Tutti Italia: A Novel

  Tutti Italia

  by Deena Jordan

  Tutti Italia

  Book 1

  Copyright © 2014 Kiarah Whitehead / Kiarah Publishing

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  This book contains material

  protected under International and Federal Copyright

  Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of

  this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be

  reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

  electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

  recording, or by any information storage and retrieval

  system without express written permission from the

  author / publisher.

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Connect with the Author

  Chapter 1

  Rachel McArthur was twenty years old, she had just graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Arts, and she'd made the Dean’s List. Life should have been good for her but it wasn’t. She had a boyfriend named Mark who she thought was perfect until he dumped her without warning. Now, she was hiding between the trash cans behind the restaurant crying into her shirt.

  This had been the dinner she’d been looking forward to more than any other dinner of her life. Mark had arranged the dinner. It was their one year anniversary and he told her that he wanted to take her someplace romantic. Applebee’s wasn't exactly what she had in mind, but she didn't want to ruin the night by complaining.

  Rachel had been so sure that Mark was going to propose tonight. Needless to say, he didn’t. Otherwise she wouldn’t be hiding back here with the trash cans crying her eyes out. Mark had started a conversation with her that she’d thought for sure was going to lead to a proposal. Instead it had led to a break up. Rachel was heartbroken.

  Mark was still at their table, eating his steak. He thought she was in the ladies room. What was she doing out here? She looked like a homeless girl dumpster diving for leftovers. Rachel got to her feet, squared her shoulders, and wiped away her tears. Her hand was on the door handle to go back inside and face the music, but she stopped. She could see their table through the tiny glass window and she could also see Mark. He was acting like nothing was wrong. Like the breakup didn’t even affect him.

  Her hand fell away from the door. No, he didn’t deserve any satisfaction from tonight. She spun on her heel and walked to her car. She’d been the one to drive, so she could easily decide when she was leaving.

  Rachel got in her car and shuffled through her iPod until she found her rock music playlist. It was the one she used for bad days when she was mad at the world or hurt beyond any pain she’d ever felt. She put the car in reverse and listened to Avenged Sevenfold belt out Beast and the Harlot through her speakers. She drove the twenty minutes home that it took when she had to keep wiping her eyes. She parked to the side of the driveway and went into the house.

  It was still early, and her parents were up watching Jeopardy. She slammed the door behind her and ran up to her bedroom. She slammed that door too for good measure before she threw herself on her bed and let out the rest of the tears that were pent up inside of her.

  “Honey? Are you ok?” Rachel’s mom must have opened the door in the middle of a sob because Rachel hadn’t heard the door open at all. She sat up and wiped her eyes again, smearing her mascara beyond any resemblance of pretty. Rachel’s head popped up off the bed and she looked at her mom.

  “Mark broke up with me. I thought he was going to propose. Instead, he cut me loose. . . .so I left him at the restaurant.” She looked up at her mom for a rebuke but her mother was smiling.

  “That’s my girl. He’ll remember tonight for a while.” Rachel laughed through her tears. Her mom gathered Rachel up in her arms and held her. “It’ll hurt for a while, but it’ll be ok honey. I promise you, it can only get better from here. When you hit rock bottom, the only place you can go is up.” That was true. Rachel looked up at her mom, and she smoothed a stray strand of hair behind Rachel’s ear before giving her a kiss and leaving her daughter’s room. Rachel wiped the rest of the makeup off of her face. She was exhausted—both mentally and physically. Rachel changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. An early night never hurt anyone.

  The morning sun shone through Rachel’s window and gently caressed her face. She wondered how Mark made it home last night. The pain hit her again, but then the memory of her leaving him came back too and she had to smile. Mom was right. He’d be remembering that day for a while.

  She rolled to her side, and heard her door creak open. She looked to see if anyone was poking their head in, but the crack was empty. Just then, a black and white ball of fur jumped up on her bed and started licking her face. Rachel laughed and hugged her dog. Molly was a mutt, a mixed Bishon Frise and Papillion. She was still a puppy and the jump onto the bed was only barely a success. Rachel picked her up in her arms as she sat up and cuddled her. It was the weekend, her parents loved her, and she had absolutely nothing pressing to do today. That being the case, she checked her watch. It was seven thirty. She positioned Molly so she could look her in the face.

  “You need to work on sleeping in and being lazy,” she told the dog. Molly licked her nose. “Yeah, yeah, I love you too.” She snuggled back under her blanket, holding the puppy in her arms. Molly wriggled free, then turned around and pawed at her blanket. Rachel knew what she wanted. She lifted the blanket and watched Molly disappear. Molly liked to sleep at the small of her back. So long as Molly let her sleep a little longer, she didn’t really care where she was going to sleep.

