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“Why?”
“So I can see where I fit into your future.” Violetta eyed him frankly. “We want a future together, don’t we?”
“Yes.” Franco knew she was talking about marriage, which she had been doing a lot lately. He wanted to marry her, but he wasn’t ready to propose until he was more established.
“I feel restless. Day after day, nothing ever changes. I’m stuck inside because I’m a woman. We’re not even supposed to walk in town without accompaniment. In Bagheria or in Palermo.”
Franco had a vague memory that such inequality had bothered his mother as well, but at the end of her life, no one told her what to do. Not if he valued his head.
“Franco, I’m tired of staying in. And I’m tired of Sicily.”
“But you love this country, don’t you? I do.”
“Yes, but I wish I could see the world. We’re on the edge of it here, do you realize that? It’s too tempting to live along the shore, but never cross the line. The world doesn’t end at La Cala. That’s where itbegins.”
“You want freedom.” Franco understood, touching her face.
“Yes. Don’t you?” Violetta frowned at him, and Franco felt strangely as if he were his brother, Roberto, content with less than he should be.
“As I’ve said, I want to own my own grove. I want the same opportunities as other men. I want equality, too.”
Violetta brightened. “Freedom and equality go well together.”
“Not always. Sometimes they’re at odds.”
“Not if we time it properly. Maybe after you get your equality, I get my freedom?”
“Is that really what you want?”
“Yes. I catch myself looking out the windows at the ships. Travelcalls to me. My mother wants grandchildren and she drives me crazy. Wait till you meet her.”
“I’ll charm her.” Franco knew Violetta’s stories of fights with her mother. “Here’s the key to mothers. When a woman has a child, she becomes not only a mother, but a boss. Accept your mother as your boss, and you’ll get along better.”
“ButIwant to be the boss.”
“When you have a child, you will be. But not before. Not to her.”
Violetta smirked, narrowing her eyes. “You think you know so much about women.”
“I know everything about women. Mothers are just women at their bossiest.”
Violetta laughed. “Then we agree? We’ll travel together?”
Franco could see how much she meant what she said. “If I want you, I have to agree, so I agree.”
Violetta chuckled. “This isn’t a negotiation, it’s a conversation.”
“Okay, whatever you call it, I agree. We’ll travel, that’s our plan.”
“A plan to be free?” Violetta burst into laughter. “You can’tplanfreedom.”
“Yes, you can. You have to.” Franco pointed to a clipper ship on the water. “See her? She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She can go anywhere she wants in the world, right?”
“Yes,” Violetta answered, smiling. “Am I the clipper?”
“You are, but don’t get ahead of me. She can go anywhere, but she doesn’t travel aimlessly. She’s anchored right now, waiting for her turn to enter La Cala. She follows a shipping schedule, a plan.”
Violetta burst into laughter. “Bravo, Franco! I’ll be your clipper, and you’ll be my anchor.”
