It's Family Business

Chapter 40: Rest in peace my poor miss Virginia

No time to deep it. I was going to sleep it all off...or try to at least.

With a reluctant sigh I picked up my plate and decided to see what was through those damn doors. Was it like Narnia? If so I would happily jump in with the Ice Queen and shove some turkish delights in my mouth. Fuck staying in this place, hell even this world. I wanted to be in Narnia so bad.

I think I'm losing it.

"Oh pensavo che se ne fossero già andati tutti." Said a the plump little italian woman rolling dough on a kitchen island.

(I thought everyone was gone already)

I looked at her in surprise, then around at the rustic, homely kitchen space. Jars of spice lined the dark emerald walls. Gold accents glinted under the ambient glow of spotlights. The countertops were decorated with baskets of fruits and veg and chopping boards, knives, recipe books. Pretty sure this was some sort of movie set. It looked too nice to be real, but then a fuzzy warm feeling filled my chest when I returned my look at the smiling woman. She was definitely real. Unless I was an undiagnosed schizophrenic.

"Um...hi sorry. I didn't know anyone was here." I moved forward around the island, placing my plate there and stuck my palm out, scouring my brain for a few Italian phrases I'd learnt from picking up a book from the library. You know, from the time I tried running away. Now would be a great time to test out my conversational ability. "I'm sorry if I butcher this. Um, buonasera, mi chiamo Heidi, uh...hold on, I know this," the woman carried on looking at me patiently and I shot her a grateful look. "Piacere di...conoscerla?"

(Good evening, my name is Heidi. It's nice to meet you)

"Cono-sher-la, sher," she corrected calmly. I blushed and corrected myself and when I repeated the sentence again she made a sound of approval and I felt strangely proud.

Don't judge my high-school level conversation. I was only three chapters into the book.

Then the chubby woman with a golden smile took one look at my still extended hand, then back up at me before pulling me down into a hug. "Molto bene, molto bene. You speak Italian very good, bella. Lo parlerai come me nel tempo. Sono Maria. Piarcere!"

(Well done, well done)
(You will talk like me over time. I'm Maria, nice to meet you!)

She wiped her hands on her apron and reached to hold my face between her palms, squeezing my cheeks so my lips puffed out and my glasses fell wonky. "Yes yes, you are very beautiful girl sì. Like doll. Faust tell me about you, bella ragazza, but he no tell me you are so sweet, and he no tell me you are so skinny." She moved back from me with a frown. "You eat, sì?"

(Beautiful girl)

I nodded lost for words. "Uh, si?"

She humphed comically and it brought a grin to my face. "Then why so skinny?" She pinched my cheeks with powdery fingers and I held back a wince. "You chubby here," she tickled my thighs and I squawked out a laugh. "And here," and then she prodded my stomach which was not at all flat and toned and said. "But no chubby here. Come, I make you try my biscotti. You like biscotti, sì? My cannoli still need to fill, but you will still taste."