The Legacy (19 page)

Adagio and Cisely relax on a wooden bench beneath a
large walnut tree and watch some children on the playground in
the distance. A soft breeze rustles the leaves on the trees and
pigeons coo to one another as they snatch up the bread crumbs
they toss their way. Even with the distant sounds of downtown
in the background, their surroundings are peaceful.

“You’ve
been
away
from home
so
long,”
Cisely
comments. “Do you have someone looking after your house
for you?”

“I have a cleaning lady named Anna who comes in twice
a week. She has a key and keeps an eye on things for me. Her
son is one of my chefs, so she is very trustworthy.”

“It’s good your work is at home. You have lots of eyes
watching out for you that way.”
Smiling, Adagio turns his emerald gaze to her, taking in
the highlights of her dark auburn hair. He understands why she
is making these comments and can almost read her thoughts.
“Ingo used to say you are too noble for your own good
sometimes.”
She smiles. “He said that to me, too.”
“He was right. I see that now.” He catches her chin in his
hand. “Cisely, look at me.” When her eyes meet his, he says,
“Please stop worrying. Everything is fine at home.”
“I can’t help it.”
He takes her hand and squeezes. “You are going to have
to help it, because you are not getting rid of me.”
She gives him a slow grin. “Is that a threat?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay, then.”
That is the last she says on the subject and he hopes she
truly understands. He isn't going anywhere. He is where he's
supposed to be.

Adagio helps out by cooking dinner for us a couple of
extra days a week. I have grown to love his cooking, even crave
it.
Romano's Macaroni Grill
has always been my favorite place to
eat because I love Italian food, but now my favorite meals are
the ones Adagio cooks. His meals are amazing. He believes in
variety and never cooks a dish the same way twice, and I love
each and every meal.

Adagio usually gives us a mini Italian lesson, pretending
to be an eccentric cooking instructor, and by the time he is
finished, Jessica and I are holding our sides from laughing so
hard. Whenever I improvise my speaking of the language and
try to match his Italian accent, it sends him into fits of laughter
as well. Because of these times, we are slowly building some
joyful memories.

I also cook some Italian meals, with Adagio’s assistance,
of course. When a dish turns out well, he praises me. When it
turns out not so good, he still gives me an A for effort, and he
and Jessica eat it anyway. This is definitely the sign of a good
friend–to eat a terrible meal without complaint.

At night Jessica and Adagio visit while I play the piano
softly. I had all but stopped playing when Ingo died, but
Adagio coaxed me into playing again. He knows how much I
love playing and I'm grateful for the extra push.

During our visits, Adagio and I grow to learn more about
each others lives as we open up and share experiences from our
pasts, as well as our hopes and fears for the future. In the
process, our mutual admiration grows, as well as the bond we
share. We talk of Ingo often and the impact he had on our
lives. We share our own private stories of him, some of them
producing bouts of laughter, and others bringing bittersweet
tears. But even the tearful moments are a little easier because
we have each other to lean on. I am really grateful for that.

Jessica is also glad Adagio is here and appreciates the
support he gives her. His strength is a boon and his presence
brings great comfort. She will miss him when he finally returns
to Italy.
And so will I.

Having
cleaned up
after
another
sumptuous
meal
prepared by Adagio, we relax in the family room. Adagio is in a
spontaneous mood and says some fun time is in order. Pulling
a Latin music CD from the shelf, he puts it in the player.

As the music fills the room, I start snapping my fingers,
the beat moving through me. If there is one thing I love, it's
dancing. Adagio grins, holding his hands out to both Jessica
and me.

“Come. Let me teach you ladies how to salsa.”
Jessica claps her hands and quickly stands. “I'm game!”
I laugh. “I'm a little too big to salsa. I would be a terrible

