Finding Her

C H A P T E R - E I G H T E E N

Mother Knows Best

V A L E R I U S ' P O V :

"Ai Dios mio!" My nonna shouts. Her brown eyes wide, her breaths shortening.

This isn't going well.. but it's better than I thought it would go.

At least she isn't threatening with a gun.

"Mamma—" Papà tries to reason with her but it's no use. She's an Armani, she'll never listen to reason.

"Is this my granddaughter?" She shouts at me, pointing to Ellie who is pressed to my legs. 

She's attempting to hide from all the shouting. Nonna's Italian accent is strong, fierce. It can scare anyone from a baby to a grown adult.

Nonna already knows the answer. My papà and everyone already explained to her and everyone else what happened.

But Nonna isn't an easy person.

She's anxious and angry almost always. I walked in expecting the worst. So, when my nonna opens her mouth, I expect her to start yelling. I'm waiting for her to scream at me or at my papà. I wait and wait.. and wait.

Nonna pauses. She lets out a straggled noise and breaths out. She looks to my papà, then to me, then Ellie. Her head shakes. Her eyes close and when she opens her eyes again, there are tears billowing in her tear ducts.

"I'm a bisnonna, eh? My grandson has a child?" She looks to my papá. We all look to each other awkwardly. My nonna hasn't cried before. Never before that we've seen. The last time was at nonno's funeral but she ran to the bathrooms in refusal to have anyone see her in such a state. "I wish your papà was here." She whispers to my papà. He looks taken back. "He loved his family. He would be so happy." Tears fall down her cheeks, she wipes them furiously.

My nonno is an "unspeakable" topic. When he passed it hurt my family for a long time. Even still nonna is not the same. She never got over it. Anyone speaking of him sets her off.

"Mamma..," papà whispers. He hugs his mamma tightly. "He would." Papà says to comfort her.

"I am sorry." Nonna said. She wipes her face. "I—"

"Don't be sorry." Papà says. Nonna smiles at him, patting his head like he's just a little boy.

"Let me see you." Nonna gives Ellie an encouraging smile. Ellie and I lock eyes for a moment before I have her step forward. Nonna bends down to her level. She cups Ellie's cheeks and brushes her hair back. "Beautiful girl."

My mamma scoffs. I snap my head to her to see her at the doorway.

I give her a warning look, silently telling her not speak. Though, mamma never follows what other people tell her to do. She lives by her own rules.

"Something to say, Bianca?" Nonna quirks. She turns her head to look behind Ellie. Nonna keeps her hands on Ellie's cheeks.

Mamma stands straighter. "Aren't you worried this child will put my son in danger? She's come from enemies, who knows what damage she can do!"

Here she goes again. I'm so tired of the same conversation.

"The same danger my husband was in when my son was born or the danger my son was in when his kids were born. Children are in constant danger in this type of work. You know that and so does my grandson." Nonna stands up and Ellie walks back to me. I grab ahold of her hand. "I hope I'm hearing things if you're suggesting your own granddaughter, who happens to be five, is a spy for the fucking Bravta. Because, that," Nonna stepped closer to my mamma. "Would sound crazy." She spits her words out in Italian.