Pagina Italiana

Quattro giorni con Marilia

TRANSLATED BY SERENA LONIGRO

Marilia ed io saremmo andati in Italia nello stesso periodo e le avevo promesso che sarei andato a trovarla nell’isola di Ponza. Quando sono arrivato a Formia, sono stato informato che l’ultimo traghetto per Ponza era stato cancellato a causa del mare agitato. ***

È solo il primo giorno, e già sono in ritardo. Il traghetto attracca e Marilia è lì per incontrarmi. La bacio educatamente sulla guancia, ma noto una certa esitazione da parte sua. L’isola è piccola e si aspettava dei pettegolezzi.

Saliamo verso la casa di Marilia, situata in posizione ideale, con una vista eccezionale sul porto sottostante. Sua madre mi offre un bicchiere del loro spumante fatto in casa sia come benvenuto che come saluto. Ci godiamo poi un grande piatto di pesce pescato quella mattina stessa. Il pasto è favoloso e mi sento pronto per un po’ di riposo.

Marilia mi porta di sopra in una camera da letto decorata con motivi artistici. Siamo finalmente soli sul balcone della stanza, ad ammirare la vista delle barche e degli yacht colorati. Mi viene in mente la famosa scena del balcone di Romeo e Giulietta, ma questa è reale. ***

Il secondo giorno, ci dirigiamo al porto. Mentre usciamo dalla porta d’ingresso, Nonna Cristina, che è seduta lì, colpisce delicatamente Marilia sul sedere con uno scacciamosche.

Una volta fuori, chiedo: “Perchè ha fatto quel gesto?”

“Ha un problema con i miei pantaloncini”, mi dice Marilia.

“Io non ho assolutamente problemi con i tuoi pantaloncini”, mi dico.

La sera prendiamo la strada costiera verso il porto, sulla Via Panoramica. Ci fermiamo in un’ampia curva e ammiriamo una spettacolare spiaggia a forma di mezzaluna. Si chiama Chiaia di Luna. Sulla spiaggia, gli amanti sono seduti al chiaro di luna.

***

Il terzo giorno, trascorriamo insieme una serata romantica. Marilia è splendida con un top di seta di un blu acceso e pantaloni bianchi. Camminiamo fino all’estremità del porto, dove il faro si erge prepotente. Questo è il posto dell’isola preferito dagli amanti.

Dopo il nostro primo bacio appassionato, mi sorprendo a proclamare: “Questa è l’isola dell’amore.” Poi continuo. “Potremmo goderci la dolce vita insieme.”

Con un sorriso provocante, Marilia chiede: “Con lo zucchero o con il miele?”

“Con lo zucchero e il miele”, rispondo ricambiando il sorriso.

All’ombra del faro, ci baciamo e ci abbracciamo di nuovo, e realizzo che ho appena fatto la proposta a Marilia. Guardando nei suoi occhi espressivi, so che ha capito quello che stavo provando a dire. ***

Il quarto giorno, siamo seduti nel patio di notte e guardiamo i pescherecci partire uno per uno. Torneranno presto la mattina, ma è allora che partirò. Ci tocchiamo e sapere che ci separeremo è difficile, anche se i sorrisi tra di noi sono dolcissimi.

Serena Lonigro was born and raised in Napoli. She graduated from the University of Naples “L’Orientale” with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures and now works in marketing and news media.

Four Days with Marilia

BY TONY FRANCOMANO

Marilia and I were both going to Italy at the same time, and I promised that I would visit her on the island of Ponza. When I arrived in Formia, I was informed that the last ferry to Ponza was canceled due to rough seas. ***

On the first day, I’m a day late. The ferry has docked, and Marilia is there to meet me. I politely kiss her on the cheek, but I notice some hesitance on her part. The island is small, and there will be gossip.

We ride up to Marilia’s ideally located home with an outstanding view of the port below. Her mom offers me a glass of their homemade spumante both as a welcome and as a salute. We then enjoy a large platter of fish caught that morning. The meal is fabulous, and now I’m ready for a little rest.

Marilia takes me upstairs to an artistically decorated bedroom. We’re finally alone on the room’s balcony, taking in the view of the colorful boats and yachts. I’m reminded of Romeo and Juliet’s famous balcony scene, but this scene is real.

