Oblivion

30| Handfull

THIRD PERSON

Valentino took a shopping cart and pushed it toward a waiting Josephine. "Remind me again, why exactly do I have to go shopping with you on this beautiful Saturday? I still have to write an essay, and besides, it's much too cold." Shivering, he pulled his scarf closer to his face.

Josephine looked at him in confusion. "Well, 1. it's my turn to cook this weekend, 2. Matteo would have driven me too, but nobody seems to trust him, and 3. you were the first to say he would drive me."

"Barely my sister for a week, and she's already as cheeky as her brothers." He ruffled Josephine's hair and grinned. "What have I done to deserve this?"

With a red face, she quickly tried to smooth her short hair before running after him into the supermarket. She should have worn a hat. "And 4. you said you wanted to go to the library anyway!"

Valentino raised an eyebrow at her, and Josephine smiled innocently. "So I did? Well, if you say so, I have to believe you. After all, you would never lie to me, would you, Josie?"

"Never" is a big word, she thought, and felt guilty. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't worry, you can make it up to me with your Christmas present. Do you have all your gifts yet?" he asked, reaching for tomatoes. There were still a few days until Christmas, but just the thought of it stressed Josephine out a little. She was glad that everyone would give homemade gifts, so at least she didn't have to feel guilty about spending money. She had most of the presents already: she and Matteo would bake cookies for the housekeepers, the dogs would get a fallen branch, but she still had to ask Riccardo and Domenico to carry it because the branch was too heavy for her alone. With Valentino, she planned to watch a sunset from the rooftops of the city; he had told her how much he enjoyed seeing it in Spain. For Matteo, she made a herb bed for the windowsill because he was always complaining that he had to rely on dried herbs to cook in winter. Vito was getting a glasses case that Domenico said she could take and which she had painted with meaningful designs. All she was missing were gifts for Riccardo and Domenico, though she wanted to ask Vito for permission regarding Riccardo's gift. For Domenico, she planned to make a bracelet out of the laces from the shoes she was wearing when he found her, but she wasn't sure if that was a good idea.

"No, I'm still missing Domenico and Riccardo. What about you?" she answered, glancing at her list to see what ingredients she still needed for the meal. Did the recipe call for peeled vegetables, and if so, how much did the peel weigh?

Valentino grinned again. "Luckily, I have all mine. I can't imagine what would happen if I didn't have them all so close to Christmas! I would go crazy. I'm impressed that you can deal with it so calmly, Josie. I couldn't do that!" Josephine tried to maintain a neutral expression, but he could see how unsettled she was. "Sorry, that was mean. Are you looking forward to Christmas already?"

"I guess. What about you?"

"Oh, I love Christmas. It's the most wonderful time of the year! Rico and Matteo are on holiday, Vito and Domenico are usually off too, and we're all together. All the time. In a small space. It's a dream, my very own personal gift from Santa Claus," he explained expansively.

Josephine could already imagine why he liked it so much. "Because you like to cause chaos?"

"Exactly! Anyone can have a peaceful Christmas. Tension makes it a real celebration. How did you celebrate Christmas in the past?" asked Valentino as they wandered through the aisles. There really wasn't much going on for a Saturday.

"I've been to St. Benedict Church with Carl for the last few years. They hold a Christmas dinner every year, and you get a care package, and if you're lucky, other donated items. One year, I got a sleeping bag. That was great," Josephine recalled. "I don't really remember what it was like with my parents. I can remember presents, but I can't say if we had any traditions or what they were. Do you have any?"