Arranged Love: Juliana's Story - Completed

Arranged Love: Juliana's Story - Chapter 23

Arranged Love: Juliana’s Story
Chapter 23

I couldn’t believe my eyes. The tears that were streaming down my face didn’t help much in being able to see much less believe what I was seeing. I was seeing Tina’s room completed. We’d been attempting to decorate and repaint her room so that as she grew from infant to toddler and toddler to child she would be able to grow with the room and here it was....complete. Koran had completed the room and it looked wonderful with the walls very beautiful antique cream, the antique looking furniture with its white finish, light pink bedding and light pink touches on the door of the night stands. As soon as she was older we would trade out her crib for a bed with a doll house like head board. It meant the world to me that Koran had finished Tina’s room.

“When did you do all this?” I asked turning back to look at him now that the surprise and tears where gone from my face.

“Last week while you were sick. Do you like it?” He asked while pulling me into his arms.

“I love it. The room is just perfect for our little girl.” I could feel him smile into my hair as I said this. I snuggled into his chest and there we stood for a little while before heading back down stairs and to our lives.

Time passed by quietly for the three of us. Koran and I have been discussing wedding plans while not filling anyone in on any of our plans. Heck my own mamma didn’t know that Koran and I were getting married. That was my doing though because I didn’t want mamma knowing and then trying to take over despite the fact it was my wedding. I would have to eventually tell her but by the time I do that it’ll be just before the wedding.

A few weeks later we got the invite for my fratello’s (brother’s) wedding. With the invite came plans for the trip out to California for his beach wedding. I was going to kill him as I would have to fly for this trip since driving wasn’t really an easy or a smart option in this case. So here I was sitting at a computer looking at plane tickets while my figlia (daughter) sat on the floor playing with a doll and watching Sesame Street on the TV. She clapped her hands when Elmo’s World came on, she loved Elmo and if it wasn’t for Elmo she probably wouldn’t watch Sesame Street at all.

“What are you doing?” Koran asked looking over my head at the computer screen. Giving me a heart attack while he was at it.

“Trying to kill me off with a heart attack already? Looking up plane ticket prices and finding a hotel for my brother’s wedding.” I replied clicking on a possible hotel. Traveling was pretty darn easy when you knew you had money to spend however that didn’t mean I wanted the most expensive hotel and plane tickets.

“I wouldn’t dream of killing you off just yet.” He said kissing the top of my head.

“You are just so funny. What are you up to?” I asked him realizing what time it was and that he would normally be in his office right now.

“Nothing as it is Saturday Hun.” He replied. I was losing it, time to call the doctor and see about getting my head examined. Sighing I turned back to what I was originally doing and within an hour had bought tickets and reserved a hotel room. As I turned around to head to the kitchen to make lunch I found Tina playing peacefully on the floor and Koran was nowhere in sight. I hated it when he up and disappears on me like that and he has been doing that more and more often lately.

“E 'il momento per la ragazza il pranzo del bambino. (It's time for lunch baby girl.)” I said picking up Tina from the floor and heading into the kitchen. “Dov'è papà? (Where is papa?)”

“Papà andato. (Papa gone.)” Tina said as I set her down on the floor with some pots and pans to play with as normal. Well that was helpful...Not really. I was hoping however that as soon as he smelled food he would make an appearance. No such luck and I was starting to wonder what in the world he was up to now. I never did find out what he was up to that day or the next or even a week later for that matter.

The next few weeks went by rather quickly and before I knew it we were packing up for our trip to California. I either got smart or struck by lightning or something because this time I wasn’t leaving Sadie with Gabriel. Ambra was actually going to be here to feed the fish and watch Sadie all the while house sitting for us. We had just finished loading up the luggage into the car when Ambra pulled up the long driveway.

“Ciao.” I called out to her from the door.

“Ciao. Sei quasi pronto per andare? (Hello. Are you about ready to go?)” She asked coming up to the door.

“Sì, saremo completamente pronto in pochi minuti. Vieni e ti mostrerò dove tutto è. (Yes, we'll be completely ready in a few minutes. Come on in and I'll show you where everything is.)” I said motioning for her to follow me into the house. After taking about fifteen minutes to show Ambra around we were all loading up into the car and heading for the airport. Ambra would drive the car back to the house and she would pick us up again when we returned home.

