Mr Rumming And The Teacher ✔️

•68

There was silence when we walked in. They were shocked we even pitched up. Everyone sat in the living room, some holding hands others on their phones but none of thise felt right.

"Ciro," Alessa says coming to hug her brother. "So glad you could make it, we have the will reading later so you made it in time."

"Thank God for that." He is more sarcastic when he refuses to engage emotionally.

"Paris, how are you?" Could be better.

"I am okay, how are you? How are you holding up?"

"Coping and taking it one day at a time." I have not seen Celine and Riccardo snr, since they accused me of sleeping with the President to get Israel out.

Nonna is Riccardo's mother so this could go south fairly quickly. His siblings greet him and we exchange pleasantries. They all hug and want to hold Mia. I hand her over to Jean and Peter as Israel and I take a seat, next to Kira and Viola.

A few moments after we are seated, Mia comes in front of Israel with her hands held out. He scoops her up, she lays on his chest playing with her doll.

"Are you okay?" She nods and plays with her doll on his lap. He leans his head on my shoulder, regularly contributing to the conversation his siblings are having. I am zoning out. The conversatiom is small, nothing for importance, filler. For a close knit family, this is not what should be discussed in a time like this. Maybe I am being judgemental.

"I miss Gia," Bria says, talking to the group.

"Zio, that's mama's name."

"Sure is, Babygirl." He kisses her head. It breaks my heart seeing her being sad over her mothers death. She knows they are gone but I do not think she fully understands that or has processed what that means.

"I want to go to Aunty now."

"Who me?" Kira asks, Mia shakes her head, gets off Israel's lap and comes onto mine.

"Are you tired?" She nods. "Let's go take a nap, say goodbye to Zio." She leans in to place a kiss on his cheek.

"Aunty kiss Zio bye-bye." I kiss his cheek too, a smile on my face as I do so. We head to Ciro's room and she lays on the bed, I cover her with the blanket.

"Are you warm?" She nods.

"Zia, is it true that Mama and Mommy are in a better place?"

"They are in heaven above, watching us right now."

"Are they with Nonna?"

"I think so, I never know these things but I think they are together." She nods.

"Where is heaven?"

"I like to think of it as in the sky but you can think of it as everywhere around you if you would like."

"I miss my old house."

"What do you miss about it?"

"My toys, my bed, my bottles and my clothes."

"I will see what I can do about getting you those things, do you still want to sleep?" A smile and she covers her head with the blanket. "I love you, Mimi."

"Love you too." She warms my soul, I wait until I notice that she is comfortable before heading back down.

"She misses her old house," I tell Israel as I sit next to him.

"So she wants to live there?" Andrea asks.

"No, she wants the toys, her bedsheets, bottles and plates as well as her clothes. Did anyone of you get those?" They shakes their heads.