LEA
It is an extremely hot day in Borgo Vecchio, and I did not even bring my umbrella with me. Walking is not doing any justice. I am sweating and irritated. Argh! I hate this weather so much; for some reason it makes me sick... well, not literally. I just do not like it, like my drunken neighbor Matteo. He thinks that the entire world revolves around him and that one day I will marry him. That is so sick of him, very disgusting. The funny part is my parents entertain his nonsense. Sure, he is handsome, just not my type, and besides, I have a very handsome boyfriend that I am going to marry one day. My phone vibrates, and it is a text from my sweet Alessio: "Hey Lea, do you want to hang out later tonight?" I smiled widely; he makes me so happy. I have not seen him in a while. Okay, well, I did two days ago, but it feels like decades. Alessio and I have been dating since we were in 7th grade. He is my best fri... -okay. I take that back; if Giulia hears me saying that, she is going to eat me alive. I text back, "Yes, Ale, we can go to our favorite spot." After a few seconds, he replies with a smiley sticker. I smile too and shove my phone into my pocket.
I continue walking; it is quite a distance from the market to my place. I am literally sweating; my whole body is sticky. I just cannot wait to get home and take a long shower before I take a nap. There were not a lot of customers in the market today, so I did not make that much of a profit. Imagine walking a long distance while dragging leftover stock. The bags feel like I am carrying bricks. My parents always walk with me to the market in the morning, but I come back alone in the afternoon. Honestly, I am not complaining; selling at the market is one of the things that make me happy. I get to meet new people and admire those luxurious cars passing by; sometimes the owners even buy and tip us. I dream of owning such cars one day. Let me rephrase: I used to dream before my dream was crushed. I did not finish school; I had to drop out when my parents could no longer afford to pay for my fees. I ended up at the markets selling to help out at home.
Finally I arrived at home and changed out of my sweaty shirt. I want to take a shower, but great—there is no water. "Afternoon, Lee, how was the market today?" my mom asks as predicted. I finish her sentence with her, and we both laugh at that. "It was okay, Mother, and how was your day? Also, I noticed there is no water again." "I am okay, Lee, and the water will come back soon; you are always complaining, child." We laugh again. My dad comes in and joins us in our laughter; he has no idea what the joke was. That is him; he is such a happy soul. I am so blessed to have parents like them, although we do not have much. Our tiny two-bedroom house is enough for the three of us. I join my mom in the kitchen; she is preparing lunch for us.
After lunch I napped for thirty minutes and woke up feeling a bit refreshed. I still need to take a shower, though. I strip naked and walk to our tiny bathroom that we share together. All I need right now is a long, refreshing shower. I stepped out of the shower after a few minutes; I remembered I had to go and meet Alessio. I wore my favorite dress that happens to be his favorite too. I looked at myself in the mirror for a few minutes and just adored myself. "Mother, I will see you soon. I am still going to see Giulia," I shout loud enough for her to hear. "That is great, Lee. You can come back anytime; it's great that you are going out." That was strange; my mother never says that to me. I am literally shocked. I chuckle and brush it off. Elena is so unpredictable; she might eat me alive if she finds out that I call her by her name when I am with Giulia.
My phone rings; it's Alessio. "Lea, where are you? I am at the market waiting for you." I smiled a bit and replied, "I am on my way now." He can be a bit impatient, but everyone has flaws, right...?When I see him standing by my market, my chest warms. His scent hits me first; it is like a mixture of vanilla and strawberries. Soft, sweet, and feminine, I really like it. He smiles and pulls me into a hug, the moment I have been waiting for. He holds me tightly, and I melt in his embrace—not the best hug on earth, but I really love it. "Lea, I have missed you so much," he says. "I was going to ask for a kiss, but I know you won't kiss me." Here we go again. Alessio is always complaining about me not kissing him. I am doing my best; hugging him is the best I can do. I understand his concerns; I am nearly twenty and still haven't gotten my first kiss. "Please stop, Alessio; you are making me uncomfortable. We've had this conversation before," I replied to him as calmly as I could. I am annoyed but staying calm like always. That's me; I am always calm no matter what. "Fine, I am sorry," he sighs. "Tell you what, we are going to have our first kiss on your birthday," I say. His face lightens up. He chuckles, and a smirk forms across his cute face. He is so cute; I knew he would like this idea.
His birthday is in two weeks, and now I regret promising him that. I do not know if I am brave enough to face one of my fears: "kissing." I walk home with a huge smile on my face. We really had fun—as always, I always look forward to spending time with him. If you were to ask me, he is the best boyfriend in the entire world.
"BEST FRIEND!" That squeaky voice—I know it's Gee. I turn and grin. "Hey Gee," I reply. I am always the calm one, and she is the total opposite of me. Giulia is always hyper; she even shouts when it is not even necessary. I remember this one time she had a sleepover at my place—we wanted to sneak out, but because Gee is always shouting, she ruined everything for us. Instead of whispering, she shouted, and my mother heard her.
She jumps on me with a hug, and we hug for a long time. "I am going to accompany you to your place; I want to see my Elena." We laugh; she and my mother are best friends, and I am the third wheel. We walk together, mostly her talking and me listening. Gee, and not keeping her promises, she eventually remembers her "plans" and leaves me to walk alone.I got home and saw a black car driving out of our yard. That's new—a fancy car driving in our yard. It is nothing hectic, Lea—I brush it off.
I go inside, I change, and I join my parents for dinner. I greet my parents, but both of them avoid my eyes. They looked scared. We finished eating, and I went to my room. My parents know that I always sleep early, but today, it was different; I felt like staying up all night. I got thirsty and decided to go and drink water in the kitchen. I overhear my parents in the kitchen; they are arguing, whispering, and panicked. I freeze, then I step closer, quietly. What I hear breaks me. "I know Lea is going to hate us," my father says. His voice was shaking. "But she has to marry Massimo; if we refuse, he will kill us. We owe them, remember? Lea is the payment." My parents want to marry me off to Massimo, the black car. I scream, "AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"