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“She has a doctor’s appointment in the city and said she wouldn’t be back until around 6 p.m.,” said Debi. “Cate, this is Anni. She’s Lorenzo’s wife.”
“Hi,” said Anni with a friendly smile. She had her short blonde hair in a sleek bob and was wearing jeans with a bright top that looked like a vintage kimono. “I was at your wedding, although you probably don’t remember me.”
I gave a rueful smile. “It was all a bit of a blur, I’m afraid.”
“I remember feeling exactly the same about my own wedding. I think everyone else had more fun than me. To be honest, it was all a bit of a shock to my system.”
“I felt just like that—and still do.” Anni seemed lovely, and it was nice to not have to pretend in front of her. It sounded as though her marriage hadn’t been the easiest either. I looked down at the two children who were sitting on the floor and playing.
“Clara, Clemente, this is Cate,” said Anni.
The little girl flicked her eyes toward me but said nothing and carried on playing—she was obviously shy. The little boy looked up and gave me a chuckle.
“How old are they?” I asked.
“They’re four and two.” Anni looked down fondly at both children. “They’re from Lorenzo’s first marriage, but I treat them as if they were my own. They’re great kids.”
Clara had brought a big bag of dressing up clothes with her…as well as a white cat with big blue eyes. I knew that kids often carried a stuffed toy around with them, but I was surprised to see that this little girl had brought a real cat with her.
We watched as Clara put pink rabbit ears on her head and a pompom bunny tail over her shorts. Then she got more bunny ears and another pompom tail out of her bag and called the cat over. “Wilbur,” she cooed, in a gentle voice.
The cat immediately diverted his attention to the little girl. His eyes looked at the ears and tail in disdain as if he knew what Clara was planning. But as she called his name again, he obediently scampered over to her and rubbed his head against her legs.
Clara then proceeded to put the ears on his head and attach the tail around his tummy. “This is dolly’s rabbit outfit,” she said seriously to him. “But you can wear it today.” Wilbur let Clara dress him and purred as she rubbed between his ears.
“He’s very devoted to her, isn’t he?” I observed.
“He utterly adores Clara,” Anni replied. “He’s never let me dress him up, but he’ll do anything for her. She often insists on bringing him wherever we go, much to Lorenzo’s irritation.”
Satisfied with how the cat looked, Clara directed her focus to Mr. Fluffy. “Mr. Fluffy, do you want to dress up too?” She obviously didn’t want him to feel left out.
The dog didn’t need to be asked twice, bounding over as soon as he was called. I took a slight step back, glad that Debi and Anni stood between the dog and me.
Clara got out sparkly pink bunny ears and put them on Mr. Fluffy's head and then added a pompom tail to him. “You look very handsome now,” she told him earnestly.
Mr. Fluffy was enjoying the attention from her. Suddenly he put his paws in Clara’s lap and swiped his wet tongue across her cheek.
Clara looked taken aback, and I saw Lorenzo swiftly stride toward us, his face thunderous.
Before he could reach us, however, Mr. Fluffy gave Clara another lick, causing a giggle to bubble up the little girl’s throat.
At the sound of his daughter’s laughter, Lorenzo paused, and his face softened.
“It’s okay, Lorenzo,” reassured Anni. “I’m keeping an eye on them all.”
“Mr. Fluffy’s harmless,” added Debi, although Lorenzo scowled at the mention of the dog. I got the feeling that he didn’t consider anyone ‘harmless’ when it came to his little girl.
“Mom,” said the little girl to Anni, “the doggy is so soft.”
Anni gave her a smile. “That’s because he’s got lots of fur.”
“I like stroking fur,” she whispered, as she ran her hands over his coat.
I didn’t envy Anni being married to Lorenzo—he was pretty intense, plus she had become an instant stepmother to two young children upon her marriage. She only looked to be in her early twenties, while Lorenzo appeared to be a good few years older. It was a Mafia past-time to wonder about the dynamics within another’s marriage; although I realized that, now, my marriage would be subject to the same sort of speculation amongst the wives of the Fratellanza.
Clara continued playing with the cat and Mr. Fluffy, preferring their company to anyone else’s, despite Debi's best attempts to engage the little girl in play.
I continued talking with Anni while the children played. “It’s amazing that the children accept you so readily as their mom,” I remarked.
