La Carlota

Mamá

The village of La Carlota wasn't much different from what Lovino had expected. After dropping the car in the garage and locking up again, he and Antonio had made their way through town to the other side, passing a well-populated main road littered with shops, historic buildings, and apartments and duplexes. The road ran straight through with other streets branching off of it, though it was obvious that this was where life in La Carlota was centralized. They drove by a cobblestone plaza surrounded by trees that stood in front of what looked to be the town hall. It was a large white building with clay roof tiles, very much like the rest they passed by.

The silence wasn't as awkward as it had been leading up to this point, despite Lovino's very obvious avoidance of the question Antonio has posed about his parents. The Italian wanted to tell him, but he didn't want to at the same time. He felt like he needed to know who Antonio was, who his parents were, before he graced the man with his big reveal. It wasn't that he didn't like talking about his parents, but his Mamma was special to him. His Babbo, his father, was a different case.

Lovino didn't have aunts and uncles, as far as he knew. His mother had been a single child, Nonno and Nonna stopping after their one little girl was born too early in their years; his father brought in a sister-in-law that visited every now and then, the mother of Lovino and Feliciano's cousin Sebastian. Lovino had liked the solitude that he and Feliciano had, however, it made him feel like they had more time to get to play together, to learn each other and become as close as they had. He couldn't imagine life without his brother, even if he did irritate him most of the time.

His musings were brought to a close as Antonio pulled the truck to a stop in front of an outdoor inn. It was shaped like an L, with only about fifteen rooms that he could see. Bright orange stucco walls with red doors jarred his eyesight, but he was thankful for the distraction as Antonio led him to one end of the inn. Immediately the sound of yells and laughter from children greeted his ears, and he was met with the sight of a group of them playing outside of an office that sat along one wall.

Lovino watched with amusement as Antonio gestured for him to be quiet. "What are you doing?" he asked gently.

Antonio winked. Turning back to the children and taking a step closer to their game of what looked to be tag, he set his feet apart in a powerful stance and placed his hands on his waist as he yelled at them sternly. "Ricardo!"

A boy no more than eight stumbled to a sudden halt, looking around like he had been caught doing something bad. Finally, he glanced back to Antonio and broke out into a grin, very reminiscent of Antonio's own. "Tío 'Tonio!"

He caught the attention of the rest of the children he was playing with, all of them looking on with new excitement and repeating the same endearment. They ran over to the two young men eagerly, all looking for the chance to greet Antonio personally or introduce themselves to Lovino. The Italian watched them, bemused.

Antonio picked up one little girl, probably around the age of six, wearing a pale green dress; Lovino was momentarily distracted by how the color brought out Antonio's eyes. She was giggling in his arms as the Spaniard said hello to her and turned her around to face Lovino.

"Ana, this is my new friend Lovi. Lovi, this is my littlest cousin Ana," Antonio introduced. The girl smiled and waved at him before holding a hand out to shake.

Lovino smiled at her gently and shook her hand, then kissed it. "Ciao, bella. It's nice to meet you," he greeted in Spanish. He saw her blush cutely and hide her face in Antonio's neck. The taller man raised an eyebrow and smiled at Lovino, who shrugged and greeted the rest of the children the same way.

"My, so he is Italian?"

He glanced up again to see an older Spanish woman making her way over to them with a matching Fernández smile. Her face was wrinkled with slight age, though she couldn't have been more than fifty. Her long graying hair was braided up into a bun and she wore a floral printed dress over leather sandals. She wandered over to them, shooing the kids around her in order to lean up and kiss Antonio's cheek. "Hola, Mamá," the man said, slightly exasperated as he set Ana down on her feet.

"You are filthy, 'Tonio, what have you been rolling around in?" the woman chastised while brushing dirt off of Antonio's shoulders and plucking at the grease stains on his shirt. "I thought I told you to stop digging around in the tomato plants; they'll come up on their own time."

Lovino laughed a little at that, earning a gentle smile from her.

"I'm sorry, I forgot myself! I'm Antonio's mother, Sofía. To whom do I owe the pleasure?" she presented, holding out a hand.

The Italian took it, noticing how soft and cold her wrinkled skin was, and gave a kiss as he had to Ana. "Lovino Vargas, señora, it's very nice to meet you."

Sofía blushed and placed a hand to her cheek. "A charmer!" She poked Antonio in the shoulder, obviously hard enough to shock for her age given the wince the young man gave as he rubbed the spot she had abused. "Don't let this one go, Antonio, he is definitely a keeper," she said.

Antonio and Lovino's faces both burned with blood at the comment, the former waving his hands erratically in protest. "M-mamá, no! It's not like that, he just-"

She shook her hand in his direction, but turned to wink at Lovino, who was staring at his shoes with sudden interest at the gesture. "Whatever you say. Oh, 'Tonio, I'm sitting with Alma, who is probably who you are here to see. Come, come, I'll get you boys something to drink."

Antonio, still flushed, began to follow after her as she walked back towards the office. "She means well, but she says whatever comes to her mind. I'm sorry, Lovi," he explained, smiling back at him.

