It wasn’t that big of a deal, was it, moving in with Christian?
It’s only temporary.
She wasn’t moving in with him, she was staying there for a while until she found a place. It wasn’t that big a deal and with Mimi moving closer to their mother, she wouldn’t be as worried about leaving her alone.
She drove back to Mimi’s on Sunday evening to pick her mother up because Mimi had taken Mama over to her place. On the drive back, she tried to work out how when she had resisted the idea for so long, had she now finally agreed to it? Christian could be persuasive. He was intense, and passionate, and so hard to resist. Had that been her undoing? But yet it made sense. She liked being with him, and perhaps this could lead to something long lasting, something with legs. Moving in could be the cement to their relationship—the assurance she sought and needed that Christian was all in and that she wasn’t just a fleeting fancy.
By the time she arrived at Mimi’s place, she could see her sister’s patience was wearing thin. Mimi had already called her twice during the day asking her what time she would be over.
While she was there, Gina wondered if this might be the perfect opportunity to break her most recent news to them both. And to do it before she analyzed it too deeply and talked herself out of it.
“You’re late,” growled Mimi, as soon as she opened the door. She looked flustered.
“Late?” asked Gina. “Are you going out this evening?” She stepped into the kitchen where Pia and a friend had covered the entire dining table with paper and colored felt-tips and pencils.
“Ciao Aunty Gina.” Pia looked up with a bright pink felt-tip in her hand.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Gina walked over and ruffled her niece’s hair. This was new, and nice, and she loved it, seeing her niece on a regular basis, having her sister and her family close by instead of being like strangers they saw once a year. Gina was determined to develop a bond with her niece, and Pia was adorable.
“This is Kiana,” said Pia. “She’s my best friend.”
Gina smiled at her. “What are you girls working on?”
“We’re doing a brochure for Verona. We have to sell it to people,” Kiana replied. Gina examined their drawings and ooooh’d and aaaah’d at their perfect coloring, neat and within the lines. “That’s very pretty.”
“Have you come to pick up Nonna?” Pia asked.
“Yes. Did you have a nice time with her?”
Pia nodded while coloring in the petals of a flower. “I did.” She said it in a way that made Gina take notice.
“Only you did?” Gina asked hoping to weasel out some words of her niece.
“Mama said Nonna was going to kill her.”
“She said what?”
Pia’s face scrunched up as she tried to remember. “She said Nonna would be the death of her.”
Kiana looked up in shock, her Bambi-brown eyes large.
“I’m sure she was joking, Kiana.” Gina rushed to reassure Pia’s friend. “My sister has a funny way of saying things sometimes.”
“Mama has a headache today. She said Nonna gave it to her.”
“Is that right?” Gina asked her niece. She looked around the kitchen and saw that Mimi had disappeared. “Let me go and see what Nonna’s doing.”
She found her mother in the living room watching another Sophia Loren film. “There you are, Mama.” She examined her mother’s face for any visible signs of distress. “Have you had a good weekend?”
Her mother stared at her. “There you are. What time do you call this?”
“I came as soon as I could.”
“I’ve been ready since this morning.”
Gina laughed. “I never said I’d be here in the morning.” As if Christian would have let her leave any time before 6pm.
“We can leave now. Are you ready to go, Mama?”
“I’ve been ready for hours,” her mother replied, gruffly.
Just then, Mimi entered the room with her mother’s overnight bag. “There, that’s all of her things.” She looked to be in a rush to get them out.
“Thanks,” said Gina. “Do you have to be somewhere?”
Mimi folded her arms. “I thought I’d bring her bag down to save her from going up to get it.”
Ignoring her, Gina addressed her mother, “How are you feeling, Mama?”
“She’s fine,” Mimi replied for her. “Aren’t you, Mama?”
“I’m fine now that I’m going home,” said her mother. It was so easy to detect the splinter of friction in the air. Gina looked from her mother to her sister and wasn’t sure how to broach it when the air was heavy, like glue. “So, you all had a pleasant weekend?”
“Mimi looked after me well,” her mother said finally, as she started to rise out of the armchair.
