Love Like Winter

''Get up you lazy girl! All you do is sleep, come on!''

Yes, my granny does love me.

I rolled off the bed and fell straight on the cold floor. It was a refreshment compared to the bed that was almost on fire how hot it was. My grandmother had pulled the curtains off the windows and placed her hands on hips. Her head was on the side a bit, her eyebrow up, as in a way 'what the hell are you doing now'.

I got up on my feet, hair messed up, covering my face, in my boxers and some washed out white undershirt.

''Your grandfather is waiting for you downstairs, he hasn't seen you in a while now bella, get washed and all, you know where everything is, and breakfast is waiting for you'', she added while picking up a few clothes off the floor.

Looks as if granny still had some love left in her old heart. She was around 5'4, 5’5 tall, just as me, but much fatter. She had short gray hair, that seemed to be curly, but when you touched it, it seemed like it was pure silk. She wore glasses and had the most amazing green eyes. She was a bit stubborn and all, but deep down in her heart, she was absolutely, positively a great person.

''Fine nona, I'll be done quickly'', I yawned and opened my coffer. Like always I had put my whole wardrobe into three square meters. Trust me on this one that was not enough for me.

I pulled out a short black mini skirt and a black tight top. I added the matching pair of white Adidas universal sneakers with the black stripes on the side. I took eyeliner and applied it on top of my eyelid, in a 'cat eyes' way. I took mascara and applied it on the lashes, without poking my eye with the brush that time.

My room was on the end of the hallway; well actually, I could say it was the best room in the house. My grandpa designed it himself just for me, his first granddaughter. The room was white, with a big balcony across the big bed. It was decorated like a room in the 50's you could say, but it all seemed to be fresh and new because it was kept clean during the years. The room was big and bright, just like every other spot in the house.

About fifteen minutes later, after I was done with all the other grooming, I went downstairs to check out my grandfather Giuseppe. As I was passing down the stairs I was walking by my all the pictures my granny had took over the years. You couldn't find a free spot on the wall next to the stairs because she had massacred it with her pictures. There were a lot of them with my father and his brother Mario, his kids, my cousins actually, Matteo and Joseph, my aunts, other cousins, and etc... The living room was big, actually the biggest room in the house. There was a fireplace, a black piano and a big sofa in the middle, the shelves full of books and old antiquities, photos again, and everything that had some meaning to my grandparents.

''Alessandra di Rossi!''

And my pretty dream was broke into pieces hen my grandmother screamed my real name.

I tightened my fist and pulled up a frown on my face, ''it's Allie, not Alessandra!'', and marched into the kitchen.

''Yes, yes, you can't run from your Italian roots'', nona was sarcastic, yet again.

''Come on Carla, leave my bella alone'', said a deep, but yet soft voice from the back.

I turned around to see my grandfather, Giuseppe, standing with a big smile, waiting for me to jump into his arms.

''Nono!'', and so I did.

''Mia bella nipote, I have missed you'', he messed my hair a bit before letting go, ''you get prettier and prettier every year'', and he smiled.

''Oh thank you grandpa, you get pretty too yourself'', I giggled before I sat down to eat.

''He gets pretty? Oh please, don't make me laugh dear'', grandma added trough a sarcastic laugh.

Grandma always knew how to make a good meal. We spend two hours of talking and eating, and then finally I went out with my uncle Carlo again. We went down to Campo de’ Fiori, took photos, had lunch and fooled around with the local people. My uncle was pretty immature for his age; he was only thirty years old, but he wasn’t going to spend the summer here; he was a captain on MSC cruisers, and he was going to be abroad the whole upcoming year.

Twilight was starting to fall when the car stopped in front of the house.

‘’I’m coming with you, mia madre is probably missing me!’’, he joked.

I laughed to the thought of Carlo and his mom, my grandma together. They loved each other very much, don’t get me wrong, but they were always like a cat and a dog to each other. He was her third son and the youngest, so no wonder my grandparents loved me. I was the first girl in the family; I had a lot of male relatives and only two female cousins, Tina and Nikki.

‘’She loves you alright’’, I muttered trough a yawn and got out the car.

The sky was a light pink, mixed with orange and yellow colors. The clouds were beautifully white, while the sun was at the horizon, falling deeper and deeper behind the trees and buildings of Rome. It was the perfect romantic movie, but without the guy.

I missed Brian. I couldn’t talk to him over Facebook, because my mother had told my grandmother to hide the laptop so that ‘I can rest this summer and quit with everything unimportant’. Brian was important to me though. Thinking about my friends, thinking about America, I wondered did anyone think of me, where am I, how am I, and such.

‘’Mamma!’’

‘’Oh Carlo, you always scare me!’’, my grandmother gasped like a 50’s diva.

‘’Aarh, quit acting Carla, you always dramatize’’, my grandfather said in a mocking voice.

Carlo and I giggled to be ‘rewarded’ with a ferocious look from grandma.

‘’Alessandra’’,she started.

‘’Allie’, I corrected proudly, while grabbing a glass of water.

She rolled her eyes,’’whatever. Felix and Vicenzo were looking for you; they stopped by, not even half an hour ago, I told them you’ll be home around nine, I didn’t know when you were coming home.’

And then finally, my mood changed from sloppy to happy, ‘’Vicenzo and Felix are here?’’

Both my grandparents nodded their heads,’’yes, why don’t you go find them now, I think you could use some company while you’re here’’, grandpa smiled.

I winked and nodded in joy and ran out the house to find them.

My phone rang; a message from uncle Carlo.

‘’Just be back till midnight, okay?’’

I rolled my eyes and bit my lip.

‘’Okay’’, I answered although I wanted to stay out more.

Vicenzo di Rossi was my cousin. He was pretty tall, around 6 feet, he was a big stronger, with brown eyes and black hair. He was two years older than me. As children we never got along very much, he, just like my other cousins Matteo, Mario and Joseph were under the rule ‘you are a girl, you can’t play with us’. But as years passed, soon we bonded that much that I felt like he was my brother.

On the other hand, Felix Anderson was a boy that we grew up with; he lived the house next to mine. Three years older than me, but was certainly much more immature than me and my sister put together. He was tall, like Vicenzo, had a mixture of brown and blond hair and green eyes. His voice was rather deep, like some old man’s, but at some points he could squeal as a mouse. He did sing very well though. Never put his hands off the guitar.

So I passed the whole street and I couldn’t find them.

They weren’t at home, I looked there too.

I sat on the porch of Vicenzo’s home; it was a little above my house, but it had a good view of Rome. The sun was perched at its lowest peak at the end of the day.

And then, all I did was wait and think…

‘’Allie!’’