“Grazie Ambra. Ci vediamo tra qualche giorno. (Thank you Ambra. We’ll see you in a few days.)” Koran said before we entered into the airport. With a final hug she and I parted ways.

I hate flying and it is more of a pain in the butt with all the security. Once the three off us finally made it through security we sat down and I gave Tina something to help her sleep threw the flight. I was a nice parent, I didn’t want her to cry the entire flight because she couldn’t pop her ears plus I didn’t want to be the hated parent on the flight because I let child cry the entire way. Tina was asleep on my lap long before we boarded the plane.

“Sind Sie sicher, dass sie durch den kompletten Flug schlafen geht? (Are you sure she is going to sleep through the entire flight?)” Koran asked me in German after she had been asleep for about fifteen minutes.

“Nein, aber ich habe mehr in meinem fortsetzen, wenn sie aufwacht. (No, but I've got more in my carry on if she wakes up.)” I replied just seconds before the boarding calls began.

After boarding the plane I got settled with Tina sleeping on my lap, my iPod playing and a book. Koran sat next to me with a book of his own. A so we spent the time on the plane in this manner and when it finally did land it wasn’t soon enough for me. I’ve only flown a few times and with a fiery passion hate it beyond all reason. We landed at 8pm something which I was glad for since Tina was out like a light. Grabbing our baggage and the rental car, once everything was loaded we headed to the hotel. It was late by the time we got to the hotel and I was exhausted from the trip. With Tina settled and sleeping peacefully I headed to take a shower when my phone rang. I sighed already knowing who it was without looking at the caller id. Samuele.

“Buona sera fratello. (Good evening brother.)” I said with a yawn at the end.

“Buona sera sorellina. Dove sei? (Good evening little sister. Where are you?)” He said with the sound of someone else talking in the background.

“Abbiamo appena arrivati in albergo. E 'tardi sono stanco e il tuo nipote sta dormendo, in modo che diamine vuoi? (We just arrived at the hotel. It is late I am tired and your niece is sleeping, so what the heck do you want?)” I said getting annoyed at him for delaying my shower and ultimately sleep.

“Mesa vuole sapere se si poteva aiutarla con qualcosa di domani? Inoltre vi è un domani sera cena in una pizzeria locale. Sei di presentarsi o non partecipare alle nozze. (Mesa wants to know if you could help her with something tomorrow. Also there is a dinner tomorrow night at a local pizza place. You are to show up or not attend the wedding.)” He told me.

“Tell Mesa to call me tomorrow with the time and place she wants to meet me. Alright we’ll be at the dinner so there is no need to get all dramatic about this. I thought I was the drama queen not you.” I said smirking despite the fact he couldn’t see the smirk.

I heard him sigh before answering me. “I’ll let her know. I thought you got bitchy when you where tired not all feisty like.”

I rolled my eyes at him before answering him. “Yeah well you caught me on an off day. Is there anything else?”

“Nope that is it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” His voice was all sugary sweet.

“Night pain in my butt. See you tomorrow.” I said hanging up before he could even think of continuing the conversation. I grabbed my stuff and headed for the shower picking up where I head left off before becoming interrupted by my brother.

The next morning the sun was shining brightly without a cloud in the sky, the kind of day I absolutely hated and despised more than anything and this was the kind of day I found myself walking down the board walks to meet with Mesa. Tina sat in the stroller cooing and ohing over the sight of the ocean as we walked. My poor child had yet to see the ocean and at her young age she wouldn’t remember the first time she sees it. I had Tina as Koran was off with the guys doing something or another and I was off to meet Mesa for something she wouldn’t even tell what it all was about. I swear if it involved a dress of some kind I was going to run away screaming like a banshee.

By late afternoon with the sun still brightly shining without a cloud in sight Tina and I were walking back to the hotel in order to get ready for the dinner that was set for this evening. Thankfully the meeting with Mesa was concerning some last minute flower changes along with getting our nails done which I absolutely hated but I minded my manners and smiled through it. Tina even got her little nails painted a lavender color. Rina hadn’t been there but I was told she was coming in later today and would be at the dinner. I was going to kill her; she gets away with not having her nails done while I on the other hand had to go through all that torture of getting them done. We soon reached the hotel room and I laid a sleeping Tina down for the rest of her nap after which I laid down and thought about sleeping also. Before I knew it my heavy eye lids had closed and I was out like a light and off in dream land in no time flat.

