The Crossing

A fictitious historical short story based on true events. It's 1897 and Ignazia Traina, a Sicilian peasant woman, is left behind in Palermo when her husband and son leave for America. This is the story of her journey to reunite her family. Ignazia's daughter, Lena, tells her mother's story to her own inquisitive daughter...

Mamma didn’t want to talk about it…She had a bad temper, and if she didn’t want to, well, she didn’t. I asked her about Italy and coming to America, and she put me off by saying, "MaryGrace, that was a different life. It’s not important. Leave it alone." Then, she changed the subject. For a long time, I was afraid to bring it up again.

Many years later, at Grandpa Joe’s funeral, something made Mamma tell me the story. As it turned out, when I least expected it, she proved to be my window into the past. So, while we sat in Grandpa Joe's small apartment surrounded by steaming dishes of pasta and a steady flow of family and friends coming to pay their respects, Mamma talked about Palermo. Normally, her voice was an assault to the ear, but for once she spoke quietly as though divulging a great secret. She talked about Grandpa Joe, Grandma Agnes, and all her brothers and sisters, making the past come alive with emotion.