Coming Back Home

New Friends

"Goodnight, dolcezza. Sweet dreams."

Giada's POV

I wake up expecting to find myself in mama's house on my thin mattress. But, I'm way too comfortable to be there. Confused, I open my eyes and sit up. I take in my surroundings and see a big bedroom with white walls and pink furniture. I look down and see a little fuzzy animal in my arms. Then, I remember where I am. A sleepy smile appears on my face. I feel so happy to be with Papa and my bubbas. I love them so much! I look over at the door when I hear it start to open. A moment later, Papa walks in.

My smile grows bigger. "Hi Papa!" I call out. "Good morning my little baby." Papa walks towards me with his hands out in front of him, ready to pick me up. I lift my arms up, wanting to be held. He picks me up and hugs me close to him. I feel so comfy and warm and safe when I'm with Papa. I'm not used to feeling like this, but I like it a lot. "Papa, Ewie pwease (Ellie please)," I say, pointing to my stuffed elephant. He reaches down and picks up Ellie, then he hands her to me. "Tank you, Papa."

He turns around, and we walk out of my room. "Have you been awake for very long, dolcezza?" Papa asks me. I shake my head. "Nuh-uh. Smaw time (small time = a short time)." I put my pointer finger and thumb close together to show my point. "Okay, good. I'm glad you weren't waiting too long." We continue walking downstairs quietly until I interrupt. "Papa?" He responds, "yes, baby?" I hug him close. "I wub you wots (I love you lots)." He stops walking. "I love you, too. What brought that up?" he asks.

I sigh. "Me wakes, me tot me wif mama 'gain (When I woke up, I thought I was with mama again)." I say sadly. Papa pulls me in tightly, holding the back of my head against his chest. I hold his shirt tightly in my fists. "You will never have to be there ever again, okay? I won't let you go again." He reassures me. "Otay, Papa." Suddenly, my stomach rumbles. Papa chuckles. "Okay, I think we need to fill that tummy." He tickles me on my tummy, making me giggle.

We walk into the dining room, then enter the kitchen. I see an older lady and some younger ladies making food. "Marina, come meet someone," Papa says to the older lady. She turns around, first looking at Papa, then she sees me. "Marina, you remember my daughter, Giada?" She gasps, putting her hands over her mouth. She looks at Papa with tears in her eyes. "Is it really her?" she asks him. He nods. "Dolcezza, this is Marina. She helps us around the house with cooking and cleaning and making sure we are taking care of ourselves. We couldn't live without her."

Marina swats Papa's arm. "Oh, stop it." She looks back at me. "Hello darling. I am so happy to see you." She smiles down at me. "Hewwo Mawi," I greet back. My tummy rumbles again. I blush, hiding my face in Papa's shoulder. "Don't worry, darling. I'll get you some yummy food to fill your tummy right away. Is there anything you like to eat for breakfast?" She asks.

I look up at Papa confusedly. "Papa, what bwek-fas (breakfast)?" He smiles at me sadly and sighs. I look over at Marina. She looks confused too. "Marina, she doesn't really have a lot of experience with food. Could you maybe make small portions of a few breakfast foods for her to try?" Marina starts to smile again. "Of course I can. Just give me a few minutes."

Papa turns around, and we walk to the dining room. He puts me in my high chair. I look around and notice Bubba sitting at the other end of the table. I gasp, "Hi Bubba!" I shout at him. He looks at me and nods. "Good morning, principessa. You seem quite happy this morning." I nod excitedly. "Uh-huh! Me hewe wif Papa and bubbas (I'm here with Papa and brothers)!"

Bubba stands up and walks over to me. He leans down and kisses me on the head. "I'm glad you're here too, principessa." He goes back to his chair and sits back down. He has a lot of papers on the table in front of him. "What you doin', Bubba?" I ask him, pointing at the papers on the table. He glances at his papers before facing me. "I'm doing some work, principessa. I'm in charge, so a lot of people need me to sign these papers before they can do their jobs."