Gaia

I don't even have time to get back to unwrapping the gifts before the next one enters, this time it's Gaia, honestly I'm just relieved that it is someone less complicated, profound as it sounds.

"Dario said you were up here already, unwrapping our gifts."

For the first time I am okay with her perfect smile, it instantly puts me in a better state.

"I didn't know Hilda-Maria bought you something." She points to the doorway that Hilda-Maria just slipped out of. "What did she get you?"

I chuckle, "Nothing, she just came to..."

"To be Hilda-Maria." She completes my sentence.

I nod.

Gaia shuffles threw the sea of ripped paper wrap, to get to me, her perfume penetrates my nostrils and as usual the scent lingers long after her embrace.

"Did you like our gift?" She smiles

I look to the folded Chanel onesie in the pile of unwrapped gifts. "It's almost too nice to wear."

Gaia laughs, "It was my mother, saying, even babies should look their best."

Gaia lingers a bit more, helping me clear the floor of some ripped paper.

"Are you coming down soon or are you gonna be unwrapping gifts all night?"

I smile, "I'll be down in a minute."

A look of concern appears on Gaia's goddess-like face.

"Are you alright?" I ask, noticing her change of mood.

"Er...I don't know if it's my place to tell you.." She begins.

I silently pray for no more drama.

"...Dario and I are sort of back together."

The tension in my chest releases. "Yeah, I knew that."

"Oh, good." She sounds relieved. "I just thought that now that we are sort of friends, that you should know."

I am humbled by the respect she has for me. "Are you guys gonna do anything special this summer?"

Gaia's cheeks blossoms, "Err...yeah, we are going back to Greece."

Greece is where it all happened so I understand her embarrassment for me.

"I hope you guys have a good time together." The smile is fake, but I really mean what I say.

"I hope your baby likes the onsie." She smiles and later descends downstairs.

Mama

Just as I finnish unwrapping the last gift, a ukelele from an unknown patron, Alicia returns to the room.

"I can't believe you're still in here, it's been hours."

"Well I'm done now." I rise to the floor and we both have a look at the outcome, piles and piles of gifts. "How am I gonna get all of this home?"

"Papa can help you drop them off when Mama takes me to the airport."

Something strikes my heart, I suddenly remember my reason for being here in the first place. Alicia will be leaving first thing in the morning, how could I have wasted our last day unwrapping silly gifts, when I could have been downstairs.

"Anyway I came to tell you that your mother showed up after all."

"WHAT!" I shout. "Why did you invite her?"

"Alessia, your mother isn't just anyone."

I start gathering my things, "Help me, help me get out of here."

"Alessia don't be silly, maybe it's a good sign that she is here, you guys should really talk things over." Alicia turns her heel. "I'll go get her."

"Alicia no!" It's too late, she quickly runs down the stairs.

Like a child in trouble I start to panic, not knowing what to do with myself, should I sit, should I stand. Minutes go by and I stand crossed armed leaning against the arm of the sofa.

Mama appears in the doorway and I feel my hands go numb.

Silence at first, Mama is the first one to speak.

"I just came up here to say that I still believe that you are making a big mistake Alessia."

I chuckle at the one second I thought things might be different this time around.

"Being in love isn't a mistake."

"Alessia!" She pleaded. "You are too young to know what love is."

"But I'm not too young to be thrown out on the street in the middle of the night, no money no nothing."

Mama's silence displays her pride of not admitting her own mistakes.

To my surprise, not a single tear roams my eye socket.

"Hilda-Maria tells me that you and Valentino are moving to Tuscany, is it true?."

"Yeah, there's nothing for me here anymore."

My words make her squint her eyes and shake her head in disbelief. "Alessia this just shows how immature you are, how are you going to raise a child all alone in Tuscany, you don't even have an education, let alone a job."

"Valentino and I will manage."

She exhales, "I still believe you are making a brave mistake."

She leaves the room without looking back.

I give her a minute, making sure she is really gone, before I break down crying.

******

Alicia finds me hiding in her bedroom. I lay face down on the bed.

"So how did it go." She is brave asking.

I turn around, make up smeared underneath my eyes. "I hate you."

"I'll go get Valentino." She exhales.

"No Alicia don't..."

