My eyes leave my brother’s and roam over to my stepdad, Stefano. Then, I smile when I see my grandfather and grandmother, Emilio and Vera, still affectionately referred to as Nonno and Nonna. They’re all clapping and beaming with pride.
The curtain closes once again and everyone cheers. “Magnifico!” Professor Marino exclaims. “What a wonderful way to end the semester. Go now and greet your families. I will see all of you in August. Enjoy your summer…but not too much.” She winks playfully, and we all laugh.
“Come,” I say, grabbing Alex’s hand. “I can’t wait for you to meet my family.” I already know his family isn’t here. His parents live in the States and weren’t able to fly over. Instead, Alex will be visiting them this summer, and he’s invited me to join him.
“Talia!” My mom wraps me in a hug and kisses my cheek. “There was no Juliet better than you.” She pulls her face back and frames my cheeks. “You did a marvelous job.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
“Talia, you did a wonderful job,” my grandfather says. “You both did.” His eyes flicker from me to Alex, and I take that as my cue to introduce Alex to everyone. “Alex, this is my family. My mom, Melody, my stepdad, Stefano. This is my brother, Phoenix, and my grandparents, Emilio and Vera.”
Alex gives my mom and grandmother a kiss on their cheeks and then shakes each of the guys’ hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”
“Oh, you are American,” my grandfather states when he hears Alex’s American accent, even though he already knows as much. I’ve spoken to my family several times about Alex since we met in our Performing Arts class this semester when he transferred here to study abroad for his last year and a half of college.
“I am, sir,” Alex says. “Italian-American. I came here to learn about my roots.”
My grandfather gives him a nod of approval. “Will you be joining my granddaughter this summer?”
Alex gives me a confused look. I haven’t told my family that I’ve decided to join Alex in the States instead of spending my entire summer at home like I usually do.
“Actually, I’m going to Chicago with Alex for the first half of the summer,” I admit.
Nonno’s lips turn down into a frown as I knew they would, but it’s my mom’s face I’m more concerned with. Her brows are knitted together, and her lips are pursed. I know I shouldn’t have sprung this on her, but it was last-minute. I only found out a few days ago and felt it would be best to tell her in person. Aside from my one week with my father at the end of every summer, my vacations are always spent with my mom. She’s my best friend, and moving to Florence to attend school was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. Living three hours from her hasn’t been easy.
“I’m sorry, cara mia, but that won’t be possible,” my mom says. “You’ve been summoned by your father.” She spits out the title like it’s a curse word. She doesn’t talk about why she and my father divorced, but whatever happened, I know it was bad because even after all these years, she still refuses to see or talk about him.
“What? No!” I shake my head in confusion. “I always visit him the last week of the summer. You know this.”
“Why am I just now hearing about this?” Nonno asks, his voice filled with concern.
“I only just found out last night,” Mom explains. “Your brother will be taking you back with him.”
“So, that’s why you came?” I hiss, choosing to hide my hurt with anger. “Not to see my final performance, but to drag me back to Thessaloniki?”
“I came here to watch you,” Phoenix says slowly, “but yes, I also came to escort you to Dad.”
“I’m not going.” My chin lifts in defiance and my arms cross over my chest. “I’ll see him at the end of the summer like I do every year. Besides, I already purchased my plane ticket to Chicago.”
“Cara mia, why don’t we discuss this in private?” my mom suggests. Her tone hints she’s trying to be polite in front of Alex, but the way she quirks one brow up tells me there will be no discussion.
Whether I like it or not, I will be going with Phoenix to visit our dad.
We go to dinner as planned, but the entire meal is filled with tension. Everyone is being polite, but there’s a giant elephant in the room. When dessert is served—my favorite, crème brûlée—I finally address what nobody wants to talk about. “Why am I going to visit Dad now?”
“I’m not sure,” Phoenix says. “I’ve only been told to bring you to him.”
“And if I refuse to go?”
Phoenix hits me with a don’t make this difficult glare. “You don’t have a choice.”
“Mom,” I plead. She always has my back when it comes to my father. If anyone can keep me from having to go, it’s her.
“I told you we would discuss this later,” she says, taking a bite of her dessert.
“I have to take her from here,” Phoenix says.
My mom’s eyes widen. “Now? I thought we could return home first.”
“We’re flying out of Peretola,” he states. “The plane leaves at seven o’clock.”
“Maybe I can go first and then you can follow after,” Alex suggests, ever the peacemaker.
When we met, I was arguing with another student about a performance we were working on. She felt I was being too dramatic for the character, and I felt I wasn’t being dramatic enough. Alex walked over and played mediator—agreeing with her instead of me. Afterward, he introduced himself, to which I gave him the cold shoulder, upset he didn’t agree with me. He laughed and told me he would never be anything but honest with me, and he’s been a part of our group ever since. What started out as friendship eventually grew into more, and about two months ago, we made our relationship official. He’s sweet and thoughtful and caring, and I can see a future with him.
“I wanted to go with you,” I whine, annoyed that once again my father is messing up my plans. This is just so typical of him. He is such a mess, and it always spills over onto his family. Last summer I made plans to visit Cambridge with some friends. We set up our flights and made our hotel reservations, but because my father had issues with his business, he had to push my trip to visit him back, and I couldn’t go to Cambridge.
“Go see your dad, and once you’re done, we’ll transfer your plane ticket over so you can fly from there to Chicago,” Alex says. He reaches his hand under the table and squeezes mine gently.
“Can I do that?” I ask Phoenix.
“I don’t see why not.” He shrugs then glances at his watch. “We really need to get going, though.”
“I haven’t had time to pack.”
“I’ve been told it will all be handled,” Phoenix says.
“How long is the flight?” Alex asks.
“Five hours,” I say, slumping into my seat, frustrated. I’m twenty-one years old. My dad shouldn’t be able to dictate my life anymore. And if I were more of a bitch, I would put up a fight. But it’s just not worth it to argue. Growing up, I’ve witnessed on more than one occasion the way he treats those who argue with him. The last thing I want is to get on his bad side. My father and I have a weird relationship. When I was younger, I was his little girl. His sunshine. But once my parents divorced, it was as if I was made to choose sides. And I chose my mom’s. Ever since then, our relationship has become strained. He’s changed so much over the years. He used to be a man I could go to with my problems, but over time, his own problems have taken over his life, leaving little to no room for me. I miss him and hate him and love him all at the same time.