TWIN FLAME (sequel to MGW)

Chapter 12

The sound of pans being clashed together jolted me from sleep. I had been assigned a bedroom yesterday night and as luck would have it, it was opposite the room of the bitch from last night. I also found out that all the grandchildren except the younger ones live with Nona and Nono. My uncles and aunts had all returned to their homes yesterday.

I stood up and looked around the room. It was painted pink and black, there was a closet and a table and a chair in a corner. I walked over to the only window in the room, from here you could see the backyard including my mum's graveyard. I breathed in the fresh air for a while, it was still very early in the morning. I finally willed myself away from the window and picked up my toothbrush and a towel, I creaked my door open and tried to find my way to the bathroom I used last night, I finally found it, brushed my teeth, and took a shower then went back to my room.

After dressing up, I collapsed on my bed as the thoughts flowed in, it felt like a narrow channel of water that was blocked was finally relieved of the barrier, everything came to me at once. My breakup, moving to another side of the world I have never been to, my wasted university admission, meeting my late mother that I just found out about a few months ago, and living with her family. To sum this up, my life has no direction, yet again.

A knock on my door jolted me from my thoughts. I stood up to open it. It was Nona at the door, I let her in and closed the door, and we both settled on my bed as she looked around.

"It seems you've been awake for quite a while, you couldn't sleep?"

"No, not at all. I am just used to waking up early"

She chuckled, "I wish the others were like that. So are you comfortable?"

"Yes, yes very comfortable. Thank you for taking me in, I didn't have anywhere else to go"

"Why wouldn't we, we are family."

I nodded and once again we sat in silence.

"Do you have any plans education or career-wise?"

I thought for a minute even though I knew the answer was plain no, "No, not really. I got admission into the University of Edinburg but I don't want to go back"

She stared at me for a minute, I knew she wanted to ask why I didn't want to but she didn't which I was grateful for, I didn't have an answer to that.

"What were you planning to study there?"

"Mechanical Engineering, I love cars. I have always wanted to work in an auto repair shop or for a car company"

Her face lit up at my answer, "Are you still interested in that?"

I nodded confused at her question

"A family has a big auto repair shop not far from the restaurant, I could talk to him if that's still what you want to do or you can go to university here in Italy"

I nodded overwhelmed and excited at the suggestion.

She patted me, "Think about it and you can tell me your answer when you are ready. Come down for breakfast"

After she left my room, I still sat on my bed wondering if this is surreal.

...

...

I finally went down for breakfast and even indulged in small talk with my other cousins, Lucky for me the bitch was nowhere to be found. They told me about themselves and asked how living in America and Scotland was for me. Since it was Sunday they all left for the restaurant to help Nonna, I wanted to go with them but Nonna insisted I stay back to unpack.

An hour and thirty minutes later I was already bored, I finished unpacking just an hour after they left, no one seems to be home, you could probably hear a pin fall. I collapsed on one of the sofas and picked a magazine but to my dismay, it was written in Italian, I wish I paid attention in class. Just then Nonno came in.

He looked at me amusedly, "Bored?"

"Yeah," I said scratching my head

"Come with me" he headed outside to his truck and I followed him

We drove for a while until he came to a stop in front of a large building, I gawked as I followed after him. He was greeted as we both strolled in. We went into a warehouse where all sorts of machines were at work at the same time. I looked around in awe, I have never seen so much leather in one place.

"This is a leather factory, it was my father's before it was passed onto me"

"Wow," I said in awe

"We make shoes, bags, wallets you name it. We make it all here"

He led me to his office and we both took a seat on the sofa, his eyes seemed distant as if he was traveling memory lane.

"One time, we were so deep in debt, we had gone bankrupt. We had loans to pay and workers to pay for their services. At the time, we were simply a leather distributing company, we didn't make the product we only sold leather to the people who did. Just a few months before the company is dissolved and everything is taking from us, your mother brought up an idea, an idea in the form of a design"

He pointed to a framed design of a bag.

"She had suggested we start making the products instead of simply distributing the leather, and that bag was the product suggested. We were very pessimistic about it and had lost all hope but she was so sure it would work. She used her savings and we were able to make ten bags in different designs"

At this point I was confused and he noticed.

"I know right, ten bags wasn't going to save us from millions of debt and impending bankruptcy but she had a plan. Your mother took those ten bags to Monaco, a fashion show was held there a few months from then, and after a lot of refusals and rejection, she finally got a designer that was willing to feature the bags without much terms and conditions."

"The show took place, four bags were featured, and then..." he stopped and looked at me

"What do you think happened?"

I shrugged, "People started calling to order the bag"

He chuckled and continued, "...and then, nothing happened. Days passed by, and still nothing. All hopes were lost"

I looked at him in shock as he poured himself and me a glass of water.

He took a sip and then continued, "Three more weeks, and then the company will be gone. Your mother came in so excited on the night of that day. An order has been placed, by the Queen of Monaco. I wasn't so excited about it, it was just one bag after all but we made the bag. Your mother made sure everything was perfect, and in just a day the bag was ready and shipped to Monaco. We got good pay for the bag but it still wasn't enough to foot the debt or to ask for an extension. But that single bag bought changed it all, the queen of Monaco had posted a picture of her on an island with the bag and that alone save us. In just a week we got 67 orders of that bag. All the money made was used to pay half of the loan, then we got an extension. We worked our asses off and by the end of the year we were debt free."

He took another sip of his water, "She saved our company. She didn't know this, but we all decided to put the company in her name. So she owns all of this. You own all of this."

I looked at him shocked, "What? No, no. You all worked for it to be the success it is today. I just showed up yesterday"

"Don't worry, I know it is overwhelming for you right now, I am not telling you to take over the company, I am just letting you know. Giana told me about your interests, whenever you decide on what to do, let us know"

I nodded.

He stood up and looked at me.

"Come on, let me show you around."