Chapter 4
four
. . .
Vicky
As I packed my bedroom, my emotions conflicted. It still felt unreal that Elena Sala had chosen me. I reread her email countless times, but it only sank in when my visa was approved.
She was some kind of wizard to have gotten it expedited so quickly. Her assistant, Anna, mentioned Elena might sponsor me if all went well, but I was there on a three-month trial basis.
I just had to stay focused and not let this opportunity slip away. Mama’s reaction was predictable; she was incredibly happy and proud of me, but I kept finding her crying. Leaving her tomorrow was going to be harder than I expected.
“Remember to pack a jacket, tesoro. I read online that it gets chilly at night,” Mama said as she walked into my room holding a red jacket.
Mama didn’t have much use for the internet except for schoolwork, but a few months ago, her friends convinced her to open a Facebook page, much to my delight.
She was reconnecting with friends and family who had moved away, easing her loneliness a bit.
The urgent phone calls about something horrifying she’d discovered on social media had become amusing.
I had to explain to her several times that not everything she saw there was real.
“Gratzie, Mama. There’s one already packed plus the one I’ll wear on the plane.” Taking her hand and leading her to my bed, I sat us both down. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
Nodding quickly, she answered, “Yes, tesoro. This is what you’ve been working toward for years. I’ve told you. I’ll be fine. I have friends nearby, and Enzo and Corinna are only an hour away. I’m going to enjoy my new freedom,” she said bravely, with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Don’t think for a minute I’m not going to miss you like crazy. This isn’t easy for me either.” I hugged her and felt a few tears fall on my shoulder.
Pulling away to face her, I said, “You’ve taught me how to be brave in the face of challenges.
You’ve modeled for me how to dream big and work hard.
But mostly, you’ve taught me my worth. Still working on that one some days,” I chuckled, “but I can’t thank you enough for those lessons. You’ve given me wings to fly.”
Mama was small in stature, her frame more athletic than my softer curves.
She taught me that true worth comes from the heart, and while she often called me the most beautiful girl in the world, she also reminded me that it was my inner beauty people truly saw.
I loved her for it, but it been my father that had drawn out my confidence.
Don’t think about that right now, Vicky. He’s gone.
No longer hiding her tears, she held my cheeks in her hands; hands that had held me when I cried for Papa, hands that had shown me how to cook, hands that demonstrated how to overcome adversity.
“Victoria, God created you for great things. You are beautiful, intelligent, and persistent. Yes, I will miss you. I’ll miss you every day.
But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If I made you miss it to avoid disrupting my life, I would be a poor example of a mother,” she said with the same passion she put into everything in her life.
“Yes, Mama. And I’ll call you all the time, and we can FaceTime. I’ll send you pictures of everything,” I said, choking back tears. “Thank you for everything.”
As we clung to one another, Enzo walked in, biting his lips to hold back his own tears. Though on the shorter side, he was a massive wall of a man, intimidating to those who didn’t know him, but inside he was a total cinnamon roll. Corinna came up behind him and leaned into his shoulder.
“I love the way you all love one another,” she said, tears pooling in her eyes. We were all aware of the turmoil her parents had caused her and how it shaped her choice of my brother, so we tried to give her a glimpse of what she’d missed in her youth.
I opened my arms for her to join us, and she did so in a flash. Enzo came up behind us and hugged us all.
“We’re proud of you, Vicky. You’re going to do an amazing job over there. Show those Americans what a real designer can do,” Enzo said. We all laughed, wiped our tears, and sat up.
“I don’t know if they’re ready for this Italian tornado, but I’ll do my best to make you all proud,” I said with a huff of laughter. Enzo loved to call me that when we were kids.
“We hardly had time to shop for some new officewear, though. That’s what I wanted to do for you,” Corinna whined.
She was the person I turned to for outfit advice, but she hadn’t been able to get back to Rome recently because of a big case her law firm had taken.
Although she was petite like Aria and Sofia, she knew how to dress my plus-size body better than anyone else.
“You helped me put together some pieces from my own stuff, Rina. That’s enough to get started on. I’ll go shopping one weekend and have you on video to help,” I offered.
“Deal,” she said excitedly.
“Alright, you crybabies, I have to finish packing. Out, out,” I pressed them forward until the door finally closed, Enzo’s complaints trailing behind.
Looking one more time around my room, I closed my eyes. Fear mixed with excitement bubbled over me.
I sank onto my bed, leaning back and kicking my feet with delight, barely holding in a squeal.
I was going to California for my dream job.
The next morning was a flurry of activity that ended with Mama, Corinna, Enzo, and me making it to the airport hours ahead of time. Mama insisted we park so she could see me off as far as the security line.
“This is it, guys. Thanks so much for coming in with me,” I said.
Protesting at first that they could just drop me off like the adult I was, once inside and checked in, I was happy to have them for a few more minutes.
My heart was racing, and I was sure they could see it pounding in my chest through my maxi dress.
