C5 Chapter 4 - Valentina

Valentina

Capo d’Orlando, Sicily, Italy 2019 - summer



The sun is starting to burn me alive, and I’ve only been exposed to it for less than an hour. I stretch my arms out in front of me to inspect whether I’ve reached the amount of tan that I’ve been trying to achieve for the past six weeks since we came to Italy.

“Put your hat on.” My mother motions from her lounge chair, too engrossed in her book to even look up at me. See just sees me moving and feels the need to say something.

I look down at my bucket hat. “It makes my head heat up even more.”

This makes her put the book down and throw me an annoyed look. I envy her for how relaxed she looks in her bikini. She also looks kind of poetic, sitting alone on our private beach sipping a Martini - only having to worry about how the book is going to end.

She tilts her head and looks at me over the sunglasses. “Then go hang out with your friends. Where are they? Where’s your brother?”

I squint my eyes at her. “Smooth, mom. Trying to get rid of me like I’m a toddler.”

She softens and closes her book. “Honey, you’ve been complaining for the past five days about being bored, it has nothing to do with me trying to get rid of you. Just go to the beach with your brother next time or go and see what Raisa or Alex are up to.”

I sigh. She’s right. I haven’t seen Raisa for a few days. All we do is sit by the pool on our phones without anything new to add to the conversation, or going out clubbing. First of all, doing some self care from time to time (i.e. smoking a joint in secret when no one’s home, making lists of what I want to do with my life and then forget about them, sitting in the sun or taking hour long baths) is way more appealing to me at the moment.

Second, I just got my sleeping schedule back under control and managed to sleep eight hours a night for the seven days. When summer ends, I’ll have to return to university, and I need to pass my exams. If I just keep partying and going out I will get myself kicked out by not passing exams.

But in the end, what’s worse? Being bored to death or listening to the longest speech about responsibilities from two parents who grew up poor and got rich by working hard?

“I’m just going to eat something.” I say.

“Okay.”

Eating because I’m bored becomes a thing when I’m not socially active, but at this point in my life, I just can’t bring myself to care.

It’s like there’s always a part of my brain that knows what I’m doing is wrong, but there’s another that tells me I can do what I want and that hesitation is just my inner child being afraid of change.

I start to gather my things; the book I brought along for the summer (which I haven’t gotten to yet), my towel and the beach bag.

How can I entertain myself tonight?

I could try and find my brother, Adrik, see what he’s up to. I could open the notifications that have been rotting on my screen since I woke up today. I could try to do something with Raisa and her brother. I could check if any of the Barone boys are around tonight.

I walk up the path leading up from the beach to our garden, choosing a random notification. It's a text from Raisa.

Raisa: party in Taormina tonight with the Barone boys?

Valentina: Barone boys? How

Raisa: Vinnie texted me because you weren’t answering

Raisa: said he texted you at like 9

I scroll down my notifications bar. Shit. She’s right.

Valentina: yeah okay

Valentina: sure

Valentina: where is it?

Raisa: Taormina

Valentina: ??

Raisa: the TOWN

Our vacation home in Sicily is in Capo d’Orlando, and we’ve been coming here every single summer since 2008. My brother and I have never actually gone out and explored Sicily, because we had everything we needed at our home. Our family friends, the Volkovs, have always come with us and stayed in a house a few streets away.

At the beginning of this year, the father unexpectedly passed away in a car crash, so we started the summer off with a funeral in Sicily. It was Aleksander Volkov’s favorite place on earth, and I always saw him at his best when we were here. It was like he belonged here, rather than Russia.

His children are okay though, and from what my mom told me, their mother has also had time to grieve for the past six months and now they’re moving on. I think the whole thing affected my father the most, even though he never lets it show.

I check where Taormina is on Google Maps before I give her an answer.

Valentina: it’s a 2h drive

Raisa: I can ask our driver

I don’t even begin to think about how if I get too drunk I won’t like getting a two hour ride back to the house until I’m able to get into my own bed.

