This Is Me Trying

Chapter Seventeen

Danielle

"Why should I give you another chance?" I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Because I love you. And I need you. I miss you. I miss your smile, and your laugh, I miss your messy morning hair, and your stinky morning breath, and I miss the way that you burn toast in the morning when you try to make me breakfast. I miss you trying to make my expresso and being so happy when you get it right. Hurting you is the biggest regret of my life. Please, bambina. I'm sorry."

I sighed and rubbed my face, "Stefania-"
"Wait. Will you come with me?" She stood up and held her hand out.
I got up and took her hand, and she led me out of the trailer.

"Where are we going?"
"Just wait." She took me into the set, everything was dark since everyone went home.

"Stef-"
"Hold on." She flicked a light and led me to a spot in the hallway.
"What did you want to show me?"

"This is where we first met. You were walking down the hallway, carrying a bowl of candy, trying to hide it in your jacket. I knew in that moment that I had feelings for you. I didn't realize how big those feelings would grow until later. I love you Danielle," Stefania got down on one knee and took a ring out of her pocket.
"Danielle Kathleen Savre, will you marry me?"

Betty

"Jaina? You in there?" I knocked on her trailer door.
"Sì mija! Come in!"

I walked in and plopped next to her on the couch.
"What are you still doing here? I thought you and Danielle went home."
"She's busy with something. I told her I'd catch a ride home with Elizabeth. She's gonna come and get me in a bit."
"Got it. Hey, your seventeenth birthday is coming in a few months. You know what you wanna do?"
"Probably nothing. We're in the middle of a pandemic. Everything's closed." I shrugged.
"We can have dinner at someone's house though. Maybe mine? Give Danielle a break from hosting?"
"If that's okay with you, then I'll ask Dani." I gave her a small smile and there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Jaina yelled.

Danielle stuck her head in, "Hey kid, ready to go?"
"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow Jaina."
I grabbed my stuff and walked outside with Danielle.

"So?" I asked.
"Can you, Stefania, and I have a talk when we get home?"
"So she's moving back in." It was more of a statement than a question.
We got in the car and Danielle started the drive home.
"Betty, please try to be happy for me. I've never had this before. I've never had someone care about me as much as Stefania does. The way she makes me feel is like magic."
"Danielle I am happy for you. Don't ever think that I'm not. I just care about you and I don't wanna see you hurt again."
"Let's finish this conversation with Stef, okay?" She said as she parked the car.

We got out of the car and walked in the the house.
Jeff came running towards me and I quickly picked her up and held her close to me.

"Betty? Come on, let's go sit and talk." Danielle motioned to the living room.
I walked in, and sat on one of the chairs across from Stefania.

"Okay. So, Danielle. You start." Stefania put her hand on top of Danielle's.

"Stefania and I are back together. And we wanted to make sure it was okay with you if she moved in."
"Sure." I shrugged.
"'Sure'? Is that all you want to say about it?" Danielle asked.
"I mean, it's your happiness. You gotta do what makes you happy."
"But, are you okay with it."
"Yes. It's fine with me."

"Okay. We have something else we have to tell you."
Danielle looked at Stefania and gave her a small smile.
"I proposed." Stefania said.
"You did what?"

"I asked Danielle to marry me. And she said yes."
"Excuse me." I got up and walked to my room, and shut the door behind me.

Danielle

"Shit." I sighed and put my head in my hands.
"It'll be okay, bambina. She'll come around." Stefania started rubbing my back.

"But what if she doesn't, Stef? She's my kid. Her opinion matters."
"I know. I know." Stefania kissed my shoulder.

"I'm gonna go stay the night at Barrett's house." Betty said as she opened her door and walked out with a bag.
"What? Why?"

"I don't want to be here right now." She put on her shoes and walked to the front door.
"I didn't say you could go to Barrett's." I got up and followed her.
"Because I didn't ask. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that you didn't ask me, and I didn't say you could. I understand you're upset right now, but you can't just go and do whatever you want. You're still a child."
"I gotta go, Barrett is here." She opened the door.
"Betty! I said no!"
"You're not my fucking Mom! So stop acting like it!" Betty walked out and slammed the front door.

"Bambina?" Stefania stepped behind me.
I stared at the door, tears running down my face.

"Bambina talk to me."
"She's right. I'm not her Mom." I quickly wiped the tears off my face.
"Do you want to go cuddle in bed and watch a movie?"
I nodded and took her hand as she led me to the bedroom.

Betty

"What's wrong?" Barrett asked as she drove to her house.
"Nothing." I shrugged, still staring out the window.
"Somethings wrong. Were you and Danielle arguing?
"Something like that."
"You wanna talk about it?"
"I don't think I can." I sighed as we pulled up to her house.

"What do you mean?"
"If I tell you this, you can't tell anyone. You can't even tell Danielle or Stefania that I told you."
"Deal. Talk." She said as we walked in her house.

"You already know Danielle and Stefania dating. Stef moved into the house with us during quarantine, and one day when I woke up she wasn't there anymore. Danielle was a mess, that's why we invited you all over that day. I stayed the night with Jaina, and then I hung out with Stef the next day cause I missed her and our dog. She took me home and Danielle had bought us a hot tub so I went to go get changed, and when I came back from getting changed I heard them talking on the front porch. Apparently Stefania had cheated on Danielle."

"I still can't believe it." Barrett sighed.
"Yep. And now she's moving back in with us. I didn't wanna talk about it so I went to my room and called you. Danielle said I couldn't go and I said some pretty bad things to her. I feel terrible about it." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"We all say stuff we don't mean Betty. I'm sure Danielle knows that you didn't mean it."
"I told her she wasn't my Mom. I didn't mean it. She's been more of a Mom to me than my biological mother ever was. I didn't mean it, I was just pissed." I felt tears running down my face.
"Hey, it's okay. She loves you. And she knows you love her." She put her arms around my shoulder and pulled me close.
"What if she doesn't want me anymore?"
"She does. She'll always want you."