𝐄𝐳𝐫𝐚 | 18+

58

We drive up to a large house. The road to reach it was extremely windy and uphill, leaving me in a state of nausea while Ezra seemed unfazed, singing along to the songs playing on the radio.

As soon as we reach a parking lot full of stones and pebbles, we're greeted by an Australian Shepheard.

"This is Kira." Ezra explains. He immediately bends down to pet her, the dog rubbing against him and licking him. He chuckles. I, too, bend down to pet her and in return she licks my entire face.

Ezra laughs and I stand.

"My grandma is a bit crazy," he says, taking my hand as we walk down the small staircase to reach a door. I smile as we near it, standing in front of it.

"Ready?" He asks, smiling sideways at me. I nod and ring the doorbell. I hear a little squeal from the other side before the door is swung open, revealing a small elderly woman.

She has a wild head of gray hair, bright eyes and a wide smile. Wrinkles spread from her smile and from her crescent shaped eyes as she takes me in.

"OOH!" The woman giggles, glancing between me and Ezra. She let's out a yelp of laughter as she embraces Ezra in a hug.

"Il mio nipotino! Quanto mi sei mancato." She pulls away from the hug. "È lei, questa?" She asks, turning towards me.
[My little grandson! I missed you so much. Is this her?]

"Si, Nonna." Ezra smiles, squeezing my hand encouragingly. I smile and hold out my right hand for her to shake, but she swats it away and pulls me into a tight hug, forcing me to bend down to reach her small frame. The smell of fresh baked bread clouds my nose and I glance inside of the open door, but I don't spot it. The woman pulls back but keeps my face between her palms, looking into my eyes with a wide grin across her face.

"Ma quant'è bellina?" She giggles, releasing me.
[How cute is she?]

"Io mi chiamo Georgia, ma tu mi puoi chiamare Nonna, come fa sto' figliolo qua." She explains, though I have no clue what she just said.

"She said you can call her Nonna." Ezra says softly, translating for me. I thank him before turning back to Nonna.

"I'm Delilah." I smile. A cute dimple appears on her cheek. I guess that's where Ez gets it from.

"Stupenda. Venite, venite!" She hollers, waddling back inside. Kira zooms in too, dodging me by less than a hair. I follow Ezra inside, standing close behind him. I'm not uncomfortable, I'm not used to the place, yet.

The inside of the house is very homey, a big living room decorated with a certain taste. Something about the setup reminds me of the 60's, meaning Nonna probably came up with it.

I like it though. There's a floral couch on the side of the room, opposite of an old fashioned TV. Beside the couch is a rocking chair, adorned with a cream colored pillow, and a stand which supports a yellow tinted lamp. On the ground is a faded red carpet, then a small table in the center of it with a vase full of colorful flowers. Connecting to the far side of the room is a hallway that seems to loop behind the room itself, though I don't know where it leads to.

Ezra takes my hand and brings me towards where Nonna disappeared in, which, coming from the smell, I assume is the kitchen.

Though, beside the kitchen, is a dining room. Hanging from the ceiling is a crystal chandelier, underneath it sits a very big table, covered by a simplistic gold designed tablecloth and circled by at least eighteen chairs. But we don't stop at that, he drags me straight into the kitchen.

All of the sudden I'm overwhelmed by hundreds of scents, all while Nonna neatly organizes trays of different foods upon the kitchen table. There are so many dishes; from chicken, to lasagna, to vegetables, to meatballs and everything imaginable. Okay, maybe not everything, but a big part of it.