But now I could say, “I’m at school in England.” And if Jennifer said, “Where?” I could say, “Haywards Heath Sussex in Great Dun-stable Preparatory School.” It was like I had joined the regular human race! Of course I wouldn’t say how, because I couldn’t read very well yet, I had been put into a class of nine-year-olds when I first got there. Or how I had to do special work on Saturdays since the headmaster said I was the most “unfit boy” he had ever had the duty to “bring to the light of knowledge.” I would say I loved the games and field day even though since I had never played cricket before I only got to do “sports” by getting up every morning and pushing the roller around on the cricket pitch to help keep it flat for the boys who got to play.

When I got to the bottom of the path from Portofino to Paraggi, I looked along the road to the beach and could see the Banini sitting at one of the tables up by the snack bar. He was alone and had a brown paper bag spread out in front of him. I couldn’t see what was on it yet but I knew he always had focaccia and probably some sardines too. I yelled out so he’d see me and leave some food for me.

When I got nearer he stood up and called out, “Calvino! youa back!” I ran up and dropped my snorkel and spear gun and sat down. The Banini pushed over a big hunk of focaccia. I licked off the pieces of rock salt stuck to it and the green olive oil ran down my chin when I bit into a piece just like I had dreamed of doing hundreds of times when I closed my eyes in the Great Dunstable school dining room and tried to imagine Italy instead of England.

The Banini picked up my spear gun and pretended to be shooting with it.

“Pulpi?”

I said, “No,” because I was not going to shoot any more octopus. “Pesce,” I said.

He pointed to a place on the side of the bay where the big rocks were and he gestured how I should go over there because that’s where the fish were this year.

When we finished eating we swam out to the rowboats and I helped the Banini bring the boats in to the beach the way we always did. On the way back, he rowed over to the rocks on purpose to show me where he had seen some really big fish a few days before.