Secrets & Lies

Chapter Twenty

Gia woke up late on Sunday morning.  She sat up too quickly forgetting she was back at home and ended up having to run for the bathroom to throw up again.  She sat on the bathroom floor and waited for the room to stop spinning before getting up to put on her bathrobe.  When she thought she could handle moving she headed down to the kitchen to see if there were any saltine crackers, on the fridge was a note from her mother:

        Gia,

    We went to church.  We will be back in time for lunch.  Nick and Alex went off on some errand they said they would be back later.  Relax and feel better.

        Love,

        Mom

    Gia made some toast and tea and located the crackers and took it all back up to her bedroom.  She stopped briefly and looked into the guest room wondering where Alex would have run off to in a city he had never been to.  Gia was pretty sure that after their disagreement he was never coming back.  He had made it clear their relationship was over.  Gia went back to her room and cleaned up, made the bed and put all her dirty clothes she had brought home from school in the laundry before getting into the shower and getting ready for the day.  Gia made sure to hide the 'little bean' in her desk drawer under a bunch of old papers so that no one would ever find it.  She put a pack of crackers in her purse so if she was out and about she would be able to grab one and eat it quickly.  Gia took the presents she had bought in Heathrow Airport downstairs so that she could wrap them and put them under the tree.  Gia was just finishing when she heard her family return home. She met them upstairs as they came in the door.

"How are you feeling?" Mother asked immediately.

"A little better.  I had some toast and I haven't thrown up again." Gia stated not giving the full truth that she hadn't thrown up since she had eaten.

"Did Nick and Alex return yet?" Mother asked.

"Not yet."  Gia said trying to make it sound like she wasn't upset.

"Do you want to come with me to the grocery store and get the things we need?  Christmas Eve is in three days and we need to start preparing the food." Mother said.

"Sure I will just go get my shoes."  Gia ran up the stairs and got her shoes and purse and then met her mother back downstairs.  Gia's mother grabbed her shopping list and they headed out the door.  It took almost two hours to get through the grocery store finding everything on the list.  They had so much food.  It made Gia forget about her troubles.  They were standing in the checkout line when her mother turned to her.

"Are you feeling okay, you are looking pale again." Mother pointed out.

"I am just feeling tired again. This virus is really kicking my butt." Gia said.

"You can rest when you get back home.  But it seems as if there is something else."

"I talked to Alex and we kind of had a fight.  I feel so confused about the whole thing."

"Well if he can't appreciate you than he doesn't deserve you.  Do you want to tell me about what happened?" She finished.

"Not yet.  I need to think about it some more."

"Well you can always talk to me or Nonna, we have been around for a while and give great advice." She said trying to be comforting.  They finished checking out of the store and stopped and grabbed some Chinese food for the family on the way home.  It smelled great and Gia was feeling hungry.  Her stomach hadn't bothered her since that morning and so she was feeling better in that way.  It was just how she had left things with Alex that was weighing so heavily on her mind.