Nikki grinned as Dani shook her head in mock disgust. "Not usually no."
Alex pulled the key from her pocket and unlocked the front door. She stepped inside and headed for the security keypad before she noticed it wasn’t active. She tilted her head to one side as she tried to remember when Maria and Ilario were supposed to return from their trip to Italy. Unsure if they were back or not, she motioned for everyone to stay in the entryway as she headed deeper into the house. A loud beep emanated from the security keypad announcing the front door was open. As she rounded the corner, she came face to face with Maria, startling them both.
"Madre di Dio!"
"Damn it!"
Nikki and Dani looked at each other curiously as they heard a torrent of Italian, interspersed by an unidentifiable sound. They both walked around the corner to see a small, motherly figure yelling at Alex. Periodically she would punctuate her words with a slap to Alex’s arm. She stood there quietly, taking the abuse with her head hung low. Dani stepped forward to interrupt, and quickly stopped as Alex spoke quietly to the woman in Italian. The woman’s look of annoyance turned to fear, her eyes filled with tears, and her mouth snapped shut before she turned and quickly fled the room.
Alex raised her head in time to see Maria flee through the door to the kitchen. "Maria. Come back, please," she called. She took one step forward and heard the kitchen door slam shut. The flow of words from her mouth may have been in a language they didn’t speak, but there was no mistaking the meaning.
"So much for your restraint." Nikki laughed when Alex looked at her and blushed.
She looked over at a grinning Dani. "Sorry about that. At least she doesn’t speak Italian."
"Is that what that is? It is a beautiful language, even that last little bit." She winked at Alex. "Where did you learn?"
"Italy." She gave Dani a shrug. "There's no better way to learn a language than immersing yourself in it."
Alex gestured for them to follow her, and quickly led them to the living room in the back of the house. As they stepped into the room, she heard Dani gasp. "Oh, how beautiful." The majority of the back wall was glass, allowing an amazing view of the lake and uncut forest.
"Please make yourselves at home. I need to go find Maria." With a nod she turned and left the room in search of her housekeeper. She hobbled through the kitchen and out into the backyard. It wasn’t long before she found Maria on a bench overlooking the lake. She gratefully sat down beside her and quietly waited.
A moment later Maria said, "Why didn’t you call us?"
Alex sighed and looked out at the lake. "I’m sorry, I have no excuse. I should have called days ago."
Maria turned and looked at her. "Days? It has been weeks, piccola."
"Yes, but I’ve only been awake for a few days." At Maria’s look of confusion she began to explain about the accident and ensuing coma. When she finished they sat quietly looking out at the lake.
"You are forgiven, Tesoro." Maria raised her hand and placed it on Alex’s cheek. "But please don’t scare an old woman like that again." She brushed the hair back behind her ear, and for the first time, noticed it seemed much thinner on the left side. She pulled it aside and saw the much shorter hair underneath.
"They had to shave it in order to stitch me up." Alex pulled Maria into a hug as the older woman began to cry. "I’m okay."
Nikki glanced around the tastefully furnished living room. The chocolate brown leather couch, love seat, and recliner were all situated to take advantage of the view offered by the large windows flanking the stone fireplace. The sun's rays reflected off the hardwood floors giving the room a soft glow. She stepped into the office and was amazed by the difference between the two rooms. This room was very sparsely furnished and the walls were bare. She stepped up to the window and looked out over the garden. She noticed the two women sitting on the bench talking, and saw Maria place her hand on Alex’s cheek. She watched as the two women appeared to comfort each other, and felt better knowing that Alex had someone in her life that cared what happened to her. She turned away from the window and headed back into the living room.
As she took a second look around, she realized that the only photographs visible were of wild animals or landscapes; no photos of family or friends could be seen. Hearing a noise, she looked up to see Alex walk into the room, followed closely by Maria.
Alex quickly made the introductions before turning to Maria and saying, "Nikki will be staying with us for a week or two. Please prepare the guest room."
Maria hid her surprise and replied, "Sì, Tesoro. I am so glad to have you home again." She gave Alex’s forearm a quick squeeze. "There will be no more running in the streets for you. Do you hear me?" she asked with a tender smile.
"Sì, Madre." She grinned as Maria took a playful swipe at her. "Hey Maddy, do you want to go out in the backyard and see the water?"
Madison jumped up and down with excitement. "Mommy can I go outside with my angel?"
"Yes, sweetie, but Aunt Nikki needs to go with you and keep you both out of trouble. I’ll be out in just a minute."
As Nikki, Alex, and Madison walked out the door, Dani turned to Maria and asked, "What did you mean by your running in the streets comment?"
Maria looked at her for a moment before she responded.
