Piazza Bella - Antipasto I
A New Beginning
Previously, Carla’s Adventure.
Piazza Bella - Aperitivo I to XIII, is free to everyone. If you haven’t read it, you can find the chapter links below. Season Two - Antipasto I, is also free. I hope you enjoy.
Piazza Bella - Season Aperitivo: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII
“Did you make love to Liam, Carla?”
Oh fuck, did you have to ask me that?
Now? Here?
Is there no boundary limit to sisterhood?
I bit my bottom lip and flushed scarlet red with burning cheeks. We didn’t have absolute privacy, but the fiery, passionate Italian girl in Bella cared little for discretion when among friends. My sister wouldn’t relent until I gave her something juicy, even though she pushed hard for absolute slutty.
I paused and glanced around to buy time while figuring out what juicy morsel from my pillow Bella would settle for.
“Umm, yes, we fooled around a bit.”
“Fooled around? Is that some New York code word for fucking?”
“Not quite, Bella.”
She flicked her head, clearing errant locks of hair from her face, blowing the remaining stubborn ones while feeding her joint between lipstick-smeared lips, puffing hard. It had been a long day for them while I dated Liam; everyone worked harder, so I felt indebted.
“Is Liam a good lover, then… at least tell me that, Carla?”
“Are you seriously asking?”
She leaned in conspiratorially as if that might make a difference to the steam coming off my revelation.
“You can tell me, Carla, because we are sisters and, as such, ought to share everything. Luca is a fantastic lover, by the way. Hence, I always assumed he was cheating on those nights away from my bed. Now, come on… spit it out.”
“Bella, come on, he’s sitting right there and can hear every word we’re saying.”
I cringed with embarrassment and pointed at Liam sitting outside the cafe. Margarita and Sam relentlessly interrogated my new boyfriend, wringing out every detail regarding our day-long date when the only period of time they were actually interested in was when we were alone in my apartment.
My sex life was also precisely what Bella probed robustly. She looked fit to burst into giggles at any moment, puffing on her menthol-flavored weed like a steam train burning coal at full speed.
I reached out to her with my fingers, and she grinned, handing me her smoke to share.
I inhaled, and a mild menthol hit came first; then, my tension eased as the cannabis THC mood enhancer was absorbed into my bloodstream. I remembered heady, fun college days when weed smoking was a regular extra-curricular and essential of life and decided then and there to buy a small stash, minus the minty flavoring.
I glanced at Liam, who held his own with surprising aplomb under strenuous cross-examination and character assessment from my intrusive friends. I would hear their opinions in raw, girl-judgment form later.
As I studied him, taking in his corporeal characteristics, Liam felt like my boyfriend, although we were still a relatively unfamiliar couple. His semen swam freely inside me, the ultimate expression of lust wrapped around a growing kernel of love. He wooed me hard, which I felt was essential to grow an endearing attachment between us.
I smiled at Bella and stared at the floor, shaking my head gently in resignation before finally eyeballing her and laughing out loud because she wasn’t leaving our tête-à-tête without a substantial and adequately sordid answer.
“We made love, and it felt wonderful… and, yes… Liam is an incredible lover, thoughtful, unselfish and beguiling. There… I kissed and told sister, are you happy now?”
He heard me.
I don’t care because it was all true.
“Hurrah… I am so pleased for you. Good girl, Carla. You have a boyfriend in the world’s most romantic city.”
“I have a boyfriend and a sister, both of whom will meet my mother at the same time in a little under forty-eight hours.”
“What a family reunion it will be, Carla. We shall agree on a dinner menu and have a private table to celebrate a well-lived life.”
“Just don’t debate New York pizza sauce with Americans, Bella.”
“Don’t worry, sister, I understand how to deal with tourists.”
Not these ones you don’t.
I took a few more draws on Bella’s joint, enjoying the tension-dissolving drug she was so obsessed with. My sister would need all the cannabis she could get in the coming days, possibly weeks, as she adapted to having a large American family fussing around her while waiting for her husband’s cancer results.
