Ender in Exile (Ender's Saga 1.20)

"We were not ready," said Dorabella in her halting Italian accent. "On till your sister could taught us English good enough." Then she giggled. "I mean 'Common.'"

"I wish I spoke Italian," said Ender. "It's a beautiful language."

"The language of love," said Dorabella. "Not is French, nasty language of kissy lips and spitting."

"French is beautiful, too," said Ender, laughing at the way she had imitated the French accent and attitude.

"To French and deaf peoples," said Dorabella.

"Mother," said Alessandra. She had very little Italian accent, but rather spoke like an educated Brit. "There are French speakers among the colonists, and he can't offend any of them."

"Why will they be any offended? They make the kissy mouth to talk, we pretend we not to notice it?"

Valentine laughed aloud. Dorabella really was quite funny, full of attitude. Sassy, that was the word. Even though she was old enough to be Ender's mother--considering her daughter was Ender's age--she could be seen as flirting with Ender. Maybe she was one of those women who flirted with everybody because they knew of no other way to relate to them.

"Now we are ready," said Dorabella. "Your sister teaching us good, so we ready for our half hour with you."

Ender blinked. "Oh, did you think--I took a half hour with all the colonists who were going to travel in stasis because that's all the time I had before they became unavailable. But the colonists on the ship--we have a year or two, plenty of time. No need to schedule a half hour. I'm here all the time."

"But you are very important man, saving of the whole world."

Ender shook his head. "That was my old job. Now I'm a kid with a job that's too big for me. So sit down, let's talk. You're learning English very well--Valentine has mentioned you, actually, and how hard you work--and your daughter has no accent at all, she's fluent."

"Very intelligent girl my Alessandra," said Dorabella. "And pretty, too, yes? You think so? Nice figure for fourteen."

"Mother!" Alessandra shrank down into a chair. "Am I a used car? Am I a street vendor's sandwich?"

"Street vendors," sighed Dorabella. "I miss them yet."

"Already," Valentine corrected her.

"I am already miss them," said Dorabella, proudly correcting herself. "So small Shakespeare planet will be. No city! What you said, Alessandra? Tell him."

Alessandra looked flustered, but her mother pressed her. "I just said that there are more characters in Shakespeare's plays than there will be colonists on the planet named after him."

Ender laughed. "What a thought! You're right, we probably couldn't put on all of his plays without having to use several colonists for more than one part. Not that I have any particular plan to put on a Shakespearean play. Though maybe we should. What do you think? Would anyone want to be ready to put on a play for the colonists who are already there?"

"We don't know whether they like the new name," said Valentine. She also thought: Does Ender have any idea how much work it is to put on a play?

"They know the name," Ender assured her.

"But do they like it?" asked Valentine.

"It doesn't matter," said Alessandra. "Not enough women ruoli, parti--how do you say it?" She turned to Valentine helplessly.

"'Role,'" said Valentine. "Or 'part.'"

"Oh." Alessandra giggled. It was not an annoying giggle, it was a rather charmi

ng one. It didn't make her sound stupid. "The same words! Of course."

"She's right," said Valentine. "The colonists are about half and half, and Shakespeare's plays are what, five percent female parts?"

"Oh well," said Ender. "It was a thought."

"I wish we could put on a play," said Alessandra. "But maybe we can read them together?"

"In theater," said Dorabella. "The place for holografi. We all read. Me, I listen, my English is not good enough."