Just Add Spice

They walked down to the cable car turnaround on Hyde Street and had a glass of wine at the Buena Vista, a one-time boarding house and saloon in the early 1900s turned trendy restaurant, with gorgeous views and the Powell-Hyde cable car line running alongside it, the bells clanging upon arrivals and departures up the hill.

For dinner, they stopped into Vinny’s seafood restaurant, Sampogna’s Too. His wife Macy served as hostess and she greeted Rafe and Jenna with a warm smile and a big hug, all but engulfing Jenna in her robust embrace.

Macy seated them by the window with a sensational display of the water beyond and then said, “I’ll get Vinny. He’ll be so excited you’re both here.”

She ambled toward the kitchen. Jenna surveyed the dining room, noting it was only partially full at seven o’clock. She opened the menu and cringed.

“Yeah, these prices are a bit steep.”

“Agreed. His overhead is a bitch, though.”

“He still leases the building?”

Rafe nodded. “The owner refuses to sell, and Vinny doesn’t want to relocate. Unfortunately, this isn’t a rent-controlled property.”

“Hmm.” Jenna gave some thought to the prime locality and the stellar menu, the prices notwithstanding, and decided something should be done to help bring in more people.

It wasn’t just about her job…that wasn’t what truly had her mind churning with fresh ideas for this particular establishment.

It was about family.

And no matter what path Jenna had taken, the way she’d veered off from her marriage and this lo

ving, boisterous group, these people were still special to her.

Sentimentality and even a hint of nostalgia tickled her throat. She washed it down with a sip of water the server delivered, just as Macy returned to the table with Vinny. More hugs ensued. Vinny was a big guy and practically squeezed the air out of Jenna. Rafe had to tactfully rescue her.

“Careful there,” he said to his cousin, “you’re gonna make Macy jealous.”

Macy laughed heartily. “Yeah, right. I’d finally get a full night’s sleep if he found a little side action.”

Vinny kissed her forehead. “Didn’t hear you complaining last evening, my love.”

Macy’s cheeks flushed. Jenna smiled.

Vinny said, “This is a treat to have you here, Jenna. Sit. Let Macy pour you some wine and bring calamari and salads while I whip up a couple VIP dinners for you two.”

When they were alone again, Jenna asked, “How long have they been together?”

“Married when they were eighteen—so twelve years.”

“Wow.” She sipped some more, then asked, “What about your grandparents?”

“They married the year my grandfather opened Sampogna’s, sixty-five years ago.”

She whistled under her breath. “That is amazing.”

“They had a rough patch, my Aunt Vesta once told me. After their fifth child was born. Uncle Danny created a few complications before and after the birth, and the doctor told my grandmother not to have any more children. Not that she couldn’t, but that it’d be best if she didn’t. She’s a tiny woman, you know. And though she’s strong, there’s only so much the body can take.”

“What happened? Because I know she had a sixth child. Your dad.”

He nodded. “She wanted another one. Had her heart set on a half-dozen kids. My grandfather said, ‘abiammo finito—we’re done. No more children.’ She chased him out of the house with a broom. He slept in the office at the restaurant for a few nights, but that was the most he could stay away from her. And was completely miserable the entire time. When he finally returned home, he pleaded with her, but she insisted on one more child. He held out as long as he could but eventually caved.”

“How did that pregnancy affect her?”

“Apparently, my father was a walk in the park. The easiest of all the babies she’d carried and the smoothest delivery. Go figure.”

“Huh. Maybe there’s something to be said about being strong of spirit, even if the body doesn’t seem to be equally up to snuff.”