***

On the second day, we’re heading down to the port. As we’re exiting the front door, Nonna Cristina, who is sitting there, gently swats Marilia on the butt with a fly swatter.

Once we’re outside, I ask, “What was that for?”

“She has a problem with my wearing shorts,” Marilia tells me.

“I definitely have no problem with the shorts,” I say to myself.

That evening, we take the scenic way to the port on the Via Panoramica. We stop at a wide curve and marvel at a spectacular crescent-shaped beach. It is called Chiaia di Luna. On the beach, lovers are sitting in the moonlight. ***

On the third day, we spend a romantic evening together. Marilia is stunning in a bright-blue silk top and white slacks. We walk to the far end of the port, where the lighthouse stands prominently. This is the favorite spot on the island for lovers.

After our first passionate kiss, I surprise myself when I proclaim, “This is the Island of Love.” Then I continue. “We could enjoy la dolce vita together.”

With a flirtatious smile, Marilia asks, “With sugar or honey?”

“With sugar and honey,” I answer as I smile back.

In the shadow of the lighthouse, we again kiss and embrace, and I realize that I have just proposed to Marilia. Looking into her expressive eyes, I know that she understood what I was trying to say. ***

On the fourth day, we’re sitting on the patio at night and watching the fishing boats leave one by one. They will be returning early in the morning, but it is then that I’ll be leaving. We touch, and knowing that we will part is hard even though the smiles between us are sweet.

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Tony and Marilia on the island of Ponza … in 1966.

Tony and Marilia recently celebrated their 53rd Anniversary. After 55 years as a public school teacher, Tony enjoys sharing his life’s experiences with the grandkids.

HOUSE HBECOMES A WHEN A ome Maria Paparella Eases Many Young Lives

BY MILES RYAN FISHER

Maria Paparella grew up an only child in a big Italian family. Her parents were unable to have more children, and while her large extended family filled any silence, her parents pursued adoption. While Maria was in kindergarten, they were matched with a girl the same age as she—a girl that Maria began referring to as her “perfect sister.” After all, they had a lot in common with each other—even their birthdays were just days apart. But, much to Maria’s disappointment, the adoption didn’t go through.

As the years passed, Maria tracked her ‘almost’ sister through the foster care system to see if she’d been adopted by another family. During Maria’s sophomore year of high school, as she started looking at colleges, she began to realize just how strong of a support system she had surrounding her—from her parents to her friends to her big, extended Italian family. This made her wonder: What about my ‘almost’ sister? What would happen to her? What kind of support system would she have? That’s when she learned about a process called “easing out of foster care.” She learned that as foster children mature into adults, they are sent into the world without much of a support system at all—and certainly not to the degree that Maria had. “The harsh reality of that really struck me,” Maria said. “I knew there was something I needed to do—and wanted to do—about that.”

Maria with her mother, Jacquelyn, and grandfather, Vincent, who both helped run Chez-Del and supported Maria in launching Chair-ity.

Maria with two volunteers (including her Italian cousin, Alex) and a Chair-ity recipient, who had emancipated himself at a younger age and was homeless prior to reconnecting with support services at 18.

So Maria contacted Summit County Children Services in Akron, Ohio, her hometown. She asked questions about the easing-out process, homing in on one question in particular: What is the greatest need for individuals easing out of the foster care system?

The answer surprised her: It was furniture.

When teenagers eased out of the foster care system, they moved into unfurnished apartments of their own. With minimal financial resources, they experienced great difficulty in purchasing furniture to fill the empty rooms of their new dwelling.

Upon learning this, Maria began reaching out to her family and friends, collecting enough second-hand furniture and financial funding within the first few months that she was able to furnish seven apartments. The recipients, who were referred to Maria by the county, included a teenage girl who, since having been released by her foster family at age 18, was living in an apartment that contained nothing more than an air mattress.

On January 31, 2015, that apartment transformed into a home.

Maria arrived with a new mattress, box spring, and bed frame along with a bedroom dresser, dining set, sofa, and various other furnishings. It was Chair-ity’s very first delivery. The next two came later that same day.

