lemon and mint | Charles Leclerc

~ quarantadue ~

Monaco, September 2019

"No, I don't think I'll be able to do it," the Italian spoke to the phone in fluent Dutch. She was going from Monte-Carlo Country Club to Elsa restaurant nearby. She embraced the Monacan lifestyle more than anyone would think. She displayed her jaw-dropping frame in the zip-front garment, which boasted green and navy striped detailing. The Italian coordinated this outfit with white pointed-toe heels by Prada and her stylish Miu Miu sunglasses on her head.

"No, Max, really. I can't," she laughed as she got a strand of her hair from her face. The Italian was glad they were on good terms again. Of course, here and then it was fraying at the edges, but mostly it was okay.

"Jesus, okay. I'll look into that, but only because it's you and no promises granted." With that, the Italian ended the phone call with her friend.

"Hey, mum. How are you?" The Italian asked her mother as soon as she sat down at the table across from her. It was one of the conditions for Pia to live in Monaco – meeting her parents at least once a month. This time Gianna came to see her in Monaco. She didn't mind it since it had been quite some time since she was there.

"Oh, hi, darling. Very good, what about you? How is Monaco treating you?" Pia's mother was interested in how was her daughter doing. She could see she was happy and content. It was that bright smile on her face and spark in her eyes. She was genuinely happy.

Pia smiled warmly at her mother, happy to see her. "Yeah, Monaco is treating me well. You know how things are here. It's calm." She explained.

"I'm glad to hear that. And university? Is everything okay? How do you like it so far?" The younger Italian had to smile. It was sweet how much her mother cared. It reminded her of times when it was just them two – when she was still with Anthonie. Just two Sabatini girls.

"Yeah. I mean it's uni. You know how it is, but I would say I'm enjoying it," she answered her question sincerely. 

"Don't enjoy it too much tho. I'm too young to be a grandmother," Gianna joked around. Pia let a few forced giggles escape her mouth before swallowing the lump in her throat.

She took a deep breath to compose herself before responding with a light-hearted tone. "Don't worry, mum."

Gianna gave her daughter a curious look, sensing something was amiss. "You seem a bit off, Pia. Is everything really okay?"

Pia took a deep breath, mustering up the courage, to be honest with her mother. "Actually, there's something I need to tell you."

The older Italian tilted her head slightly, curious. "Oh? What is it, darling?"

Pia took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "Charles and I have been discussing our future together, and we've decided that we want to take the next step in our relationship. I know it's wrong that we didn't ask for your blessing before, but we got engaged."

Gianna's eyes widened in surprise, and a mix of emotions crossed her face. "Engaged? That's a big decision, Pia. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"You sound just like Anthonie now," the younger Italian remarked. She was tired of justifying her decision when she was sure it was the right one.

"You told him before me?" Gianna couldn't help but express her surprise. She thought she would be the first one to know. She actually felt a bit offended and hurt that her ex-husband had learnt about it earlier.

Pia noticed the hurt expression on her mother's face and quickly tried to explain. "I didn't tell him, Mum. I honestly don't know how he found out. It's possible that someone else saw the ring or overheard us talking and mentioned it to him. I didn't know he knew until he confronted me in Monza."