EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE, five years later:
"Guess who's coming to visit, honey," Rita called from the living room to the kitchen, where Dov was making lasagna.
"Who?" he called back. "Now, Nicole," he said to the little girl clinging to his leg, "You need to go back with Mommy, okay? I'm trying to cook and I don't want you to get burnt." The black haired girl pouted, but went to her mother.
"Daddy is being mean," she stated. She clambered onto Rita's lap.
"Daddy isn't being mean," she said, cuddling her baby. "He's just keeping you safe. He's trying to cook dinner. Why don't you play with your toys?" Nicole did so, and Rita smiled at her with affection. Who would have thought that she'd be married and have two year old so early in life? Five years ago she'd sworn not to marry until she was 30. I guess Mom was right, she thought. A good husband makes all the difference.
"Who is coming, honey?" Dov said.
"What?"
"The person you said was coming to visit? Who?"
"Oh, yes!" Rita remembered her news. "Mom and Dad. They've finally forgiven me for moving out here. I don't think Daddy was ever very angry, but Mom holds a grudge forever. I guess those letters and pictures we sent at Christmas did the trick. A grandmother can't resist visiting her only grandchild."
"I guess not. That's great news! I think Nicole has already begun to notice that while other kids have four grandparents, she only has one." Nicole looked at them with her intellegent dark eyes.
"Am I in trouble?" she asked, pausing in her single minded banging on her toys.
"No, dear. You're fine." Rita tossed a doll to her daughter, who let it hit the ground without making a move, and then retrieved it.
"Okay. Graze, mama."
"Prego." Though Rita still wasn't as fluent as her friend, or Big Nicole, as they now called her to distinguish between her and Rita and Dov's child, she knew quite a bit, and could converse with people without too many mistakes.
Dov entered the room. Although they'd been married for going on three years, Rita was still deeply in love. He could still, when he wanted to, make her stomach flip. He was followed by the aroma of cheese and tomato sauce. "The food is done," he announced proudly. "Set the table."
Rita scooped up Nicole, who grabbed hold of her doll and squirmed a little. The table in the kitchen was the same table Rita and Nicole had had when they first moved into this house. There was a ring at the door. "I'll get it!" little Nicole squirmed out of her mother's arms, and rushed to the door. "Hold your horses, hold your horses," she called in her high voice, mimicking Rita's response to the doorbell. Nicole, or Nikki, as she was often called, had learned to open doors only a few weeks ago, and Rita hadn't yet decided whether to be proud or nervous. Her child was growing up so fast!
"Hello, everyone!" It was Big Nicole, Gaetano and their son, Dominic.
"I thought you would never get here, you goobers!" Nicole called."There was traffic. Did you hear about Theo?"
"Yeah. Second-hand, of course. He has hardly talked to me since-" she broke off. "He hasn't talked to me in a while. But it's great that he's going to be on Broadway. I can just imagine him as Curly in Oklahoma! somehow." She laughed. "So he's still keeping in contact with you?"
Nicole looked away. "Yes. Actually-" the door opened, and a tall stranger came in. He was wearing all black, and his black hat brim covered his face. Rita pulled Nikki close to her, unsure who the stranger was. Until he took off his hat."Theo!" Her hands fell to her sides, all the energy gone. "I didn't know you were coming." He looked the same, but different. He'd grown a gotee, and his there were lines between his eyebrows.
"I didn't either," he said, but with none of the cheer that had so characterized him five years ago. "I had a family reunion, and Nicole dragged me here." He hung his hat up on the hat stand. "So you have a kid. I didn't know."
"Yes. Meet Nicole Eloise Demario. She's two." Nikki stepped forward and scrutinized the man. She was not shy. "He's tall, mama."
Theo laughed, but it sounded as if he hadn't done so in a long time. "Yes, she's your kid for sure. Two years. Wow. It's been a while." This comment seemed to ease everyone, and they went into the kitchen."
"Everything's the same as it used to be," Theo marveled.
"Not exactly," Rita corrected. "Nikki has my old room, and Dov and I have Nicole's. We also turned the basement into an office sort of thing."
"An office? I thought you were going to act." He looked back at her, lip curled.
"I do act. There's still such a thing as taxes. And Dov is a director. He has to do payroll and other stuff like that for renting theaters and buying costumes and props." Rita tried to keep the sharpness from her voice but couldn't quite manage it. It's been five years, she thought angrily. Why is he still so upset about this?

Dinner was rocky. Almost nothing could be said without Theo saying something gloomy, spiteful or just plain uncouth. Rita shot daggers at Nicole, who shot back apologies.
"I didn't think he would still be so angry about it," she whispered to Rita while passing. "He isn't like this on the phone. Maybe he was just hiding it from me." She patted Rita's shoulder. This didn't really help much, but Rita appreciated the attempt.
She finally made her escape to the kitchen, under the pretense of getting a drink for Nikki. Theo followed her.
"You can't tell me this is what you wanted, Rita. I thought you wanted adventure, not the Brady Bunch." He leaned on the counter, and she noticed that his nose was pierced, and his hair had been dyed black.
"I can tell you that this is what I wanted. I'm happy, Theo. I told you that I wasn't the one for you. I told you to find someone else. You didn't listen. Are you happy, Theo?"
"No. I'm not happy. And I'm furious that you ruined my life, and you have a perfect one. A loving husband, a good carreer, and a cute little daughter. And I haven't been able to even hold a job for more than a month, let alone a girl." He pounded his fist agianst the table.