  At nine, Rachel finally got up. She stumbled into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. It melted the tension away from her. She toweled dry when she was finished and took a hair dryer to her long, thick hair. She brushed it out for about twenty minutes before it was back to the shining luster that she loved. She quickly brushed her teeth and went back into her room to get dressed. She really was letting herself have a feel good day to make up for last night. Her parents were watching television in their room. Shopping always took her mind off of things so she decided to head to the mall.

  “Hey, mom, dad? I’m going to go to the mall far a little while, ok? Call me if you need anything.” Her parents assured her that they would. She picked up Molly and put her in her mom’s lap before she headed to the garage. Maybe a new pair of jeans would boost her confidence? Or maybe a book where she could get lost in the world of the characters that she loved. Rachel decided the book store would be the first stop.

  As soon as she walked in the store the smell of the leather journals hit her and she took a deep breath. There was something therapeutic about the possibilities of a blank journal page. She went to the back where the fantasy section was and lost herself in the appealing covers of the books and the wonderful summaries that brought her to different places. Her cell phone rang and she realized it was already eleven.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, honey. It’s mom. I need you to call this number ok?”

  “Ok, mom. What is it for?”

  “Just call it, ok? They were look
ing for you.” Her mother gave her a number, and she punched it in. The phone rang.

  “Hello? Federal Teacher’s Agency, this is Melanie speaking.”

  “Yes, my name is Rachel McArthur. I received a message from you?” There was the sound of paper rustling on the other end of the line.

  “Ah, yes. We wanted to extend a job offer to you. You were the highest qualified candidate in this area. Would you be interested?”

  “Um, could you tell me a little bit more about the position?”

  “Of course. I’m so sorry. This is a teaching position at a kindergarten. It’s a relocation job. You would have to move. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “Is it ok if I think about it for a day or two and get back to you?” The lady at the other end of the line sounded exasperated when she answered.

  “I suppose. We need an answer by Monday.” The woman hung up on her. The woman’s last minute attitude shocked Rachel. She didn’t think that people who worked in customer service should be easily irritated or have attitude problems. She slipped her cell phone back into her pocket. This was something major and life changing. She needed to go home and talk to her parents about it. The drive home seemed unusually long.

  “Mom? Dad? Where are you guys?” Rachel called as she came in the front door.

  “In the kitchen,” her dad answered. When Rachel made it upstairs, she saw that her parents were putting away groceries. Obviously they’d been out too.

  “Can we talk while we put groceries away?”

  Rachel took a deep breath.

  “I got a job offer as a teacher for a kindergarten. That’s what that phone number was for.” Her parents both looked at her with happy smiles.

  “Well, that’s great isn’t it? Why don’t you look happier about it honey?” Rachel’s mom asked. Rachel looked down at the hem of her sweater and fiddled with it a little, trying to find the right words.

  “It’s a good job, but I’d have to move for it.” The happy smiles were still happy, just a little dimmer. “Ok, well, how far away would it be?”

  “Italy.” Her parents were quiet for a moment.

  “It’ll be a great learning experience for you, honey.” Her mom tried to lighten the mood, always on the positive side. Her dad came over and gave her a hug.

  “It’ll be fun for you. Your mom and I have been through Italy, too when we were younger, and we really enjoyed it. It’s a really beautiful place and the food is amazing.” Rachel could let a half of a smile show. If her parents had been there it wouldn’t be all bad. Who knew? Maybe then they could talk about some of the places that they’d been too.

  “So, I should call them back and tell them that I’ll take the job?” Rachel still wanted her parents’ approval. Growing up, Rachel had been a loner, and she didn’t really have many friends. Her parents were her friends. Her parents both nodded. Rachel took a deep breath and went into her room to make the call. She waited as the phone rang, and hoped she wouldn’t get the same woman with the attitude that she’d had earlier.

  “Hello? Federal Teacher’s Agency, this is Melanie speaking.”

  “Yes, this is Rachel McArthur again. I just wanted to say that yes, I would be interested in that position you told me about earlier.”

  “Wonderful! We will be sending you your flight information and ticket, there will be someone there to pick you up at the airport, and you’ll need to have your bags packed and ready to leave by Friday night.”

  “Um, ok. I look forward to it.” The woman hung up again, and Rachel went to break the news to her parents. She was nervous about this job, but she couldn’t decide if it was a good kind of nervous or a bad kind. She would have to start inventorying her room so she could pack her bags. Suitcases didn’t hold all that they used to, and she had a lot of hobbies. She sighed and started looking through her closet.

  Chapter 2

  It was early Friday morning, and Rachel had been awake for hours. She had a knot of nerves in her stomach. She was leaving today for her new job and she wouldn’t just be moving to another town. Today, she was getting on a plane for Italy. It was exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. She knew her parents and Molly must still be sleeping because there was utter silence in the house. Great, pick today to sleep in, pooch. I could have used some early morning kisses today.

