Page 214 of La Dolce Vita

"Now you sit here and let me clean the mess. You know I'm better at it than you."

"True," she agreed. He got up and went to the mess. He shook his head at the stains on the wall. His mother was going to have a fit.

"Renaldo?"

"Yes, my love."

"You're a good friend."

He glanced back at her. "Am I?"

"And a good husband. The very best husband," she blew him a kiss.

"That's my girl."

“You belong to us Renaldo. Our family. Okay?”

He nodded. “I understand Kyra.”

***

There are too many people here.Catalina walked in Melanzana to a chorus of applause. Family members she hadn't seen in years cheered her arrival. If it weren't for her sunglasses, they would have seen the raw hurt in her swollen teary eyes. Instead, several rushed her, gushing congratulations.

And then it occurred to her. The fashion show was big news in Italy. At that very moment, the press reported on a finale without the head designer. She'd not only destroyed Dominic, but she let Mirabella down.

The family hurled question after question about her time spent on the runway. She couldn't stomach much of it. When she looked back in search of help, she saw Paolo. That meant Rosetta was nearby.The bitch was kept away from her.They sat in separate sections of the plane. She and Raffaele drove a different car home.

"Welcome home,"ZiaJosefina grabbed her face and kissed her brow.

"Where’s Rosetta?" Catalina asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her."

"Domi? Have you seen him?" she asked.

Josefina shook her head no. That was the final straw. Catalina broke free of the family circus and ran for the stairs. She didn't stop running until she reached her room. She slammed the door shut.

Wiping her tears she went to her phone and picked it up. She paged Dominic. He should know she was home. All she needed to do was talk to him. Catalina emptied her purse on her bed. The tapes scattered. Her phone book dropped out as well. Catalina picked it up and thumbed through the pages. She needed the number for Mirabella and Marietta. They would know what to do.

When she dialed, she bit her nails and waited.

"Hello?" a woman answered.

"Hi, ah, is Mirabella there?"

"No, honey. She ain't here no more."

"Oh? This is her sister-in-law. Catalina. Is Marietta there?"

"Oh, hi there! I'm Minnie. I guess we sorta like family too. Heard so much about you."

"Hi Minnie, is Marietta there?"

"No, hun, they are one their way home. They left almost six hours ago. Didn't you know?"

"They're on their way back? So soon? I thought..."

"That they would stay a week? No. I was sad too. I loved those babies." Minnie said. "I'm just over here cleaning out the place. We keep it fresh you know. Nice and fresh for Mia."

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