Page 250 of Vita Mia

“I will.”

“Call again soon, okay baby. Maybe when the boys come home we can all come to France to visit you with Nico next time.”

“I’d like that!” Eve said. “Ciao bella.”

“Bye sweetheart.” Mirabella sighed and then set the phone down.

“Scusi Donna?”

“What is it Bionca?”

“Donna Catalina is here. She’s inside waiting for you.”

“Zi-zi!” MiaBella exclaimed. She rushed back inside the house.

“Grazie Bionca.”

Mirabella removed the hair band from her wrist and swept up her long tresses. Her hair had grown to the middle of her back over the years with the first sign of greying at the temples. She left it in its natural state. But on a day of an unexpected visit she groomed herself the best she could so that Catalina wouldn’t see her and assume duress. After visiting Melanzana she had found herself at ease and she wanted that change in her to be apparent.

Inside she could hear the laughter of the children. Little Armando was chasing MiaBella and Catalina’s baby girl Dominica was running behind them. MiaBella had the best time with her cousins.

“Hey sis!” Catalina said. She walked over and kissed and hugged Mirabella. “I’m sorry we’re late but the kids had doctor’s appointments today, so did I.”

“It’s no problem. I didn’t know you were coming,” Mirabella said. Catalina seemed to age in reverse. Her deep olive skin and natural beauty was raw and unchanged. She wore a dark blue summer dress with thin shoulder straps. Her curvaceous figure was flattered by the silken material. Mirabella felt frumpy in her house dress. She looked down at her own clothes with embarrassment. Fashion used to sustain her. She hadn’t designed clothes in years. But her designers continued to produce for her companies under Catalina and Dominic’s careful business management. Every now and then she was inspired, but like a flickering flame in a wind storm, her inspiration was consistently snuffed out. She did nothing with the talent. What was the point?

“So, how was it in Sorrento?” Catalina asked.

“I told you it was fine. You shouldn’t have called Eve. She’s twelve Catalina. She doesn’t need to be worried about me.”

“Eve is twelve going on thirty. And she’s the only person you listen too nowadays. You know you don’t listen to me or the doctors. And Dominic says you don’t return his calls.”

“I just want to be left alone.”

“She worries about you,” Catalina said. “We all do.”

“Don’t you find it strange that you have to remind my daughter to call me? I think she prefers to be away from me. From all of us.”

“It’s hard for the kids, and you know why,” Catalina said. “It’s hard for everyone Mirabella. Gio’s been gone for five years but it feels like it happened yesterday.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t patronize me. I’m not a fragile egg. I’m stronger. Going to Sorrento gave me closure. I’m thinking of possibly taking all the kids and moving to France. To be closer to Eve. She needs us and we need her...” Mirabella’s voice trailed off.

Catalina sat upright.

“What is that look for? I need to focus on my kids again, maybe get back into the fashion world.”

“That’s a big shift. Just last month you said you didn’t care if we closed the company, now you want to design again?”

Mirabella understood the pressing doubt. She had her moments of normalcy and talked about healing, but depression always won out. It made them distrustful of her. How could she blame them?

“I came to take MiaBella with me. To let her stay with us for a few days.”

“Why?” Mirabella frowned.

“The kids miss her,” Catalina said. “She has no one to play with; out here or on that beach you love so much.”

“That beach? You say it with disgust.”

“I didn’t mean too,” Catalina mumbled.

---