"None in here," Luca replied, tossing the paper aside in favor of La Gazzetta dello Sport. La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But sit and watch. Maybe they'll tell us about something worth listening to on the television." "But sit and watch. Maybe they'll tell us about something worth listening to on the television."

"We can only hope," said Peppi.

"Ciao, Peppi," said Filomena, taking a seat on the sofa. "It's a warm night. Would you like a beer or gla.s.s of wine?" Peppi," said Filomena, taking a seat on the sofa. "It's a warm night. Would you like a beer or gla.s.s of wine?"

"No, thank you, Filomena. I'm fine."

"Didn't see much of you today, Peppi," said Luca from behind the sporting news. "What were you up to today?"

"Shh!" shushed Filomena. "I'm trying to hear the news."

"I was around, doing a little gardening this morning," Peppi said softly in reply to Luca's question. "Got some mail today that surprised me."

"A letter from America?" said Luca aloud.

"Hey, do you mind? I'm trying to listen," said Filomena, flinging a sofa cushion at her husband. "Sta zita!" "Sta zita!"

Peppi stood and moved his chair closer to Luca so that they might talk more quietly. "No, it was a wedding invitation from Pescara," he whispered.

"A wedding invitation?" said Filomena, suddenly turning away from the television. "Who from?"

"Would you mind not speaking so loudly?" said Luca. "I'm trying to read the sporting news."

"Watch yourself, Signore," Signore," his wife said menacingly before turning her attention back to Peppi. "Who do you know in Pescara, Peppi?" his wife said menacingly before turning her attention back to Peppi. "Who do you know in Pescara, Peppi?"

Peppi told them the story of how he had met Loredana and Claudio on the train from Rome. It was a nice memory and he laughed after telling them the story, for he never would have dreamed that the two would end up married.

"Well, it was nice of them to invite you to the wedding," said Filomena when he had finished. "Will you go?"

"No," Peppi explained. "I don't think so. It's a long way and I really don't feel like going alone to something like that anyway."

"Who says you have to go alone?" she replied. "Did the invitation say only you were invited?"

"Well, now that you mention it," said Peppi, "the card inside did say Signor Peppi and guest."

"There!" said Filomena, slapping her hand down on the table. "I told you, you don't have to go alone. Take somebody with you. It will be good for you."

"Who on earth around here would want to go to a wedding in Pescara with me?" said Peppi, grinning.

"Don't even look at me," said Luca from behind La Gazzetta La Gazzetta.

"Who's asking you?" said Filomena. "Now, don't you worry about it, Peppi. Lucrezia will go with you."

Peppi squirmed uneasily in the chair. "Oh, but I really don't think..." Peppi began to say, but just then the door opened and Lucrezia herself came in carrying her usual load of paperwork from the office.

"Here she is now," said Filomena. "Lucrezia, come in here."

Lucrezia dumped her work on the kitchen counter and came into the living room.

"Ciao, Peppi," she said at seeing him. Peppi," she said at seeing him.

"Lucrezia," her mother began, "Peppi has been invited to a wedding."

"I know," Lucrezia replied.

"You do? Well, good, because I told Peppi that you would go with him."

Lucrezia shot a look at her mother that would have stopped a rhinoceros. She folded her arms and tapped her foot. Peppi was certain that hostilities were about to commence.

"Don't worry," Peppi told her. "You don't have to come. I knew you wouldn't want to. Please, don't give it another thought."

"Of course she wants to go," said Filomena before her daughter had a chance to open her mouth.

To Peppi's surprise, Lucrezia's scowl turned into a small but detectable grin. "I'll tell you what," she said in the tone of voice she might use when negotiating a new sales agreement or perhaps trying to finagle a better price from a vendor, "I'll go with you to the wedding, but under one condition."

"Which is?" said Peppi.

"You have have to let me help you buy some new clothes," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I refuse to go anywhere with you unless you get a new suit and definitely some new shoes." to let me help you buy some new clothes," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I refuse to go anywhere with you unless you get a new suit and definitely some new shoes."

"She's right," said Luca, lowering the sports page for only a moment. "I didn't want to say it, but I can't believe the things they let you Americans walk around wearing. It's appalling."

"You know, you're not the first person in Italy to tell me that," sighed Peppi.

"Then we have a deal?" said Lucrezia.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No, not really," said Lucrezia playfully. "Not if you want a ride to Pescara." Then she turned and sashayed out of the room.

"Looks like you have a date," said Luca. "I hope your intentions are honorable. I don't want any mischief."

"Well, I'll be taking her to church," laughed Peppi. "I don't think we can get into too much mischief there."

No, thought Filomena, but it's a start.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.

