“Your gift is coming through the door.”  “What gift… And what door?”  “Evidently the door to the place where you are now!”  These few seconds of surreal conversation between my mother and me happened during my lunch break at a small cafeteria where Antonello (my boyfriend) and I have been labeled by the girls that wait on us as the “beautiful couple”

At that moment I had my back to the door and was looking at Kelly, seated in front of me, with a certain perplexity due to the comical nature of my telephone conversation.  When I turned around I saw Antonello enter with none other than… A BRAND NEW PASTA BOARD JUST FOR ME!  Plotting with my parents, he literally became the bearer of their gift for the completion of my third decade (more…)