hotel, for the summer.”
“Ah, beh, the summer is very nice here.”
“Yeah it’s great here. What is your name?”
“I’m Luna.”
“Nice to meet you, Luna. You live here, in Cattolica?”
“Yes.”
Porter rifles through his phrasebook, “I don’t know many people here. Would you like… to do something, with me… sometime… for fun?”
“Um… sorry, I didn’t understand.”
“Uhhm,” Porter scrambles for more words.
“I can get my grandmother.”
“Ahah, no, I — ”
“Grandma, si puoi help?”
Before he can help it, a little old lady waddles over and waits for Porter to explain why she’s been summoned to the register.
“Uhh hi, ahah, no — I only asking, if Luna, and me… go out, together… some-”
The grandmother interrupts and calls to Luna’s older sister, Bea, who rolls her eyes as she sets down her cell-phone and walks over, accompanied by their younger sister, Fatima.
“No — everyone, sorry — just Luna,” Porter closes his phrase book and racks his brain as the father, Angelo, and the older brother, Walter, now come over and somehow incite a squabble amongst the family.
“Cosa male?” “Bea è nelle nuvolle, Luna non vuole essere qua, — ” “Aiutavo! Ma-” “Guardavo a mio-!” “Ragazze! Perche-” “Se la tua-!”
First the plums, and now this? Porter’s standing there with his fruit, sweating, “Uhh, excuse me… Excuse me!” Surprised by Porter’s interruption, Luna, her grandmother, sisters, father and brother all pause and turn their heads towards Porter.
“…sorry, but, I only ask, if you (*gestures to Luna*), and me (*gestures to self*)… go out, together (*more hand-gestures*)… sometime. Maybe… for food, or… to see the town…”
There’s a beat of silence and blank stares before it finally clicks, “Oh…?” says Luna, “Are you asking if I will go for gelato with you?”
“Uhh yeah, okay, gelato. Yes.”
The other family members shake their heads and snigger as they go back to work.
“Ah.” Luna thinks a moment, “Okay.”
“Great, um, do you have WhatsApp? Or… maybe Facebook?”
“Yes, Facebook.”
“Perfect.” Porter takes out his phone and gives it to Luna.
She types her name into his search and adds her profile. “Allora, eco.”
“Okay, great. Um… I write you. Thanks for the fruit.”
“You’re welcome. Bye.”
Porter walks away happy to have that behind him. Why didn’t she understand me at first? Does she speak a different dialect? And where did gelato come from??
She didn’t seem that int — (a beep from his phone).
Luna Faro: We go for ice cream tomorrow at 5? Do I say this right? My English is bad 😆
