I groan. Could this get any worse? Introducing your family to your boyfriend is hard enough, but it’s excruciating when the relationship is so new – and our families are so different. I mean, they’re barely on the same planet.
Jacopo pops his head out of the kitchen. ‘What’s happening? Mamma’s never been called in at this time before.’
‘Evie’s family,’ Leo answers. ‘Kind of an unexpected visit. Are you eating with us?’
Jacopo takes one look at the adults’ faces. ‘No grazie. Mamma needs help to make the beds.’
Inside the dining room, even with eight of us around the table, there’s still room for more. Leo slides into the seat beside me, right across from Mum and Dad. His thigh presses against mine. It saysI’m here, I’m on your side. Just like Rebel on the app.
Jacopo’s mum brings out an array of steaming dishes, and I quietly explain each one. Mum goes for thesarde in saor. Dad starts with some polenta squares, while Griselda helps herself to thebaccalà mantecato– creamed salt cod.
‘I’ll be honest,’ Martino says. ‘I wasn’t happy about tonight’s surprise …’
So much has happened today, I’m not even sure what surprise he means. Probably the parade and our rebellion.
He goes on. ‘But I’m not blind to the committee’s reaction. Hearing their views, and talking to my son, has truly been an eye-opener. I understand you have been a big part of that, Evie.’
I turn to Leo, eyes wide.You talked?
He nods, and he looks … happy.
If Leo can find a way to talk to his dad, maybe I can find the courage to do the same with my family.
But before I find the words, Veronica speaks.
‘It seems there’s been some misunderstanding, however. Evie’s family were expecting her to be in Florence, taking part in a science fair.’
Martino raises his brows. ‘She wasn’t supposed to be here?’
‘As far as I’m concerned, she was … she is,’ Silvia replies. ‘I was incredibly impressed by her digital work. When I saw her portfolio, I thought she was just the person to bring a new dimension to the project.’
Hearing Silvia say I deserve to be here, that I wasn’t a mistake or a clerical error, is the last little push I need. ‘I wasn’t trying to slack off or get a free holiday. I wanted this. I’ve wanted it for a long time. Leo and I … we’ve been sharing our art online for a yearwithout realizing who the other was.’
Mum’s eyes widen. Griselda’s brow furrows. She’s clearly remembering the argument we had about me chatting to people on the internet. She’s probably wishing she’d shut me down like she’d threatened to.
‘Online where, exactly?’ Veronica asks.
‘On the Art Exchange app,’ Leo says carefully. ‘We signed up through our schools – well, my old one. It’s a kind of virtual gallery for teens.’
Silvia holds out a hand. ‘May I see?’
I’m closest, so I pass her my phone, opened to the main feed.
She scrolls for a bit, pausing to zoom in here and there. ‘This is interesting. There’s a real sense of community.’
‘Exactly,’ Leo says. ‘We couldn’t share our work with our families, but we had each other.’
‘I had to drop art at school,’ I explain. ‘But I missed it so much. This app kept me going, but it’s not the same as an art school or college.’
Griselda’s very still, eyes lowered, and for once I can’t tell what she’s thinking.
‘I wanted a bit of paper that said “Evie is good at real art”. Something I could show you,’ I tell Mum and Dad. ‘Like Grace had with her plastic bag award. I’m sorry I lied to you. But I wasn’t trying to escapework or responsibility. And I’ll still do science if that’s what it takes. I just … want to keep doing art. I don’t want to hide it away, like it’s a waste of my time.’
Veronica tilts her head. ‘So after all this, you’re saying you no longer want to pursue art as a career?’
‘I do! At least, I would. But I don’t have the luxury of trying and failing. My sister and my parents are right that I need to earn a living. This world …’ I gesture at the chandeliers, the gilded frames, the wealth around us. ‘It’s not me.’
‘But Evie!’ Silvia leans forward, eyes bright. ‘That’s exactly what InterSTEAM is for. Inclusivity. Opening doors into the arts for people with talent, but without the network or resources.’
