Sofia sucked in her breath. She’d known her mother was going to ask eventually. “Grayson Corp.”
“The city?” she exclaimed. “No. It’s too far. Too dangerous. No one there to take care of you if something happens. You can’t go there alone.”
“She won’t be. She’ll be with me,” Dylan spoke up.
Her mother looked at him and said, “This was your idea? To take our little girl away from us and bring her to a place loaded with crime?”
“It’s not like that. I’ve lived there all my life, and have never witnessed any. Like anyplace, you just use your head and avoid people who are out looking for trouble.”
Her mother started ranting in Italian, and her father whispered to her, trying to calm her. Sofia added, “Mama, it’s going to be okay. Dylan would never let anything happen to me.”
“Ha. How can that be?”
“She’ll live with me. And I live in a very secure place. I promise, nothing will happen to her.”
Dylan had delivered the bomb that set off the waterworks. Her mother was crying on her father’s shoulder. Sofia’s heart was breaking as well. She had dreaded this day, but whether it be now or in a year or two, the results would be the same.
In a soft voice, Sofia pleaded, “Mama, please try to be happy for me.”
Her mother broke away from her father and wrapped her arms around Sofia. “Oh Sofia, I am happy for you. Just sad for me. I thought someday you would change your mind and learn to love the restaurant. But my dream was not yours. It never was. Just like it wasn’t Salvatore’s either.”
“You raised us to be strong and believe in ourselves, that we could be anything we wanted. So in a way, Mama, you got what you wanted, just not everything,” Sofia said, trying to cheer her mother up.
“Dear Sofia, I had everything I wanted when I had you and Salvatore. This is just a building where we kept it all together. You are right. You’re brilliant and Grayson Corp. is lucky to have you.” Maria turned and looked at Dylan. “But you. I am holding you to your promise that nothing will ever hurt my little girl. Especially not you.”
“You have my word,” Dylan replied.
“Are you two staying for dinner so I can call Salvatore and you can tell him the news?” her father asked.
“Papa, I need to get back to the city. There are things that I need to get set before I start.”
“Back? You mean you were already there?” her mother asked.
“Yes, Mama. You don’t get a job without meeting with the company first. Dylan has been kind enough to drive me around so I’m not alone.” Why he volunteered for this is still beyond me.
“But you’ll be back right? You’re not going for good, are you?” she asked.
“Of course I’ll be back. Mama, the city really isn’t that far, it just seems like it. But you can see the lights from here.” The ones that have been calling to me for years. And now I’m going to be living there. It felt surreal.
Her mother huffed and demanded, “Call me every day, or I will come to the city and take you back home. Do you hear me?”
Sofia smiled. “Yes, Mama. Every day. I promise. I love you.”
“I love you too, my dear Sofia. Now you go and you make a difference in that city.”
“Yes, Mama. I’ll try.”
When she and Dylan were back in his car and on their way to her apartment, only then did it all start to hit her. She really was doing this. Her dream was now within her grasp. How could so much change in just a few weeks? She looked over to the man sitting beside her. And I think a lot more changes will be coming, too.
Sofia was happy. But were they moving too fast? Was this joy she felt fleeting, and soon she’d be left with regret? She really didn’t know what tomorrow was going to bring, but right now, it felt right. If it all fell apart, at least she had Mama’s Place to fall back on, and at least she would’ve tried her best.