“Ne ho fin sopra i capelli.” Carlita patted her head.
Shelby chuckled. “Did you just swear?”
“No. I said I’m sick and tired of their fighting.” Carlita stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her. “It’s their hot-blooded Italian tempers. I’m sorry if they’re bothering you. I’ll go tell them to lower their voices.”
Shelby followed Carlita to the top of the stairs. “Violet has been asking if the kids can come over to play. If…your son and his wife need a break, you can send the kids up for a while. We’ve been playing board games and Violet would love someone besides me to play with.”
“You’re a doll.” Carlita squeezed Shelby’s arm. “I’m sure the kids would be thrilled.”
“Perfect. I’ll leave my front door open. Bring them on up,” Shelby said.
Carlita hurried down the stairs and a loud crash, followed by angry voices echoed in the hall. She rapped sharply on the outer door. “Paulie? Gina?”
The door flew open and a red-faced Gina stood on the other side. She sucked in a breath and smoothed her hair. “Yes?”
“We can hear you yellin’ and bangin’ around through the floor vents. You need to tone it down before the neighbors call the cops.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Gina muttered. “Paulie and I are workin’ on ironing out some issues.”
“Iron them out or pound them into the ground?” Carlita shook her head. “Never mind. Shelby and Violet invited the kids to come upstairs and play.”
PJ peeked around his mother’s leg. “Can we go Ma?”
Gina ruffled her son’s hair. “Yeah. It’ll be a lot more fun than stayin’ inside this tiny apartment.” She took a step back. “Noel and Gracie? You wanna go play upstairs with Violet?”
“Who is Violet?” Noel skipped to the door.
“She’s Nonna’s friend,” Gina explained.
“Okay,” Noel said.
“I’ll bring them back later,” Carlita said. “In the meantime, you and Paulie work on whatever you got to, but keep it to a dull roar. We don’t need the cops on our doorstep any more than they already are.”
“Sorry Carlita.” Gina rolled her eyes. “It’s Paulie’s temper.”
“You both come by it rightfully. Vinnie and I used to fight like cats and dogs.” She smiled softly. “Eventually, we got too old to fight. It wasn’t worth it anymore.” Carlita patted her daughter-in-law’s arm. “You’ll get tired of fighting one day. In the meantime, keep the lines of communication open and you’ll be able to work it out.”
“Can we go now Nonna?” PJ asked.
“Yes, we can go.” Carlita took his hand. “Violet has board games you can play and maybe later, if you’re on your best behavior at Violet’s house, I’ll take all of you over to A Scoop in Time for more ice cream.”
She turned to Gina. “You tell Paulie to behave himself or his Ma is gonna come back down here and knock some sense into both of you.”
Carlita stepped into the hall. “Come along my patatinos.”
“I’m not a potato,” Gracie wrinkled her nose. “I’m a girl.”
“Then you’re a bambolina,” Carlita said.
“PJ is a patino,” Noel giggled.
“Patatino,” Carlita corrected. The children followed Carlita up the steps and to Shelby’s door where she knocked lightly. “We’re here.”
Shelby appeared in the doorway. “Great. Violet has been bugging me ever since I mentioned the kids coming over. Come on in. We’re getting ready to play the game Mouse Trap.”
Violet ran to her mother’s side. “We can sit at the coffee table.” The children disappeared into the living room.
“Thanks for taking the kids. I’m sure they’ll have fun,” Carlita said. “I want to invite you to dinner, so that you can meet Gina. What does your schedule look like later this week?”
“It’s wide open,” Shelby said. “Just give me a day or two heads up.”
“Perfect. I’ll plan a nice Italian family-style dinner with homemade pasta and other goodies.”
“It sounds delicious.” Shelby leaned her hip against the door. “What happened with Elvira? I’m guessing she did something to break her lease.”
“Again,” Carlita said. “This time, she almost burned the place to the ground.”
“No way.” Shelby’s eyes widened. “I thought I smelled smoke the other day.”
“She grew bored painting watercolors and began working on a bust of herself. Then, she decided it needed a little bronzing, so she took a blow torch to it.”
“Inside her apartment?”
“Yes. She set the curtains on fire, ripped them off the wall to put the fire out and put a couple big holes in the drywall in the process.” Carlita went on to tell her it was the last straw and that she’d served Elvira with eviction papers.
“I wonder where she’s moving to.”
“She rented some space in the building across the alley,” Carlita said. “Maybe I’ll turn the dinner party into a going away party for Elvira.”
“An unconventional send-off for an unconventional tenant,” Shelby said. “Are you going to rent her apartment out right away?”
“I don’t know. I need to make sure Elvira is out lock, stock and barrel, first.”
“Not a bad idea since Elvira is completely unpredictable. You never know what she’s going to do next.”
“Mommy, can we have a popsicle?” Violet appeared and began tugging on her mother’s arm.
“Sure.”
“I better let you take care of the kids. I’m right across the hall if you need anything,” Carlita said. She thanked Shelby again, made her way back to her apartment and started to close the door when she heard Tony’s apartment door open.
“Fine!” Paulie stepped out into the hall. “If that’s how you’re gonna act, then there’s nothing left to discuss.”
The door slammed in Paulie’s face.
Carlita briefly closed her eyes before opening them again. “I
