Dead In My Sight

“Craaaaaack” Antonio jumped up after the lightning bolt brought the loud thump of

thunder to the quiet night. He slowly rose and got out of bed and went to the window to observe what was going on outside. The sky was being lit up by lightning and the thunder that followed the bolt. It was now starting to rain.

“That’s all that I need, anything to stop me from my first harvest of tomatoes.”

 Another bolt whizzed by and lit up the room showing the clock and the time.

.”Quest’ ora logio va bene?” (Is this clock right)

 “Sono quasi le due”(It’s about 2:00 o’clock). 

He glanced over to his wife Angelina; she was sound asleep with all the lightning and thunder making that noise.

“Vi andare via”  (Go away). “ I need some good weather today.”

His wife hears him and yells at him.

“Che ore sono?” (What time is it?)” 

 “Sono quasi le due” (It’s about 2:00 o’clock) go back to sleep.”

She gets up mumbling and goes into the next room to check on Stefano her first born and about 20 months old. She looks down at Stefano and he is still sleeping, the storm is not bothering him at all. Angelina also is with child again and Antonio keeps telling her,

“I need sons to help me on the farm.”

She also knows this one is going to be a boy from the way he’s trying to kick his way out. 

“Do you know the difference between boys and girls, Antonio? Girls wait until the last minute before they let you know they want to come out.”

Antonio has the whole farm to himself, his mother and father passed away young trying to make the farm pay. He has a sister and a brother who should be partners with him but they chose not to work the farm and left it all to him. Both his sister and brother are married. His sister and his brother and their families left Sicily to live in America, the land of wealth and the opportunity to become wealthy.

His oldest sister Isabella and his brother Enrico chose America because they did want to live a poor life like their father and mother.

It is now 4:00 o’clock in the morning and it looks like Antonio will get his wish as the storm is departing out of his area and heading into the Mediterranean Sea.

Angelina strolls into the room dressing and putting on her apron, the storm woke her and it’s hard to get back to sleep.

“Antonio, let me put on my apron and I’ll make you your breakfast, what would you like this morning besides coffee?”

 “Uova strapazzate” (Scrambled eggs) and “Breschetta” (Toast).

Antonio would have a rough day today the first day of harvesting the tomatoes. He would

fill the loading cart as full as he could get it and make the trip down to the cannery very early the next morning and then get back to refill the cart again. Angelina will help him until he gets some money from the cannery to hire some workers to clear the fields of the ripe tomatoes. The workers do not work on promises as they usually get paid at the end of the working day because they also have families to support.

He was enjoying his toast and eggs when Angelina brought in his son. He was trying to wake up from his sleep.