The Mafia's Nanny

Annika...

"I can't believe you are moving to Italy. It's worlds apart, and we will never see you again!" My best friend, Anthea, complained about the hundredth time since I announced that I'm moving to Italy. I glared at her as I took a dress out of my wardrobe.

"It's only for a year, and then I can decide if I want to come home or not; you know how these things work." I sighed, shaking my head. I had an offer to work at one of the best hospitals in Italy. I told everyone about it three months ago, and since then she has been saying this. I know that it's far away, but I need to think about my future, and here in South Africa, there isn't a future. I want to be able to help my parents since they still have three other children in school and things are expensive. Two years ago, my father was forced to leave his job due to health issues. Ever since, my mother has been diligently working as a cashier at a local supermarket.

"Yeah, I know, but still, a year is a long time, and what if you decide to stay there and never return?" She asked me with a sad look on her face.

"Anthea, you do realize that there is such a thing as visiting, right?" I continue folding clothes, mentally going through a checklist of essentials for my trip. As I fluff a pillow and lie down on the bed next to my suitcase, I can already feel the excitement building up in my chest.

"I know, but that won't be the same as seeing you every day. You do realize that ever since we were five years old, we have been unseparable?" She chuckles. Yes, we became friends when we were only in kindergarten. She was the first friend I made on my first day after another girl was mean to her and pushed her off a slide. I was there in seconds to defend her.

"I know, and you will always be my best friend, even though I'm going to live so far away." I smiled at her.

"You know, I have been meaning to tell you that I bumped into Matthew the other day," she says. I knew she was changing the subject because of the tears that started to well up in her eyes. You know Anthea is a tough girl when she wants to be, but she has a softer side.

Matthew is my ex-boyfriend. We were in a relationship for three years, but a week ago, he began behaving strangely and became increasingly disrespectful towards me, making hurtful remarks about my weight. I thought he was only joking around, but the more he said that, the more I realized that he wasn't. Last Friday, we went out, and he became a bit aggressive and started pushing me around, and I knew I had to end things. He didn't take it too well and started accusing me of having someone over in Italy.

"Oh," was all I uttered, not really wanting to hear from the guy who had changed in such a short period of time. I know I made the right decision to dump him because my father had always told my sister and me to never let a man abuse you in any way. We aren't as rich as Matthew's parents. The two of us are from two different worlds. He likes spending and brags about his money, while I like to save.

"He seemed mad when he asked about you," she continued. I looked at her and shrugged.

"If you don't mind, I don't want to spend my last night talking about him." I know she wants to know what happened, but I don't want to upset her and get into trouble because Anthea is the kind of girl who would kill if someone hurt me.

"Annika! Anthea! Pizza is here!" I heard my mother yell, and as soon as she mentioned pizza, the two of us jumped up and ran to the door. Yup, we love pizza, and whenever we buy pizza, the two of us always end up arguing over the last piece until we end up sharing.

“Are you excited for tomorrow?” Dad questioned me as he flung his arms around me.

I smile. “Yeah, I can’t wait. I mean, I’m going to miss you all, but I’ve never been on a plane before. The condo I will be staying at looks amazing.” I grinned.

He looks at me lovingly. “I just want you to be happy and call me if one of those Italian men ever makes you cry,” he chuckles. My father is very protective, and I know that if I do call him in tears, he will bring hell along with him.

I spent my last night with my friends and family, laughing and crying. I knew it was hard on my father to let go of his little girl, but I also knew he was proud of me. I looked at the time and saw it was past midnight. I called it a night since we all had to be up early in the morning.

My alarm went off, telling me that I only had a few hours left before I left. I quickly got up and walked to the shower. I can't believe today is the day that I will finally leave this place and start a new life in another country. I packed the final things I needed and looked in the mirror one more time. I was wearing jeans and one of my favorite hoodies paired with my sneakers. I pulled my suitcase off the bed and wheeled it out of my bedroom. I took one final look at the room I had grown up in, and a lump started to form in my throat. This is it. I'm leaving my childhood home to spread my wings.

I pulled my suitcase down the stairs and looked at the watch. It's almost time to go to the airport. As I reached the last step, I placed my suitcase next to the stairs and went to the kitchen, where I knew my mother was busy making breakfast. As I enter the kitchen, I smile when I see my mother preparing some eggs and toast. She turned around and smiled as soon as she saw me.

"It looks like someone is excited," she smiled.

"Yeah, I can't wait to explore Italy." I smiled as I went to sit down.

"Here you go, honey; eat up." I thanked my mother and quickly ate my breakfast, then went to get my purse to make sure everything was in there.

"Come everyone! It's time to head to the airport!" I hear my mother yell. I took one last look around and took a big breath. This is it! My father came walking out of the living room, and my siblings came rushing down. My sister stood next to me and smiled. "Are you excited?" She asked. I nod my head and smile. "Very."

All of us headed out to the car, and before I knew it, we were on our way to the airport. "I am so proud of you, Annika. You have come far, and now my little girl is spreading her wings, ready to leave the nest." My mother says this as she wipes a tear. We were walking inside the airport. "Thank you, mom." I smile, and I turn to my father, who was trying to hold back his tears. "Take good care of yourself over there and call me if any man is flirting with you," he said, taking me in his arms. I am going to miss this.

I hugged my sister and twin brothers before looking at the gate. "This is it," I smiled as I took out my ticket.

"We love you," everyone said as I started walking away.

I turned around and said, "I love you too!"