She's gone.

I roll over so that I can lay face down again, while I cry into the pillow.

Hearing the door closing, I turn around.

Valentino's jaw clenches looking at me. "I'm sorry." He mumbles.

I sit up, "For what?"

He joins me on the bed. "It's my fault, everything is."

I catch his lowered head in my palms, our foreheads rest against one another.

"Don't ever say that."

"Alessia but, it's you mother..."

"I don't care." I interrupt. "If she can't tell how much I love you, love this baby, then I don't need her."

My words don't make him feel any better, I understand his burden in this.

"There's gifts, people left us gifts." I say, attempting to cheer him up.

"Really?"

"Mhm, they are for the baby, really cool gifts."

He chuckles, "Cool."

"Vale I'm gonna stay with Alicia tonight, If that's okay with you?" My heart is raising. "I just wanna say goodbye properly, you know."

He leans in to peck me on the cheek. "Okay."

******

At the end of the night when I finally decide to head down to the party all that is left is the remaining wine forgotten items and empty flutes. The guest are gone

Alicia and I finnish helping to clean up the obvious mess, her mother ensures that a team of cleaners will stop by tomorrow morning.

I didn't bring any clothes or other necessities for when staying over, but as usual Alicia's house was my house, they had everything for me even a brand knew toothbrush.

Like old times we lay giggling in the night, recalling old memories. Alicia tells me her ambitions for her new life in Paris, I suppress the pain and decide to be nothing but happy for her.

"So when are you guys moving?"

My eyes roam the sealing where the light from the night skies leaves it trace. 

"When the couple that lives there now moves out."

"When is that?"

"Mid-summer probably."

"What are you gonna do with your days before that, are you gonna try to talk to your mother again?"

Her audacity makes me laugh out loud. "No, I'm gonna be here for Etienne and Nonno, maybe accompany Valentino to Mugello once in a while, as for my mother.." I shake my head at the thought of ever letting her make me feel this bad again. "She has made up her mind and so have I."

To my surprise she doesn't give any following comments.

I shift positions feeling my body getting heavy. Alicia's eyes are on me, we lay face to face.

She fails to blink after several minutes, I nudge her feet under the covers.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Alessia can I ask you something?"

"Sure." I frown at the uncertainty in her voice.

"Do you remember when we played spin the bottle that time..."

"You mean at Hilda-Maria's birthday party." I recall.

"Yeah, that day when we first met." She nods.

"What about it?"

"What were you really thinking, when the bottle pointed to me."

I smile. "Well I was really thinking, let's get to the cake already, because I knew Hilda-Maria's mother made it, she makes great cakes."

Alicia gives me a light shove, "I'm serious, what did you think of me?"

"Of you?" I bring a finger to my chin. "Honestly it was the first time noticing that you , I thought you look kind of sad."

Alicia's expression withers as if she were to transform into that girl any minute now.

I'm quick to lift her chin, "Then everyone made all that fuss and when Hilda-Maria told me to just spin the bottle again..." I make a face imitating Hilda-Maria's girlish squeal. "I just knew I had to kiss you."

"How did it feel?"

I am slightly taken back by the eagerness in her voice. "I mean how did it make you feel?" She corrects, settling down a bit.

"Felt good." I nod. "Your lips were soft and..."

A sea of duvet covers my body when Alicia moves to press her lips against mine, recreating our first kiss.

"Alicia." I sigh once our lips detach.

"I'm sorry, I know." Her voice sounds so fragile.

My hand goes to caress her amber hair, "If I were to ever..."

"Please don't give me hope." She interrupts.

Still I finish my sentence, "...It would be you and you know that."

My hands continue tracing down her cheek. "I am positive that I'll be jealous when you find someone amazing in Paris."

I am relieved to see her white teeth twinkle in the dark.

"I'm gonna miss you." She whispers.

My hand brings her face forward and gently I return the kiss, it's a sweet exchange.

"I'm gonna miss you too."

Time goes by so fast in the morning. From the point of waking up to the point where I am standing in the driveway together with a sniffling Mr Rodriguez, we are waving goodbye as Alicia and her mother pulls out of the driveway and heads for the airport.

So that's all of the goodbyes, I think. What will happen next? What do you want happening next?