How He Learned About Death

“O santa notte le stele son splendenti, in questa notte è nato Gesù. A lungo giacque il mondo nell’errore, finchè Egli apparve la luce a portar un cantico di gioia e di speranza riempie il cuore e apre un nuove giorno.”

EP recognized the tune. It was “O Holy Night”. He just couldn’t figure out what the language was.

“Gloria al Signor. In cielo e sulla terra. O notte divina. O notte del Signor.”

EP reached the top of the stairs. There was a white door to his left and one to his right. The one on the left was open. He looked inside. There was simply a bed, closet, and desk. Although, something was sitting at the window. No. Someone. EP couldn’t see its hair since it wore a blue bandana on its head. EP couldn’t see this person’s face either. It had its back to him. EP knew this person was a girl though. She wore a black, long-sleeve shirt and a blue skirt. Only girls wore skirts.

EP realized the singing voice came from this girl. He noticed her chin move and as it did so, noise came out. Instead of the usual clear voice EP heard on the stairs, it was a whisper.

“Natal. Natal. Nato è Gesù.”

EP clapped. The girl jumped and faced him. Her eyes were big and brown. Her eyelashes were long like EP’s. Hers were black. EP had gold ones. EP still couldn’t see her hair. He guessed it was black since that was the color of her long, straight eyebrows. The girl’s skin tone wasn’t olive-toned like everyone else’s at this party. It was pale like EP’s.

“Can I help you?” the girl asked. She didn’t sound like an adult but she still sounded older than EP.

“I heard you singing,” EP said. He looked around the room once more. “Why are you in here by yourself?”

“I don’t like being downstairs with everyone.”

“Me neither!”

“Really?” The girl pulled another chair over by her side. She patted it.

EP walked over and sat down. “What’s your name?”

“Giovanna. Yours?”

“Well, my real name is Eugene but I don’t like it. So everyone calls me EP.”

“What does the P stand for?”

“Perry. My last name.”

“You must be Donald Perry’s son!” Giovanna exclaimed.

EP nodded.

“I haven’t seen your father since I was six! How is he?” Giovanna asked. One of her fingers crept under her bandana, scratched, and was put down again.

“Fine,” EP said. “How old are you? I’m eight.”

“Ho dodici anni. I’m twelve years old,” Giovanna said.

EP’s eyes widened. “What language was that?”

“Italian.”

“You speak Italian?”

Giovanna nodded.

“But my dad said the language was lost in the family. He said nobody knew it!” EP was confused now.

Giovanna smiled. “A few of us still know it. I have a lot of time on my hands so I taught myself.”

“Why do you have a lot of time?” EP asked.

“I don’t go to school.”

EP’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow! I wish I didn’t go to school. I hate school!”

“I wanna go back,” Giovanna said.

This surprised EP. “Why?”

“Since I don’t go to school, I spend a lot of time at the hospital,” Giovanna answered.

“Why?”

“I’m sick.”

EP raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look sick.”

Giovanna giggled. “But EP, I’m bald! That’s why I’m wearing this bandana.”

EP watched as Giovanna took her bandana off her head. Even though Giovanna said she was bald, EP was still amazed to see no hair. The little sunlight seeping through the window made Giovanna’s head shine.

“How come you don’t have hair?” EP asked. He hoped his question didn’t sound rude.

Giovanna was happy to answer. “The medicine I take.”

EP’s eyebrows creased, showing his confusion.

Giovanna giggled. “You’re so adorable. Anyway, I have to take a certain medicine to cure my sickness. It’s not that helpful though. The doctors are hoping something stronger comes out in the future. For now, I just have to hope for the best.”

Suddenly, footsteps signaled up the stairs. Giovanna quickly tied her bandana back on her head. EP looked at the doorway. A tall man appeared. The tall man was his father.

“There you are EP,” he said. He looked at Giovanna. “And who is this?”

“Giovanna,” she said.

Donald smiled. He outstretched his arms. Giovanna giggled and EP noticed her teeth for the first time. White and straight. They made her glow. She ran up to his father and hugged him. Her head only reached his chest.

“What are you doing up here?” Donald asked.

Giovanna looked up at him. “I wanted to be by myself for a while. I met your son.” She looked at EP and then back up at his father.

