Chapter 2 Italy

1. Italy

“Nicki had been back from Africa for two weeks now. She had rented a new house, and her family and friends had suggested she buy it, but she refused. She didn’t want something tying her down to a place. She thought a lot before deciding; maybe if her home was small, there wouldn’t be as much mess, which was characteristic of her. The house had a backyard, perfect for her new puppy to enjoy. She found him injured a few streets away from a bakery she always frequented. He was dirty and skinny, so she imagined he didn’t belong to anyone and decided to keep him.

She yawned and lay back once more. She felt very tired. While in Africa, she did everything she could to help the children and people there. She particularly worked with the youngest ones, taking care of them and giving them all the love she could. They needed more money than helpers there, so since she had more financial stability (her own), she started donating money to an account that had been created for that purpose.

For almost a year now, she had been going back and forth, contributing her bit, and it made her feel very satisfied. The first time she went, she caught a virus that kept her sick for several weeks. Sometimes she felt unwell and had to resort to the pills the doctor had prescribed, but she tried not to take them if possible. She didn’t like depending on medication.

It would soon be her friend’s wedding, who had already given birth while she was still in Africa. Her niece was beautiful; she saw her while she was still sleeping, but she recognized that she was absolutely adorable. Gina and Ryan, her parents, were besotted with her, and Nicki couldn’t blame them. There was also little Marco, the child her friends had recently adopted. Marco was dark”skinned and had a particularity; he had heterochromia, and according to what she heard, people didn’t want to adopt him precisely because of that, because they saw him as abnormal. She didn't understand how there could be such closed”minded people. On the contrary, she found him adorable. If it were up to her, she would smother him with kisses. At that moment, she heard little steps and looked down, smiled, and spoke.

“Come here, baby, give mommy a kiss.” The puppy, as if understanding, gave a comical little jump onto the bed and licked her face.

She hugged him tightly and left him on the bed. She went to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Then she grabbed the comb and tried to comb her hair, but as it was so tangled, she gave up and left it like that. Since her hair was straight, it wasn’t noticeable that it was messy. She put on some perfume and hurried out. Ten minutes ago, she should have arrived at Gina’s house, but accidentally delaying the alarm, she was late. She drove fast and rang the doorbell. Her friend greeted her happily and hugged her tightly for a few seconds.

“Hey! What’s up? It’s obvious you missed me, right?” Nicki laughed.

“Of course, you did. Come in,” Gina replied. “Maia is sleeping, but Marco is playing with the toy cars my little brother brought him.”

“Ugh! Every time I come, the girl is sleeping. Who does she take after?”

“Maybe her aunt? You’re the sleepiest person I know,” she scolded.

“Anyway… we weren’t talking about me. How’s Marco? Look what I brought him.” She ran off and went to the trunk of the car to get the skateboard she bought.

“Nicki… you didn’t have to bother,” she looked at the gift. “He’ll really like it, I assure you. My dad gave him an electric quad bike, but he’s still too small to use it. I’m sure he’ll be able to use the skateboard right away. Do you want to give it to him yourself?”

“Of course,” she said, heading over to where Marco was.

“Auntie,” the little one shouted when he saw her. He launched himself at her, and she hugged him tightly and kissed his round cheeks. She breathed in his baby scent and smiled at him.

“How’s my beloved boy? Look what I brought you,” she said, showing him the toy.

“Thank you,” the boy blushed. He looked at his mom and asked, “Can I play outside?”

“Of course, darling, just be careful. Auntie and I will be watching you from here, okay?”

The boy went out happily, jumping onto the skateboard instantly. Gina looked at her.

“Is everything okay? You’re looking at me weird, Gi.”

“No, everything’s fine. But, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, tell me,” Nicki replied, puzzled.

“Are you seeing someone?”

“What? Seeing someone? Hmm… no. Why?” She wouldn’t even think about telling her that for a few months now, she had been having a recurring dream: a man with a penetrating gaze and a sweet smile visited her in her dreams. Her friend would think she was crazy. In fact, she thought so herself; she didn’t even know that man. But when she dreamed of him, she felt safe and protected. The only one who knew about it was Lucca, her best friend, and sometimes he teased her about it, saying it was a sign that she needed a man.

“Nothing, I was just wondering if you were with someone.”

“Ah, well, no. In fact… yes, the last time I was with someone was that time when you were still here. Remember?” She pointed mischievously.

“And you haven’t been with anyone since then?” her friend continued probing.

“Mmm…” she rubbed her chin. “No, why? I’m dating Lucca now that he’s back from New Zealand; we’re spending a lot of time together, but you know he’s gay, and we’re just doing it as friends.”

