Carmelo knew he was taking a risk sneaking around with Tina, but he couldn’t resist her. Meeting her family and asking her father’s permission to marry her would legitimize anything they did or had done.
The night came for him to go to her home. He dressed in his nicest clothes even though they were still not enough. Nothing about him was, except, he hoped, his love for Tina.
Carmelo carried a bouquet of flowers for her mother, a smaller bouquet for Tina, and a bottle of wine to contribute to dinner. His stomach was in knots and he thought he might vomit, but he was going to choke it all down and make the best impression he could on Tina’s family.
He drew in a breath and knocked on the front door. When no one answered right away, he knocked again. The door flung open, revealing a very u
