Days in Genova, Nights in Portorosso

Chapter 1

It was the first day of school and I was pissed when Mom ordered Giulia to wake me up. Yeah, I loved my cousin and I still do, but sometimes she can be a massive pain, if you know what I mean. Of course we were still kids at the time and enjoyed playing together. But I also liked my sleep, and Giulia knew that. My cousin was tricky at the time, though.

"Maxine, you really wannna see Portorosso one day?" Giulia asked.

That got me up, although I dreaded being called Maxine.

"Say, cousin, you've been to Portorosso," I said.

"Sì," Giulia responded in Italian.

"What's it like?" I asked.

"Well, in the summertime, I go there and visit Dad," Giulia said. "It's nice. Portorosso is a beautiful, big city along the Italian Riviera."

"Do you think I could come with you?" I asked.

"I'll have to confirm it with Mamma, but sure," Giulia said. "But now we've gotta get to school. We don't wanna be late."

But I had a plan. A plan that Giulia didn't know about or did she even need to know about.

"You coming, Maxine?" Giulia asked me.

I grumbled at my cousin. She was younger than me, but that didn't matter. The thing that mattered was that she was calling me Maxine and I downright hated it when people did that.

"How would you feel if I called you Giulietta?" I bursted out in sudden anger. "It's the same as calling me Maxine. I go by Max fi you don't remember."

Giulia smiled, letting out a lighthearted chuckle. "Mi scusi," she said.

"Yeah, right," I said. "You'd better be sorry."

Then we went off to school.