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Because the closer we get, the more something inside me recognizes everything.

Not individual houses or roads. Some of those have changed. Some I don’t remember at all.

It’s deeper than memory.

It’s the light. The air. The mountains behind us and the sea in front of us. The sound of Italian everywhere.

Chiara swears at someone through the windshield and I burst out laughing.

“Welcome to Calabria,” I tell Jude.

He looks at me instead of the view.

I turn back toward the window as the sea flashes between two houses and breathe it in.

God, I missed this.

I recognize the small street we grew up on and point out where Dex should park.

Our parents never sold our beach house and they gave us the keys, but first...

As soon as the car comes to a stop, both Chiara and I jump out and run toward the little house beside ours.

And there she is.

Sitting in an old wooden chair outside, needle and thread in her hands.

“Nonna!”

She looks up.

Her hair is more silver now. There are dark spots across her skin and somehow she looks smaller than I remember, but the second she sees us running toward her, her whole face lights up.

Half her teeth are gone and she’s wearing her usual blue apron with tiny white flowers.

“Amori miei!” she cries as she slowly pushes herself to her feet.

We collide with her and she starts to cry.

She didn’t know.

We decided to surprise her.

Jude

I don't understand a damn word.

Not one.

Nora and Chiara are talking over each other, their grandmother is talking louder than both of them, and every few seconds one of the three starts crying again before somebody laughs and somehow that turns into more crying.

I stand a few feet away with Dex and watch Nora get her face grabbed between two wrinkled hands for what has to be the fifth time.

She doesn't seem to mind. Actually, she looks like she might never want the woman to let go.

Her grandmother is tiny. I mean tiny. Nora isn't exactly tall, but this woman barely reaches her shoulder. Her silver hair is pulled back from her face, she's wearing a blue apron covered in little white flowers, and she keeps touching Nora. Her cheeks, her hair, her arms, like she needs to make sure she's actually standing in front of her.

Then she looks over Nora's shoulder at us and her eyes narrow.