A Mother's Love

Peter loved to go and visit the bakery. It was to him a place of sweet aromas and tastes and a place where he could play with Daddy, Papa Angie, Vera and Dolly. This also gave free time to May to get things done like shopping and other necessary task to keep the home front ship shape, or just to sit and relax. Vera and Dolly altered one of the aprons they wore to fit him and it hung on a hook behind the counter where he could reach it. Whenever he came to visit at the bakery he was told by Vera and Dolly that he had to wear it to show the customers that he was a baker of fine pastry delights. Peter helped at the counter mostly with the ladies, but every once and a while Papa Angie would take him back into the baking area and teach him the fine art of pastry making. Peter loved this the most because he got to taste all the sweet pastry dough and fillings that he helps Papa Angie create from scratch. Sometimes he even got to help decorate some of the specialty cake they made for birthdays and other special occasions.

Vera and Dolly started to play a game with Peter. When a customer entered the store each would try to guess what the customer had come in for. Vera and Dolly knew their cliental and thought they could trick Peter into thinking that they could read the customer’s mind. Peter caught on to this right away and they were right ninety-nine percent of the time Peter would laugh and just agreed with them about what the customer wanted pretending to be in awe of this ability the pretended to have. One day though he turned the tables on them.

Mrs. Vincenza Delfino, one of their best customers who would come in every Friday and order the same thing: Six cannolis, six struffoli, and one tiramisu. She was an older Italian lady with a wondrous singing voice. The rumors around the neighborhood say she once sang opera with the great Parvarotti. All of the pastry that she purchased was for company that would come by over the weekend, except for the tiramisu. The tiramisu was for Vincenza’s Friday night dessert. Vera and Dolly saw her enter the bakery and looked at Peter while holding their hands on the side of their head and said “She wants six cannolis, six struffoli, and one tiramisu.” Without hesitation Peter replied “Yes and four dozen cookies: One dozen Biscotti, one dozen Armretti, and two dozen Pizzella.” Mrs. Delfino walked up to the counter looked at Vera and ordered exactly what Peter had stated.

Vera and Dolly looked at Peter in astonishment then back at Mrs. Delfino. “Peter, how did you know that” they both asked simultaneously. “I heard Papa talking to her on the phone about an hour ago” he said laughingly.

Peter heard his father’s voice mentally say “Peter, what did Mom and I say about showing off your abilities and lying.” He thought back to Parker. “I did read her thoughts just to make sure she was going to order what I said, but I didn’t lie. I did hear Papa Angie talking to her on the phone. Mrs. Delfino wanted to know if we had those cookies in stock before she came down here. Mrs. Delfino told Vera and Dolly that her company this week likes Italian cookies. “He is a student of opera at the Istituto Europeo in Firenze Italy, where I trained also. He has come here to sing with the lady that accompanied the great Parvarotti. It was April 1961 in the Teatro Municipale. We did La Boheme and Luciano played Rudolfo. It was his first opera he ever performed in.” Peter saw images of her memories of the performance in his mind’s eye. She was telling the truth.

Mrs. Delfino paid for the purchase items and asked Peter if he would carry the white bakery boxes out to her car. Peter looked at his father and Parker nodded that it was okay to help her. Peter stacked the boxes making sure the box with the pastries was on top as not to crush them. He followed Mrs. Delfino out of the bakery and she held the door for him to exit. He could just see over the top of the stacked boxes. Vincenza’s car was parked right in front of the bakery so he didn’t have to carry them too far. She was driving an older black Cadillac the kind with the big tailfins. She opened the trunk and one by one took the white pastry boxes that Peter was carrying and placed them neatly in the trunk and closed it. She opened her purse and after searching for a minute came up with two quarters and held them out to Peter. Peter politely reclined the change and said “No, grazie”. “Capisce italiano?” Vincenza asked Peter. “A little” he replied. “Angie must have taught you. He speaks it fluently. Am I right?” asked Vincenza. “Yes, he wants me to know my heritage because I was born in Naples. He teaches me the Italian way of life.” Peter said. “And what has he taught you?” queried Vincenza. “Good friends, good food and a good life.” Peter replied. “He has taught you well.” she laughingly said. She then pinched his cheek and said “Sei bello.” “Grazia bella signora.” Peter said as he smiled at Vincenza. She reached down and gave Peter a big hug and said in his ear, “Angie has taught you well. You go tell him I said so.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek leaving a mark of her lips in lipstick and walked around the car to the driver’s door. Peter ran around her and opened the car door and bowed to her saying, “Signora il vostro veicolo attende.” She curtsied to him and then they both started laughing. She entered the vehicle and thanked Peter for his help once again and told him to go and tell Papa Angie what she had said. Peter stood on the curbside and watched her drive away.

Peter started to walk back to the front door of the bakery and heard a scream deep in his mind. It was Papa Angie he was having a heart attack. Peter ran inside, around the counter where Vera and Dolly were talking and into the back room of the bakery. Lying on the floor was Angie and next to him was a sack of flour that had broken open. Peter ran over and knelt next to him. He could hear Angie’s mind screaming out in pain and terror. Angie knew this attack was a bad one and probably the one that would end his life. Peter felt these feelings that Angie was having flood through him and he felt his own sorrow with it. His love for Papa Angie was as great as what he felt for Parker and May. They were the anchors in reality for Peter. In his mind he knew he must do something to save Angie but he could not fathom the solution. Instinctively he put his hands on Angie’s chest and closed his eyes. A second after he closed his eyes the darkness behind his eyelids exploded in to a bright flaring white light. In the center of the light a small circular opening appeared and grew larger. In the center of the light he could see Angie’s heart trying to pump but unable to. He saw the damage to the muscles of the heart, arteries and veins and focused on them. The image in the center of the white light changed to microscopic image of the damaged areas. He saw the atomic structure of the blockage to an artery and somehow knew how to change its atomic structure so that it did not block the artery anymore. By rearranging the structure of the atoms he turned the blockage into red blood cells that flowed freely away and cleared the blockage. The image change again and now he saw the damaged muscle tissue of the heart. He again instinctively knew how to repair it and rearranged the atoms and molecules to do so. The heart started to rhythmically beat again and the blood started to flow. Peter felt the fear and pain fade from Angie’s mind. It had been replaced with a feeling of awe and amazement beyond belief. That is the last thing that Peter remembered before blackness fell over his conscious mind.