“Liebe, es ist Zeit für Sie, um aufzuwachen. Kommen Sie auf meiner Liebe wir wollen uns nicht verspäten. (Love, it is time for you to wake up. Come on my love we don't want to be late.)” I heard someone that sounded like Koran telling me.

“Weggehen. (Go away.)” I mumbled to the person.

“Kommen Sie auf dem lieben, durch den Sie erwecken müssen. (Come on dear one you need to wake up.)” The voice said before something else happened.

“Mamma in su. (Mamma up.)” Came Tina’s little voice before I felt her climbing over me.

“Bene, mamma è in su. (Fine, Mamma is up.)” I said stretching well as much as I could stretch with a child sitting right on my stomach. “Cén t-am é? (What Time is it?)” I asked Koran in Irish as a lifted Tina off my stomach before she could even thing about jumping.

“Beagnach 04:00. Ní mór dúinn a bheith ag an dinnéar i uair an chloig. (Almost 4pm. We have to be at the dinner in an hour.)” He said.

Sighing I got up and grabbed some clean clothes for Tina that didn’t have her fashion statement of lunch down the front. Once she was changed I went to the bathroom to splash some cool water on my face to wake up further and to wash off the smudged makeup from my nap. I quickly changed my shirt from a blue tie-dye to a nice dark blood red t-shirt with small rhinestone stars around the sleeves. I redid my makeup completely, going from navy blue eyeliner and a blue eye shadow to black eyeliner and dark red eye shadow. I pulled my hair back into a clip creating a fountain of curls. I walked out of the bathroom to find Koran dressed in a extremely dark green shirt with a black button down shirt with rolled up sleeves over that leaving his hair in waves that framed his handsome face perfectly.

We arrived at the Pizza place on time much to the surprise of Samuele and us for that matter since we are hardly...okay more like never on time for anything. Family, the maid of honor and the best man all sat at one large table while everyone else sat at two other large tables. Koran, Tina and I sat towards the end while Rina, Luc and Dylan sat across from us. Dylan at almost a year old looked like his daddy but he also look like Rina even though Rina wasn’t his birth mother. Dylan was excited to see Tina and Tina was just as excited to see him. The two of them played while completely ignoring their parents and our urges for them to eat. I was beginning to think Koran and I should think about moving closer to Rina and Luc so that Tina can be with her cousin since they absolutely adored each other and where inseparable. Rina and Luc seemed a lot closer and happier since we last saw them. I was happy for them and absolutely positive they were in love with each other though Rina tried and utterly failed to deny it.

The night soon ended with tired and slightly tipsy people all heading towards their cars. Tina and I where both dead a sleep before even reaching the hotel. I vaguely remember Koran carrying me into the hotel room from the car. The next day was the wedding day and it was another overly bright and sunny day with no clouds in sight. Good for a wedding while being lousy for those who get headaches from the sun. I was late in getting up this morning so I was scrambling to get Tina dressed in her little lavender sun dress with white lace trim around the bottom of her dress. Then I scrambled to get myself dressed in a long black skirt with slits on both sides coming up to about mid thigh, a dark sapphire blue tank top, a sapphire blue multi chain necklace, and black gladiator high heeled sandals. I quickly did my makeup before walking out of the bathroom to find Koran struggling with his tie.

“Qui lascia che ti aiuti in questo. (Here let me help you with that.)” I said in Italian as I walked over to where he stood. “Quando è stata l'ultima volta che indossava una cravatta amore? (When was the last time you wore a tie love?)” I asked him while fixing his tie.

“Kevan und die Hochzeit von Alexandrina. Sie sehen absolut schön aus. (Kevan and Alexandrina’s wedding. You look absolutely beautiful.)” He replied in German smiling down at me.

“Grazie. Non sembri cattivo di te stesso. Vi siete miei cari siete ora pronti per questo matrimonio. (Thank you. You don't look to bad yourself. There you are my dear you are now ready for this wedding.)” I said again in Italian with a smile before turning to grab Tina.