When Liam joined us, he kissed me longingly, purring into my ear, before linking his fingers through mine, smiling, mildly pleading to be rescued like a puppy being played with by a girl with ten meters of pink ribbon.
Oddly enough, it was Bella who came to his aid.
“Luca is alone at the Trattoria and intends to open a Chianti Classico Riserva. He might need help scribbling a set of notes if the wine is to be accepted onto our menu. Would you help him, Liam?”
“Thank you, Bella. Is that okay with you, Carla?”
“Of course, honey. I’ll hang out here and field questions about how good you were in bed unless you already let the cat out of the bag.”
“They got nothing out of me… did you ladies?”
My girlfriends shouted ‘No.’ Bella and I collapsed in a fit of giggles as Liam dashed away, looking relieved to have escaped a gaggle of women gossiping, comparing, probing, and doing what friends do together when they are all female and speaking about men.
My sister studied me with a steady, serious gaze while drawing from her joint. It was late, and a chill in the air made me shiver. Bella pointed after my new boyfriend, who had already reached the front door of her Trattoria.
“He respects you, Carla, and that is important.”
“Why do you say that?”
“If Liam has no regard for your opinion as a girlfriend, he will have less of a one for his wife. He asked for your permission, demonstrating that he is a considerate man.”
“I don’t want a puppy as a boyfriend, though.”
“Liam is no puppy, but I believe he is damaged.”
“How can you tell?”
“It’s apparent in his eyes. Tread cautiously, my dear.”
I stared up and saw the first few stars in our night sky appear. I knew Liam had grave issues, especially in recovering emotionally from a severe bereavement.
“How much should siblings share with each other, Bella?”
“I wondered the same thing today. I believe we will find our way, one step at a time. What is on your mind, dear sister?”
“Liam’s wife died in a car crash while pregnant, but months later, when handed her effects, he found a pre-natal paternity test that excluded him as the father.”
“Oh fuck!”
“Yeah… he is broken, Bella, but I don’t know in what way and how badly.”
“Liam would lack empathy if he could easily shelve that personal tragedy.”
“Not good, right?”
“Damaged or uncaring… either way, you begin with a man who needs fixing in the relationship. Is he worth it, Carla?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t hesitate because something about Liam suggested greatness I wanted to love. I had caught feelings for him, perhaps not as strongly as he had for me, but it was plenty to commit my exclusivity, put my best foot forward, and explore the possibilities of a longer-term relationship.
“I want to help you with Luca, Bella.”
“You do that already. Your contribution to our Trattoria is incredible. Sam is a great delight, and you have injected vitality and unity into our lives.”
“Let me know if you need anything from me, please.”
“My husband believes it is important to carry on as normal at work and, in our home, he wishes to mend our differences, get to know you and Liam and meet your mother. He is also worried about Angelo and his black eye.”
“Angelo is a lovely kid.”
“With a great future, just like his friend and lover.”
My mind went blank, and I stared at my sister in disbelief. I wasn’t sure what she was suggesting, but by the massive grin on her face, I was probably thinking in the right direction.
“Sebastien?”
“Of course, they are together.”
“I had no idea.”
“They are discrete about it, but I know young love when I see it.”
I nodded and grinned, feeling lifted that my two favorite co-workers had found each other and fallen in love. An obvious suspicion struck me that Angelo’s black eye might have been caused by a family member who disapproved of his sexuality.
I hope not.
“I must leave now, Bella.”
“To make more sweet love with Liam?”
“No… I’m researching some recipes from Mama’s notes. It’s hard to carve out time to study with so much going on.”
“Go, now… Luca will entertain your man while you enjoy all the time you need. They are probably talking disparagingly about how distracting and intimidating a gaggle of women gossiping can be.”
I kissed her cheeks and strolled back to Bella’s Trattoria, passing by Luca and Liam, explaining to my boyfriend that I needed an hour or more to shower and study.
My father’s suggestion that I should hone my culinary craft in Venice was sound, and I felt that sitting amid the most comprehensive culinary library in the city and ignoring it would be another error. I wanted to honor Jack Keady’s memory, taking on his challenge of soaking up his favored food and beloved romantic city.