“Put your hat on.” My mother’s voice startles me. I completely zoned out and forgot that I came to a halt in the middle of the pathway. My mother is still on the lounge chair, but she’s turned to me now.

“Where’s papa?”

She makes a face. It is the nickname I had for him when I was young. My mom knows I only call him by the nickname when I need to soften him up. Usually, I either ask for money or for something I know he could possibly not approve of.

“He has some business to take care of.”

“Will he be back by tonight?”

She shrugs and gets back to her book. “Who knows with your father.”

“Didn’t he say where he was going?” I ask, trying to estimate when he’d be home judging by where he’s at.

“Meeting some business partners, I don’t know honey. Do you need help with something?”

I don’t like asking her for money. I don’t. I know she grew up poor and worked her way up to become a very well-paid ambassador. She has the “quality over quantity” mindset, so asking her for money to go to a party on another part of the island would be much more exhausting than asking my father. He usually just sighs, tells me to be more mindful about it, then lets me go.

“Mmmmnot yet.” I say, and I know she knows what I want anyway.

I quickly walk towards the house, away from her passive aggressive stare. I walk past the pond-shaped pool, trying to resist the urge to throw myself into it. Our dog, Byk, raises his head from where he’s chilling under a tree, away from the sun. He decides to follow me inside the house, all the way into our kitchen.

After pouring myself a glass of lemonade from the fridge, I click on the message from Vinnie.

Vinnie Barone: heyyy

Vinnie Barone: Eddie and I are going to a house party in Taormina later tonight Vinnie Barone: interested? * winky emoji *

He sent it about four hours ago.

Valentina: hii

Valentina: Talked to Raisa, we’re in

Valentina: she’s talking to her driver rn

I busy myself with getting Byk some food from his pantry as I wait for a reply. My phone vibrates, and suddenly, life is exciting again. The little part of my brain that loves seducing men and having fun is defrosting. It usually dies when summer starts and I go away with my family, to take a break from the chaotic lifestyle back at school in New York. I had a long-term boyfriend, Jamie, when I first started high school, but after four toxic years we broke it off. I started fresh three months ago, for what feels like the third time in five years.

Vinnie Barone: eh no way

Vinnie Barone: you can come with us

Valentina: niice thank u

Vinnie Baron: how many people?

Valentina: just us two

I know for a fact that Raisa's brother won't be coming with - he never does.

Vinnie: pick you up at 6?

Valentina: sure

I sigh, looking around for something to do. My eyes fall on my bathroom door. After letting Raisa know about the change of plans, I walk over into the bathroom to turn on the water in the bathtub.

***

The clock over the mirror in the bathroom shows it’s already been three hours since I got into the bathtub. There’s just something about taking a bath while looking out at the sea and reading a book that makes me want to do it forever.

I take the last drag of my cigarette and stub it in the ashtray next to the tub. I place the book beside it on the small table near the tub before I groan and hoist myself out of the tub.

As I step out of the bathroom and into my bedroom in my bathrobe and a towel turban on my head, I hear my father’s laughter echoing from downstairs. The other male voice I hear is probably the chef, who probably just finished for the day.

I blow dry my hair as fast as I can before I quickly comb through it and rush out of my room towards the stairs. I need to get him in a good mood before my brother comes home and starts making bad jokes.

My father is sitting at the bar with the chef, laughing and speaking Italian. “Good evening, welcome home.” I smile, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“My daughter is happy to see me home, I wonder why.” He says, switching to English and placing a hand around my waist.

“How was your trip?”

He cocks his head. “What do you need, Valentina?”

He knows I would never ask about his work, mainly because I don’t care. Something with recycling. Sanitation?

“Raisa and I are going out with the Barone boys to Taormina tonight. I need some money.”

He squints at me. “When will you be back?”

I shrug. “Tomorrow morning, probably.”

He sighs and looks over at the chef, shaking his head. “I’ll send some later. When do you leave?”

“In two hours.” I press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, you’re the best!”