For someone so young, Addilyn loved Il Volo, especially the one who loved to dance on stage; Ignazio Boschetto. When an early birthday present sends Addilyn and her mother to New York City to attend an Il Volo concert, Addilyn pushes all caution a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Waking in the early morning, still groggy, Gabby was unsure what time it was. Trying to locate her phone on the bedside table, her hand accidentally touched the lamp, flooding the room with low light. Covering her eyes, she peeked through her fingers, allowing her eyes time to adjust. It was only 3:34 a.m. Not wanting to go downstairs for fear of waking Ignazio, she tapped the light and turned it off. Cuddling in closer to her daughter, Gabby attempted to go back to sleep; however, unable to do so and feeling famished, she decided to take the risk. Throwing a pair of socks on to take away the chill from the floor, she tiptoed down the stairs.
Unfamiliar with Ignazio's home, using her phone to help light her way, Gabby opened the fridge. Usually, not a cold pizza fan, it was something quick to grab. Sitting at the table, she stared out the window at a moonlit night. The last 24 hours were a blur, yet here she sat in Bologna, Italy, with her daughter, about to eat pizza at Ignazio's home. A year ago, travelling to a foreign country wasn't even a someday I want... kind of thought. A year ago, she was just blindly going through life, but now she lived life how she was supposed to. Taking her first bite of pizza, Gabby stopped chewing and stared at the slice in her hand. So simple in its ingredients, each flavour became known on her tastebuds. Devouring it, she went back for seconds.
Drawn to Ignazio's music room, Gabby viewed the awards and pictures on the wall and shelves. Running her fingertips along the edge of the piano, she stared at the pages of sheet music spread out in front of her. She had seen several Instagram posts of Ignazio playing songs in this room. Skimming her fingertips across the keys and accidentally hitting one a little too hard, her eyes shot to the door. Not sure if he would have wanted her to be in here, she quickly left.
Navigating her way back to the living room, the morning chill, made her shiver. Wrapping herself in a knitted throw she found bunched up in the couch's corner, its warmth and coziness enveloped her. Picking up what she thought was the TV remote and hitting the power button, she again covered her eyes with her fingers when the side table lamp turned on. Thankfully, already dimmed low, her eyes adjusted quickly to the warm glow that filled the room. Hitting a second button, flames appeared in the fireplace. Afraid to hit a third in case the stereo came on or, heaven forbid, the chair reclined, Gabby set the remote back down.
Finally able to clearly take in her surroundings, she liked the room's ambiance. Filled with comfortable seating for many to sit, she easily imagined Ignazio, surrounded by friends, enjoying good food, good wine, and lots of laughter. Intrigued by a photograph on a bookshelf, she had to investigate it. Holding the framed photo of three baby-faced teenage boys, she smiled. If they only knew what was in store for them.
Perusing the many book titles that filled the shelf, most were in Italian, with only a few in English. And, while some looked old and had been enjoyed, others looked untouched. Running her finger down the spine of a familiar title, she pulled out the photo book she had created for him. Opening it, the finger-printed pages told the story that it had been looked at quite a bit. Finding several photo books of different countries, Gabby pulled out one titled '28 Hidden Gems of Italy.'
