The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing - Melissa Bank [31]
Now Laurel asks Barney, "How old were you?"
He looks at me. "Eight?"
"That's about right," I say.
"How long did it take you?" P. K. asks.
"The whole summer," Isabelle says.
P. K. says, "I love that they left it standing."
I go to the kitchen to check on dinner, and I overhear Barney say, "You see Dad a lot, Isabella?"
We sit down to dinner. I've overcooked the pasta, but no one seems to notice. We're all talking and laughing, drinking wine, and I get this good feeling. We're all here.
Giancarlo, on my right, says, "Why did you leave the farm?" His English is perfect.
I tell him that the schools weren't great, and we were losing money on the apples. "It wasn't realistic."
Isabelle says, "Plus, it turned into a big orgy."
"Isabelle," I say.
"That's what Dad said."
"So," Laurel says, "you moved to Rome."
I tell her we meant to stay only a year but I found good work, and she says, "Doing what?"
"Dubbing," I say. "My voice is immortalized on dozens of spaghetti Westerns. Barney's, too."
"Pa!" Barney shouts. "Injuns!"
"How do you do it?" Laurel asks.
"You're adapting," I say. "You fit words into an actor's mouth."
Barney says, "It's hard, because Italian words usually end in vowels—openmouthed." He smiles at Giancarlo.
I say, "If the actor says, 'Prego,' you can't dub, 'You're welcome.' "
Barney and I act it out: I mouth "Prego" at the same time Barney says, "You're welcome."
Barney becomes instructor-like: "Regard the subtle differences between u and i." He leads us all through the consonants and vowels, and we watch one another's mouths. We are a tableful of sounds.
P. K. says, "I feel like I'm in first grade."
At dessert, I bring out champagne. P. K. makes the first toast: "To our honored guests from the Windy City!" and everyone clinks glasses.
Giancarlo stands up and says, "To our masterful chef!"
I tell Isabelle, "I like this one."
P. K. is describing her last case and why she didn't put the alleged drug dealer on the stand. "He was innocent," she says, "but he lied about everything." She's all animated, and I'm a little annoyed when Barney stands up and taps his spoon against his glass.
"I have something to announce," he says. "A major announcement." He smiles all around, and then pulls Laurel to her feet. "We're pregnant," he says.
They sit down. It takes a second for it to sink in, and then Isabelle jumps up and hugs them. "That's great," she says. "This is so great." Then we're all hugging one another and talking, a jangle of conversation.
Laurel half rises again, and says, "We're also getting married."
Everyone laughs; I have to admit, I'm relieved. The details circle the table—she saw the doctor last week, the wedding will be very soon, she's due in April.
"I'm going to be a grandmother," I say to myself.
Giancarlo squeezes my hand.
Then Barney stands again, still beaming.
Everyone thinks he's joking. "Sit down, you ham!" P. K. calls out.
Isabelle says, "Give me a break!" She and Giancarlo are laughing, and he kisses her.
Barney says, "There's something else."
I happen to look over at Laurel. She's pale and perspiring; strands of her hair are sticking to her neck.
I say, "Sh."
Very slowly, Barney says, "Julie is pregnant, too."
Now we are all hushed.
Isabelle whispers to Giancarlo, "His ex-wife."
Barney's voice is steady. "I'm the father."
No one moves.
I watch my son. I don't think I've ever seen him look so serious, but it doesn't seem real; it's as though he's imitating how someone responsible speaks. He says, "We're going to help as much as we can." He seems to realize that standing up isn't right—this isn't a toast—and he abruptly sits down. "We're going to help," he says again.
P. K. is studying her brother. Out of all of us, she expects the most from him, and I can tell she wants to see this whatever way he does. She will put it in the best possible