  She’d woken up in the middle of the night and checked through all of her bags one more time. She was as quiet as possible because she didn’t want to wake her parents up. The ticket information and the itinerary had come in the mail yesterday so all she had to do was get her boarding pass at the check in counter. She was thinking that it was a good thing that she had a passport or this would never have happened. She’d gotten it four years ago when she’d gone on a senior year vacation to Mexico with her parents. She’d loved Mexico and she was hoping that Italy would be the same way.

  Her eyes adjusted in the gloom, and she checked her watch. It was eight in the morning. She wouldn't fly out until about six in the afternoon, but she was just too anxious to be lying in bed trying to fall back asleep.

  Rachel got up and made a round of her room just to make sure that there was nothing she had missed. She was in the process of checking every nook and cranny when her bedroom door opened. Molly had nudged it with her nose until she could get in. Rachel turned around on hands and knees and got a face full of doggy kisses. She smiled and picked the hyperactive puppy up into her lap.

  “Good morning to you, too. I was wondering if you had overslept.” She cuddled the puppy to her chest. She was really going to miss her. Puppy kisses were a much nicer alarm clock than the ones that made irritating sounds in an effort to wake you up. “Now, Molly, you have to promise to be a good girl for Mom and Dad, ok? I’m not going to be here to play with you all the time so make sure you give them love and play with them, too, ok?” Molly woofed happily. Rachel took that as a yes and put the puppy down.

  She went back to rifling through her bottom desk drawer to make sure she hadn’t overlooked anything crucial that she might want or need. Molly sniffed the drawer then jumped up on her back paws and started to snoop in the drawer, too. Rachel laughed. “I appreciate the help, little one, but there’s nothing worth taking in there.” She gave Molly a gentle push away from the drawer, and she dropped back to all fours. “Go wake up Mom and Dad.”

  Molly ran in a circle and woofed before she sprinted out of Rachel’s door and down the hallway. Her pitter patter was louder the faster she ran. Rachel was nose deep in her closet when her parents leaned in her door to see what she was up to.

  “If you want to pack the monster from your closet he left a long time ago,” her dad teased her. Rachel laughed.

  “Nope, just making a last run to see if there was anything I didn’t pack that I might want to.”

  “Well, I’m going to start some breakfast, but if you’re not done by the time the food is I’ll call you.”

  “Thanks, mom.” Rachel went back to snooping through her things, and her parents retired to the kitchen to make breakfast. About fifteen minutes later, Rachel decided she had made the right choices as to what she’d stuffed into her bags and stood up to crack her back. She was just finishing a twist when her dad poked his head in the door.

  “Ready to eat?”

  “Yup, on my way.” She went into the kitchen and got the plates, forks, knives, and glasses to set the table. By the time she finished, her mom announced that the food was ready so she started to bring the plates over to be filled. Her dad was grabbing milk, orange juice and lemonade out of the refrigerator. Molly was underfoot with everyone, hoping something would fall off of a plate. Once everyone was sitting at the dining room table, she stationed herself under Rachel’s chair. She knew who the sucker was for her sad puppy dog eyes.

  “So, are you nervous about your trip?” her dad asked between bites. Rachel took a swig of orange juice before she answered.

  “Yes, but I’m excited, too. It’s all so mixed up that I don’t really know h
ow to feel. Does that make sense at all?” She looked to her parents for answers. Her dad had just taken a big bite of sausage, but he nodded his understanding.

  “It’s ok, honey. Everything will be scary and new the first time around, but then you get into a routine and a schedule and everything falls into place. I was so nervous when I came here. Your dad was gone doing his drilling and I didn’t know anyone when we were stationed in Washington. But I had to manage.” Rachel’s dad had put twenty-two years in for the army. He’d been stationed in Germany, where he’d met and married her mom. He’d stayed there for as long as he could, but then the Army had sent him to Washington. From there on, it was back to Germany where they’d had Rachel. Then, he finished his last two years in Michigan.

  “But you at least knew how to speak English. I don’t know a word of Italian except ciao. Somehow I don’t think that’s going to help me much.” Rachel frowned at her eggs as if they could magically teach her Italian in a few seconds.

  “You’ll pick it up really quick. I learned enough German when I was stationed over there to get around. I’ve forgotten most of it because I hardly ever use it, but while I was there I was doing ok, and you will too.” Rachel wanted to believe that, but she also wanted to be prepared for every worst case scenario that life threw her way. After breakfast, she helped her mom clear the table while her dad did the dishes.

  This was the kind of family life she would want if she were to ever start a family of her own. She shook her head and got that thought right out of her mind. She knew better than to think about things like that. Looking back over the course of her relationships, she’d sworn off dating for a while because so far, it had only ever ended badly for her. There was no point in trying to make long term plans this early in life especially since she was single.

  “Hey, Rach. I unlocked the car for you if you want to go ahead and load up your bags. I know we still have time before we have to leave, but it’s one less thing to do later.”