A Crazy Valentine's Day Gift

...for my retired chef wife

We were quite excited, my wife Debbie and I. Having lived here in northern Italy in a medieval town called Pieve di Teco for the past seven years, we were settled into the routine of retirement. Of course, that also comes with watching our budget, living on my pension and book royalties. But March 1st was the day her social security checks were scheduled to arrive, giving us greater freedom to travel and see more of Europe.

But something was nagging Debbie. She had been a chef in the United States for roughly the last 10 years of her working life, and I could see the melancholy in her eyes when would walk past a small restaurant in our tiny town. There was a sign above a red door on a back alley that said, “Osteria al Teatro”. Through the window we could see tables inside, but in all of our time living here the door had never opened. “I know we could never afford it, but it would be a dream for me to have a small restaurant like this. I would open it only three days a week, and serve Italian food to Italians. How great that would be!”

About a month ago we received the notice from Social Security that her retirement pension would start in March of this year. Shortly afterwards, someone messaged her to say, “A new restaurant is opening here in Pieve di Teco, and the owners need an experienced chef. Are you interested?” Deb followed up to discover that this mysterious “Osteria al Teatro” was the location, and they would be opening three days a week.

Fast forward to Valentine’s Day. Debbie celebrated opening night as the chef of an Italian restaurant in Italy, serving Ligurian food. At 62 years old, she has reignited her career, fulfilling a dream, even if it means retirement is put on hold. Regardless of how this turns out, I could not be more proud to be married to someone who never gives up on her dreams.

Forza Dolce Debbie!