Some particularly special help came from Maria’s family, the very support system that she’d come to recognize and fully appreciate. Her family owned a furniture store— Chez-Del Home Furnishings & Interior Design—and offered her initiative some much-needed warehouse space to store furniture as well as a delivery truck for moving it.

The store itself went back three generations, back to her mother’s paternal grandparents, Angela Percoco and Joseph DelMedico. Both were born in Bari, but they didn’t meet until Joseph arrived in Akron, Ohio, in 1917 and boarded with Angela’s family, who had immigrated ten years earlier. After Joseph boarded with the family, Angela’s father arranged for Joseph to marry his daughter—only, the daughter he’d arranged for Joseph to marry was Angela’s older sister. But Joseph and Angela were already deeply in love, and so they eloped, getting married in secret and returning to Akron afterward.

It was Angela who proved to have a keen eye for design, and with Joseph’s help, she opened Chez-Del. Not only was Angela ahead of her time—she accomplished this despite never finishing grade school. She and Joseph then passed the business on to their son, Vincent, who in turn passed it on to his children, including Maria’s mother. And now here was Maria, launching a furniture endeavor of her own in Chair-ity.

A mother with her daughter. One of Chair-ity’s missions is to keep children with their parents. Maria’s great-grandparents, Joseph and Angela, who emigrated from Bari to Akron, Ohio, and opened ChezDel Home Furnishings & Interior Design.

A Chair-ity recipient who, upon turning 18, gained custody of her younger sister so that they can remain together as a family. With her are volunteers—a group of boys from four families who consistently help Chair-ity.

A typical example of a fully furnished room by Chair-ity.

With the birth of Chair-ity, Maria was introduced to an attorney whose pro-bono assistance helped her, at the young age of 16, establish Chair-ity as a 501(c)(3). Through the remainder of high school and her four years at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, Maria continued pushing Chair-ity’s mission forward. By the time she graduated college, Chair-ity had furnished 108 apartments.

During the spring of her college graduation, Maria was offered and accepted a job that fittingly focused on policy related to teenagers easing out of foster care. Her new home would be Washington, D.C.

Then the pandemic struck.

Suddenly, the job she’d accepted was no longer there, and the city where she’d planned to move was no longer her future home. So Maria returned to something familiar: Chair-ity. She began fundraising—making valuable contacts and gaining grant-writing experience. Despite the uncertain times, Maria managed to raise enough funding that Chair-ity was no longer her volunteer project—it became her full-time job. Chair-ity, which had existed as a completely volunteer-based organization, now has one paid employee: the woman who started it as a sophomore in high school.

Through the pandemic, Chair-ity continued to grow, serving more teenagers throughout the foster-care community beyond Summit County. Since its very first delivery on January 31, 2015, Chair-ity has furnished more than 275 apartments and served more than 375 people. Many of those apartments are for two: a mother and her baby. Because teenage pregnancy is common among young women in the foster care system—eight in ten become pregnant before the age of 21. One thing that Chair-ity focuses on is helping babies stay with their mothers.

“One of the things we do is not only furnish the apartment for the young adults,” Maria explained, “but if they have any children of their own, we’re able to provide a bed or crib for the child as well.” In providing for the children, Chair-ity hopes to decrease the chances of mothers and children being separated from each other.

This caring spirit and positive outlook have brought Maria closer to others in the nonprofit community. In her hometown of Akron, it’s a kinship of which she’s becoming more and more a part.

“The nonprofit community is something very special,” Maria said. “Everyone that’s a part of it is looking to better the communities that we’re in.”

This very community in her hometown of Akron would never have become such an important part of Maria’s life had the pandemic not struck, had her post-college job not been rescinded, had she no place to turn—no home or support system to go back to. Yet there it was, the very thing that had already helped so many turn their empty apartments into furnished homes. The very thing that had served as a support system for individuals who did not have one.

Now, six years after she laid the foundation for an organization that helps teenagers ease out of foster care, Maria has come to find that Chair-ity is much more than a house she built. It’s now the place she calls home.

HELP TRANSFORM HOUSES INTO HOMES TODAY!

https://www.chair-ity.org/

If you would like to support Chair-ity, visit their website to make a financial donation or to contact them regarding furniture donations or volunteering.