The Rubber Hose

Adventures of family and friends.

Japicu lived in America for fifty years, ever since he left his village home as a teenager. Now known in the village as Jack u miricanu, he returned temporarily to oversee the initial steps in the building of his new house on a plot of land that he inherited from his grandparents on the outskirts of the village. When he went back to America, he left the control of the construction to mastro Vincenzo and the overall supervision to his nephew Pino. His plot was located across from the house of Natale, the brother of Isabella to whom Pino was engaged. Below Natale’s house there was a shack used by Gennaro, mastro Vincenzo’s cousin, who used it to raise rabbits for meat. Natale and Gennaro were good friends, and most evenings would get together at the site of the “American” to chat and to evaluate the progress of the construction work, never failing to find shortcomings.

During one of those evening meetings, Gennaro noticed a pile of lumber, mostly two-by-eight pieces of spruce of various lengths, used by mastro Vincenzo to build the forms for the cement walls. His eyes remained fixed on the lumber like a hawk stalking his prey.

Natale also noticed the lumber along with the covetous look in his friend’s eyes. “These are very good pieces of lumber.”

“You are right,” said Gennaro casually. “Long and straight.”

“They are perfect for building shelves,” continued Natale, knowing that Gennaro had planned to build some shelves in the shack to hold the hay for the rabbits.

Shortly after, they noticed a long green tube attached to the outdoor faucet. It was the rubber hose that mastro Vincenzo used to deliver water when mixing cement.

“What a beautiful hose,” exclaimed Gennaro. “It looks brand new.”

“Yes it does. It must be new because last night it was not there. It is very long, not like those short ones sold in the village."

“A hose like that would be helpful in the garden,” hinted Gennaro, referring to the piece of land owned by Pietro and adjoining his house.

The two friends cast their glances away from the items and remained silent for a few minutes while they analyzed the hints in their unusual conversation. Gennaro interrupted the silence casually.

“There is a cool breeze this evening. Let’s go home before we catch a cold.”

Pietro agreed, adding, “I don’t know why, but tonight I feel tired. I will go to bed right away.”

The two friends wished each other good night and went their separate ways.

Next day, during the evening visit to the building site, Natale observed the pile of lumber had shrunk. He had counted the number of pieces the previous evening as part of his usual inspection. Recounting them, he noticed three long ones were gone. Remembering Gennaro’s greedy look when he saw the lumber, he started to suspect something foul, but decided to say nothing. Not only did he not want to risk offending his friend, but upon reflection, he quickly concluded that Gennaro would have done nothing wrong if he had stolen the lumber. Gennaro and mastro Vincenzo are cousins. These are family matters, and among family members there is a lot of give and take.

He knew Mastro Vincenzo was not from the village, therefore he did not deserve the same respect as the village folk. Also, he would not pay for any material that he lost. Natale was sure that mastro Vincenzo would pass the loss to the American. Who cares about the American? He could pay in dollars!

A couple days after the disappearance of the three pieces of lumber, the evening inspection of the building site was interrupted by family duties in Gennaro’s household. After feeding his rabbits, Gennaro informed his friend of his unavailability.

“Natale, this evening I have to go home right away because we have a visit from my wife’s aunt. I will see you tomorrow night.”

“That’s fine,” Natale replied. “I will see you tomorrow night. I will do the inspection alone. Who knows, maybe the lumber thief may come back for more and I will catch him in the act,” he joked.

The following evening, the two friends resumed their visits to the building site. Upon entering through the makeshift gate, they first glanced at the pile of lumber and then turned their attention to the outdoor faucet. Gennaro could not contain his astonishment. The hose that had been coiled like a snake absorbing sunlight had disappeared.

Noting the expression of surprise in Gennaro’s face, Natale turned around and said, “what a beautiful panorama one can see from this side. The American really chose a good spot.”

“It’s really beautiful.” Gennaro replied automatically with his eyes still transfixed on the faucet.

They continued their regular conversation, talking about rabbits, the crazy weather of the past winter, the increase in the cost of living, and the coming national elections.

That night, Gennaro did not have a moment of sleep. His mind would not rest until it solved the mystery of the rubber hose. Gennaro had his suspicions, but he needed certainty, an irrefutable proof, because his friendship with Natale was at stake.

What about Vincenzo? Didn’t I promise to keep an eye on his material while he was away?

He tossed and turned in bed the entire night trying to solve the puzzle. Early in the morning, with his eyes all puffy from lack of sleep, he walked to his friend’s house.