The morning of the wedding, Peppi arose early. The ceremony was to take place at noon, so Lucrezia had made him promise to be ready by nine-thirty to give them plenty of time to make the drive to Pescara. By Peppi's reckoning, especially taking into account the way that Lucrezia liked to drive, that would get them to the church a half hour or so early. He would have preferred to arrive just on time, but he supposed it was better to give themselves a little cushion. Peppi arose early. The ceremony was to take place at noon, so Lucrezia had made him promise to be ready by nine-thirty to give them plenty of time to make the drive to Pescara. By Peppi's reckoning, especially taking into account the way that Lucrezia liked to drive, that would get them to the church a half hour or so early. He would have preferred to arrive just on time, but he supposed it was better to give themselves a little cushion.

Peppi went into the kitchen and made himself some coffee. As he sat at the table with his cup, he nibbled a biscotti while he looked over at the new suit hanging on the bedroom door. Below on the floor sat the box containing his new shoes. The new shirt and tie were already laid out on the bed.

Though he preferred to live simply, Peppi was quite secure financially. Just the same, he let out a sigh at the thought of the money he had spent on the clothes. Lucrezia had taken him to Michele's, the only men's clothing shop in Villa San Giuseppe. The fact that the shop was located in a little out-of-the-way town high in the Abruzzi mountains made it no less expensive. The prices rivalled anything Peppi might have found in Milan. When they walked in together, Lucrezia had beckoned for the owner.

"Michele," she had announced with great solemnity, "in three weeks I must accompany this man to a wedding in Pescara. I don't wish to be embarra.s.sed, so per favore, per favore, do do something something with him!" with him!"

"Si, subito, Signorina!" subito, Signorina!" said Michele with a quick bow of his head. He turned to Peppi, narrowed his gaze, and looked him up and down like a sculptor inspecting a fresh, unchiseled piece of marble for the first time. He frowned at what he saw, particularly Peppi's shoes. "Turn, please," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. said Michele with a quick bow of his head. He turned to Peppi, narrowed his gaze, and looked him up and down like a sculptor inspecting a fresh, unchiseled piece of marble for the first time. He frowned at what he saw, particularly Peppi's shoes. "Turn, please," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Peppi turned around, allowing the tailor to scrutinize his back and shoulders. For a time, Michele stood there, scratching his chin thoughtfully while he a.s.sessed the situation. "You brought him in just in time, Signorina Lucrezia," he said at last. "If he had stayed dressed like this for much longer, the damage might have been irreversible."

"I agree," replied Lucrezia, straight-faced. "That's why I brought him to you right away."

Michele turned and gestured for them to follow. "Please, take him this way," he told her, leading them to the fitting room. "You are very fortunate. Just this morning I got in some nice new fabrics that would be perfect for a summer suit. I'll get some samples for you to look at while I take his measurements."

Peppi dutifully stood there in silence while the tailor measured his arms and legs and neck and shoulders. There wasn't much else for him to do for Lucrezia was running the show. She and Michele talked nonstop the whole time, debating the merits of one fabric over another and deciding which styles would look best on Peppi. It was almost as if they were dressing a mannequin. Now and then, though, Lucrezia would look up at Peppi and give him a brief smile before refocusing her attention on the serious business at hand. Peppi could not complain, for it was obvious that she was thoroughly enjoying herself. That had made him feel happy.

After breakfast, Peppi showered and dressed. When he came downstairs from his apartment, Lucrezia was already standing by the car, waiting for him. As always, she was dressed to perfection, but this day she looked softer, more feminine, not so businesslike. Instead of pulling her hair back tightly, she had let it fall down naturally to her shoulders. She wore a simple silk blouse and matching skirt. Lucrezia had that Italian sense of style that gave her a simple but elegant look that stopped men in their tracks.

Peppi gulped when he saw her for he suddenly realized how very out of place he would feel next to her. At seeing him approach, though, she allayed his fears by flashing him a brilliant smile. She lowered her sungla.s.ses to get a better look at him.

"Ciao, bello," she said with an approving nod, gesturing for him to turn about so that she could get the whole effect. "Now she said with an approving nod, gesturing for him to turn about so that she could get the whole effect. "Now that's that's more like it." more like it."

"You don't think the slacks fit too tight?" said Peppi.

"This is Italy, Peppi," she laughed. "Slacks are supposed to fit tight."

"But I feel like Tom Jones," sighed Peppi.

"Who?"

"Never mind," he said. "I'll get used to them. Andiamo." Andiamo."

They climbed into the car. As he buckled himself in, Peppi could not help but notice Lucrezia's long slender legs as she revved the engine. He quickly looked away and directed his gaze straight ahead. "Remember, not too fast," he told her. "I'm an old man, you know."

