Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST MET HER. I had just arrived in Italy- Sicily to be exact. My family owned a Villa there and I had gone there to visit my grandparents- just like I had every summer since I was eight. I used to think it was because my parents never wanted me around on the summer.
Having me around in the school year was enough and they wanted to get me out of the house. It didn't matter to me much because I always loved going to Italy. It was my second home, or third after Mexico and Arizona- where I lived.
It was the place I had met my best friends- Alicia and Stella- and my boyfriend of two and a half years, Luca. It was the place where I had grown as a person and it was the place where I found myself. It was the place I met her. Sicily was always going to be the place where she was. That beautiful place.
After I had arrived I made my way to the Villa. My grandparents were already there and had, per usual, set up my welcome back banner. It had been the same one since I turned eleven. I didn't mind. I dropped my bags and ran over to my Nonna and wrapped my arms around her and hugged her so tightly.
I felt like sometimes she was the only one who understood me. I gave my Nonno a hug and then looked up at the banner. It was covered in glitter and hearts that I distinctly remember Alicia drawing on there. Nothing else had changed about the Villa either. The tile floor, the white couches, the paintings on the walls and the pool in the backyard.
"We missed you so much, piccola." Piccola, the nickname I've had since forever, only because I was 5'3 and apparently that means I'm very small. I don't think I'm small, just shorter than other people. I hugged them again before I heard shouting coming from the other room. I stepped away from them and gave them questioning looks.
"I didn't realize we rented out the Villa." I said to them. They shook their heads no at me and i furrowed my eyebrows at them.
Nonno sighed, "No. You're friends are very impatient. They are in the room." I gave him a small before running towards the room. I hadn't seen any of them in almost a year and I missed them dearly.
When I threw the door open the shouting stopped and my friends turned to look at me. "Cagna! You're back, I missed you." Alicia yelled and ran over to me; she jumped up and wrapped her arms around me.
"Puttana! I've missed you too." I laughed and threw her off me before Stella ran over to hug me again. Stella was the calmer of the two of them. They balanced each other well. Alicia, the wild, Stella, the calm and me, Costia, the mix. "Aww, Stella you grew." I said to her as if I was a proud mother. She just rolled her eyes at me.
Last but not least, my boyfriend, of two- almost three years, Luca. I walked over to him and hugged him. Luca was my first serious boyfriend, scratch that- my only boyfriend and I truly loved him. "Il mio amore, you look so beautiful." He leaned down a kissed me. I could hear Stella and Alicia from across the room gagging but I didn't care. I was finally reunited with everyone and it felt great.
