Bara funebre
Yesterday, after hearing of Nonno's death, I had no clue what to do. Give the family space? Offer to take the kids? We left the door ajar and just listened for a time. When Joe and Vincenzo got back after tennis, the EMTs were here (I didn't know). After a little while, I decided to go to Mariella's and just see what I could do. I saw Giuseppe Uno in the hallway with the boys, and I offered to bring them up to play. He said he'd stay with them for a while; they're sad. (Real life is not hidden from youngsters here). The door to Mariella's living room, the "formal" entrance, was unusually open, so I walked in. I saw some of the family back in the hallway, assuming they're getting Nonno's things for the funeral, but no-- they were preparing Nonno for the funeral. It took many of them to sit him up, move him, and, I suppose wash and dress him. Despite having read about this in many a book, I was taken aback. Maria Teresa spotted me, and I asked h