loved Nonna any more than she did, but her grandmother could be exasperating at times.
"What happened," Nonna said, "is that I phoned a number that had been changed from an airline reservations number to some place calling itself Wham's Resorts. What kind of place calls itself Wham's Resorts? A nice young man answers, but he never told me what is Wham's Resorts. A bookie, I think it is."
"What is this all about?" Stephen asked. "What is this calling people? What is a bookie?"
"Nonna calls toll-free 800 numbers for a hobby," Julie explained. She decided not to explain what a bookie was unless pressed for further details. Instead she went back in the kitchen.
Nonna smiled up at Stephen. "I get lonely sitting here all day. Calling these numbers gives me a nice polite young person to talk to. Sometimes as far away as India! There's always somebody at the airlines. I have called insurance companies, too, but they're not so much fun. Campgrounds and motels are not bad. But the airlines are the best. When they put me on hold, they play music."
"You do this every day?"
"Some days. If it's an airline, I have to call back later and cancel the reservation. That's nice, too."
Stephen sat down beside Nonna. "I'm glad you like to make long-distance calls. You can help me reach the rest of the family."
Julie reappeared from the kitchen as though summoned like a genie from a bottle.
"First I will call Paul. Then I will call Michael. Then I will—"
"Stephen, I told you—"
"You told me, yes, and now it is up to me to find out for myself what the Andrassys think." His blue eyes had gone steely.
"Julie, Stephen only wants the Amazing Andrassys back on the high wire." Nonna pinched her lips together and fixed Julie with a glare of her own. When Nonna got her dander up, there was no bucking her authority. Julie preferred things not to get to that point. In deference to Nonna's health, she usually backed down first.
"Okay," Julie said, turning her back on them. "Okay." She went back in the kitchen as she heard Stephen say, "Oh, so you have everyone's phone number programmed into your phone?"
Let him call the others and present his ridiculous idea, Julie fumed inwardly. That was the best way for Stephen to find out what he was up against. None of the other Andrassys would be interested in a new act.
After dinner, while Julie cleaned up the kitchen with Nonna's help, Stephen went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Over the sound of running water from the faucet, Julie heard him talking quietly. She tried to ignore the hushed tones of Stephen's conversation, and when Stephen called Nonna to the phone, she turned on the garbage disposal so she couldn't hear Nonna speak.
But she couldn't run the garbage disposal forever.
"Juliana!"
She turned to find Stephen standing behind her, and he was smiling broadly.
"Michael is interested. He wants me to call the others."
Julie felt all the air leave her lungs in one surprising rush. "Michael? I don't believe it."
"It is true, isn't it, Nonna?"
Nonna bustled in and beamed up at him. "It is true, Julie. Michael doesn't like his job. There's not enough excitement, he says, in being a catcher for the Flying Cordonis."
"But Michael always said he'd never walk the wire again." Julie was dismayed.
"Michael has two children. He has to think of their future as Andrassys."
"Why would he want their future to be working a high-wire act?"
Nonna's expression became stern. "Because of his loyalty to family tradition, Julie! That is something you need more of, perhaps!" Nonna bit down on her lips and stumped out of the room, leaving Julie blinking at Stephen.
"Don't be angry," Stephen said. At the moment, his eyes were filled with compassion for her.
Julie lifted her hands and let them fall helplessly.
"Now I will call Uncle Bela," Stephen said. "If you'd like to listen on speakerphone–"
"I'm going back to the gym for a late practice session with Molly. She has an important meet
"What happened," Nonna said, "is that I phoned a number that had been changed from an airline reservations number to some place calling itself Wham's Resorts. What kind of place calls itself Wham's Resorts? A nice young man answers, but he never told me what is Wham's Resorts. A bookie, I think it is."
"What is this all about?" Stephen asked. "What is this calling people? What is a bookie?"
"Nonna calls toll-free 800 numbers for a hobby," Julie explained. She decided not to explain what a bookie was unless pressed for further details. Instead she went back in the kitchen.
Nonna smiled up at Stephen. "I get lonely sitting here all day. Calling these numbers gives me a nice polite young person to talk to. Sometimes as far away as India! There's always somebody at the airlines. I have called insurance companies, too, but they're not so much fun. Campgrounds and motels are not bad. But the airlines are the best. When they put me on hold, they play music."
"You do this every day?"
"Some days. If it's an airline, I have to call back later and cancel the reservation. That's nice, too."
Stephen sat down beside Nonna. "I'm glad you like to make long-distance calls. You can help me reach the rest of the family."
Julie reappeared from the kitchen as though summoned like a genie from a bottle.
"First I will call Paul. Then I will call Michael. Then I will—"
"Stephen, I told you—"
"You told me, yes, and now it is up to me to find out for myself what the Andrassys think." His blue eyes had gone steely.
"Julie, Stephen only wants the Amazing Andrassys back on the high wire." Nonna pinched her lips together and fixed Julie with a glare of her own. When Nonna got her dander up, there was no bucking her authority. Julie preferred things not to get to that point. In deference to Nonna's health, she usually backed down first.
"Okay," Julie said, turning her back on them. "Okay." She went back in the kitchen as she heard Stephen say, "Oh, so you have everyone's phone number programmed into your phone?"
Let him call the others and present his ridiculous idea, Julie fumed inwardly. That was the best way for Stephen to find out what he was up against. None of the other Andrassys would be interested in a new act.
After dinner, while Julie cleaned up the kitchen with Nonna's help, Stephen went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Over the sound of running water from the faucet, Julie heard him talking quietly. She tried to ignore the hushed tones of Stephen's conversation, and when Stephen called Nonna to the phone, she turned on the garbage disposal so she couldn't hear Nonna speak.
But she couldn't run the garbage disposal forever.
"Juliana!"
She turned to find Stephen standing behind her, and he was smiling broadly.
"Michael is interested. He wants me to call the others."
Julie felt all the air leave her lungs in one surprising rush. "Michael? I don't believe it."
"It is true, isn't it, Nonna?"
Nonna bustled in and beamed up at him. "It is true, Julie. Michael doesn't like his job. There's not enough excitement, he says, in being a catcher for the Flying Cordonis."
"But Michael always said he'd never walk the wire again." Julie was dismayed.
"Michael has two children. He has to think of their future as Andrassys."
"Why would he want their future to be working a high-wire act?"
Nonna's expression became stern. "Because of his loyalty to family tradition, Julie! That is something you need more of, perhaps!" Nonna bit down on her lips and stumped out of the room, leaving Julie blinking at Stephen.
"Don't be angry," Stephen said. At the moment, his eyes were filled with compassion for her.
Julie lifted her hands and let them fall helplessly.
"Now I will call Uncle Bela," Stephen said. "If you'd like to listen on speakerphone–"
"I'm going back to the gym for a late practice session with Molly. She has an important meet
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