Even though I was talking to Sean on the phone every night, I missed him like crazy. I started wearing the locket he gave me when I left for college on a regular basis. Just having it close to my heart made me feel a little less lonely.



“You girls ready?” Shawna asked, walking into our room. We were going shopping in town today. Kelli and I were hanging out with Shawna a lot and we were all becoming good friends.



We headed to a local store and Shawna immediately started grabbing clothes off the racks. I tried on a few things, and asked Kelli for her opinion, but she was staring at her reflection in the mirror, lost in thought.



“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just having a rough week with midterms,” Kelli replied, shrugging.

I knew her better than that, but I also knew I couldn’t force her to open up. Kelli would have to tell me what was wrong in her own time.

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When we got home, my phone rang. It was my Nonna.

“Hello, Nonna! How are you? ... No, I’m not doing anything this weekend… Sure I can come visit… Okay, I’ll see you at noon on Saturday.” I hung up the phone and made a note on my calendar for my visit.



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Saturday morning I grabbed my overnight bag and made the hour and a half drive to my grandparents’ house for the weekend. When I arrived, Nonna made us lunch and we sat down to eat. Nonno was in town for the day so I wouldn’t get to see him until later.



“How’s your boyfriend? Are you still seeing him, dear?” Nonna asked curiously.



“Sean is fine, Nonna.” I replied, uneasily. “The distance isn’t hard like I thought it would be. I have school to keep me busy anyway.” I always felt uncomfortable talking to my grandparents about Sean.



“That’s a good girl. Keep your mind on school. Your education is important right now,” she said.

Just then the doorbell rang.

“Excuse me,” Nonna said as she got up from the table to answer the door.



I didn’t recognize the man at the door. He looked about my age though. What could a young man be doing visiting Nonna?



“Buon pomeriggio! Mrs. Marino,” the visitor greeted my grandmother warmly in Italian.

“Good afternoon, Emilio!” she greeted him in return. “When you’re done in the yard, can you take a look at the sink in the upstairs bathroom? It’s leaking again.”

“Sure, I can take a look at it now,” he answered.



“Oh, I want you to meet my granddaughter, Katarina. Here she is, in the kitchen,” I heard Nonna saying as she led him over to me. “Kat, this is Emilio De Luca, our neighbor’s son.”

“Hello, Katarina,” he said pleasantly, extending his hand.

I shook his offered hand and replied, “Nice to meet you.”

Then he turned and headed up the stairs to fix the faulty sink.



“Emilio helps us with yard work and household chores,” Nonna explained. “He’s a great help in the garden, and the pool; especially with your grandfather gone most of the time. I just can’t keep up this house like I used to.”



It was nice that my grandparents had some help around the house.

Nonna was feeling tired, and went upstairs to take a nap. I was just finishing washing the dishes from lunch when I noticed I was being watched.



“I finished the pipes, they shouldn’t leak anymore,” he said. “I didn’t want to wake your grandmother, so could you please tell her when she gets up?”

“Oh, sure,” I said, not knowing what to say to the stranger I found myself alone with.



“I’m going to clean the pool now, if you’d like to join me for a dip.” He asked invitingly when I walked him to the door.

“Oh, no thanks, I have to do some studying. Besides, I didn’t bring my suit.” I declined. I saw a small smile come onto his face at the thought of me not having a bathing suit and inwardly kicked myself.

“You’re a student?” Emilio asked.

“Yeah, I’m a Freshman at Académie Le Tour,” I replied.

“No kidding? I go to Le Tour also,” he said. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around campus, Katarina.”

I waved goodbye as he walked around the house to the pool.



Studying in the spare bedroom my grandparents had made up for my visit was distracting. It had a view of the pool… and Emilio. It wasn’t that I was gawking at him; I just thought that a dip in the pool and having someone to keep me company was a much better way to pass the time than studying. But like I said, I didn’t have a suit with me, and I needed to prepare for a midterm on Monday. I moved my textbooks to the study downstairs and got to work.

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The rest of the fall semester was crazy. I didn’t expect the work load to be so much around finals time. Group projects, papers, and final exams were overlapping, and I found myself rushing to get everything done. I hadn’t seen Sean since Thanksgiving, but we’d both be home in Danview Valley for the holidays.

Being home was so relaxing. Pete and Sean were over almost all of the time, and Momma was playing quite the hostess to a full house.

Sophia banged away at Christmas Carols on the piano, her childhood lessons paying off finally, and Momma and I belted out the verses as well as we could remember them.



We got some snow a week before Christmas, but of course it didn’t last long. We never had white Christmases in the south. But we enjoyed the snow while it lasted, making snow angels and snowmen until our hands were numb with cold.



Sophia and Pete were inseparable. I’m no psychic, but I think they’re gonna get married someday. It was so cute. My sister hadn't been that happy in a long time, and I was happy for her.



I had some stolen moments with Sean as well. We got to see each other almost every day during the month long winter break.



For Christmas Eve, I helped Momma cook a big turkey dinner. Kelli came over for a few hours and we all sat around the table talking until our bellies were full.



Sean and Kelli left to spend the rest of the night with their families, and Sophia went home with Pete. She was going to stay the night and spend Christmas morning at his house. Momma and I were alone again for the first time since I had left for college.

We put in an old Christmas movie and I settled in beside her on the couch with some hot chocolate and a warm blanket. I couldn’t help but to think about all the ways Momma and I were alike, I was definitely more like her than Sophia was. I just wished Momma had someone special to spend the holidays with.

Soon, my eyelids got heavy and I felt myself drifting off to sleep to the sound of jingle bells.

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Next time: A bad dream, and an untold story - Kelli faces a tough decision.