It was only last winter that I learned the truth, and it still hurts to write it.
I was helping her with some paperwork when I realized what she had been hiding for years. The shop had not really paid for itself in a long time.
To keep her doors open, my Nonna had been quietly spending her own savings, month after month, year after year, just to keep doing the thing she loved.
She never told anyone. She was too proud, and she loved her work too much to stop.
When I asked her why she never said anything, she just looked at her hands and said softly, "What else would I do with these? They only know how to do this."
I had to step outside so she would not see me cry.
