Chapter 67: Sightseeing
The next day, Mariana wore her pink/golden shades, a black sundress with white flat shoes as she put on some sunscreen. She had a little bag in her suitcase and just put her phone and purse in it with some makeup. She was so eager to get going and explore that it was on her mind all night and kept her half-awake.
She came outside the bedroom, and Makayla and Mylah were already out, sat on the bed their mother slept on as she began digging into her purse. She stood next to her assistant was dressed in a white top, blue jeans, and a long green cardigan.
"Okay, here's some money for you guys to go buy something nice and do a bit of exploring. But make sure you stay in this area and don't go wandering off too far?" Crystal said, giving them some euros.
"Okay, mom!" Makayla said, giving her a little salute and taking the money.
"Actually, I'm giving this to Mariana," she said, taking the money back, "I feel like you guys are just going to spend it way too quickly."
"Aw." Makayla pouted.
Mariana finally made her presence known to the room as her footsteps creaked against the wooden foundation. They all turned their attention toward her like she was a student that just entered the classroom late.
"Hey," she said nervously, not liking the stares.
"Hi Mariana, did you sleep well?" Crystal asked.
"Yeah," she replied, rubbing her eyes, seeing colorful swirls glow around.
"Come get this money so you girls can go out." She held the stack of money in the air, and Mariana took it and quickly put it into her pocket.
"Okay, but are you not coming?"
"Maybe later, but I have to do a few things first."
"Okay, we'll see you later Mom!" Makayla and Mylah said and hugged her goodbye.
"Bye, my babies!" Crystal kissed them both and allowed them to go. They went downstairs with Mariana, dressed in sliver brown pencil skirts, rose gold sneakers, and white tops. They clung onto Mariana so that neither would get lost and all ran out of the hotel.
"So Mariana, where should we go first?" Makayla said, skipping around as curly strands of her braids danced along with her. Her box braids were tied into two ponytails as she had on a pink shoulder bag.
"Er... I don't know..." Mariana shrugged. "Anywhere I guess."
"Okay, let's just walk around and then stop if we see anyone interesting," Makayla said.
They crossed the road to the other side and started walking down the busy street, with a few passer-byes occasionally looking their way. They saw the tram go by on the road and they went from being in an enclosed space to be out in the open, with various crosswalks linking two paths, giant buildings, and their windows reflecting the early sun like mirrors.
Mariana kept her head up, while her face leaked out perspiration, making her temples seem shiny as the sun blazed against her face like she was in an oven. Even though there was hardly any breeze and her clothes started to stick to her, she still enjoyed being out in Milan.
She took pictures of the row of trees that led down the curved part of the road. It was like they were welcoming them and encouraged them to see what's on the other end. She felt like Pocahontas going around the river bend.
They then ended up in the heart of Milan, breathless and panting out, as they were surrounded by ancient landmarks and a storm of people. But the one that caught their eye the most was the famous Duomo Di Milano, the largest cathedral in Italy. Its holy and majestic design stood proudly in the center out of the clear blue skies. The sun was like a halo behind the pointed triangular tops, and the small statues of saints and their watchful eyes.
"Look it's the cathedral! Let's go see what's inside!" Mylah exclaimed and then she and Makayla started running toward it, getting their cameras out and putting it around their necks. Mariana quickly chased after them until they were all stood like mice under the cathedral's large entrance. They were in awe of its massiveness and took pictures of each other before buying a ticket.
They walked inside, their faces starstruck as sparkles glinted off the stained glass windows and into their eyes. The ground they stepped on had a colorful, flower-shaped pattern like clover leaves. The transparent walls were like a celestial wind had passed by, sprinkling its glory and diamonds. The rooftops were like an everlasting pathway, leading down to the front.
They dazed around like they were in dreamland, taking pictures of everything they could. Being inside here made Mariana feel peaceful and calm, and she had even more relief that she was able to make a little peace with Micah before she left. Maybe she can get him something while she's here. It would be a loving and surprising present.
"This looks really cool," Makayla said, letting her feet carry her away.
"I wonder how long it took to build..." Mylah said.
"Yeah me too... I wonder if there's any more of this we can look at."
"I think there's a way that we can go to the top and look around," Mariana said.
"Really?" Mylah said.
"Yeah, if I remember..."
"Let's go see if there's a way," Makayla said.
They started walking around and they managed to find a way to get onto the rooftop Terrance. They began exploring. Gargoyles were frozen in their midst and the weathered bricks that aged with the passages of time. Mariana's fingers glided over them, every brick was a different shade, either light or dark, and it felt like she was seeing different periods through them.
"Hey, come look here!" Mylah said as she near the front. Mariana and Makayla went beside her and from their view, they had a beautiful look at the city and were lucky enough to catch a breeze against the humid heat.
"I'm glad your mom let me come along," Mariana said, her nose sniffing the air, she could almost feel the ocean breeze making its way to her. Being in this place, was so much less stressful than back home, exactly what she needed, a change of environment.
"Yeah, it's fun having you tag along," Makayla said, "now we won't get lost."
Mariana started laughing joyously at that little statement. "I wonder where your mom is."
"Probably going to do some business," Mylah said, jumping up so that she was level with them.
"You know what, I'm getting kind of hot, maybe we can go get some gelato!" Makayla said.
"Okay, let's go see if we can find somewhere that sells it," Mariana said.
They all went back down and then out of the cathedral. They went to a food stall and Mariana ordered everyone some smooth, creamy ice cream and croissants filled with cheese and ham.
