so Mel might join them.
“How was your trip?” Mel seemed friendly and energetic.
“I think the trip across the ocean was faster.” Pappina smiled.
“I wouldn’t know.” Mel smiled. “I’ve only been as far south as the Twin Cities. Someday I hope to visit my cousins in Croatia.”
“Nothing like the Adriatic Sea in the summertime,” Luigi said.
“I’ve heard,” Mel agreed. “I’m here to help you make a smooth transition. The city government is here to provide whatever assistance you need. We want to make you feel at home.”
“You said you had some real estate for us to look at,” Luigi said.
“I do. But I wanted to offer up an idea. I know your plan was to open a shop together, but the truth is, we need a shoemaker in Hibbing, but there is also a need for one down the road in Chisholm. If you split up, you could open two shops and still have plenty of work.”
Enza leaned back in her chair. They just dropped their luggage, and already the deal was no longer the deal as it had been presented to them in New York.
Ciro could see that Enza was concerned, so he said, “This isn’t what you promised.”
“Of course I will show you the real estate for the shop here in Hibbing as planned. All I ask is that you keep an open mind about Chisholm,” Mel said in a tone that told Luigi and Ciro that he had given this speech before to other tradesmen lured to the Iron Range to serve the mining industry. “Hear me out. I didn’t mean to mislead you in any way. The conditions on the Iron Range change daily. Mines open, we get an influx of new workers, and we have to meet their needs. Give me a chance to show you what I’m talking about. Have your dinner, get a good night’s sleep, and I can show you both properties in the morning. I have a truck, and we can go over to Chisholm and you can take a look around. You may like what you see, and if you don’t, we’ll stick with the original plan. Fair enough?” Mel proposed.
Ciro and Luigi looked at one another. They did not expect that everything would go according to plan, but they had counted on the fact that they would face whatever came together. Still, they had come to Minnesota in the first place to make bold business choices. Ciro spoke for their partnership. “All right, Mel, we’ll keep an open mind and we’ll see you in the morning. Seven o’clock all right with you?”
“I’ll be here in the lobby,” Mel said. “We are happy to have you, and we look forward to introducing you to your fellow Italians here on the Iron Range.” He shook hands with the men, bowed his head to the ladies, and went.
“I don’t like the idea of splitting up. We just got here.” Pappina smoothed the napkin on her lap.
“Neither do I,” Luigi said. “Should I check the train schedules back to New York?”
“Let’s decide in the morning,” Ciro said as he took Enza’s hand. “Let’s take a look before we leave.”
The next day, Enza stood on the corner of West Lake Street in Chisholm and looked across the bridge to Longyear Lake. It reminded her of Schilpario. The lake was deep and wide, making her think of the midnight blue waters of Lake Como and the windswept whitecaps on Lake Garda. To her astonishment, Chisholm felt like home.
Ciro put his arms around Enza. “Come inside.”
The empty two-story red-brick saltbox had two workrooms on the first floor, separated by a service window. A small patch of yard for a garden was just a step off the back room, but it was covered in ice. Ciro and Enza joined Luigi and Pappina in the front room. They were chatting with Mel. “I’m going to leave you folks to talk things through. I’ll be at Valentini’s, having a cup of coffee.” He put his hat on and left them alone.
“What do you think?” Luigi asked.
“I think Mel has a point. If we split up, we can serve two mining operations. I can handle the work from Buhl and Chisholm, and you can handle the Hibbing operation.”
Luigi paced with his hands in his pockets as he considered their options. “It’s true. When we had the cart, we made double the money for the Zanettis.”
“Yeah, but was that us or Signora’s bullwhip?”
“A little of both.” Luigi smiled.
“Mel assured me we can