Dante surprised Old Mario and Agate by returning so soon, and they did not approve of this yokel shepherd girl. However, when she"d removed the sheepskin jacket and the bustina, they recognised her for what she was: a decent, attractive country girl. They fed Dante and Chiarina cheese, bread, and polenta garnished with fragments of thrush, small birds trapped with nets.
Old Mario gave them both a shot of his homemade grappa, a strong fortifier against the cold. Old Mario dozed in the chair by a small fire; Agate fussed, making up a bed.
Chiarina and Dante sat back from the fire, taking tiny sips of grappa, stretching the moment. Dante had never met a girl like her and didn"t want her to leave.
Chiarina smiled. “It"s the first time I"ve sat with a boy drinking grappa. My father used to g