“Natale, I need a favor from you. I am almost out of hay for the rabbits. May I cut some grass in your garden?”

Natale suspected an ulterior motive in Gennaro’s request but could not produce a credible refusal. He was wary of accommodating his friend’s request but at the same time, he did not want to offend him.

“But the grass is still too tender. It is not good for the rabbits."

Gennaro anticipated such a response during his sleepless night.

“Don’t worry, I will let it dry first on my new shelf.”

Reluctantly, Natale accompanied Gennaro towards his garden, but guided him towards the left side, explaining that they could not go to the other side because it had just been seeded. Natale did not leave Gennaro alone for a single minute. He helped him cut the grass and even offered to give him a hand in transporting it to the shack. Natale wanted to enter the shack to take a look at the new shelves and the material used by his friend to build them, but Gennaro stopped him, explaining that two female rabbits were pregnant and ready to give birth.

“It’s better to leave the grass outside for the moment. Tomorrow I will bring it inside without making noise. You know these baby rabbits represent the Sunday meat. I cannot take risks.”

With these inconclusive forays, the two friends went their separate ways, but Natale informed Gennaro he would not be available the following evening.

His sister Isabella and Pino were celebrating two years of engagement at her parents’ house, and they would be offended if he and his wife did not show up.

Both of an age when youth is turning into a memory and eager to form a family, Isabella and Pino wanted to get married soon but her father seemed reluctant. They were all sitting in the kitchen because this was the largest room in the house. Located on the first floor, this room served as kitchen, dining room and living room. Its only window opened towards the main village street and allowed anyone who sat behind the curtains to observe all the comings and goings of people and beasts of burden. Rosalia, Isabella’s mother, had planned to raise the issue of the wedding date during this gathering.

“Masi,” she said to her husband, “this morning in church the priest jokingly asked me if he would be invited to Isabella’s wedding party. You know he enjoys these feasts, especially the food. We have to count him for two people."

They all laughed at this last sentence as they pictured the priest at the dinner table, sitting on an oversized chair with his eyes beaming in front of a large bowl of spaghetti. Masi was aware that the story had been invented by his wife, but understood the message and replied,

“We will talk about it after dinner.”

A special meal was prepared for that evening in order to put everyone in a good frame of mind. The kitchen table was covered with the special tablecloth, the one with the small red flowers that was used only for special celebrations. A glass tray provided accommodation for the antipasto of home-made delicacies: slices of salami with red pepper, stuffed green olives, and pickled slices of eggplant in olive oil. The large blue bowl with fruit designs served as a bed for hot spaghetti with meatballs and pieces goat meat, all smothered in a thick tomato sauce. A bottle of red wine, the good one made two years earlier by Masi, accompanied the meal. Six cups of pudding spread vanilla fragrance throughout the room, and the small “moka espresso” machine sent off puffs of vapor impregnated with the aroma of coffee.

The family sat around the kitchen table in accordance with the traditional order. Masi sat at the head of the table, with Rosalia to his right, followed by Isabella, Pino, Natale and his wife Rosina. Everybody waited for Masi to make the sign of the cross; then Rosalia said a few words of thanks to God for providing such an abundance of food. They all said “buon appetito” and all responded “grazie altrettanto.” It was now time to eat.

Dinner was consumed in silence, as if they were partaking in a religious function in which everyone was immersed in private meditation. This silence, which facilitated the capture of even faint sounds, was interrupted by the noise of their jaws as they struggled to chew the goat meat that had resisted the cooking heat, the dull whistling of the spaghetti being sucked into the mouth, and the smacking sound of the lips when they expressed their appreciation for the wine.

Pino and Isabella could hardly conceal their annoyance at the slow progress of the dinner, with interest being on setting the wedding date rather than the food. They knew, however, that they could not initiate the discussion out of respect for the elders. They tried to attract everyone’s attention through glances and by fidgeting, but to no avail. All family members occupied the silence immersed in their own thoughts.

Natale was busy chewing every bite slowly, not knowing when he would be invited again for such a meal. He hoped for some incident that would break-up the engagement. As an old spinster, his sister would have to take care of her parents, thus lessening his responsibilities. Rosalia was immersed in a fantasy that included her daughter’s wedding feast and a bunch of grandchildren sitting on her lap. Masi ignored everybody and paid attention only to the food on his plate, blessing it regularly with a sip of wine while his mind was busy preparing his speech on the wedding date situation. He was faced with a difficult dilemma. He wanted to see his daughter married and was pleased with Pino as a son in law, but was worried about the cost of the wedding, which could exhaust his life savings.