"Grazie!" She said when she got handed the food. She got grape flavor while Makayla got chocolate and Mylah got strawberry.
Mariana licked it across, moaning at its rich texture, it was like heaven on earth. The fruity taste coating her tongue like cream off a cupcake. And Makayla's chocolate ice cream was as delicious as melted Nutella.
"The only reason I like coming here is for the ice cream," Makayla said, making a mess all over her face.
"I wanna try the pizza made here," Mylah said.
"Maybe we can have that for lunch," Mariana said.
"Yeah but for now, we can enjoy this ice cream!" Makayla said, licking hers more. "Mariana, when you and Micah get married. Whenever you plan to go to Italy, let me know so I can sneak on board." She smirked.
"Haha okay," Mariana said, even though she was definitely not going to do that.
They went and sat on a nearby bench to enjoy their food, while also looking at the different outfits that people wore.
"Actually, I got something interesting to show you," Mariana said and got up, "come on."
"Alright." The sisters got up and followed Mariana around the cathedral.
"Around Italy, there's always some little bits of hidden history scattered about that no one really notices," Mariana explained at a white circle that was painted on the concrete sidewalk.
"Like here." Her foot pointed to the circle and then her arm stretched out towards the blue sky. "You see that ball there?" She directed them to where there was a small golden ball on the top of the Duomo.
"Yeah..."
"In 1601, there was a really bad thunderstorm and that ball was actually struck by lightening."
"Really!" Mylah exclaimed, widening her eyes.
"Yeah! And then it rolled down the side and landed right here." She tapped the circle and looked up to see their shocked faces.
"It landed there?" Makayla said.
"Yep! So they put this circle here to mark the spot where it fell."
"That is really cool, we would have never known that," Mylah mumbled in amazement.
"Yeah, thanks for telling us that Mariana," Makayla said.
"No problem, it's just a cool bit of history to know, since so many people pass it everyday."
Just then, Mylah heard her phone ping so she got it out and it was a message from her mom.
"My mom wants us to meet her at his restaurant around 6," she announced.
"Oh then we still have plenty of time, we should do some more exploring or go to a park!" Mylah said.
"Yeah let's get moving before it's too late," Makayla said, getting up and dusting herself off.
Mariana finished off her food, stuffing in the last bit, before she grabbed her bag and they carried on their journey. They saw the Arco della Pace, a stone arch that had horses statues stationed on top and served as a grand entrance into the city.
They walked through the path of the beautiful Sempione Park, with its tall trees that refracted the sunlight into many beams. They went into the castle in the park and the outside had a worn-out, reddish tone to its outer layer and a tall tower. They explored inside for quite a bit until it was time to go meet their mom.
They went to the restaurant called L'angolo Delle Delizie, which meant the corner of delicacies. They sat down opposite Crystal and another lady who was at a round table in the corner. There were black velvet curtains around the curvy windows as the people were chatting and dining.
"Hey girls, did you have fun?" Crystal said.
"Yeah! We got to see the cathedral and go to the top!" Mylah exclaimed, raising her arms in the air.
"Aw, did you take pictures?"
"Yeah, lots!" Makayla said, getting her phone out and then passing it to her mother. Crystal swiped through the pictures, keeping a neutral face until it turned into a smile of amusement.
"These are all so good. Tomorrow I'll come with you and we could do something together."
"Okay!" Makayla said as she took back her phone.
"Anyway, I would like you girls to meet one of my old friend Lisa, we went to fashion school together." Crystal said about the woman who was sat beside her. She had black hair, olive skin, and green eyes.
"Hi!" Lisa said cheerfully.
"Lisa, these are my daughters and my future daughter-in-law."
"Hey." They all smiled awkwardly.
"Aw you're are all so pretty," Lisa said.
"Thank you," Makayla said politely with a forced smile.
After greeting each other, they all ordered their food. Some got pasta dishes and some got a meat dish. Mariana dug into her food while hearing Crystal catch up with her friend.
"So, are you also here for fashion week?" Lisa asked.
"Yeah, of course, I just thought it would be a fun little trip for my girls and also for my daughter-in-law since she and my son have not been getting on that well lately."
"Ah okay, and how are they doing? Didn't one of them have a girlfriend a few years ago?"
"Don't remind me, I hate her so much. Seeing her face literally makes my blood boil in anger." Crystal hissed with her fists clenched as well as her teeth.
"I remember when you hate someone, it's really hard for you to like them again," Lisa chuckled.
"If you knew what she did," Crystal muttered ominously, "you would hate her too. I mean how do you expect me to like you when you made my baby cry in front of me and have no ounce of regret."
"The 'baby' she's referring to is twenty-three years old," Makayla said, laughing and smacking her head against the menu.
"I don't care if your eighty years or older, you're still going to be my babies."
She had her head down and began to mutter with spite. "Si alguna vez piensa en hacel algo así de nuevo, voá ponel una maldición en ella."(If she ever thinks of doing something like that again, I'm going to put a curse on her).
Mariana's eating got more uncomfortable as their conversation got more comfortable. Hearing Crystal's hatred for what Electra had done, made her shiver with fear. And remembering how she said that she would do the same thing herself, even though she didn't mean it and would never hurt Micah like that, it felt like she was just as bad as Electra and she didn't want to stoop down to her level. After all, you can't hear someone's pain and then willingly put them through it all over again.
She just continued eating, knowing that she won't do that and above all, she wouldn't want to get on Crystal's bad side.
A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I certainly did as it was a big relief to all their arguing😂😂.
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