When the morning comes

42 | Italian tempers

"Papà? Are you sleeping?" A door slammed closed. His cheerful voice. I blinked my eyes slowly as I awoke. Wondered what time it was. "Nonna cooked amazing food. I've never been so full. Fish, meat, potato stuffed with some weird but delicious things. And ice cream. Where were you with dinner time?"

He entered my bedroom, jumped upon the bed. With his hands resting on his knees, he continued to talk about the food he'd eaten. Eventually he became quiet. "You look awful."

"Thank you." My voice was hoarse. From sleep. Probably emotions, too.

"Where were you? Nonna said you would come, but you never did. Even zio Rafaelle e zio Vincenzo ate." Benjamin seemed content. It had been a long time since I'd seen him so calm and joyful. What'd Italy do to him that it didn't seem do to me? Which I had expected to help me lift my mood.

"Think I got a near heat stroke."

"From the hike? I'm sorry, what? Wow, British meet the sun." He rolled his eyes, clasped his hands together and patted his stomach. "Can you imagine, so much food fitting in this stomach? Mamma would be proud."

"I'm glad you got to eat good food after all those months of torture."

Benjamin grinned, exposing the small gap between his front teeth. "Thanks, Papà. Me too."

I closed my eyes, rolled onto my side.

"Riposo?" Benjamin questioned, plopping down beside me. I looked at him, wiped his fringe off his warm forehead. He rolled underneath the covers, kept looking at me. "Are you feeling sick?"

"Just tired."

"From the hike? Papà, come on. It's like you cannot handle anything these days." He teased, sticking out his tongue.

"I just really miss Mamma, okay?"

"Oh." Benjamin turned silent. His smile faltering slowly. "Okay." He whispered. I hadn't meant to come off cold, but it happened. It didn't take me long to drift off to sleep, only to wake up the next morning.

"Unc Teddy!"

Unc Teddy? It took me a few blinks to realise Teddy was actually standing in front of my bed, his hands wrapped around Benjamin, who hung around his neck. "Pa?" Rubbing the sleep out of my face, I slowly sat up, staring at the duvets. "Uh oh. That means trouble." I mumbled out.

"Trouble? I've been craving a good, strong Italian coffee. Bother making me one?"

"Sure." I pulled up my joggers as I stepped out of bed, making my way over to the coffee machine. It was a complicated one. One of the more expensive kind. If you're getting coffee, it has to be one with quality. Aurora's voice flew through my head.

It took me a moment to figure out how it worked again, but within a few moments, two damping coffees stood on the table. I heard Benjamin rattling on about his days here, not even bothering to ask the reason for Teddy's presence here.

"You been eating breakfast?" I asked, giving him a glance. His face said enough. He wondered. Many things.

"Too much. Don't bother."

Nodding, I reached for the coffees and handed him one when Benjamin was back on the floor, helping himself with a glass of water. We walked outside, sat on the small wooden backyard porch, with the lake and mountains being our view.

I blew the steam off my coffee, didn't say anything.

Teddy did the same, stretched himself out and let out a deep, satisfied sigh. "What a life, one must have here in Italy."

Benjamin plopped down onto Teddy's lap, ignored the maturity he wanted to have sometimes. "È meglio che a casa."

"You say what, cowboy?"