The silence at the dinner table was finally interrupted by Rosalia when she saw her husband was cleaning his plate with a piece of bread after helping his last bite of meat go down with a sip of wine.

“These two dear young people have been engaged for some time now and they have known each other for many years. Look at them. They are twin souls blessed by God to give new life to our family.”

Knowing her husband’s dilemma, Rosalia tried to enlist supernatural help.

“We know marriage was created by God to multiply the souls of the faithful on earth. Pino and Isabella are already of a good age and each year that goes by without being married is a form of disobedience to God’s command.”

Masi had already anticipated this type of sermon from his wife, but his immediate problem was his bank account not God’s wrath. Up to now he had procrastinated so he could save a few more liras, also hoping that his tactics would have baited Pino’s father to raise his contribution to the cost of the wedding. “If these two decided to elope and get married secretly, my problem would disappear,” he had thought during the dinner, “but it is hopeless to dream about such a miracle when the marriage has been blessed by both families. The time has come to kiss my savings good-bye.”

Without changing his pensive facial expression, Masi started his oration which, as everyone in the family knew, would be decisive.

“You all know how great my desire is to have grandchildren, and the sooner the better,” he said, giving a glance at Pino. “I am also convinced that this union will be blessed by God. As a good Christian and loving father,” he continued, now glancing at his daughter, “I have tried to facilitate this marriage.”

He then turned to his wife. “My dear Rosalia, I admire the depth of your faith, but I myself have learned something about God’s words. The Bible tells us that God is patient, and he wants us also to act with patience, doing things the right way according to his design and not rushing to satisfy our desires.”

He paused to savor his respectful yet firm execution in the theological debate with his wife and observe the reactions of the other family members. Then he made a final attempt at procrastination.

“We are very close to the end,” he said with a reassuring voice. “The repairs to the house are almost completed, now all we need to do is select the furniture and appliances. As soon as the house is furnished, we will set the wedding date.”

He then tried to prevent any responses by immediately adding a forced laugh and looking towards Pino. “You cannot enter an empty house as a couple. Where would you sleep on your wedding night?”

Nobody laughed at his attempt at humor, but they were satisfied. It’s true that Masi had managed again to postpone the wedding date, but he had run out of options. The date when the final decision would be made had been set and he would not be able to weasel out of that.

After two weeks of absence, mastro Vincenzo returned to the building site to continue his work on the house of the American. He noticed immediately that the pile of lumber was smaller, and the rubber hose was gone.

“What kind of village is this!” he exclaimed while turning to his assistant.

“Something like this has never happened to me, and I asked my cousin to keep an eye on my stuff.” He had just uttered the word “cousin” when he saw Gennaro approaching.

Anticipating his cousin’s questions, Gennaro immediately said, “Vincenzo, you must know that during your absence there was a problem here. As I promised, I kept watch on your material every evening, and Natale is a witness. At night I had to go home, I could not sleep with the rabbits.”

He forced a feeble laugh in his attempt to diffuse his cousin’s anger before continuing. “In this village there are people that go around at night like jackals and steal whatever they find useful, and nobody ever sees them.”

“Non mi diri fissarii. I don’t believe your fibs, Gennaro.” Mastro Vincenzo noticed a well-known and revealing affectation in his cousin’s voice. “This is a neighborhood job. Who would carry through the village three pieces of lumber and a long rubber hose?”

This last tirade by mastro Vincenzo was followed by total silence. Gennaro recognized the accusing finger of his cousin and decided to launch a defensive strike, shouting with a tone of indignation.

“What an ungrateful person you are. I kept watch on your material every evening, and free of charge I may add, and what do I get for thanks? Accusations.”

Gennaro tried to divert attention from himself and the lumber.

“If you are so concerned about the hose, why don’t you visit Natale’s garden?”

This was the confession that mastro Vincenzo was trying to extract from his cousin and decided to push for more details.

“Aha! You know who stole my hose!”

Gennaro, satisfied to have diverted his cousin’s attention away from himself and the lumber, was anxious to conclude the conversation and replied timidly.

“I saw nothing and said nothing. You were the one who accused the neighbors of theft, and the neighbors are Natale and me.”

And with these words, he turned around and went away without saying good-bye, mumbling incomprehensible words.