“I see that,” Donald said.

“Daddy, she knows Italian!” EP exclaimed. He ran over to them.

“Do you now?” Donald asked Giovanna.

She nodded quickly.

Donald chuckled. “C’mon you two. Let’s get downstairs.”

EP grabbed Giovanna’s hand and the two of them followed Donald. They were guided to the living room. Presents sat in the middle and a family member held a deck of cards. EP knew this game all too well. Each person was handed out enough cards so the deck was split evenly. If the caller called out the color on the back of your card, the number, and the symbol, you could pick a present from the middle. People were allowed to steal it but there were enough presents so everyone could win one. The game began after EP explained the rules to Giovanna.

“Blue, four of diamonds,” the caller said.

EP looked through his five cards. He had it. He squealed excitedly and held it up. The caller took the card. EP took a present that was big and wrapped in green wrapping paper.

When the game was over, EP ended up winning a different present. He wasn’t upset about it. Besides, the other one had liquor. He was too young for that. The present he ended up winning had popcorn and money for the movie theater. Giovanna was still debating what her present was. EP thought it looked like some kind of liquor. According to Donald it was so Giovanna traded with someone. Now she had a camera. Neither she nor EP knew what kind of camera, but it was a camera nevertheless.

Dinner was next. EP climbed onto the piano bench next to Giovanna. There weren’t enough chairs for them at the table. They drank grape juice while the adults had wine. The appetizers, or antipasto as Giovanna called it, were passed around. Giovanna shared her shrimp with EP. Then the primo piatto was given to each person. It was spaghetti and meatballs. Giovanna didn’t like the meatballs so she gave them to EP.

“How do you not like meatballs?” EP asked.

Giovanna shrugged. The two of them laughed.

After everyone finished their spaghetti and meatballs, the secondo piatto was passed around. It was a big steak. This was EP’s first time having steak. He was excited. For sure he was getting older now. Giovanna put his mash potatoes on his plate for him since the bowl was too big for him to carry. Donald forced him to eat green beans. EP didn’t like them. In fact, he hated them. Giovanna loved them though. When Donald wasn’t looking, EP let her sneak a few off his plate. They were caught, but EP and Giovanna just laughed it off.

Dessert, or dolce, finally came. This was EP’s favorite part of Italian family feasts. There was so much to choose from. All kinds of fruits were splayed across the table. A chocolate cake sat across from EP. Unfortunately, he was going through a phase where he was allergic to chocolate. He still cut a small slice for Giovanna. For himself, he took a slice of vanilla cake. It was gone in seconds.

Auntie Zora walked into the dining room with a big jug of something. “Who wants ice cream?” she asked.

“ME!” EP screamed.

He was given a bowl. By himself, he put three giant scoops of vanilla ice cream in it. He covered them with whipped cream and then poured next to too much Bosco chocolate sauce. There was no such thing as too much Bosco chocolate sauce to EP though. He picked up two spoons. The second one was given to Giovanna. The two of them shared the dessert.

After the feast, the whole family gathered around the piano. Donald played and led the carols. The adults soon joined in. EP mouthed the words. He didn’t like to sing around people. Giovanna did. After a while he stopped mouthing the words and just listened to her voice. He was sitting next to her on the couch and she had an arm wrapped around him. EP wrapped his arms around Giovanna’s waist and placed his head on her chest. Her voice lullabied him to sleep.

EP woke up to a grape hitting his face. When he opened his eyes, he found himself to be the only one on the couch. The adults were spread across the house once again. Giovanna stood in front of EP, holding a bowl of grapes. She threw another one at him.

“C’mon sleepyhead,” Giovanna said. “I have to leave soon so let’s go do something.”

EP gathered the two grapes that were thrown at him. He pulled his arm back and froze. Giovanna realized what he was going to do. She squealed and ran for it, bringing the bowl of grapes with her. EP ran after her. Up the stairs they went. Giovanna went into the room on the left. EP followed. They faced each other. EP threw the grapes. Both of them hit Giovanna’s stomach. She liked down.

“I’m dead,” she said.

Dead. There was that word again. Second time today.

EP sat next to Giovanna on the floor. “Giovanna, can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” she said.

“What does it mean to be ‘dead’ exactly?”