He took a deep breath, picked up his loupe, and began to work. He was still afraid of the void she left behind, but as the carousel began to chime its tiny, tinny melody, he understood that carrying that fear was just another way of carrying her love.
After the funeral, Gennaro returned to his shop. The ticking of a hundred clocks, once a symphony, now sounded like hammers against his chest. He picked up a delicate gold pocket watch, his fingers trembling. He whispered into the still air,
Gennaro looked at the toy, then at the girl’s expectant face. He realized that while Lucia was gone, the world she had nurtured—the neighbors, the children, the life of the street—was still there, waiting for him to rejoin it.