I imagined my father looking down on us, two sisters, his children from different mothers.
Would you be proud of us, Dad?
Of course, you would.
I sat on my bed, which hours ago had been an ecstatic battlefield of love and sex. A few tears rolled down my cheeks, not for sadness, but because an emotional hurricane had swept me up. I belonged at Trattoria Bella and knew that the vacuum I had most earnestly felt at Chez Judy’s was finally filled.
Thank you, Daddy.
I showered, lazing under the warm water until it ran out. My skin felt like silk when I diligently massaged in a rich shea body butter. Wearing a light satin negligee and sensible white cotton panties, I sat on a kitchen stool, poured a half glass of Montepulciano D’Ambruzzo, enjoyed its extensive tannins, and opened Mama’s first notebook.
By drinking standards, the inexpensive wine was very quaffable, becoming lavish when used in our standard reduction. Luca had recommended I try his secret weapon that helped the Trattoria turn a profit when purchased in bulk at a significant discount for use in cooking and as our house red.
I wanted to help Bella and Luca with the Trattoria, adding value to our kitchen Brigade’s efforts. I discovered a chapter in Mama’s cookery files volume one, Reconstituting Leftovers.
My darling Bella, a good cook, makes great food. A great cook leaves no waste. Here are some helpful tips:
1. The best way to reheat noodles that haven't been tossed with sauce is to place them in a metal strainer and dip them into a pot of boiling water until they're warmed through, about 30 seconds. This will not only keep them from drying out—the quick hit of intense heat will also prevent them from getting mushy.
2. If your leftover pasta has already been tossed in alfredo or meatball marinara sauce, put it into a shallow ovenproof dish, cover it with foil, and bake it at 350 F until just heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle Parmesan in the last five minutes to make it viscous. Serve at lunch as a special or at any time for those you know to adhere to a frugal budget - we feed everyone, even those who cannot pay.
Please, sweet Bella, never use a microwave, or the sea will rise and consume our beloved city.
I was immersed entirely, as though drawn into an imaginary world by a great movie or book. I felt Mama and my father all around me, loving each other, living, and learning to cook together. Bella was here too, downstairs in person I heard my sister walking around her kitchen and in my apartment as an otherworldly presence.
Bella warned me that Luca wouldn’t reconstitute food on principle, but I believed somewhere in these notebooks was a secret to securing a greater profit.
When Liam knocked at the apartment door, I poured him a second glass of wine, expecting he would simply walk in.
“Come in… I left the door unlocked for you.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was allowed.”
“No problem, sweetheart… we’re in that early place of a relationship nobody ever understands.”
“Oh… umm, what does that mean, Carla?”
“Our love story is beginning, honey; we are its authors. Everything feels significant, and our concepts of each other and the love we feel have been hijacked by hormones and lust.”
“You sound mildly heart-rending, dear.”
I paused, lifted my glass, and tapped it to Liam’s, considering whether I was a wet blanket smothering love’s early flames. Liam became tense, a condition caused by not fully understanding what I meant, my fault, not his.
“I want our relationship to work, Liam.”
“Thank fuck for that. For a moment, I felt a little crushed and thought to look around for my suitcase already packed.”
“Which is precisely what I am talking about. I want you to be comfortable around me, not wrangling over what I say or obsessing about the precise words I use in a conversation. If you want to come and go here, I will give you a key. Should you wish to stroll naked around the apartment, do it, but be aware my sister visits frequently and whenever it pleases her.”
“So, I should help myself?”
“In every way, Liam… yes.”
“You want us to be ourselves?”
“Yes, and if misunderstandings creep in, we can discuss those and resolve any problems before they begin.”
He considered what I’d said, sipping and enjoying the house red. Liam’s expression softened, and his demeanor relaxed. My forthright nature was hard for some people to decipher, and I didn’t want that to cost us in love.
“The same applies to you, Carla. There should be no hiding questions or running away from them.”
“I agree entirely, Liam.”
“Are we exclusive then?”
“I am to you.”
