Five minutes later, the car rolls to a stop. Daisy parks, hops out, and both she and Jin start grabbing my things to help me.
I see my dad, standing at the entrance like a museum statue, checking his watch like I'm late for my own execution.
Tell me I'm a bad person, go on, but yeah, I show up already pissed, already biased, and already mentally exhausted.
I come here pre-annoyed.
But the second I actually look at the house… it hits me weird. I soften a little and tense up at the same time. This place holds both the best memories I have and the ones that still kick me in the teeth at night.
I walk up to him slowly. He's dressed formal, inside the house, like he's expecting royalty instead of… just me.
Rava.
I lean in and give him a careful hug. "Finally, home," he says, patting my back. "How was the trip?"
"Long. Hot." I pull away, squinting up at him. "You look more like a fisherman every time I see you."
He laughs. "And you look like you've been locked in a library for months."
"I mean… that's not too far from the truth,"
I admit, stretching my arms. "Where's mom?"
"Inside, cooking. You hungry?" That's when I smell it… roasted potatoes.
Jesus Christ. It takes me straight back to childhood summers, running barefoot on sunburnt tiles, sneaking bites of food before dinner.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead, grab the rest of my bags, and follow my dad inside. I feel like I'm twelve again. I haven't been back to Italy much these past years, like, what, twice? Threetimes max. I was always drowning in assignments, deadlines, practicum hours… there was never time. So they came to Canada instead. A lot. Especially mom.
God, I missed this house. My place back home is all dark colors, calm, muted. This one? Bright everywhere.
I walk into the kitchen. The second I see mom, I can't help but smile. She throws her arms up while still holding a wooden spoon. "There he is! My baby!" She practically tackles me with a hug.
"Rava, I missed you so much," she says, squeezing the life out of me. I wrap my arms around her and run my hand through her hair.
"I missed you too, mom." She pulls back to look at me and does the classic mom stare.
"Oh my God, Rava. What are they feeding you over there? You get more handsome every time I see you."
I adjust my glasses, tug on my shirt, trying not to look like a melted tourist.
"Mom, Idon'tlook handsome right now. I literally look like I survived a war. You don't have to lie."
"I'mnotlying," she snaps. "When your hair looks terrible and sticks up everywhere, I tell you."
"…Okay, fair."
"I know," she smirks.
"I'm gonna take a quick shower and come back," I say, stepping toward the hallway.
"Yes, go! Food is almost ready."
Up in my room, I drop my bag by the bed and sit on the mattress. The window is open just a crack, letting in a gentle, nice breeze. I stand and walk over to it, pushing it open wider. The view is exactly how I remember it, the sea in the distance, the long main road stretching out below.
…Wait a damn minute. There is a whole-ass house next to ours. A giant one. This wasn't here.
This plot used to be dead grass and a sad goalpost where Jin and I played soccer until someone cried.
