Happily Ever After

59: The Bravest Bambina

Sarah wiped away a happy tear. She was so grateful that she was still here to make more memories with her favourite people on this planet and to be able to cry over the fact that her baby sister wasn't a baby anymore, and that she had the coolest people around her. It was all that the sixteen year old could ever wish for.

———

It was a pleasant surprise that the dinner had gone smoothly. Sarah was on cloud nine, and seeing her big sister so happy filled everyone, especially little Lucia, with joy. Plus, the little blonde was looking forward to a very special day; Tomas' birthday party was coming up. While Lucia had gone to little get togethers for birthdays before, this was supposed to be a big celebration. It was at a trampoline park, which made her ecstatic with excitement.

Several days before, the bambina and her Mama had gone shopping for his gift, and they had turned it into a little date.

Carina and Lucia had left Maya and Sarah lounging by the pool (Moose was with them, basking in the sun), and gone to the mall. Lucia had a couple of ideas on what Tomas had wanted, but luckily Tomas' mother had provided insight into what her son was looking for, which helped narrow their search down a lot.

"Bella, where should we go first?" Carina asked once Lucia had jumped out of the car.

Lucia tapped her chin. "I think we should go to target!" she announced, lacing her hand in her Mama's and beginning to skip towards the store.

With a chuckle, Carina joined in, and the mother and daughter skipped their way inside the large store, with the bambina singing her favourite JoJo Siwa song. At this point, Carina swore that the lyrics were burned into her brain, and while it was annoying, there were definitely worse things.

"Now, remember that we're just here for Tomas," Carina reminded as Lucia grabbed a basket.

"I know!" the bambina replied, but they both knew that logic would fly out of the window.

Before they knew it, the basket was filled with other things; candy, a new book for Sarah, a small yet adorable hoodie for Moose, sidewalk chalk, a ballerina outfit for Chief the Lion, bubble mix, some of Maya's favourite snacks, and Carina's preferred chocolate.

The Italian sighed, knowing that this was inevitable as she looked at her youngest daughter. "Well... we could all use some treats, right bambina?"

"Si, mamma!" Lucia cheered happily, knowing that this meant they could keep all the stuff in the basket.

"Now, what would Tomas like?" Carina asked, attempting to get them back on task.

"He said he liked my dolls when he came over," Lucia supplied.

Carina nodded as she thought. "That's a good start, bella. Is there anything you want to get him? His mama said that he liked slime, hockey and colouring,"

"Lego! Tomas likes Lego!" Lucia remembered, seeing the Lego sets. Carina held up a police station set, but the bambina scrunched up her face, analyzing the options on the shelves before her eyes widened.

"Hogwarts!" Lucia screamed, jumping up to try and reach it until Carina sighed before putting it in the basket.

"This is the last treat we get for this trip, bene? I only have so much money," Carina said firmly, and Lucia giggled with excitement.

———

The bambina ultimately decided that Tomas would like a light up treehouse Lego set, which Carina had to admit, looked like a lot of fun. They continued to browse the store, pointing out cool items before ringing up their total. While it was more money than the Italian had wanted to spend, the four of them were still coming out of their rough patch, and could all use some joy in their lives.