My grandfather eventually learned that Mother Vera, sensing he had been gone a long time, had stepped out and, from the stairs of their little house, had seen the tiger taking off across the field.

NEWYORKER: The Tiger��s Wife

My grandfather stood guiltily beside Mother Vera with his sleeves drawn down over his hands, and when his turn came he touched the barrel with the tip of one sleeve-covered finger, and only for a moment.

NEWYORKER: The Tiger��s Wife

Vera Campanelli, Italy: I want to use my voice and my actions to honor inspiring people of my country: important Italian politicians like Enrico Berlinguer, or magistrates who gave their lives to defeat mafia, like Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

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My grandfather could remember only one encounter with Luka, during a winter storm when Mother Vera had sent him out to buy a leg of lamb.

NEWYORKER: The Tiger��s Wife