The information carefully extracted from Gennaro was communicated delicately to Pino by mastro Vincenzo the next time they met at the building site.

During their conversation, mastro Vincenzo said jokingly to Pino, “You live in a magic village, my friend. Every item that is left outside in the night vanishes in thin air. Somebody fell in love with my lumber and took home three pieces. Somebody else needed a long rubber hose for his garden and, as you can see, decided to give himself a present, taking the one that was attached to the outdoor faucet.”

“Who would do such a vile deed?” asked Pino, very surprised, “I don’t think that the thieves were village people.”

“On the contrary, Pino, they were your honest village people who stole my material,” uttered mastro Vincenzo, thus inching forward towards the final revelation.

“Ah!, then you know the culprits and you keep me in suspense,”

“I have no hard proof,” replied mastro Vincenzo, “but from what I could surmise from my talk with Gennaro, it seems to me that in your village there is no respect for neighbors or relatives.”

Pino perfectly understood the meaning of mastro Vincenzo’s accusation and tried to change subject by saying,

“On this point you are absolutely right. In this world we cannot trust anybody anymore.” Pino excused himself saying that he had other matters to attend to and departed.

Mastro Vicenzo’s veiled accusations troubled Pino. He could not mention them to anybody, especially family members, because he had no concrete proof, but he could not ignore them either.

What if mastro Vincenzo’s accusations are valid? What if by chance someone will see the green rubber hose in Natale’s garden? These thoughts bothered Pino to the point of changing his behavior. During his visits to Isabella, he no longer showed his usual cheerfulness, and his natural spontaneity had been replaced by the reticence of somebody who hides a secret.

Next Sunday afternoon, when Masi was at a friend’s house playing cards, Natale paid a visit to his mother to taste the cookies she baked the previous day. Everyone made a special effort to be pleasant to avoid revealing the tension that had been created by Pino’s change of behavior, jumping from one subject to the other with the only purpose of letting time go by without creating arguments. Eventually, the discussion turned to the subject of moral decay and corruption.

“We have reached the point that we have to close our doors because if we leave some object lying around it quickly disappears,” complained donna Rosalia.

“It’s all the fault of the government that lets in so many criminals from all kinds of countries,” exclaimed Natale, glad that the discussion had turned to his favorite subject.

Pino had remained silent up to now but could no longer hold his tongue.

“Those who steal at night are not foreigners, they are our own village people,” he blurted out angrily.

Pino’s words troubled everyone in the room. Natale suspected Pino’s remark was directed at him and Gennaro and incited him further.

“What are you talking about? Our own folks would never go around at night stealing.”

“And why not?” Pino responded, raising his voice. “There is no longer respect for the property of others, including friends and neighbors.”

Then Pino dropped the bombshell.

“Do you know what happened to mastro Vincenzo at my uncle’s building site? Somebody stole some lumber and the green rubber hose that was attached to the outdoor faucet. He knows that the perpetrators are paesani.”

He had barely uttered those words when he realized he had overstepped the boundaries of discretion, stopped talking, and reclined in his seat to hide from the expected attack by Natale. Natale did not bat an eye and remained still and speechless. Isabella understood Pino’s words had hidden dangers and her face became pale. Rosalia tried to restore a friendlier atmosphere by turning the conversation to food.

“Come on you all, eat some cookies. You men always talk about serious stuff. Why can’t we just have some fun?”

Neither sweets nor sweet words from Rosalia could muzzle the shock created by Pino’s accusations. Natale got up slowly, turned towards the exit door, and left the house without uttering a word. Pino followed him a few minutes later to avoid an embarrassing encounter. The two women exchanged glances but remained silent. Then Rosalia turned to her daughter and said,

“Let’s wash the dishes, Isabella. What was said this afternoon must not be mentioned to your father.”

Natale marched home in a military style that betrayed his fury, mumbling curses and incomprehensible phrases. His wife realized immediately that he was in an agitated state and tried to calm him down.

“You seem to be tired. Sit down. I will make a cup of coffee. Soon you will feel better.”

She did not ask any questions, knowing that sooner or later he would spill the beans.

“That miserable creep that calls himself my brother-in- law. We will see whether he will really become that,” Natale ranted, talking to himself and ignoring Rosina’s presence. “I don’t understand why my sister needs to get married to a man that has no respect for the family.”

At this point he turned to his wife, seeking her approval.

