Chapter Text
Martha handed Joe another piece of bread with strawberry jam.
"Thanks, Mom," Joe said and gave Martha a big, charming smile. "What are your plans for today?"
"Making sure your Dad buys new pants that fit him," Martha replied. "Are you looking forward to yet another school day?"
Joe ate the rest of the bread.
"Don't know," Joe replied. "The English teacher talked about a new school project."
"A new school project?" Martha asked. "What is it about?"
"I did not get it all, but it was something about improving our English writing," Joe replied. "Can I have another piece of bread?"
Martha nodded.
"Mom, I was thinking about something," Joe said. "Is it okay if I say yes to Bas's birthday invitation on Saturday afternoon? We are going bowling and eating burgers."
"As long as you are home before 5 P.M.. It is your Granny's birthday," Martha replied. "Here, you go."
Martha handed Joe the piece of bread with strawberry jam and got another one of Joe's smiles in return.
"Thanks," Joe said. "And I should be home before Granny's birthday."
Frankie came into the kitchen, and after kissing Martha, he ruffled Joe's hair.
"Dad?" Joe asked. "Is it still okay that my teammates are stopping by next week after the football match for pizza?"
"Of course," Frankie replied. "Everything is ready for it."
Joe licked his fingers before standing up.
"Super," Joe replied. "Better get ready for school."
"Good plan," Martha replied. "Remember to pack a jacket. It looks like rain later."
Joe nodded and left the kitchen.
"Martha?" Frankie asked. "What are you thinking about?"
"How a baby at 48 cm can grow into a young man who will be taller than you," Martha replied. "Or maybe it will happen tomorrow."
Frankie kissed Martha.
"I am sure that Joe getting that tall has to do with all the bread with strawberry jam he eats," Frankie said. "And I am also sure that no matter how tall Joe gets, he will always be your little boy in your eyes."
Martha smiled just as Joe returned.
"Joe?" Frankie asked. "Do you want a lift to school?"
"Thanks for the offer, Dad, but I am thinking of taking my bike today. That way, I can be home faster after school so I can help you at work," Joe replied. "Is that okay with you?"
"Of course, it is," Frankie replied. "Tell me again what the rule is regarding your bike."
"That I have to wear a helmet or else you will ground me until I turn 18," Joe replied. "I learned my lesson last year."
Last year, Joe thought he was getting too old to wear a helmet while bicycling, but he learned the hard way that a helmet is a good thing when he fell off his bike and cracked his forehead. After making sure that Joe was alive and would survive, Frankie had, for the first time, been so angry at Joe that he had grounded him for three months. And Joe promised himself he would never scare his parents like that again.
"Good," Frankie said. "Get going or else you will be late."
Martha walked over to Joe.
"Just a second, Love," Martha said. "Let me correct your shirt."
Correcting Joe and Frankie's clothes was something Martha always did before they left the house, because she wanted the men in her life to look their best.
"Now, you are ready for school," Martha said. "Love you, Joe."
"Love you, too, Mom," Joe replied. "You are the best Mom in the world."
After hugging both his parents and telling his Dad that he loved him, too, Joe left for school. When Joe came around the corner, he saw Bas, his oldest friend.
"Morning, Bas," Joe said. "That was a surprise."
"Morning, Joe," Bas said. "And what do you mean?"
Joe got off his bike.
"Oh, normally I have to drag you out of bed so you can be at school on time," Joe joked. "What have you done to my friend?"
Joe poked Bas in his ribs.
"Ha, ha, ha," Bas said. "You will never be funny."
"I know I am funny," Joe replied. "So, wanna tell me what prompted you to get out of bed by your own will?"
"And you promise not to laugh?" Bas asked, and Joe swore. "It is the new school project."
"Okay, I did not get what it was about because I was thinking about what to give my Granny for her birthday," Joe replied. "And also your birthday gift."
