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‘You bet,’ said Linda.
‘Not me, someone’s gotta man this desk at night.’
‘Oh Pedro, you poor thing. See if you can duck up for a quick dance on your break.’
‘I’ll try.’
After hugging her colleagues, Miranda headed towardsthe staff car park. Checking her phone, she noticed there were three messages. The first was from her mother:
Need u to pick up Xmas ham from Bookers Butchery in City Central Plaza by 7pm, they r expecting u. My fridge died & all food went off – argh! Bookers r the only place who had one left. Mum xx
The second message was also from Miranda’s mother:
Did u get my msg? Make sure u get ham, otherwise no Xmas lunch for us! Call me. Mum xx
The third message was from Matt:
Have swapped shifts for NYE, any tickets left for ball? If so, book me in!
Miranda stopped in her tracks, heart fluttering. She dashed back into the lobby, excitement rising and her heels clicking on the floor.Yes!
‘Miss us already, huh?’ Linda’s confused face greeted Miranda as she practically crashed into the reception desk.
‘Quick, open up the booking window, for the ball!’ Miranda demanded, peering over the computer monitor. ‘Are there any complimentary tickets left? Are there? Are there?’
‘Hold your horses, girl, let me check...’ Linda tapped away at the keyboard, while the carollers sang ‘Joy to The World’. Linda glanced up at Miranda. ‘You’re in luck, there’s one left. Who am I booking in?’
‘Mr Matt Cordella.’
‘Oooh, anyone special?’ Linda raised an eyebrow.
‘Yes, I believe he is.’
THIRTY-ONE
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
~ Maria Robinson
‘All done.’ Gina added the olives to the scungilli salad and passed the bowl to her mother who was preparing the dressing. Marlina Giovanni leaned over the kitchen bench, chopping the Italian parsley like a pro. She flicked it off the chopping board into the salad, then drizzled over the olive oil and lemon juice. This was one of the seven fish dishes they’d be serving tonight for their traditional Christmas Eve feast.
Despite growing up in Italy until she was a teenager, Marlina first took part in this tradition during her time in America, when friends of her husband invited them both over on Christmas Eve one year. They joined them every year after that, and when the Giovanni family moved toAustralia while Gina and her brothers were toddlers, Marlina vowed to continue the tradition.
Marlina’s insistence that Gina put her ill feelings for Marvin aside for the sake of preserving their planned festivities, only made Gina more determined to stand her ground. She threatened a boycott if any member of the Longwood family were invited. She also said she’d walk out if any of them ‘happened’ to drop by, so Marlina surrendered to her daughter’s wishes.
Tonight, the Giovanni dining room would be filled with Gina’s aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and her ageing grandmother, along with a couple of her parents’ close friends from church. When their stomachs were filled to the brim with different varieties of fish, delicate desserts, and pastries, they’d walk over to the nearby church for midnight mass.
While Christmas music decorated the air, Gina decorated the sweet biscuits with icing, squeezing it out of a piping bag. She made a mistake, and wiped a smidgen off with her finger and licked it.
‘Gina, hygiene please!’ her mother scolded.
‘But I made a mistake,’ Gina defended.
Marlina paused for a moment, tilting her head to one side. ‘Have you made any other mistakes?’
Gina assessed her culinary creations, then glanced at her mother, realising what she actually meant. ‘The only mistake I made was staying with him for so long.’
‘That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?’
