Love & Gelato

Getting ready to tell Howard that he is not her father, Lina is surprised when Howard invites her to a movie, a showing of Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn. Sonia goes with them. Lina can hardly pay attention, worrying about telling Howard the truth. On the way home, Sonia, caught up in the movie’s romantic ambience, tells Lina people come to Italy for lots of reasons but only stay for two: “love and gelato” (322). When Lina is finally alone with Howard, Thomas Heath calls and invites her to a fancy birthday party the next night. Lina agrees to go.

The next morning, with her mother’s journal in tow, Lina takes her morning run. This time, she ends up at the tower in the city, the magical tower where both Howard and Ren took her. She begs her mother to tell her why she sent her to Italy in the first place and why she shared her journal now, after she is gone. Lina feels alone and empty, missing talking with her mother. As she takes in the magnificent sunrise, “so beautiful it hurt” (331), she understands that she will never not miss her mother, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be happy.