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My father was home, and he not so willingly suggested Valerio and he could have a whiskey while the women took care of Elsie. Valerio said he was invited to an important tea party he couldn’t miss. I really wanted to kiss him when he said that but instead I just rolled my eyes.
During the tea party, Valerio was also a better guest than me. I loved listening to Elsie talk, but my own conversation skills were never the best. I was so used to being rude towards people, so without that, I was not good at talking. However, Valerio was. He pretended like a real lady at a tea party. He even made a horrible English accent that made Elsie laugh. She told us about her days and her toys. Valerio told her about the kittens back at home and showed her photos and videos. Honestly, I had those cats longer than him, but he had more media of them than me.
I was glad that he got along with my cats. I was more than glad that he got along with Elsie. It gave me more hope than I was ever allowed. Maybe nothing was supposed to be scary or hard. Maybe I didn’t need to be alone with my struggles.
After our little tea party, we took a short L.A. tour with Elsie. She seemed so happy that my heart ached with happiness. I wanted her to be this happy every day, and if she was with me, I could make sure of it. I couldn’t trust my parents. I knew they were going to keep her safe. They loved her more than me, but that was not a guarantee for her happiness. Also, my father liked me when I was a toddler too. The hate started when I made mistakes. Elsie could make mistakes in the future too. I wanted her to be in an environment where she could ask for help when she made a mistake, not somewhere she had to hide it as I did.
Young kids can make big mistakes, but they cannot deal with them on their own. They need someone to be on their side.
No one was on my side, but I wanted Elsie to know I would always be on her side, whatever happened. Today also made me think maybe Valerio would also be on her side when she needed it. Maybe he would be willing to do that.
The truth could change everything, though. I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe him, but too much was at risk. I couldn’t bring myself to trust him enough to tell the truth.
Still, I put less effort into hiding my smile all day long, all day long except when we finally came into my brother’s mansion. It was a big house but not as big as my father’s. It also felt more like a home than a fort. When we rang the bell, there were children's noises coming from the inside. If I didn’t know who was living here, I could think they were just a sweet family, but I had never been the forgiving type. I was surely holding a grudge against my brother.
I just wanted him to accept his mistake. I just needed a small apology, but until I had that, they were going to see my cold bitchy side.
The housekeeper opened the door for us with a smile. I tried not to glare until we came face to face with my brother since the housekeeper didn’t deserve my wrath. She led us to a living area, and we walked side by side. Elsie was in the middle of Valerio and me, holding both of our hands. We really looked like a family. It felt like Elsie joined our team, and I actually had a hard time holding onto my cold expression.
It became a bit easier when we reached my brother and his wife, Sofia. They got on their feet immediately, both wearing easy smiles. My brother was wearing a dark blue suit that matched his eyes, and his hair was perfectly combed back. Sofia was wearing a sparkly white skirt and a thin white sweater. Her brown hair was in a French twist. She looked like a Stepford wife.
We were probably too messy compared to them, even though we got dressed up for this visit. At least we didn’t look boring like them.
“Luciana,” my brother said with too much enthusiasm. “You are glowing. I can tell Chicago is agreeing with you.”
Ughh. Really before even saying hello?“How can you tell the difference?” I asked with a straight face. “You barely saw me before I moved away.”
My brother’s smile dimmed.
Valerio laughed.
Tommaso tried to laugh as well, but it was tense. “You are right. The business really gets in the way of my affairs. I need to work on that.”
“You should,” I said simply and looked at Sofia. “I have never really spent time with your wife as well.”
She was better at handling my words than Tommaso. It was probably an outcome of being a woman in this misogynistic community. “I know,” she said softly. “I was hoping we could change that.”
“Definitely. What convenient timing.”
Tommaso cleared his throat when his wife’s smile dimmed a bit. His eyes fell on Elsie. “Oh, Elsie, you've grown so much. I believe you will get along with the kids.”
He was really begging for it at this point. “She already knows them from events and stuff.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Would you prefer her to meet her cousins for the first time at age four?”
“Of course not. I just forgot.”
“Yeah, you do that a lot when it comes to us.”
Tommaso scratched his neck, looking away. “Do you guys want to get to the dinner?”
Before I could say anything, Valerio chuckled and pointed between us. “I can watch this for a little while longer.”
Tommaso’s face turned red, and I wanted to smile, but instead, I just gave my husband an annoyed look. I couldn’t shatter my iciness for him in public. Then I murmured, “Let’s eat.”
Dinner was not as strained as the first meeting. I tried to keep my snarky comments to a minimum since we had kids on the table, but still, I wasn’t on my best behavior. Elsie was excited to be here, especially since I told her she could play with the other kids when she finished her meal.
