I stepped out the rented Fiat and stretched my legs . nana James had a HUGE house. I thought our property was huge but Nana James' one was huge. it had it's own beach for pete's sake. as expected, Nana welcomed us looking fresh as ever and not the immobile, old lady I had imagined. mom and dad went up to her and hugged her before introducing us
"Helena ! she looks more like Stephen than Brody and Lauren do. finally!"
"Sorry that the Tilloné genes overpower the James genes"
"Oh dear, they don't . looks wise, yes, we lose. but personality wise, the James win. Due to our fetish for surprises and impromptu planning. I hear I have a great grandchild and a granddaughter in law on the way ?"
"Gosh! even Nana knew!"
"Ah! Etta , of course I knew. Your siblings prefer to confide in me rather than your uptight parents."
So far, I liked Italy and my grandmother.
We unloaded the bags ourselves since Nana James exclaimed that she never asked her groundskeepers to help her with anything because they weren't her servants . isn't that what they were paid for ? we entered the Versailles inspired foyer and were met by a cool breeze coming in from the sea.
"I suspect Etta will want a grand tour of villa James ? Helena ! you and Stephen know your way around?"
She took me through the lounge, guest lounge, 12-seater dining room and then up the stairs to the rooms. the villa boasted 11 rooms , all en-suite and a guesthouse a mere 5m away from the main house. I felt like I was in a palace. only thing that got to me was the empty TV space .
"Uh, Nana James, I noticed that you didn't have a TV?"
"Oh, that's because I don't watch TV my dear. it messes with your head and isn't very educational "
"Oh"
I was about to ask her more questions about the house when an angry looking boy, about my age, walked in with a shovel. his eyes stayed glued to Nana's face and not once did he glance in my direction. ok, pretty snobbish if you ask me. nana introduced him as Alex and I smiled at him because I was polite and less snobbish than he was. instead of smiling back, he huffed a hello and walked off
"Nice to meet you too Alex"
I screamed after him.
"Don't mind him. he doesn't gel well with people his age . Never mind those who come from foreign lands"
"Foreign lands? like England ?"
"Dear I mean anyone who isn't italian"
"Then why does he talk to you?"
"I'm good friends with his gran"
Oh, a granny friendship. i smiled at her and excused myself. I walked to my room, the biggest one Nana James assured me, and opened the door. the cool see breeze blew the white curtains open, blowing everything else out of place. I strode over to the French doors and walked out to the balcony . fortunately for me, I had the view of the beach. it looked beautiful but rough. hopefully the water here was warmer than in England . I was about to turn back when I heard voices coming from below. I searched for their source and my eyes fell upon Alex and some beautifully tanned girl. I couldn't fully understand what they were saying because of my less than average Italian but I saw enough to know that Alex and this girl were quite the couple. a surprising sense of jealousy overwhelmed me. What was I jealous of ? I had just moved to Italy . I shut the door and walked away.
