When Pietro found Clelia in the house without even having been consulted he made a gesture of annoyance. “I don’t want slaves in my house,” he said. Adele answered calmly: “She’s not a slave, she’s a salaried employee.” And I, fortified by the presence of my mother-in-law, stammered: “Do you think I should be a slave?” “You’re a mother, not a slave.” “I wash and iron your clothes, I clean the house, I cook for you, I’ve given you a daughter, I bring her up in the midst of endless difficulties, I’m worn out.” “And who makes you do that, have I ever asked you for anything?”