“What do you think, Rosina? She is doing fine at home with my parents. She has no financial responsibilities and no problem for the future. While they are alive, she lives on their pensions. When they go to Heaven, God bless their souls, she will inherit the house and some of the money they have saved. In her old age she will get her own pension. What else does she want?”

Rosina wanted to know more details.

“I don’t understand why you are cross with Pino,” she said with a soothing voice. “He must have done something really bad to get you so upset.”

“You have no idea what that ungrateful man did. He dared accuse me of stealing mastro Vincenzo’s green rubber hose; and all this in front of my mother and my sister.”

Rosina could not contain her curiosity any longer and continued probing.

“I don’t think he would say such a silly thing. And who would put this idea in his head?”

Natale got up and paced through the kitchen, tossing his arms around as he spoke.

“Mastro Vincenzo told him, that’s who. I am sure this is all Gennaro’s work, that traitor, to divert his cousin’s attention from the stolen lumber. In front of you he plays the role of friend and behind your back he is a Giuda.”

He took a deep breath and sat down. Rosina kept probing.

“This is a very grave situation. Here we have unforgivable offences. What will happen to Isabella and Pino now?”

“Don’t you fret about these things, my dear. This is an issue of honor that must be resolved by men. I will take care of it.”

And with these words he went out into the garden to breathe some fresh air.

That evening after dinner, Natale went to his parents’ house to settle the score for good. As soon as he left his house, he met Gennaro, who, unaware of these developments, approached his friend in the usual manner.

“Are you ready for our evening stroll?”

This time Natale did not even look at him but instead spit on the ground as a sign of contempt and continued his march. Gennaro knew the meaning of the response and also its probable reason. He said nothing and returned quietly to his shack.

At his parents’ house, Natale found his father seated in front of the television. He sat down next to him, waiting for his mother and sister to finish washing the dishes. When Rosalia and Isabella finally sat down, Natale started to recite the speech he memorized at.

“We have a big problem, and we must solve it quickly before it destroys our family.”

He paused briefly to take a deep breath while glancing at his audience to ensure that all three were paying attention.

“This wedding is off. People who have no respect for our family do not deserve to join it.”

After a minute for everyone to absorb the shock, pandemonium broke out. Isabella started sobbing at irregular intervals while Rosalia placed her hands on her head as if she wanted to pull out her hair.

“This is madness,” Rosalia exclaimed. “Masi, tell him that it is madness.”

Natale spoke before his father had a chance.

“Both of you clearly heard Pino when he accused me of being a thief. What gall he has to accuse me of stealing mastro Vincenzo’s green rubber hose! How can I come in this house again when he is present? There is no other honorable solution here; either he goes, or I can no longer visit you.”

Masi remained silent throughout this exchange. He was busy figuring out how he could turn this dispute to his advantage, but he needed to intervene to restore his authority.

“Stay quiet and stop advertising our private problems to the entire village,” Masi said. Turning to Isabella, he said, “go to your room and calm yourself.”

Then he turned back to Natale, warning him with a stern tone.

 “Don’t ever dare dictate laws in this family. Whether or not this wedding will take place will be my decision, not yours.”

He calmed down and then continued with a milder tone.

“I don’t care if you stole mastro Vincenzo’s hose and I don’t care what mastro Vincenzo has to say.”

Masi paused again.

“Rosalia, it’s getting late. It’s time to go to bed. Tomorrow you and I will discuss this matter and find a solution that is good for everyone.”

Then Masi turned to Natale and admonished him.

“Don’t you dare discuss this matter with anybody. These are family issues, not public matters.”

Natale bid his parents goodnight in a feeble voice and returned home while Masi and Rosalia retired to their bedroom. Masi consulted his wife about a new idea on how to solve the family discord.

“Rosalia,” he said, “I would like to know what you think about my new solution to our problem. It seems to me that with Pino’s behavior the regular wedding cannot take place. As you know, I am ready and willing to pay my part of the cost. I have one daughter and my priority is to make her happy. But I am sure that Natale and Rosina will not attend the wedding. What shame that would bring us in the village. And there is something else: for such a grievous offense to his sister, we would have to cut off our contacts with them, at least for a while. We end up gaining a son-in-law and losing a son. That’s not a good trade.”

“On this account you are right,” replied Rosalia, “but we cannot ignore Isabella’s predicament. You can be sure that we would send her to the cemetery if we cancelled the engagement.”

