Oblivion

9| Sweet Home

JOSEPHINE 

I knew the ride home would be unpleasant before we even got to the car. Vito was visibly irritated and had already made it clear to Domenico that they would talk about it once we were home. Domenico didn't say anything about it but briefly touched my hand as he walked past. 'I will take care of that,' it silently said. Without his gesture, I would definitely have confessed everything as soon as we left the parking garage. I didn't want them to fight because of me!

The only one who was confused but didn't want to get involved was Valentino. Although he was worried and asked if everything was okay and why I could leave, he didn't question the decision. Instead, he tried to cover up the oppressive silence in the car for the first few minutes and told me some things about my new home. My home. It felt strange to think that. My parents' house had always been my home. It felt like a betrayal to now call another house—one that I had only seen once before—home. Even when I came to my foster family, I had always called it their home, never mine. But this time it felt different. Maybe because I had lived for so long without a place that came close to it. Whatever the reason, I hoped I had found a safe place this time. At least for this winter.

I looked at the others. Domenico drove with his left hand on the steering wheel and supported his head with his right. Valentino sat next to him, turning to me from time to time with a friendly smile. Vito sat on my left, the furthest away from Domenico, looking through the papers from the hospital. I wasn't sure if he could understand what was written there, but since it was Vito I talked about, probably yes.

"Josi, what would you like to do later? Should we order something to eat, watch a movie, or go swimming? The pool is heated," Valentino tried again. I blushed slightly when I heard his nickname. That's what my friends used to call me at school. It had been a long time since I last heard it from anyone.

"Her name is Josephine," Vito corrected him without looking up. His voice still sounded strained, so I didn't dare say that I didn't mind being called that. "Besides, I already sent Maria the diet plan, and she will cook accordingly."

Valentino rolled his eyes, and I couldn't help but smile. "Of course, but she can still have fun, right?" He waited a moment for an answer, but when none came, he looked back at me. "So?"

"I don't care. Whatever you want to do," I said. To be honest, I didn't know what we could do just for fun.

"Tiny is afraid of water." Domenico looked at me through the rearview mirror, and I could feel my face getting even redder. What would Valentino think of me? Who else was afraid of water at my age?

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry," Valentino apologized and looked at me with interest. "Can I ask why?" Suddenly, I was the center of attention, where I never liked to be. Even Vito looked at me expectantly. Couldn't they look somewhere else? I didn't like it when everyone stared at me. Hesitantly, I pulled my sweater over my hands and folded my arms in front of my body.

"It's stupid, actually. When I was a kid, I fell into a pool, and even though Dad pulled me out quickly, I still had this fear of drowning. It's totally ridiculous, I know. After that, I never wanted to go near any water."

"That's not stupid. Does that mean you can't swim either?" Vito asked in the softest voice I'd heard from him today. I shook my head. "Okay, that's good to know. We have a pool in the backyard at home, and I don't want you to go there alone, understand?"

"I will not." That was easy to promise. I would never voluntarily go near deep water! Vito nodded and looked at the papers again.

Nobody said anything for a while, but then Valentino seemed to remember that an argument was brewing between his brothers and saw it as his duty to feed it. "And why is Domenico allowed to give Josephine a nickname?" His smug grin couldn't be ignored.