Nightwalker

Nineteen

3 years ago, October 31st, 2018.

~

Amalia

Italy has to be the best place on Earth.

Or at least that's what my mommy makes it sound like.

She's going away again with Daddy for vacation, and this time she's not bringing us.

"After this parent teacher interview, I have to get home and start packing. I'm already behind schedule." Mom grumpily speaks to Fee-Fee while rummaging through her purse for something.

"I'm babysitting for how long?"

"It's not babysitting, Phoenix—don't be ridiculous. She's your sister."

Fee-Fee smiles at me and messes my hair up.

"How long will you be gone with Dad?" She finally finds what she was looking for in her purse; a lipstick.

We were in line for another of Fee-Fee's teachers, this time it was for French. The hallways were packed with big families talking and tapping their feet.

There's nothing I wanted more than to go home.

"We're gonna be in Tuscany for roughly two weeks—you can handle your seven year old sister for that long, right?"

Phoenix crosses his arms and rolls his eyes at Mom.

This makes me upset, so I try to focus on balancing my weight between my feet. My thighs were sore from all the playing I did yesterday.

Since mommy was leaving for so long, I'd have lots more time to play with Phoenix and my dolls rather than doing homework. However, I wanted her around more than I wanted to do those things.

Sometimes it feels like she likes the family vacation house much more than she likes being with us.

I knew that wasn't true, but she's always on the next flight out somewhere like she can't stand to be with us for more than a second.

Phoenix was always left in charge and we had a chef that would quickly stop by if we requested him.

I'd forgotten what mommy's cooking even tasted like by now—the last time she cooked it was January.

It's Halloween now.

"You're leaving tonight?" I ask.

"Yes, Izzy."

She always called me that when she was frustrated.

I was told my grandmother—my Dad's mother—was named Isabel. My father gave me my middle name Isabel as a tribute to his mother, who'd died just a year before my birth.

According to Fee-Fee, Grandma Isabel was mean to mother and didn't she like her very much.

Now when she's in a bad mood, she calls me by my middle name, as if she's still mad at Grandma for being so mean to her.

"What time are you leaving?"

"Amalia, can we just cool it with the questions right now? I have a headache."