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No.Dante felt it as a stomach blow. His mother was dead. He had lost the chance to see her again, to know her at all. Tears sprang to his eyes.
Gaetano crossed himself. “I’m so sorry. You have my deepest sympathies. Nevertheless, we should talk to Signore Michangeli.”
Don Matteo shook his head. “Why? Gaetano, what do you want with my family?”
Gaetano hesitated, then gestured to Dante. “This young man is Dante Michangeli.”
Don Matteo’s hooded eyes flew open with joy. “This isDante? Gaetano, you found Dante? How?”
“Our Dante?” Donna Angelina threw open her arms, wrapped them around Dante, and pulled him into her perfumed embrace. “Thank you, Holy Virgin Mother! Our prayers have been answered! After all this time!”
“Dante!” Don Matteo hugged him, too.
Dante felt engulfed, trying to regain his bearings. “Don Matteo and Donna Angelina, how wonderful to meet you both. Is my father home?”
Don Matteo’s eyes brimmed. “Dante, come inside.”
Boxes were stacked here andthere in the empty apartment, but Dante recognized the layout. There was a wall covered in blue silkand bronze sconces he remembered, and his father’s piano was wrapped in white cloth. Rugs had been rolled up, and glass-front cabinets stacked with dishes that had pink flowers on the rim, which he remembered. The chandelier twinkled above the table, which had mesmerized him when he was little, its crystals like tiny stars in the darkness.
More teary hugs and kisses were exchanged, then Dante and Gaetano sat down with Don Matteo and Donna Angelina at the dining room table. Donna Angelina took Dante’s hand, her hooded eyes glistening. “Dante, I’m so sorry, I have more terrible news. We heard your father passed away about ten years ago. He fell ill, in Naples.”
“No, no.” Dante felt rocked, after hearing about his mother. It didn’t seem possible. He had no family but this old couple. His heart ached for all he had lost.
Gaetano put an arm around him. “I’m sorry, Dante. This is a shock, and it will take time to absorb. We can talk to Baron Pisani about it when we get back. Lucia, too, after she returns.”
Dante nodded, numbly. He tried to think. “Still, I want to know about my parents. I remember some things, but not all. What were they like?”
Donna Angelina smiled shakily. “Your mother was like a daughter to me, sweet and loving. We were confidantes, since my sister was dead and I had only sons. Your eyes are so much like Vera’s, and seeing you, I feel as if I’m seeing her again.”
“I remembered my eyes are like hers.” Dante could feel his mother’s presence in the room, full of love. He even thought he detected a trace of her perfume, but that could have been his imagination. “And my father?”
“Adamo was a good man with a carefree heart. He was an excellent musician. He could play a variety of instruments, but he loved the piano.”
“I thought so.” Dante’s gaze turned to the piano and a memory came to him. “I remember sitting next to him on the bench, but my feet didn’t reach the pedals. He put empty boxes on them, and it worked.”
“That sounds like him. He was so creative, so inventive.”
Gaetano patted Dante’s back, pained. “Dante, this is a lot of sadness to absorb, all at once. I’m sorry about your parents. I just wish I’d found you sooner.”
“That’s okay,” Dante rushed to say, not wanting him to feel bad.
Don Matteo interjected, “Gaetano, I remember the day you came here, so long ago. Am I to understand you were knocking on doors to find Dante? And if so, why?”
Gaetano hesitated. “Yes, I remember that day. We talked in the alley.”
“You can say it, I terminated you. You asked me if Dante was kidnapped from the Saint Rosalia festival, and I had to lie. We were told to, by the kidnapper. He sent us a ransom note, warning us that he’d kill Dante if we told anyone. We followed the instructions and paid the ransom, but the kidnapper didn’t give Dante back. We heard nothing further after we paid.” Don Matteo sighed. “Honestly, Gaetano, I couldn’t risk Dante’s life.” Don Matteo turned to Dante. “I’m sorry, Dante. If I had told Gaetano the truth, we would have gotten you back. You would have enjoyed a happy childhood.”
Donna Angelina dabbed her eyes with a lacy handkerchief. “We were wrong to keep the secret. We should have told the truth.”
Dante’s heart went out to them. “I don’t blame either of you. I understand why you didn’t say anything.”
Don Matteo heaved a heavy sigh. “Nevertheless, it was a grievous error. Gaetano, how did you find Dante?”
Gaetano told the story while Dante, Don Matteo, and Donna Angelina listened. By the time he was finished, Don Matteo looked grave and Donna Angelina was teary again.
Don Matteo shook his head. “Gaetano, we can’t thank you enough. If you want your old job back, you’re welcome. Bartolomeo is still there, but I’ve learned he can be... annoying.”
Gaetano smiled. “Thank you. I’ll consider it.”