"That means you are coming on Saturday?" Bas asked, and Joe nodded. "Great, then we are six in total. It will be fun."
"I have no doubts about that," Joe replied. "So, the school project. What is it about?"
"We each have to pick an envelope, and inside of it there is a letter from a student in another country," Bas replied. "Our English teacher wants us to write a letter to the student, but that is not what interests me. I am after all the different stamps."
Joe knew Bas collected stamps from all over the world. And every time Joe or any of Bas's other friends went to another country, Bas asked them to bring him some stamps for his collection.
"And you?" Bas asked. "Are you looking forward to getting a letter from a stranger?"
"I don't know," Joe replied. "Most of all, because I don't know what to expect of it all."
They entered the school, and Joe left his bike in the bike shed.
"Something else," Bas said. "We are going away next weekend on a trip. Could I ask you to feed my rabbit? And make sure that my Mom's flowers won't die in the heat?"
"Of course," Joe replied. "Not a problem."
English was the last lesson of the day, and Joe had forgotten all about the school project until the English teacher, Miss Minnie, mentioned it.
"Yes, Bas?" Miss Minnie said. "What is it?"
"If possible," Bas replied. "Could I have all the stamps?"
It was not a problem.
"Now, everyone listen," Miss Minnie said. "In this box, I have letters from students all over Europe. You each have to pick an envelope and answer the letter inside. You all have to write at least two letters to the other student during the next month, learning more about the country the student is from. And with the help of the letters, you each have to write a 500-word essay."
A classmate named Gigi raised her hand.
"Do we have to send the letters ourselves?" Gigi asked. "Or can we get help for it?"
"When you have written your letter, you give it to me, and I will take care of it," Miss Minnie replied. "Any other questions?"
There were no more questions, and Miss Minnie asked the students to form a line. Joe was third in line, thinking about what country his pen pal was from. When it was Joe's turn to pick an envelope, he looked at them all and chose a green one because he loved the colour green.
"What country did you get, Joe?" Bas asked. "And what is the student's name?"
"He is from Italy and called Nico," Joe replied. "And you?"
"Poland. And I have to say, Nico is easier to say than this name," Bas replied. "Do you know how to pronounce it?"
Bas pointed at the name in the letter.
"I think it is a version of Constatine," Joe offered. "You could ask him."
"Maybe," Bas replied. "See you later. I got stamps to collect."
When Joe got home, he found Frankie in his office.
"Joe," Frankie said. "Did you have a good day at school?"
"It was okay," Joe replied. "Is Mom home? I need to talk with you both."
"Your Mom is helping your Aunt with a birthday gift for Saturday. She is home in an hour," Frankie replied. "Can I do anything for you?"
"Thanks for the offer, but it can wait until Mom is home again," Joe replied. "So, what is my job today?"
"I need you to dismantle as many of the boxes as you can so they can fit in the dumpster," Frankie replied. "You know where to find them."
Joe nodded, and after finding his MP3 player, he started on the job his Dad had given him.
"Mom," Joe said. "I just need to finish with the last box."
Martha watched Joe finish his job and welcomed him with a hug.
"Hi, Mom," Joe said. "Did you find some pants for Dad?"
"I did, yes. And I still wish your Dad had your sense of fashion," Martha replied. "Speaking of your Dad. He said you wanted to speak with us both."
"Yes, it is about the school project," Joe replied. "Could we not talk about it over hot chocolate?"
It was one of the many traditions they had.
"Great idea," Martha replied. "Come."
They went into Frankie's office, where he joined them after telling his weekend staff he would be back in 30 minutes.
"I want to tell you about the school project," Joe said. His parents listened to him. "I want to read the letter I chose."
Joe found the green envelope and read the letter out loud to his parents.
Buongiorno or Buonasera to you. That is how we great people in Italy.
My name is Nicoló, or Nico amongst friends. You are welcome to call me whatever you feel like.
