when in rome

iv: i love lamp

"Gabi, honey, make sure you don't drop those." Samantha stated in front of me, as I struggled to walk behind her. I was carrying practically everything she absolutely needed (or at least, what she says she needs) as she walked in complete happiness. From her ridiculously large purse, her two expensive iPhone, a canvas (with the stand), and a suitcase of oil paints, my hands were definitely tied.

This is day five of my Italian adventure, and so far it's complete crap. I haven't had the time to even doodle one little thing, due to all the unnecessary items Samantha would put on my daily list of things to do. This included picking up her dry cleaning, travelling the entire city for the right slice of pizza, and cleaning the thousands of brushes she owns. Oh, at I don't just mean paint brushes. I'm surprised the woman has any hair left, considering that majority of her blonde locks are sitting in seven different hair brushes. Which, she uses one for each day of the week.

In addition to doing all of Samantha's hard labor, she also expects me to dress a certain way. She wants me to look professional at all times, as if I was her mini me. If anyone I knew back home saw me now, they wouldn't even know who I am. I practically had to get rid of all my usual clothes, that consisted of combat boots, t-shirts, and my most favorite, jeans. But unfortunately today, along with the rest of my days in Rome, I dressed in bold colors and fancy tops, with skirts and pants. Today was the delightful combination of a minty green long sleeve romper and white pointed flats. My hair had to be in perfect wavy curls, according to Samantha, with a white headband sitting on top of them.

Unfortunately, the romper was giving me a wedgie, the headband gave me a headache, and I could already feel the blisters on my feet. It was not the way I wanted to explore Italy.

The closest I've been to tourism was during this moment, as the two of us were heading to the Trevi Fountain. She wanted her next art piece to be of the fountain, as it visually represented the idea of love. She wanted to paint the perfect picture of it, and send it to her rich, French fiance. Whenever I tried to draw something for Dylan, he'd just kiss me and put it on his fridge. Eventually it would fall, and end up on the floor for days at a time.

Speaking of my boyfriend, I haven't talked to him since day one. After settling in to my room, I spent a few minutes talking to him, and Grey as well. The two were together surprisingly, but it was great getting to talk to them both. Seeing the fountain reminded me to call him later, to see what he's up to.

Through the crowds of tourists, we made our way to the center, right in front of the fountain. I took a moment to gaze at it's beauty. The best thing about it was hearing the small splashes from a person's coin. I thought it was cute seeing all these people believe in love.

"Okay, this spot is perfect." Samantha stopped, looking up. She turned to me, with her arms crossed. "Gabi, start setting up."

Feeling completely hot and sweaty, I smiled in sarcasm.  As she turned away, I stuck my tongue out. If that doesn't show my annoyance for Samantha Sinclair, I don't know what does.

Okay, yes, I claimed that she was my idol and my inspiration, but now she's just a pain in my ass. I can't snap just yet though, because I know she'll teach me something. That's the main reason I came here. I'm supposed to be her intern that learns from her, not an assistant that works for her. I have confidence that something big will happen, I just have to wait a little bit longer.

I kept hold of all her stuff, while attempting to set up her canvas. I was not successful however, but didn't expect help from her. I looked up and watched her walk away. I lost her in the crowd of people. I didn't bother to get up and look around, as she probably went to look around for something that caught her attention. As high maintenance as she is, it takes practically forever to catch her attention.