Lovino shook his head, the redness in his face dimming somewhat as the man walked away. Antonio was suddenly bombarded by Ana and another girl and proceeded to lift each one up on his arms. Lovino tried not to stare at the way the Spaniard's arms flexed and stretched underneath the fabric of his polo.

The two young men soon enough found themselves seated in the office of the inn, cooler-chilled soda bottles in each of their hands. Antonio was giving himself a few moments to catch up with his mother and aunt before he launched into the reason of why they were there.

His Aunt Alma looked much like her sister, though younger and with darker hair. She wore capris and a button-down blouse with no sleeves, bracelets littering both of her wrists. Lovino was impressed by how fashionable the woman was, but he couldn't keep his attention off of Sofía.

Soon enough, the ladies decided they had had enough chatter, and Sofía looking knowingly at Antonio, who was twisting his unopened bottle in his hands. "What do you need, 'Tonio?" Alma followed her gaze, her smile brightening when she made eye contact with Lovino as well.

"Well," Antonio started, "It's about Lovi, here. His car broke down just past the vineyard last night, so I towed it to Ned's shop. But, he won't be back for another week or so."

Alma nodded in understanding. "Has he gone back to visit his sister again?"

Her nephew returned the gesture with a gentle smile. "Bella will be coming back with him this time. She graduated from university so she's taking a year or so to travel, but you know she would rather be working in the shop with Ned."

Both older ladies laughed, Alma turning her head once to the window to check on the children still playing outside.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you could put Lovino up in one of your rooms? I can pay the fee, I just don't want him to feel uncomfortable."

Crossing his legs as he leaned back in his seat, Lovino tried not to be ungrateful. He had felt more relaxed than anything waking up in the villa that morning, and now he suddenly couldn't even imagine waking up anywhere else. However, Antonio was offering, and he didn't want to overstay his welcome. He glanced up when Sofía made a disapproving noise.

"Keep him in a dingy hotel room?" she commented, patting Alma on the arm as the inn owner shrugged and smiled, "Let him stay at the villa! Isn't that where you stayed last night?"

She directed her last question at Lovino, who sat up and nodded. "I don't want to be a burden, though-"

"Nonsense, señor, Antonio is a host year-round. It doesn't bother either of us."

Lovino's mouth snapped shut as he felt his cheeks warm at the invitation. Antonio glanced back at him and they shared a tiny smile. "Mamá is the owner of the villa when it's a tourist scene. Papá is out of town right now at a wine conference, he runs the vineyard. It is technically my place because I live there, but mainly as a housekeeper," the older man explained, his smile stretching when his mother leaned over and gently smacked his knee.

"Either way, Lovino," Sofía continued to say, "You are more than welcome to stay at the villa if you like. There is much more room, and you seem the type to prefer his space." She got up from her seat in order to pat Lovino's cheek. The touch was comforting, a whirlwind of sweetness and memories that Lovino hadn't felt in years. He smiled gratefully up at Sofía.

"Thank you, señora," he managed, "This means a lot to me."

In the background, Alma excused herself to the restroom, and the door to the office was opened suddenly to reveal Ricardo and Ana in the doorway, gesturing to Antonio. "Come on, tío, come play with us," the boy begged, jumping up and down in place."

Antonio laughed, patting Lovino's knee as he stood up. Lovino followed suit, if only to come back to the same level as everyone else. The Spaniard, however, rushed out the door, flipping Ricardo over his shoulder as he made his way past a giggling Ana.

Sofía chuckled and looked back to Lovino, who was still watching the movements of his host. He had never felt so immediately welcome somewhere, especially into the arms of a brand new family. "You are a very lucky woman," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

She nodded, her hands on her waist. "Lovino, I want you to do me a favor." He glanced back over to her. "Be good to Antonio. He has thick skin, but he won't tell me that he is lonely at the villa. I can't stay with him, but your company seems to already be doing wonders."

Lovino nodded shortly, his eyes betraying himself as he felt the usual tears spark behind them. "I think I know how he feels."

"I hope this is not too much to ask, though," said Sofía, her hand resting on his shoulder, "I know we have only just met, you and Antonio as well." Her eyes shone with something as she looked at him, before steering him gently towards the door and opening it for him. "I think you will make a good team."

The Italian smiled at her one more time, this one smaller and appreciative. "I will do that for you, señora," he agreed.

"Good." Turning back to the commotion outside, she called to everyone there. "Hijos! Lunchtime!"

Antonio slowed to a halt as he gave his attention to his mother and new friend standing in the doorway, balancing another little girl on his back. He grinned and waved at Lovino, who rolled his eyes in return, then came closer. "Hola."

"I'm Lucía!" the girl introduced, letting go of Antonio's neck to wave as he slid her down off his back.

Lovino waved back at her and told her his name again. The Spaniard beside them laughed gently, then placed a hand on Lovino's elbow, motioning for them to follow everyone inside. "Let's eat. My mother makes the best Estofado de Pollo."