“Nobody intends to cancel the engagement. I think we can still go ahead with the wedding, but not the formal one with all the ceremonies. If, just as an example, Isabella and Pino decided to elope, this solution would satisfy everyone and maintain the honor and unity of our family.”

There was silence for a couple of minutes as Rosalia evaluated her husband’s suggestion. Her facial expression indicated she found merit in it. Encouraged by that sign, Masi proceeded to present more details.

“Naturally, this elopement would be a stain on our family, but when the relationship is immediately normalized with a wedding, celebrated in secret and outside our village of course, most of that stain would be washed away. The rest would be washed by the passing of time.”

Rosalia did not want to commit herself right away.

“This is a delicate matter. I must talk with Isabella. It would be a real disappointment for her, but not as bad as breaking up the engagement. She will miss the ceremony, but she will still have a husband.”

Pino and Isabella eloped, with the tacit approval of her parents. After a brief absence, they returned to their village as a married couple and settled in a small house provided by Pino’s father. The contacts between Isabella and her family had been severed, according to an honor-saving tradition. Masi and Rosalia satisfied the curiosity of friends and relatives expressing their disappointment for the disrespectful behavior of their daughter but tempered their disapproval with expressions of magnanimity that would later facilitate the planned reconciliation.

To those who criticized Isabella’s behavior in order to show support for her parents, Rosalia would reply, “the world has changed. Young people no longer listen to the advice of their parents.”

Some of Masi’s friends encouraged him to make peace with his daughter, stressing that, after all, she had not committed a crime. She was dutifully married, and everyone knew that she behaved like an exemplary wife.

To those friends, Masi responded philosophically. “The family honor must be protected. These disrespectful actions cannot be forgotten easily, but who knows what time will bring.”

Before a year had passed since the day of the elopement, Isabella gave birth to Domenico, a name given out of respect for Pino’s father, according to tradition. As the day of the baptism approached, the pressures on Masi and Rosalia to make peace with their daughter mounted. One of the closest neighbors was explicit in his request.

“Masi,” he said in an accusatory tone, “as a father I understand your anger for Isabella and I agree with you that her behavior required a severe punishment, but the child is innocent. If you want to punish a poor innocent child, then you will be the one lacking honor.”

Masi waited for that kind of statement to implement the second part of his plan. Now that the reconciliation would be accepted by everyone in the village not as moral weakness but as wisdom and magnanimity, he could finally open his arms and accept his daugher’s return home without any risk to his honor.

Isabella was informed immediately of her father’s pardon and prepared for her visit to the house where she was born and raised. Sunday evening, she returned together with Pino and little Domenico. For this festive reunion, Rosalia prepared biscottini, piparelle, and even cannoli stuffed with ricotta cheese mixed with honey, Isabella’s favorite sweet. Masi wore his special suit, the one with the velvet waistcoat. Even Natale and Rosina joined the reunion, both wearing their best clothes, to show respect to the family.

As soon as she entered the house, Isabella placed Domenico in her mother’s arms, who dreamed for years of that moment and could not restrain her tears.

Rosalia gave Domenico a kiss and then turned to her husband.

“Masi, this boy is your spitting image.”

Next, Isabella moved cautiously towards her father, not knowing how to behave, and waiting for a signal from him. Masi made an effort to open his arms and, for the first time in her life, Isabella experienced her father’s embrace, awkward but no less precious. The expression in Masi’s face became even more serious than usual as he tried to fight the power of emotions never experienced before. Pino remained still like a puppy waiting for a sign from his master. Slowly he also approached his in-laws, greeting everyone with a nod and a faint smile.

Sitting around the kitchen table, as they had done many Sundays in the past, tasting sweets and carrying on aimless conversations, Masi and his family celebrated the end of a storm and the return to the natural order in the family. The integrity of Masi’s bank account restored a smile in his face, and the baby filled Rosalia’s heart with happiness. Even Natale and Pino resumed their conversations as if nothing bad ever passed between them. Mastro Vincenzo’s green rubber hose was never mentioned again, being submersed long ago by many new pieces of gossip.

Soon Jack’s house was completed, and he returned to the village for a short visit to inspect it. On that occasion, Natale took a bottle of the good red wine made by his father and brought it over as a sign of respect. Gennaro decided to end the enmity with Natale. He butchered and skinned a rabbit and brought it over. As he entered the gate he noticed the green rubber hose, coiled and lying on the ground at plain sight. As he turned his head, the two friends exchanged glances and smiled.