“I’ve got to do some ironing for tomorrow,” her sister announced, as if she couldn’t wait to get rid of them. Gina stood her ground. “We weren’t going to leave so soon.” A cold drink, or iced tea would have been nice—had it been offered, but it was evident that this had been a tough weekend for Mimi.
She decided that the time was ripe to hit them with her news.
“I’ve got an announcement to make.”
Mimi gave her a curious look. “What sort of announcement?”
Her mother paused the film again.
“Nothing major,” replied Gina. Mimi’s face registered shock, as if she were waiting for some life-changing news.
“Did he propose?” Mimi asked, as if it were a terrible thing to happen.
“Are you pregnant?” her mother asked.
Their reactions horrified Gina and she didn’t know who to respond to first.
“I'm moving in with Christian.”
“Moving in?” Mimi barked. “Isn’t it too soon?”
“I’m moving in temporarily.”
Mimi’s face twisted in consternation. “But you were so determined to get a place of your own!”
“I’ve been looking for months and I can't find anything so I’m moving in until I find something decent.”
“But what’s the rush? You work in Verona? Why would you move further out, when you already live so close to where you work?”
“It’s not a long journey,” explained Gina. “I was looking to move out that way anyway.” She didn’t understand their annoyance, and their visible displeasure disappointed her. Why couldn’t they be happy for her?
“But you’ve only been together for a couple of months.” Mimi looked shocked.
“Four months,” Gina corrected her. Mimi rubbed her forehead as if this was a grave situation.
“What about Mama?” exclaimed Mimi.
“What about her? You’re moving to Verona. It’s perfect timing,” Gina replied.
“But I have my second knee operation in a few months’ time.”
“I can’t wait for that, Mama. We’ll manage to keep an eye on you,” she eyed her sister as if seeking confirmation. If she committed to being at home until her mother had her second knee operation, what with the post-surgery recovery period, it would be months before she moved out. Once upon a time she would have agreed to without blinking, but these days she found it paid to be selfish and put her interests first. She wasn’t going to put her life on hold any more, not for anyone.
Not only that , Christian wouldn’t be too pleased if she postponed moving in with him and besides, she liked the idea of being settled and in her own apartment by Christmas.
“Don’t worry, Mama, we’re not going to desert you.”
“But when?” Mimi asked.
Christian had told her she could move in tomorrow, but she had laughed it off and after that they hadn’t discussed dates and timeframes much, not then, she remembered, as they had ended up in the bedroom. He’d told her it was up to her but with a couple of busy weekends coming up, she couldn’t see it happening until next month.
“Soon, I hope.”
Her mother’s face fell. Gina took her hand, something she didn’t do often. “I’m not leaving forever, Mama. I’ll still come and see you on weekends.”
“I’ll believe it when it happens.” Her mother turned away and resumed playing the film.
“Can I have a word?” asked Mimi. Gina followed her out into the hallway. “You barely know him.”
“I know him well enough,” Gina huffed, her sister’s illogical reaction confounding her. “Why does it bother you so much?”
“You’re not thinking things through,” said her sister. “Mama’s going to have her surgery soon and you’re moving out.”
“I’m not moving to another country, and I’ll make it work, we’ll make it work, plus you’re moving to Verona.” She eyed her sister suspiciously, understanding what it was Mimi feared.
“We’re still looking for a new place, and Marco will have to find a better job and I’ll have to get Pia all settled in again at a new school, do you realize how stressful all of that is?”
“I don’t follow,” replied Gina, haughtily. Although she did. She followed it perfectly.
“Instead of thinking about your—”
“Gina! When did you get here?” She turned around to see Marco, Mimi’s husband, rubbing his eyes. He was wearing pajamas.
“I didn’t know you were at home, Marco.” Gina looked at her brother-in-law, at the receding hairline and the bleary face.
“He worked through the night,” explained Mimi. “And he didn’t get home until midday. Go back to sleep, Marco.”
“Good to see you,” he said, and slunk upstairs slowly.
The atmosphere had turned toxic and it was clearly time to leave. Making an escape from her sister, Gina poked her head around the living room door. “Come on Mama, we should go.”