We all sat down on our suitcases, and Dad said in a cheerful voice that really meant he was even madder now, “Isn’t this fun! It’s so exciting living with Elsa, isn’t it, girls?”

Janet and Rachael kept quiet because the worst thing that could happen was if you answered Dad when he was in a Mood because then he’d start to fight through you at Mom, saying things to you loudly that really meant something else like he just had because when he said, “Isn’t this fun!” he really meant, “Now do you see how hard it is being married to your mother?”

We sat looking at the men in the long blue coats with metal numbers pinned to their chests who were porters pushing carts piled up with people’s luggage. Janet and I started trying to guess where people came from by how they were dressed. Then a porter asked Mom if we wanted our luggage moved someplace, and Dad said, “No, grazie, we are staying here!” The porter asked when the train we were taking was coming, and Mom said in a small voice, to show it wasn’t her idea, “Tomorrow—domani”

“Domani?!” said the porter. “Why tomorrow?”

Dad said with a lot of meaning in his voice, “Some of us missed today’s train to Switzerland.”

Then the porter smiled and said, “But no, signore, you no miss the traino, it leave in a half the hours.”

We all looked over at the platform where it was supposed to be but it was as empty as ever.

The porter laughed and pointed behind us and said, “They changea to the other sidea because of the engines troubles. The traino is one and a half hours later! Not like in America, you never later. I ‘af a brosser in Chincinattis!”

No one was listening to him, we were looking at Mom, and Mom stood up and her eyes were shining and she just said, “Well!”

Dad picked up his suitcase without saying anything and walked over to the train car that had Domodossola-Brig-Montreux-Geneve marked on the side and he got in without looking around.

1965

Chapter 17

I HAD SHOT A CAT WITH MY SPEAR GUN a few weeks before we went to Italy. Now we were on the train on the way to our vacation. The barbs had stuck in the loose skin on its back. I had been standing at the back door of our chalet in Switzerland, and no one saw me because they were all at a Monday morning prayer meeting being led by my mother, who was sharing all the things the Lord had done for her that week.