"You're not so old," she replied mischievously. Then she put the car in gear, stepped on the accelerator, and sped away from the house and down the road.

They were on their way.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.

As Peppi had expected, they arrived in Pescara well before the start of the wedding. It was a warm, pleasant day with a gentle breeze drifting in off the nearby Adriatic. To pa.s.s the time until the ceremony began, Lucrezia suggested that they take a stroll around the piazza outside the church. As they ambled along, chatting about the weather and peeking into the windows of the shops, Peppi realized that there was something very familiar about the place. He stopped suddenly and looked out across the piazza. they arrived in Pescara well before the start of the wedding. It was a warm, pleasant day with a gentle breeze drifting in off the nearby Adriatic. To pa.s.s the time until the ceremony began, Lucrezia suggested that they take a stroll around the piazza outside the church. As they ambled along, chatting about the weather and peeking into the windows of the shops, Peppi realized that there was something very familiar about the place. He stopped suddenly and looked out across the piazza.

"I remember now," he said, breaking out in a smile.

"Remember what?" asked Lucrezia.

"I raced through this piazza once years ago, your father too. It was during a circuit race. We pa.s.sed through here at least three or four times. I knew the church looked familiar. I remember because right in front of it I punctured a tire on the last lap and I had to walk my bike to the finish."

"You're just like my father," laughed Lucrezia. "How can the two of you remember such things from so long ago?"

"We old cyclists remember everything," grinned Peppi, "especially races we might have won."

They walked on until they came to a street vendor selling cold beverages from a little cart with a colorful umbrella overhead. Peppi bought two bottles of lemonade while Lucrezia secured them a free spot on a nearby bench. They sat there for a time in silence, sipping their lemonades while they watched the people come and go.

"Francesco was a cyclist," Lucrezia said at last.

"I didn't know that," said Peppi. "Did he race?"

"As much as he could before we were married, but then his business started to take up too much of his time. But still he liked to ride and train as often as he could."

"Your father must have liked that about him," said Peppi.

"Yes," she said with a wistful smile. "He was always trying to get Francesco to ride with him on the weekends. Sometimes I think that the only reason my father gave us his blessing so quickly when we decided to get married was that he wanted someone else in the family to ride his bike with."

"That's entirely possible," said Peppi. Then he looked back to the church and saw that the wedding guests were starting to arrive. "Speaking of getting married," he said with a nod toward the church, "I think it's time for us to go."

There was still plenty of time before the start of the ceremony when they entered the church. Peppi helped Lucrezia choose a place for them to sit then left her for a few moments. It was his first time in church since Anna's funeral and he thought it would be nice to light a candle for her. He walked to the little alcove on the side aisle of the church where the rows of candles flickered in the dim light. Only two remained that had yet to be lit that day. He took a piece of straw and used it to light one of the two. Then, after tucking a sum of lira that far exceeded the suggested offering into the little metal box, he knelt on one of the two kneelers and began to pray for his wife.

A few moments later, Lucrezia appeared at his side. She took one of the thin pieces of straw, held it into the flame of the candle Peppi had just lit, and used it to light a candle of her own for Francesco. When the candle had flamed to life, she reached into her pocketbook to find some money to put into the offertory box. Peppi, though, reached out to stop her.

"Don't bother," he whispered, touching her arm, "I put plenty in for both of us."

Lucrezia nodded her thanks, took her place on the other kneeler, and the two of them bowed their heads in prayer.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.

"Signor Peppi, you look wonderful!" exclaimed Loredana, throwing her arms around Peppi's neck. you look wonderful!" exclaimed Loredana, throwing her arms around Peppi's neck.

They were at the reception on a beautiful terrace overlooking the sparkling Adriatic Sea. In the corner a quartet played while the other wedding guests who had already pa.s.sed through the receiving line sipped their c.o.c.ktails and nibbled on the antipasti. One and all wore sungla.s.ses for it was a bright, gorgeous day. The air was full of laughter and talk as everyone took turns gazing out at the sundrenched beach below.

"Thank you so much for coming today," Loredana gushed as she kissed Peppi's cheeks.

"Thank you for inviting me," said Peppi.

"How could we not invite the man who brought the two of us together?" said Claudio, giving Peppi an embrace of his own. "You're family to us now!"

Embarra.s.sed by all the sudden attention, Peppi gestured to Lucrezia. "This is Lucrezia," he told them, "a good friend of mine. I couldn't have come today if it weren't for her."

"Thank you for coming," said Loredana, "and for bringing Signor Peppi. It means so much to us."

"It was my pleasure," said Lucrezia with a genuine smile. "Congratulations to both of you. Your wedding ceremony was beautiful and I just love your gown, Loredana. You have to tell me, was it made by a local designer?"