“I know. I like how he is with you, he takes care of you and loves you a lot.”

“Yes, I’m lucky. We train together, and he’s always encouraging me that I can do more. He has a phenomenal sense of fashion; he helped me buy a wardrobe for the upcoming events. Oh… speaking of events, regarding the foundation’s documents… do you know if Ryan was able to do anything?””

“Yes, Ryan has been working on that. He said they’ll probably be ready by next week. He’s doing everything he can to expedite the process. And speaking of events, how do you feel about the wedding? Ready to be one of the bridesmaids?”

“I know he went to the registry. And he told me you want your support to be kept secret. Can I ask why?”

“It’s just that… I prefer people to think I’m frivolous or even silly. I don’t want them to think I’m a good person, nor do I desire recognition or anything like that.”

“Oh Nicki, it doesn’t matter what people think, you are beautiful, inside and out,” Gina said, looking at her affectionately.

“Maybe, but it’s better if nobody knows.”

“Okay. Will you be here for the wedding, right?”

“Try to stop me,” at that moment, the girls heard a babble from the baby monitor, and Nicki hurriedly asked, “Can I bring her? I’m eager to see her,” she said excitedly.

“Go, I’ll stay here watching Marco; he’s happy with his new gadget.”

“Thank you, thank you,” she said and rushed off to the room.

Minutes later, Nicki returned with the girl in her arms and a smile, looking at her mesmerized.

“Really Gina, this girl is a sweetheart, look at those big eyes and that perfect little nose. And these little hands? They’re soft and delicate. You outdid yourself by making her,” she laughed.

“I can’t believe she’s mine; sometimes I look at her and I’m scared of what I almost missed,” Gina said excitedly.

“Thank God you’re both okay. When I arrived, and Alina told me what happened to you… I was so scared for you and Maia. I don’t know what I would do without you; you’re one of the people I love and need the most. You and she are my best friends,” she said, absentmindedly stroking the girl’s head.

Gina’s pregnancy was high”risk, and she was very complicated for a while.

“We adore you too. And we want you to be happy.”

“Well, I’m happy like this. I have you, I made up with my uncles, my sculptures are going great, and so is the foundation.”

“Okay, I won’t insist anymore.” Just then, they heard the sound of keys, and Ryan entered with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and in the other, a pink stuffed bunny and a nearly thirty”centimeter fire truck.

“Hello, girls!”

“Hi, honey. You’re early,” Gina replied.

“Yes, in fact, the client postponed our meeting for the afternoon, so I went to the mall and bought something for our kids, and since you love jasmines… I didn’t hesitate to bring them. The seller told me they’re fresh; you can smell their aroma.”

“Thank you. It wasn’t necessary. You spoil me too much,” she hugged him. He grabbed her waist and enveloped her in his arms.

“Nothing is enough for you guys. I love spoiling you.”

“Well, people,” Nicki cleared her throat and continued, “Here we have children,” she raised her eyebrows mischievously. “Anyway… I was just asking Gina if you managed to process the foundation’s paperwork.”

“Oh, sure. Everything’s done. I was going to bring it to you this afternoon, but I’ll take advantage now,” he looked at his wife and took her hand, “will you come with me?”

“And why would she accompany you? Don’t you know how to take off your tie or open the drawer to look for the papers?” she laughed at her own joke, “just kidding, just kidding, it’s the habit of always having to give a comeback. Sorry guys, go, go,” she said as she kissed the baby on her cheeks.

***

Gina and Ryan entered the room, and he hugged her tightly.

“We’ve been together for hours, but I missed you a lot when I was away. I love you too much, redhead.”

“I love you too. So much, you and our children are what I never thought I’d have, but now I can’t imagine my existence without you,” a few seconds later she inquired, “did you find out if my brother and Nicki are truly married?” as Ryan helped with the legal part of Nicki’s foundation, he recently found out that the girl was married, and with none other than his brother and best friend.

“Yes, they definitely are. It’s legal. Did you probe the situation with her? What did she say?”

“It’s weird, I asked her if she was seeing someone, and she said no, that there hasn’t been a man in her life for almost a year, and I know her, I know she was telling me the truth, so I don’t know how they could be married. I love my friend, but I know her, and she would avoid any genuine romantic relationship with someone. Hanging out is okay, but when she sees signs that a relationship is becoming deeper, she runs away. And let alone getting married, which involves knowing and loving the other person.”

“I’ll talk to Dylan then. I’ll ask about what happened in Las Vegas. As soon as I talk to him, I’ll tell you what he says, okay?”