The Story of the Lost Child (The Neapolitan Novels, #4)

by Elena Ferrante

Then out of the blue came a conversation that surprised me. Dede, in front of Elsa, who listened in some alarm, said in the tone she took when she wanted to explain a problem full of perils: “You know that Aunt Lina sleeps with Enzo, but they’re not married?” “Who told you?” “Rino. Enzo isn’t his father.” “Rino told you that, too?” “Yes. So I asked Aunt Lina and she explained to me.” “What did she explain?” She was tense. She observed me to see if she was making me angry. “Shall I tell you?” “Yes.” “Aunt Lina has a husband just as you do, and that husband is Rino’s father, his name is Stefano Carracci. Then she has Enzo, Enzo Scanno, who sleeps with her. And the exact same thing happens with you: you have Papa, whose name is Airota, but you sleep with Nino, whose name is Sarratore.” I smiled to reassure her. “How did you ever learn all those surnames?” “Aunt Lina talked to us about it, she said that they’re stupid. Rino came out of her stomach, he lives with her, but he’s called Carracci like his father. We came out of your stomach, we live much more with you than with Papa, but we’re called Airota.” “So?” “Mamma, if someone talks about Aunt Lina’s stomach he doesn’t say this is Stefano Carracci’s stomach, he says this is Lina Cerullo’s stomach. The same goes for you: your stomach is Elena Greco’s stomach, not Pietro Airota’s.” “And what does that mean?” “That it would be more correct for Rino to be called Rino Cerullo and us Dede and Elsa Greco.” “Is that your idea?” “No,...