“Put your jean jacket on when you get in the plane, tesoro. It’s always cold in there,” Mama said worriedly, hugging my cheek with her warm hand.
Smiling through the embarrassment, I pulled her to me and hugged her tight.
“Thank you for everything, Mama. I’ll call you when I change planes and as soon as I land in San Diego.”
“No matter the time,” she said sternly.
“Yes, I promise.” Turning to Enzo and Corinna, I said, “Thanks for coming to see me off. I love you both.”
“We love you, too,” Enzo said, cracking my back, he held me so hard. “Remember what I said. Stay focused on work. Learn everything you can. Eyes on the prize.”
“Not on the guys,” I finished with a chuckle. “Got it.”
When Corinna held me, she whispered, “Say hi to everyone for us. ‘Specially Miles.”
I let go and shook my head with a grin. I knew what she was hoping would happen, but that was as far-fetched as my winning the lottery.
“Love you all,” I said, taking my rolling carry-on bag in hand. “Ciao.”
“Ciao,” they said in unison, Mama wiping a few tears as Enzo pulled her to his side.
I waved until I could no longer see them as I moved through security.
The last time I flew was before Papa passed, and Enzo and Mama were with me. We went to Milan for my cousin’s wedding, but I was barely nineteen, having just finished scuola superiore, what Americans call high school. This was the biggest trip I’d ever taken.
The gruff sound of a security employee brought me back to the present. “All liquids must be placed in the plastic bag provided for you,” he called out, no doubt having said that a hundred times already.
Navigating the security line was stressful. Grumpy passengers and stern security personnel created an unpleasant experience, but once I was out in the terminal, I took a breath.
With Mama’s insistence on getting here so early, I had plenty of time to walk around.
One of my class projects was to reimagine Rome’s airport, but nothing the class came up with could compare to the “cracked” matrix teardrop ceiling, a mix of white metal and glass with smooth wood accents.
It was stunning. Taking a few pictures for inspiration, I dodged a traveler running for his gate, mumbling about being late.
Deciding to people-watch for a while, I found a seat at one of the many cafés and ordered an espresso. After sending a few texts to say goodbye again to my friends, I gathered my things to head to my gate when I received a call from Ren.
Smiling as I answered, I said, “Miss me already?”
“Woman, I’m too excited to miss you yet. Have I said how happy and proud I am?”
“Only about a thousand times since we went to dinner the other night,” I said, leaning my head around the throngs of people to find my gate. “Thanks again for coming in to see me.”
“I’m already planning my trip there,” she said. I could hear her cooking in the background, reminding me to grab a snack in case the food wasn’t good on the plane.
“That would be amazing. But I’ll see if I get past the three-month trial first," I said nervously, ducking into a store and grabbing some nuts and a protein bar.
“You’ll make it. Look how far you’ve come already. Beat out all those people to land this job. You’re not going anywhere,” she said confidently.
“I’m praying for that, too. But what about your Irishman? Think you can leave him to make a trip?” I teased. They spent every minute of their free time together, she had told me.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” she sang.
I chuckled at her approach to love. Ren went all the way in when she was sure about something, the exact opposite of me when it came to men. On that subject, I had no frame of reference.
“Well, I wouldn’t know.” I used the self-serve checkout and threw my items in my bag before continuing on to my gate.
“Maybe California will change all that, unless McHottie has started dating again.”
The white-hot shot of jealousy ran through my body so quickly, I stumbled and nearly fell into the woman in front of me. My best friend knew exactly how to rile me up.
“Girl, you know what I told you. One, that man is an older single dad who is off-limits. Enzo would kill me. Two, I’m sure he sees me the way men his age usually do: as nothing more than a little sister.”
The last sentence felt like ash in my mouth as I spoke it because I knew it was true. Besides those few seconds of intense eye contact at the wedding, I was sure that once he was told I was only twenty-four, I would be placed in that category. Little sister. It made me feel itchy all over.
“Excuse me, have you seen yourself? You’re a bombshell.
I can guarantee any man looking at you isn’t seeing a little sister.
And what’s a few years anyway? The man is gorgeous.
You make it sound like he’s an old man,” she said with a huff, taking a sip of the wine I knew she had while she cooked.
“Listen, I’ve got to go, but call me after you’ve settled in. I want to hear everything.”
“Promise. Take care of yourself. Gonna miss your face,” I teased.
“It’s my beauty, isn’t it? I know, it’s such a burden,” she said dramatically. “Love you, Vicky. Have the time of your life. Ciao.”
“Love you, too.” My heart flipped at the thought of leaving my best friend and family behind.
This was becoming real. Saying goodbye to my family and friends.
Sitting in an airport on my way across the world.
All the nights cramming for classes. Dozens of journals filled with design ideas.
A heart full of dreams, all coming together as I sat next to an older lady at my gate.
I was determined to make this the start of something great.
Dream big, Mama had said. And I was going to do just that.