"Theo, I think you're making too much of might-have-beens. We wouldn't have worked together. You're too breezy with emotions, and I'm too-"
"I'm too breezy? Rita, I told you that I loved you! How is that too breezy? I've been regretting that trip even since I left here. I've been sitting at home, thinking that maybe you were wrong. Even when I saw the wedding invite I thought I had a chance. But I don't. I can see that." He tried to laugh. "I think I'll go home and kill myself now."
"You aren't listening to me," she snapped, sick of his pity party. "If you'd just listen you'd understand!" She put a hand on his shoulder to shake him. He almost grinned.
"That's the Rita I know and love," he said. "Talk to me. Yell at me. Make me listen. I want you to make me happy again." He cracked his knuckles.
"I can't make you happy. I can only tell you the truth. Which is: you need to get over me. Now. I'm married. I'm a mother. And I'm not right for you. Don't try to be what you think I want you to be. Be yourself. And do what you want to do." She picked up Nikki's cup. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a family to attend to." She left, and could feel Theo watching her. He left a few minutes later, but looked slightly less moody.
"Thank you both so much. I'll keep in touch." He picked up his hat, and felt his chin. "First thing to go it this growth. It never looked right anyway."

That night, Rita layed awake, mind too busy to sleep. She thought about Theo, and how much he'd changed. I wonder if he'll really keep in touch. And Mom and Dad are arriving in a few days. I really need to get this place cleaned up. Mom can't stand a mess. I can't believe I haven't seen her since I came here. And Dad. A flood of memories she'd been trying to repress came welling up, along with a few tears. She turned over, and hugged her pillow. She would have hugged Dov, but she didn't want to wake him. Nicole slept in her own bed, now, and Rita missed the feeling of the child next to her. Another change. But I can handle change. Life is always changing. She looked at the painting on her wall that Nikki had drawn with finger paints a few months ago. She traced the finger marks with her eyes, and rolled over again.
"Are you still awake, Rita?" Dov asked groggily.
"Yes." The crickets chirped outside the window.
"Thinking about Theo?" He sounded a little cautious.
"Kind of. But not romantically. I'm just thinking about how people change. It seems like all the stuff that happened my first months here was setting up for this. If I had never realized that I wasn't in love with Theo I never would have known that I was in love with you. If my parents had never left me on my own I never would have had the nerve to become a citizen, which I couldn't have done without you, both emotionally and legally, even though that sounds materialistic. And I think Theo's getting back on the right track. He nerved himself up enough to even come here to visit. There have been three family reunions here that he didn't come to before this one. And Eloise and Edward are coming to see us. The only thing I regret is not hearing anything from Peggie. Mom didn't know what happened to her, and Nicole hasn't heard from her, which isn't surprising. I miss her still. We had a lot of good times."
Dov put an arm around her, and held her close, her back to his chest. "Everything will be all right, darling," he said in Italian. Whenever he meant something a lot, or wanted to comfort her he spoke his native language. "It will all be for the best, yes?"
"Have I ever shown you the first thing that made me want to stay here?" Rita murmured.
"I thought that was me," Dov said quietly, but jokingly.
"No, silly." She got out of bed, and groped for the closet door. She stubbed her toe, but found the knob. She took down a box, and opened it, pulling out the picture off the top. Dov turned on the lamp beside the bed. Rita squinted. "Why didn't you turn that on before I stubbed my toe?"
"I didn't know you were going to do it. What is the picture of?" He held out a hand, and she placed the photo reverantly in his palm. "It's a statue. A beautiful statue. Who is it of?"
"It's Saint George. It's in the streets of Florence. The moment I saw it, I didn't want to leave. Maybe he's my guardian angel." She looked at Dov intently, unsure if she should finish her thought, or if it was dumb.
"What?" Dov looked up at her. "Go on."
"It's dumb."
"Rita, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't think anything you say is dumb?"
"Just a few more. I, I thought he looked like you."
"That," he said, kissing her on the cheek, "Is the highest compliment I have ever received." He kissed her forehead. "Now, you need to go to sleep, and I will watch over you, just like Saint George." He put the picture on the nightstand, and pushed her head lightly. She put her head on the pillow. The phone rang. Dov groaned. "I'll get it."
"No," Rita said. "I'm closer. Go to sleep, George." His laughter followed her out into the hallway, down the stairs and into the kitchen. It warmed her heart. "Hello?"
"Hi. Is this Rita?" a famailiar voice said over the phone.
"Yes. Who is this?"
"It's Peggie." Peggie started to cry. "I'm so, so sorry. I can't believe how awful I was. I just couldn't forgive myself. I got the number from your mom. I just wanted to let you know. I'm sorry."
"I forgive you," Rita said, tears in her eyes. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you, too. I'd like to see you soon."
"My parents are coming up in a few days. You could come with them. I want you to see my house, and my family. But you don't have to stay." They both laughed though their tears. Rita tangled the phone cord around her hand. "What have you been doing lately? I haven't heard anything about you."
"Death and the Angels didn't pan out. The lead singer was a jerk who couldn't tell music from a car wreck. That wasn't really my style. I'm doing more punk-rock than whatever that stuff was. I just got a gig with The Superheroes, if you know who they are."
"I've heard of them, I think. Aren't they pretty big in America?"
"Yeah. Kind of. I'm the guitarist and I also do back up vocals. Anyway, it's pretty late for you, isn't it? I'm sorry, but I just had to call."
"That's fine. I'll see you."
She went back to her bedroom. Dov was still awake. "Who was that?"
"Peggie. She might be coming up with Mom and Dad."
"I think," Dov said thoughtfully, "That this is a day of miracles."
Rita heartily agreed.