Bambino

18

The next morning, Maya's alarm buzzed softly on the nightstand, and she reached over groggily to turn it off. She stirred beside Carina, who was still nestled comfortably in bed, both of them taking a moment to wake up. Usually, they were greeted by the boundless energy of Alex jumping onto their bed long before any alarm could go off. But today was different. The room was quiet—too quiet.

Maya blinked, glancing around the room. "Where's Alex?" she muttered, her voice still thick with sleep.

Carina, equally confused, sat up and scanned the room. "I don't know... He usually wakes us up before we even get a chance to hear that alarm."

The two of them exchanged glances, and just as they were about to get up and check on him, they suddenly noticed something else—a delicious smell wafting from the kitchen.

Maya's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Carina's eyes widened. "Is that... breakfast?" Carina asked, already starting to get out of bed.

Maya laughed softly, shaking her head as she quickly threw on a shirt. "I think so. But who's making it? Alex?"

They both got up, curiosity guiding them as they walked down the hallway toward the kitchen. As they approached, the smells grew stronger—pancakes, maybe bacon, and definitely something sweet. When they finally rounded the corner into the kitchen, they were greeted by the sight of Alex standing on a chair near the counter, proudly helping Lucia, who was clearly in charge of the morning culinary operation.

Lucia looked up, smiling warmly at her daughter and Maya. "Buongiorno!" she greeted them, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "We decided to let you two sleep in this morning."

Alex grinned from ear to ear, holding a wooden spoon covered in pancake batter. "Mamma! Maya! Look! Nonna and I made breakfast!" he said excitedly.

Carina chuckled, her heart melting at the sight. "You certainly did," she said, walking over to Alex and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You've been busy this morning."

Maya smiled, wrapping an arm around Carina's waist as they took in the scene. "This smells amazing," she said, her eyes darting to the plates of pancakes already stacked high on the counter. "Thank you, Lucia."

Lucia waved her hand dismissively but smiled. "It was my pleasure. Alex wanted to help, and I thought it would be a nice surprise for the both of you."

Alex nodded vigorously. "I made the pancakes! Nonna helped a little," he said proudly.

Carina laughed softly, ruffling Alex's hair. "I can't wait to try them, tesoro," she said. "You and Nonna did a wonderful job."

As they all sat down at the table, Alex's enthusiasm continued to bubble over. He served everyone their pancakes, beaming with pride as they praised his cooking skills.

"Nonna says I'm a really good chef," Alex said with a grin, taking a big bite of his pancake.

Carina smiled at him. "You are, sweetheart. Maybe you'll be making breakfast for us every weekend now."

Alex's eyes lit up at the thought. "Yeah! Every weekend!"

Maya chuckled, glancing at Carina with a smirk. "I could get used to this."

Carina laughed, leaning into Maya slightly. "Me too."

As breakfast wrapped up, Alex, clearly still brimming with energy from his morning of cooking, looked up at Carina with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Mamma, can I stay home from preschool today?" he begged, his little voice pleading. "I want to spend the day with Nonna! Please?"

Carina glanced over at Lucia, who smiled warmly. "Oh, I'd love to spend the day with him," Lucia said softly. "We can do something fun together, maybe take a walk or read stories. It will be our little adventure."