Lina

Lina is the "cleaning lady" who has been working for my husband's family for at least the past 41 years. Francesco's first memory of her dates back to when he was five years old and went to answer the door with his sister F., who was seven at the time. He remembers the horror he felt when they opened the door and a real live witch was standing on the threshold! I don't know what she looked like 41 years ago, but if you looked at her today, you would get the same impression that he got back then. I have seen pictures of her from 25 years ago and she does look more or less the same as now . . .

Anyway, Lina is a poor, unfortunate soul. She was born into a poor and ignorant family who have never done anything but treat her badly and take advantage of her. She may have gone to school through 3rd grade, but I doubt it. She is able to pick out words, letter by letter, but I have never seen her write anything. She can't speak Italian, nor can she speak the local dialect. She speaks her own mixed-up version of a little bit of both with her own nonsensical original inventions. Francesco calls it Lina-esque. She is nosy, she's a gossip, she has to butt into everything and constantly bothers everyone with her annoying ways. She doesn't know how to behave appropriately, ever. She constantly fights with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She even smells bad, really bad.

So, why has she been part of my husbands' family for practically forever? Well, because for many years my mil took her on as a sort of project. She kept thinking that she could explain things to her, teach her better manners, refine her somehow. But, the years went by and no dent was made in the Lina-ness of Lina. She has been sent away a hundred times, but a hundred times she has returned. The thing is that she loves Francesco's family -- deeply, intensely. She worships my mother-in-law and is jealous of any other hired help that ever comes along. When she has been sent away, she threatens to jump off a bridge or in front of a train in desperation.

And then, by now she is a part of the family history. Francesco has so many memories that include her. Sometimes in elementary school, some bullies would chase him home teasing and threatening him (why this happened is another long story involving his psychotic teacher). Lina would run out of the apartment building and whack the kids in the head to chase them away! Then when he was in high school, his house backed up against the school's courtyard. Lina would make fresh focaccia every morning and pass it down to him, in a basket that hung down from the balcony on a string, for his mid-morning snack . . . Over the years they have developed a sort of begrudging affection for her, despite her many defects.

And if you know something about her life story, you can't help but feel sorry for her . . . When she was young, her family decided that it was time she got married and moved out of the house, so they "arranged" a marriage for her. What that entailed was her sister sent her down into the basement, then sent down her chosen "groom" (chosen by the family, Lina had no say in the matter) and then locked the door. The guy then proceeded to rape Lina, who couldn't do much about it being locked in the basement with no one upstairs who had any intention of coming to help her . . . which sealed the deal. Back then (we're talking about 50 years ago) once a man and woman of a certain social class had sex, whether it was consentual or not, they were considered man and wife and there was little to nothing the woman could do about. That was her husband, like it or not.

So, Lina was married and went to live with her new husband. One fine day, her husband came home with another young lady. He told Lina that this girl was all alone in the world, had nowhere to live and so they had to take her in. Of course, since there was only one bed in the miserable room they lived in, the girl had to sleep in the bed with them. One night Lina woke up to sounds she recognised for what they were -- to her outrage the girl and her husband were fast at it! Well, Lina, being nobody's fool, ran straight out of the house and down to the local Carabiniere station and had her husband thrown in jail for adultery! Of course, that doesn't mean he didn't come back home once he got out . . .

Then there's the very sad story of Lina's baby. Lina got pregnant (see the husband was still around) and after the usual amount of time, went to the hospital to give birth. Delivery was what delivery is . . . and a baby boy was born. The next day the nurse told Lina that her baby boy had died, so Lina went home alone. Alone, but with a great doubt . . . and if the baby hadn't really died? And if it was all just a plot and really the hospital had been in cohorts with the doctor whose house Lina cleaned at the time and really the baby had been perfectly healthy and they just told her it was dead, while in the meantime they had sold him to another family??? Lina firmly believes this version of the events to this day. Why is she so sure? Because they never showed her the dead baby. So, how can she know he really died? I don't know what local hospital policy was way back then, but maybe they never showed dead babies to the family. Francesco and his family say the theory is possible, but not probable.

Another day I'll have to write about how her family has continued to torment her through the years.