Okay, a bit about me. I am ten years old, and live in Rome with Mama, Papa, and my big brother. I love to eat galato, but my Mama tells me every day that I can not eat galato all day long or else I will get a tummy ache. So, when I don't eat galato, I like to run. I am currently working on becoming the second-best runner in the running club, but it is a hard thing to do because my legs are so short. Yes, I am short, and I hate it, because you can't reach anything. Oh, wait, maybe that is why Mama always put the galato on the top shelf in the freezer. I have to ask her about that when I get home.
A bit more about my family. You see, my big brother Davide and I are both adopted by the best parents in the world. Papa's name is Alfredo, and he sells vintage cars, while Mama's name is Elena, and she is a florist. And about Davide, whenever he's not teasing me about my short legs, he loves to play the drums really loud. I don't get heavy metal music.
I also got a cat named Stella. She is ginger and loves to sleep in my room or on my lap whenever I do my homework or read a book. I love to read all kinds of books, and I am currently reading a Japanese manga called 'Dragon Ball'. It is fun to read because you have to start at the back cover, open the book to the right-hand page, and read panels from right to left, top to bottom, following speech bubbles and panel flow.
I am running out of paper, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you more about Rome in my first letter, but I thought we should get to know each other first. But if you want to stick to exchanging information as the school project says, that is fine with me.
I can not wait to get a letter from you.
Nico from Rome.
Oh, one last thing. Papa always tell me I should tell a joke to break the ice. I don't know what that means, but here is the only joke I know in English:
What do you get when you cross an elevator with Darth Vader? An elevader.
Yes, I know it is a terrible joke, but as a lover of elephants and Star Wars, I love that joke.
Joe placed the letter back in the envelope before he looked at his parents.
"I have never met anyone who is adopted before," Joe said. "Should I tell Nico that I am also adopted?"
"We have always told you that it is for you to decide what you want to tell people about your adoption," Frankie replied. "We will support you no matter what."
"Your Dad is right," Martha replied. "But Joe, I can talk with your English teacher if you want to have another letter. I am sure she will understand."
Joe looked at the green envelope and all the stickers on it.
"I kinda like this kid. His terrible joke made me smile," Joe said. "I think I want to write a letter to him."
"If that is what you want to do, then do it," Martha replied. "Do you need any help with writing the letter?"
"I need to think a bit about what to write," Joe replied. "I just don't know if I should tell him that I am also adopted in my first letter to him."
Frankie placed his arm around Joe's shoulder.
"Use your gut feeling, Joe," Frankie said. "You are only supposed to write two letters to the kid in Rome so you can learn a bit about that city for your essay. Whatever you write in the letters is up to you."
"I think I understand what you are saying, Dad," Joe replied. "Since I got a green envelope, could I get one of the blue ones you have, Dad?"
"Of course," Frankie replied. "But you do know that on the envelope is the number and address for the pizzeria. Plus, a drawing of the building."
"I know," Joe replied. "I just thought, as an Italian, he would like to see what a Dutch pizzeria looks like."
Frankie found the envelope and handed it to Joe.
"If it is okay with you, I have to get going," Joe said. "Or else I will be late for football."
"You aren't going anywhere before you have eaten something," Martha replied. "Lucky for us, we are at a pizzeria."
Joe and Frankie laughed. They loved how funny Martha could be.
"Very observant of you, Love," Frankie said. "Joe, go change into your football outfit, and when you return, I will have a mushroom pizza ready for you."
"Great, Dad," Joe replied. "Remember the hot sauce."
"Because you are in a hurry," Frankie replied. "I will resist telling you what I think about hot sauce on a pizza."
Joe did not hear the last thing because he had left.
"And what do you want for dinner?" Frankie asked. "The usual?"
"Yes," Martha replied. "But I think you should feed our kid first."
When Joe came home from football, he threw himself down on his bed. While looking up at the ceiling, Joe thought about whether he should tell Nico that he was also adopted.