Italian Liaisons

Setbacks As had been the case with her daughter, Lissi wasn’t very big on technology. And so Melina usually sat in the living room in the evenings in front of her laptop while Lissi sat in her favorite plush chair by the television. Every now and then, she’d cast a concerned eye in Melina’s direction. It had been a month since the attack, and the setback had been devastating. Lissi had found her lying unconscious on the floor when she returned home from work and had her rushed to the hospital by ambulance. They’d never caught the attacker. Instead, they’d simply gone through the motions of treating and testing an already fragile Melina who was fast losing her will to live. For the first few weeks after the attack, Melina was too afraid to be left alone. Then, about a week ago, she insisted on not letting the bastard win by scaring her out of the house. And so Lissi had taught her how to shoot and told the girl to make sure she had the gun with her when answering the door. Lissi studied the beautiful Melina. Physically, her cuts and bruises had healed. Emotionally, she bled like a river. And so did Lissi, for she had failed to be home at the time to protect her. She knew she wasn’t to blame any more than Melina herself was, but it was hard not to wish she could’ve protected her. And Ari… And Nara… And her husband… And her little brother… Then she thought of what she’d told Melina many times about wasting time with regrets. Nothing could undo the past or wind the hands of time backward so that things could be done differently. It was over for her daughters, husband, and brother, but Melina was still alive. And she needed her to be strong for her. The first thing she did was suggest they get married so that Melina would have medical insurance. They kept and wore the rings from their previous marriages, and although Melina admitted it felt strange, she appreciated the insurance. “Does it feel weird to you?” she’d asked her mother-in-law-turned-husband. “No, not really. Besides, as soon as someone sweeps you off your feet, we’ll undo it, even though I won’t like it. You know me, without abuse in the picture, divorce isn’t something I’m big on.” “Yeah, I know, but you’re forgetting something.” “What’s that?” asked Lissi. “I’m never going to be with anyone ever again in my life. But you probably will be. You’re still fairly young, you look ten, fifteen years younger, and you’re a wonderful person.” Lissi had laughed, though she doubted she would meet anyone else worth marrying. Returning to the present, Lissi’s eyes shifted back to the TV, yet returned to Melina a few minutes later. Melina was going from cute to beautiful now that she was aging. She was still a little cutie, but it was evident that she was slowly trading in that girly look for a more womanly appearance. And it suited her quite well. Melina shut down her laptop and stirred restlessly. She glanced over at Lissi. Lissi smiled lovingly. “Want to sit with me?” she asked, arms outstretched. Melina nodded and snuggled into the chair next to Lissi. They held each other as Lissi kissed the top of her head and stroked her long tresses. Melina focused on the last few minutes of the sitcom Lissi had been watching. The subject was about a straight man who suddenly found himself attracted to another man for the first time in his thirty-something years. “They say that everyone’s attracted to a member of the same sex at least once in their lifetime,” said Melina. “Do you believe that?” Lissi thought about it a moment and said, “I suppose it’s possible. Have you ever been attracted to a man before?” Melina nodded. “Once. Though it only lasted for five minutes.” Lissi laughed again, and then Melina both surprised and pleased her with a slight smile. She missed her beautiful smile and bubbly energy. Her energy had gotten on Ari’s nerves at times, but Lissi had no problem with it. She actually found it both soothing and uplifting and felt young again—not that she was that old yet. “Have you ever been attracted to another woman?” Melina asked, focusing her big blue eyes on Lissi’s dark ones. Lissi smiled. Wow. This little lady was really full of surprises, wasn’t she? “Once.” “Once?” Lissi nodded. “I always wondered what it would be like to be straight, then find you had a crush on the same sex, as opposed to being gay and finding you had a crush on the opposite sex. Did it make you uncomfortable?” “No. Actually, it didn’t.” “Were you attracted to her right away?” “No, I wasn’t. I mean, sure, she was always gorgeous. But the attraction was just physical as opposed to sexual.” “Then it turned sexual?” “Well, I wouldn’t say it turned sexual,” Lissi said in her native tongue, “but it started to shift.” “Started to shift?” Lissi nodded, then smiled. “Times changed, circumstances changed, and I could see a change in the overall way I saw her. Still do, too.” A moment of silence passed, then Melina asked, “So it’s someone you know right now?” Lissi nodded. “But nothing happened?” “No.” “Ah, let me guess. She’s straight?” “No, it’s not that.” “Taken?” “No, just preoccupied.” “Does she know how you feel?” “No. I haven’t discussed it with her.” “Why not?” “She can’t see me. Meaning, she doesn’t have a clue. She’s too preoccupied with other things, like I said before, but that’s okay. She’ll see me when she’s ready to see me.” Melina yawned. “Tired already?” “Yeah, I didn’t sleep well last night.” “Why is that?” “Because I dreamt that you asked me to move out, saying I should try to make it on my own and all that.” “Oh, sweetie, I would never do that. You know you’re welcome to stay with me all my life.” “Even if this woman eventually sees you?” The phone rang before Lissi could answer. Melina rose from the chair while Lissi grabbed the extension on the nearby table. A second after saying hello, she quickly told Melina, “It’s Chiara, one of my best customers and good friends.” Melina headed upstairs to bed, wondering if Chiara was the woman her new “husband” was attracted to.