Trapped in Venice Chapter 2 Part 1

I spent the last hour and a half playing with Lucy and talking with Marie in my bedroom. I’d put my suitcases near the bed, not bothering to unpack because we’d be leaving soon.

"So, when’d you get together with Patrick?" I asked, smirking at the idea. They’d hated each other for as long as I could remember.

"Last summer. When you didn’t come up for holiday, we were both left by ourselves, and the only thing we really had a chance to do was sit under the stars at night and talk, mostly because of his job." She sighed. "So, we’d sit out there and mostly talk about how funny you were, but then, we started talking about ourselves, getting to know one another, and over that three months, we fell in love." She smiled, tickling Lucy. "And we got married, and made her and her sister." She said, grinning at her little girl.

Sarah whined from her bed, and Marie got up, going to the room next to mine to get her, bringing her into the room.

"Say hello, sleepy Sarah." Marie said to her girl. Lucy bounced on the bed, skirt flying up with every jump.

"Ewwo." She mumbled, moving closer in the cradle of her mother’s arms.

"Being a mother suits you." I said, smiling at the picture before me. Lucy bounced up behind me and started playing with my hair.

Marie grinned, and said, "I don’t think Lucy’s seen blond hair before."

"Pretty. Pretty." Lucy said, and pulled all of my hair together, moving it around. I smirked and turned on her, tickling her tummy. She giggled, and I grabbed her feet, tickling her tiny toes, too.

She was laughing when my mother walked into the room, stopping as soon as she realized her presence.

"Hey, mom." I said.

"Hello. You were supposed to report to your fathers study immediately when you arrived."

"Sorry, mom. You can’t expect me to know what to do without telling me first." I muttered, putting Lucy flat on her bottom and standing up, brushing the skirt of my dress down.

"You look nice," she said, looking down her nose at me, as if I never looked nice in my life.

"Ahuh." I said, and brushed past her to dad’s study. I noticed that the click-clack of her heels didn’t follow me down the hall, but I didn’t think anything of it.

"Hey, dad," I said when I went into his room, surveying the change. The desk was close to the window and the bookcases were toppling over with books.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, grinning, and stood to give me a hug.

"Hey, daddy," I said, and as I squeezed his middle tightly, I realized that I’d missed him a lot. He wasn’t bad, but mom was unbearable sometimes.

"How’ve you been?" he asked, holding me out at arm’s length to take me in, dress and all. "You look good." He said before I could answer his question. There was business side again, I thought, and shut myself off again. "So, you didn’t have any trouble getting off work this month?"

"Naah," I said, offhandedly, hoping he’d dismiss the subject.

"Well, good." He said, and went to his table for his drink. He leaned on the desk, scotch in his hand. "Where in the world is your mother?" he asked, and like it was cued, she rushed in the door.

"Sorry, I was…busy," she said, and nervously tried to fix her already perfect hair. I looked from one parent to the other. Dad had grayed nicely, and you could barely tell it was any different from the white blond it had been ten years ago. Mom, on the other hand, refused to let go of her youth. She continued to dye it back to the boring brown it always was, but I could see a few grays at the roots.

"So, what are we doing till tomorrow?" I asked nonchalantly, hoping it was let mom do whatever she does, and me and dad continue our ongoing chess tournament.

"Well, honey," mom started, and dad’s eyes widened, seeing what was coming, "we are going shopping. I saw those horrid clothes in your suitcases, and they just can not do!"

"Mom, it’s fine. You shouldn’t spend money when you don’t have to."

"I insist," she persisted, and I gave my dad a "save me" expression as she drug me off to slaughter.