Tre Ragazzi e Una Ragazza

1 ~ First Meetings

All my life, I had always dreamed of being an opera singer. While other little girls were dreaming of being princesses or veterinarians, I was dreaming of singing Puccini in front of a huge audience at La Scala in Milano. Ever since then, it was my goal in life to make that dream come true. Today, that was happening.

Today was going to be the new beginning of the rest of my life. It was the day that I was scheduled to audition at the Solstice Theatre in San Francisco for their annual opera showcase. This was the showcase that could make or break my career. Talent scouts from all over the world came to this performance to seek out new talent. This included talent scouts from Italy, A.K.A my dream destination to live out my life as a professional opera singer. Basically, in order to do any of this, I had to nail this audition - and that's just what I planned to do. 

I looked around my room to grab all the essentials needed to bring to the audition; my bag full of throat coat spray, a huge bottle of water, peppermints to keep my throat lubricated, the audition details and forms already filled out, and my daily necessities (phone, wallet, keys, etc.) Once I had my bag all packed and ready, my first order of business was to grab a decaf coffee from my favorite coffee shop in Little Italy called Caffè e Dolci. I always started my day by getting coffee from there and taking a walk around the city in the morning, and this day was no different. Except that instead of walking around the city after getting my coffee, I would be walking to a life-changing audition with my entire future depending on it afterwards. No big deal! 

I grabbed my bag from off of my bed and went downstairs, entering the little restaurant my mom ran. Ever since my mom moved to San Francisco and bought the restaurant, she would work from 9:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night, only stopping to eat and sleep. I would take regular shifts and help out whenever I had the chance, but today I had only my audition on my mind and, thankfully, my mom understood. She has always been incredibly supportive of my dreams. From day one, she has been rooting for me to go to Italy to be a famous opera singer, and she knew this audition would be my chance. 

Once she saw me, my mom stopped cleaning the counter and greeted me with her usual chipper attitude and motherly smile. "Buongiorno!" She called out to me, wrapping me in a big hug and kissing my forehead. "Buongiorno, mamma!" She pushed up her round-framed glasses and looked at me, a piece of her short, curly, dark brown hair falling into her eyes. She had the biggest smile on her face. "Today's the big day! How do you feel?" I chuckled dryly. "Very nervous, actually. I need to do well." I admitted. My mom smiled at me and put down the rag she was cleaning with. "You will do well, mia figlia. You have the most beautiful voice I've heard since...since..." She snapped her fingers. "Since Luciano Pavarotti!" I laughed at the incredible exaggeration. No way was I on Pavarotti level. "Grazie tanto, mamma." 

I walked towards the door, turning the sign on the window from CLOSED to OPEN, just like I did every morning. Customers would soon start piling in for their morning coffee and pastries. "I'm going to go grab a coffee at Caffè e Dolci before the audition." My mom made a sound that could be described as somewhere between a groan and a loud huff. "You're always at that place, buying their coffee and giving them money. Maybe you should be their daughter and work for them instead." Ah, the famous Italian guilt trip. Never fails. "I know, I know, but I just love it there! Besides, here I have to work more than I can eat." My mom waved me off with a motion of her hand, not looking up from pouring ground coffee into the coffee machine. "Alright, alright, just go. I wouldn't want to mess up your morning routine." I opened the door and before leaving, blew my mom an air kiss. "Ciao!" She blew me a kiss goodbye in response. 

I closed the door behind me, the cool San Francisco breeze hitting me in the face. It was a refreshing way to really wake up! I wrapped my scarf around my neck to make it even more snug, then went on my way to Caffè e Dolci. As I walked, I looked around at the beauty of Little Italy all around me. It was like living in a little slice of Italy in the middle of California. Quaint coffee shops, delis, and Italian-like architecture lined the streets. Even the poles were painted with the colors of the Italian flag.