The ceremony was beautiful as we all stood barefoot in the sand with sandals in one hand just before sunset. Mesa looked absolutely gorgeous in her princess like wedding gown while Samuele looked like a prince in his tuxedo. The sun was just setting as the end of the ceremony came giving this unearthly glow on the happy couple. Next thing anyone knew the ceremony was over, Mesa and Samuele where a happily married couple and a million and two pictures where being taken blinding everyone with the flashes of cameras. Soon we were all heading to the reception hall for well obviously the reception. The hall was decorated in such way that it seemed we were all still on the beach. The evening soon ended and a new chapter in my brother’s life was about to begin.

Our time in California soon ended and we where once again on a plane heading back home to Montana. Cristina and Dylan where so upset at the airport when they had to say goodbye to each other. I felt bad for having to split her up from cousin, I also felt bad for everyone near us who had to put up with her ear splitting screams until she fell asleep. All Koran and I could do really was apologize for her screaming since Koran said we couldn’t fringe speaking nor understanding English. The flight back was horrible, I spent the entire flight white knuckled thanks to awful turbulence and my ears hurt thanks to a screaming kid that wasn’t mine since she was sound asleep on my lap. It was another late flight and one I wished I could have slept through. It was almost midnight by the time we got home, I was exhausted, Koran was dead on his feet and Cristina was peacefully asleep in my arms. After putting Tina to bed I headed towards my own bed that looked wonderfully comfy and so not empty.

“Cosa diavolo stai facendo? Corano scorso ho controllato questa era la mia stanza e che è il mio letto. (What on Earth are you doing? Koran last I checked this was my room and that is my bed.)” I so nicely informed him with my hands planted on my hips. The only answer I got was a hand pulling me down onto the bed. I was too tired to put up much of a fight so I caved and curled up next to Koran soon fallen into a peaceful sleep. I woke up late the next morning alone, Koran was next to me and I didn’t hear Tina on the baby monitor. After a few minutes of stretching and deciding on if I wanted to get up or just roll over and go back to sleep. I decided upon rolling over and going back to sleep when I heard a fuss going on down stairs. Well sleep was out now that curiosity began to take over.

Walking down the stairs I headed into the kitchen where all the noise was coming from. I am not sure I wanted to really know what was going on but then again curiosity killed the cat while satisfaction brought him back so it can’t hurt to find out what all the fuss was about. The sight I found was sweet, funny and a total mess but I could care less because that was my family in the kitchen. Koran was baking something and Tina was “helping” though I not sure how much help she was since she was playing in the flour. Koran took it all in strides however; he was completely unfazed by it and was gently trying to pry the flour away from Tina. Smiling at the scene before me I leaned against the door frame and watched while realizing how much had changed in almost a year and half. Before I thought he was the worst possible person my Nonna could have matched me with, avoiding each other as though we where carriers of the black plague, screaming matches, fighting constantly and then completely clueless. Everything has changed since those days, we fit perfectly together and our future looked bright.

“Mamma!” Tina squealed when she finally noticed my presence in the door way.

“Che cosa stai facendo e papà? (What are you and daddy making?)” I asked her with a smile.

“Pane. (Bread.)” She answered before something else caught her attention. I looked at Koran and he just nodded his head. Smiling at the two of them I stepped back and watched them work at making bread. I hadn’t realized we were out of bread. Apparently we where and I didn’t know that Koran knew how to make bread but apparently he did. Wow learning all kinds of things this morning.

The picture before me would forever be etched into my memory for it was the day I realized just how wonderful the man I was going to marry and what a wonderful father he was. He was great with Tina who I saw a lot of Koran in and not Gabriel who was her biological father. No I saw more of her adoptive father in her. Tina would most likely never think of Koran as her adoptive father since he was the only father she has ever truly had. Though we started out with a rough start we where ending with something more.

Time passed slowly for us after Samuele and Mesa’s wedding. Not that Koran and I really noticed what with trying to get our own wedding set, raising Tina and planning our future passed the wedding. Spring soon turned into summer and summer into fall. The time of our wedding was drawing close and so was Tina’s second birthday. Koran and I have been together almost 2 years. Something I still can’t believe due to our rocky start but here we where parents to a wonderful little girl, friends to each other and lovers who shared a love that seemed ready to go on forever. Who would have thought it would all work out so wonderfully in the end. Not me or Koran. Somehow we managed it and that is a true miracle in its self.