Happily Ever After

84: Baby leaves the Nest

At this point, everyone was crying. But they weren't sad tears; they were grateful tears. Tears that were from their overflowing happiness... of love... safety, luck, laughter, second chances and light. No matter where life took them, the four Bishop-DeLucas would be four parts to a whole.

———

It was hard to say goodbye to Italy.

Their time at the Olympic Games was a healing, phenomenal and breathtaking experience. For three weeks, the Bishop-DeLucas spent their time being catered to, watching the best athletes compete in a handful of sports, and getting to see amazing tourist attractions, such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps...

Gabriella came by, along with her famiglia, and the Auroras got to finally meet Carina's daughters, to which they had been waiting for. Gabriella's mamma, Daniela, had been waiting very impatiently to meet her surrogate daughter's babies, and spoil them senseless.

By the end of the visit, both Sarah and Lucia's cheeks were red from being squeezed so much, they had blankets made for both of them, armfuls of candies and addresses to which they were strictly instructed to write to.

Daniela had been a very important part of Carina's life, and Maya knew this.

Years ago, after telling her then girlfriend about the exciting call with her aunt, she had learned the significance that the Aurora family had on Carina. "Tell me a story about her, your aunt," the blonde asked, breaking the comfortable silence they rested in, and the brunette smiled.

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you meet her?"

"My mamma had a lot of friends that I had briefly met one time or another. It was the summer that my mamma and Andrea moved to America, and my papa was gone somewhere. I remember being home alone for the first time, and it was... very sad to not have my fratello with me. Just when I was about to get upset, I heard a knock on the door. I went to answer it, and it was her. My zia, Daniela Aurora. She let herself into the house, and when she realized my papa was gone, she knelt down, wiped my tears and asked how long he had been away. He'd only been gone an hour or two, but I had never been alone before,"

Carina sighed, reminiscing at the memory. "She was very angry that my papa had just left me by myself. Daniela shoved her daughter inside the house while she called my father on the landline, and that's how I met Gabri for the first time. I remember her alternating yelling at my papa, and giving Gabriella instructions to help me pack a bag. I asked why, and she said that my mamma had instructed Daniela to make sure I was taken care of. We loaded my bags in the car, this old, yellow Volkswagen beetle, and she took us back to her house. Gabri's brother, Salvatore, brought home pizza from his shift at the pizzeria, and we sat down at the table like nothing was wrong, and chatted like a family. It was so refreshing,"

"I didn't know this at the time, but Daniela told Gabriella in the car that it was her job to look after me like a sorellina, because I would now be a part of their family. She let me sleep in her bed with her, and as time went on, Gabri and I got closer. Gabriella was a year or two older than me, so I had seen her at school, but from that moment, she watched over me like a hawk. She taught me everything; she showed me how to steal lipstick from the corner store-"

"Pardon?!" Maya spluttered, a shocked grin spread across her face as Carina nodded.
"Si, that was during her rebellious phase. Of course, I didn't question anything. I... what's the phrase? Worshipped the ground she ran on?"

Maya laughed. "So close. Worshipped the ground she walked on,"

"My papa picked me up a week later when he came back, but Daniela did surprise visits, making sure I was well. Whenever my papa was manic, she would come and get me. She didn't care how many connections that papa had, until he could prove that he was well, I would stay with her. That continued until Gabri and I went to college,"