“Me too, and I couldn’t feel happier about that.”
He swallowed a generous swig of wine, staring at the quarter glass remaining, surprised and impressed. When he checked the label, it meant nothing to him, and I laughed.
“This is better than the wine Luca is tasting at the Trattoria.”
“There is a twenty euro difference between the vintages.”
“This one is more expensive, I imagine?”
“Nope.”
“Wow.”
He pointed at Mama’s notebook, craning his neck to read the perfectly formed biro handwriting.
“Is that your secret recipe vault?”
“All books here belong to Bella now and her mother before that. These are Mama’s private notebooks, part journal but mostly recipes and good housekeeping advice.”
“Mama would be your father’s lover, right?”
“Yes… does it seem odd that I feel such intense love for Bella? Should I be jealous or upset about my father’s past life?”
“You are very civilized, adaptable, and wise, Carla. It’s something I love about you. I see you always looking for opportunities where others might accept failure.”
“I have a sister, and that feels priceless, Liam.”
“It probably is.”
After he showered, we finished the bottle of wine and went to bed, making love for hours, expending so much energy that I woke late for a run, leaving my beautiful lover sleeping.
When I pulled on my sweats and dashed outside, stretching off aching muscles, it surprised me when Bella and Luca appeared out of nowhere. My sister linked arms and dragged me along.
“We took an early walk. Will you join us at the fish market?”
“Of course.”
I figured Bella didn’t want her husband to struggle alone with the load and, by the ire written on Luca’s face when his wife split up the haul after paying a trader, giving him the lightest crate, he realized the same thing. They argued in Italian like a civil war between Rome and Florence had broken out, tossing heads, each periodically pausing to balance a crate on their knee to gesticulate wildly before moving along, but the two were love birds again by the time we reached their beloved Trattoria.
I saw Liam helping Margarita and Sam at the cafe, getting our breakfast table ready, serving passing trade who were desperate for a single or double slug of morning coffee. Bella nodded at each new customer and smiled while Luca, all business, raced on ahead to the Trattoria with his and Bella’s crate as if to prove a point.
“You see, Carla… you brought all of these people into our lives. Margarita never helped me until her lover rolled her out of bed. We never had passing trade at this hour; now everyone talks about the American sister of Bella at the Trattoria, her husband, his sister, and her American lesbian lover, and the customers come.”
“Why do the customers come?”
“We are what happiness looks like, and they want to be part of it.”
Luca returned from our kitchen, took my crate, scowled at Bella, and then quickly fled to the safety of the Trattoria, avoiding her retaliation. She looked at me slightly awkwardly.
“He feels I am molly-coddling him.”
“You must, for both of your sakes.”
“That is what I said.”
“You should drag him to breakfast at the cafe.”
“Luca is in his morning process now, Carla. Jerking him from that would tear his world apart, triggering mild autism.”
“Will I see you at breakfast?”
“Not today, sweetheart. As a special treat, I will scramble eggs with smoked salmon from Scotland and feed my husband.”
When my sister walked away, I felt wistful and glanced around our Piazza Bella. My life felt like an Aperitivo, a drink or small plate of food that promised great things yet to come.
My heart was lifted, but deep down, a tiny pain throbbed for the sum of all my fears and the things that might go wrong.
Help me, Daddy.
Suddenly, the sun cleared the highest roof around our Piazza, bathing everywhere in beautiful light. I felt an intense warmth that tingled in every muscle, rejuvenating and invigorating me.
I chuckled, feeling victorious, turning around and walking to the cafe where Liam, Sam, and Margarita served us perfectly poached eggs on Bella’s special toasted wholemeal sourdough.
Sam held out a hand to me, kissing my cheeks and nodding at my boyfriend.
“Have you explained about Percy Jackson to Liam?”
“Not yet.”
“Should I do it for you?”
“No!”
Next Chapter:
A Great start to Season 2 Kate, and you needn’t have worried, all the characters are there in their individual glory. By the way, this series isn’t on your Substack index yet.
So happy to see Carla back!😊. Excellent start to season 2.