Mornings with Sid
The next day Zorah was alighting from the vehicle and saw Sidonia running towards her with a wide smile on her face.
“You’re here!” Sidonia exclaimed as she threw her arms around Zorah and hugged her tight. “Come on, I’ll take you up to Eleanora in the vineyard. You look like you’re feeling better today.”
They linked arms and began to walk away from Icaro who the moment he got out of the car, two men waved him over to talk.
“I am. How was your date day yesterday?”
“Amazing. Vodingo took me to some ancient ruins. We explored a bit and then we went to the base of a volcano. We had a picnic.”
“A volcano?”
“Yes!” She giggled. “It didn’t blow smoke or anything, but it was cool.”
“How are things with you both?”
“Good. It was only the two of us all day, well aside from the guards who gave us a lot of privacy. We talked a lot.”
“Does he make you happy, Sidonia?”
“He does. I’m sure we will have our ups and downs, but it is hard to doubt his sincerity, Zorah. I’m meeting his grandparents tonight and I’m nervous.”
“I met them last night at dinner and they are lovely. His Nonna is incredibly special. I love her already. I had coffee and toast with her this morning in the dining room. She has a great sense of humor. She was giving me all kinds of ideas to make Icaro suffer for having premarital sex knowing I was his one.”
“What kind of advice?”
“She said Icaro used to tell her how I smell of strawberries and cream and baby powder.”
“Your shampoo.” Sidonia giggled, “you always buy the same one.”
“I know and my deodorant. She made a show of having fresh strawberries on the table this morning. She also told me the internet at the farm is great and deliveries can be done relatively quick. She suggested I do a huge order of pretty panties since I found out he stole mine from our apartment.”
“He stole panties?”
“He used to sit in our apartment Sid,” Zorah made a face, “in the middle of the night and watch me sleep.”
“Just watch you?” Sid asked with her nose crunched up.
“He said he only watched me, and he also stole my panties and told me he didn’t want to tell me what he did with them.”
“I definitely don’t want to know,” Sidonia sneered at Zorah’s words. “What did you do all day yesterday?”
“I stayed in bed for quite a while. The main housekeeper brought me breakfast in bed. Avaline came and apologized to me, and she took me down to the church and introduced me to Father Tarantino.”
“Do you think he’s related to the movie director?”
“I don’t think so,” she giggled at Sid’s question. “He was really nice. He and I shared a lengthy conversation, and he gave me a lot of advice. He offered to see me weekly for a while and even said when we go to Catania, he’ll facetime me.”
“Really?”
“He said he thinks I have trauma because of my upbringing. He also thinks I suffer from low self esteem. He wants me to work on it by making notes of my positive qualities. He gave me a little note pad and a pen and everything.”
“He wants you to make note of your positive qualities? Isn’t he worried you’ll become vain or prideful?”
“He wants me to acknowledge my goodness not revel in it,” she commented quietly. “I’m trying but it’s hard.”
“I see so much good in you, Zorah,” Sidonia squeezed her hand. “I wish you saw you the way I see you.”
“Maybe someday I will,” she smiled benignly as they strolled. Her eyes were focused on the rows and rows of vines. “It’s so pretty here.”
“Isn’t it?” Sidonia nodded excitedly. “Vod and I walked through her last night after dinner. He got done on one knee and proposed to me. He wants to have another wedding. A big one with the entire family.”
“You said yes?” Zorah teased her.
“I did. I know it’s only been a few days but somehow, I feel like our hearts are connected.” She waved her arm around, “and this place is magical. Once we move to New York it might not be as much a fairy tale but this is our honeymoon but there are some things I’ve seen.” Sidonia bit her bottom lip.
“Like what?”
“Like the women here, especially the Lucchesi brides are revered. I watched a man yesterday who is bigger than a truck run like a track star when he heard his wife fell and twisted her ankle up at the end of the vineyard. He came back carrying her in his arms and he was the one putting the ice pack on her ankle. He kissed her foot better, Zorah. I’m telling you she has him wrapped around her pinky. Calogero worships Eleanora. At breakfast this morning, he was cutting up her fruit and when she wanted a second cup of coffee, he went in search of it. He spoils her rotten. She told me her hair hangs to the middle of her back, and she ties it up each morning in her bun because it gets in the way on the farm, but he brushes it at bedtime each night.”
“He brushes her hair?”
“Yup. Every night he’s home,” Sidonia giggled.
“Has Vodingo started anything like this with you?”
Sidonia blushed hotly, “he likes to give me my bath.”
“What?”
“He likes to run a bath for me at bedtime and wash me from head to toe. He even gets between my toes, Zorah. We, you know, get intimate and then he puts me in a bath after, he washes me up and then he puts me to bed and tucks me in.”
“He tucks you in. Like a baby?”
“He always has more work to do. He works a lot. He brings his laptop to bed and once he has me all tucked in beside him, he sits on the bed and does his work.”
“But like a child? He tucks you in like a child?”
She shrugged, “I told him how my parents never once tucked me in when he did it the first night on Saturday. He said he’s making sure I won’t fall out of bed and hurt myself. He likes keeping me safe.”
“It’s kind of cute,” Zorah admitted nudging Sidonia with her hip.
“I’m going to fall hard for him, and I know it.” Sidonia nodded as her eyes caught sight of her husband in the distance.
“You deserve to love and be loved, Sidonia.” Zorah patted her hand.
“We both do.” Sidonia gave her a meaningful look. “If you want to know how Icaro will treat you in the future, forgetting the past, watch the men around the farms.”
“I’ll try.”
They walked quietly for a moment before Sidonia asked, “did you hear my parents are searching for me?”
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