student right now.”
“Nonsense,” he says, not about to let me off the hook. “I
told you, you are
not
big, just pregnant. You will do great.” He
takes my hand, gently pulling me up.
“Okay,” I concede with a sigh. “They're your toes on the
line. Pregnancy has given me two left feet.”
He laughs and stands between us, teaching us the basic
steps. He is very good. In fact, I'm surprised by how good he
really is. I knew he was a great dancer, but his salsa is amazing.
I quickly catch on, surprising
myself
, and soon Adagio and I are
dancing like a couple in a club. Jessica is a little slower catching
on, but she eventually gets it and is thoroughly enjoying herself.
“Very good!” Adagio says to me. He teaches me a couple
of other Latin dances and I pick the steps up quickly.
“You're a natural,” he says, turning me around and back.
He praises Jessica as well.
I am completely enjoying myself. I love the exercise and
dancing always makes my spirits soar. I haven't enjoyed dancing
so much since . . .
My thoughts immediately shift to the last time I danced
with Ingo. It was on New Years Eve, and we danced in this
very room. Suddenly the memory is so vivid, it is like it just
happened yesterday.
“I think I'm done,” I say, backing away from him. I
quickly smile to hide my sudden shift of emotions and feign
exhaustion.
He looks at me intently, his eyes full of understanding. I
can't hide anything from him. He knows me well and I'm sure
he glimpsed the pain.
“You rest,” he says, gently letting me off the hook. “I will
keep my other lovely partner up here a little longer.” He grins
at Jessica and she laughs, still moving a little to the beat.
At the song's end Jessica declares she has had enough and
heads to the kitchen for a drink of water. Adagio congratulates
her on a job well done. Turning the stereo off, he sits on the
sofa next to me.
I want to apologize to him for letting my emotions get in
the way. I open my mouth to do that when he squeezes my
hand and says, “One day at a time, angel. Just take it one day at
a time.”

Awakening in a cold sweat, I sit up, glancing at the clock.
It is just after one in the morning.
The nightmares have started again. The haunting dreams
of my childhood are back, though not as frequent as they were
before. Still, the fact that I am having them again is disturbing,
and I wish I knew why the memories continue to plague me. I
let my head fall back against the damp pillow and wipe a hand
across my forehead. Night time is still hard for me because it is
when I feel most alone, and on these nights it is even worse.
The bed feels cold and empty, no matter how much I snuggle
into the covers.
I miss having warm arms to curl into, a strong heartbeat
against
my
ear
to
lull me
to
sleep.
I miss
whispered
conversations in the dark and the security of muscular limbs
draped possessively around me. I miss waking and not being
alone.
I stare up into the darkness, feeling exactly that–alone.
Fingering my wedding rings, I close my eyes and pray for
comfort. Eventually comfort does comes and I drift back to
sleep, praying the dreams will leave me again and never come
back.

Adagio decides that I need an evening out. When he
arrives at my house, he asks to treat me to dinner and I accept.
Other than going for walks around the neighborhood and to
the park, I really haven't gone anywhere, and instead of eating
out, I usually order take-out and have it delivered. It will be
nice to go somewhere else for a while.

As he pulls out of the driveway, he tells me the restaurant
is my choice. He hadn’t made any definite plans, deciding to
play it by ear.

“You really don’t care where we eat?” I ask.
“Not at all. We can go wherever you want.”
“Well, in that case, I would like a burger. The biggest,

Adagio glances at me. “Really?” he says, grinning. “You
want a burger?”
I nod, laughing at the incredulous look on his face. “The
bigger and messier, the better.”
“Hmmm. All right, if a burger is what you want, a burger
is what you shall have. You just point the way.”
A little while later, we are sitting in
Lucky 13 Bar and Grill
with two Double Double burgers in front of us along with a
basket of beer-battered onion rings. While Adagio studies his
burger, I dig right in.
“Oooh, this is so good. Thank you for bringing me here.”
It takes him a moment to chew the large bite before he
can respond. “You are very welcome. And you were right, this
is pretty good. I must say though, I have never had a burger
that forced me to stretch my mouth so wide.”
I laugh. “Neither have I. The last time I came here, the
most I could eat was a regular burger.”
“Well, you are eating for two now. I guess the baby will
digest half of it.”
“I think you’re right. And I know I'll probably pay for
this later on tonight when heartburn sets in.”
“But right now it is worth it to you, right?”
“Exactly.”
“So tell me, what other secret cravings have you been
experiencing?” His tone is teasing.
“Well, now that you asked, I could really go for a hot
fudge sundae with lots of nuts and pineapple.”
He shakes his head, laughing softly. “Well, I did say your
every wish is my command. When we are done here, I will
search the city until we acquire a hot fudge sundae for you.
How does that sound?”
“Mmmm, sounds wonderful. I think you're spoiling me.
If you keep this up I won’t ever let you go back home.”
Looking into my eyes, he gives me a slow smile that
makes my face warm. “Then maybe I will stay.”
Shyly returning his smile, I blame the familiar skip of my
heart on the baby’s movements. It can’t be anything else.