July 10th, 2001 /\ Home in Switch Lane
I know that to be a family you have to have a certain type of respect for everyone living around you. Sometimes I feel as if that certain type of respect isn't included in my family. Even though families don't scarily have to democracies it would be nice for them to be so. My father says that the oldest male is always the patriarch; it has been like that in my family for centuries on end. Even before my great-grandfather can remember that has been the Rinelli custom, "The Patriarch makes the rules in this house." of course when you have a family that is all Italian and who the women of the family make way to much food for anyone's good. But whatever, I'm only 14 there's not much to say about me; I'm just the second child of Paulo. That's my title, If not called by name I am always "Daughter of Paulo." Ah well, what you can do.
Anyway, enough about my very different family, more about me. I am Mina Leana Rinelli, second child and only daughter of Paulo and Natalia Rinelli, joint owners of Viva la Roma, the most famous Italian restaurant I know of here in England. Yes, I have been to Milan and yes, I have been shopping there, but no I have not been up in the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I haven't done everything there is to do in Italy. I don't have an accent, (as far as I know but you have to remember that I live with Italians, and my accent is if defiantly softer, and even then maybe not non-existent compared to theirs) My mother is a great cook and is the Head Chef in the restaurant near our mansion. Father in the Manager and my big brother and be work there. It is the most popular since is run with the current owner of the chain. I'm the hostess since father doesn't let anyone under 18 wait tables. I only have 3 years to go. My birthday is in November. My family believes in manual labor and that is all we get. We, as a family have always gotten done what we need to get done, with our own sweat and blood. Even if it means push-ups from mother if we didn't wash the dishes.
I live a fairly normal life here in London, I go to boarding school ever year and I come home with piles of homework for my teachers every summer. I do the homework, get the letter and go back to school. A process I will be repeating until I'm 17. Which is when we graduate at school. I will have lived with my 4 four friends in my house for 7 years for 9 months out of the year. That's longer than my life with my parents during these long years. I've learned to accept the fact that even though the cooking is good at school, mamma makes better spaghetti; but then again, doesn't she make better everything? I lie out of a considerably large trunk for the majority of the years and every summer I get a new wardrobe for good grades. The more A's I get the more my cash increases. The only problem is I didn't last year. My total A-count was 5 out of 8. I was scolded for my atrocious History Grade only because I should know my Latin (which I do) and that the Roman Empire history has been drilled into my head to the point of be being able to recite the speech my father gives me every time my father gives me the talk on how witches and wizards influenced the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. And oh yeah I forgot to mention, I witch-in-training.
It's different and all being a witch, but you get used to it after your father had a nervous breakdown and turned to sofa into and ostrich. I take what I get, If I get a fast bird to chase around the house all day, so be it. It's the rules of nature in my house and I live by them. Sometimes, because there's this boy……just kidding I'm no "Omigod There he is!!" kind of girl. I've been kissed and I've never had a boyfriend. It's all because I have a low self-esteem level and I curse too much. I've had detention way to many times for the amount of curse words I use. I won't even begin to tell you about my detention with Professor Vector last year. Man, was she mad when I dropped to f-bomb in her class after I tipped over my pyramid of numbers last year. I picked most of them up, much to the dislike of the numbers, I had tiny little bite marks where the 7's kept chomping down on me whenever I picked one up.
I was very close to failing my Transfiguration final last year all because my button still had wings. And I didn't know the correct Incantation triangle for the box turtle into a box. I was so frustrated I did fine in the class though. I got an A both semesters. As a result, and punishment for my yearly average, I get a few hundred to go shopping for new clothes. I buy Muggle clothes only because I can and because I hate the way robes make me feel, I itch all over after school gets out and they are much more interesting. Even though I don't take a Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, I just understand them. Since my father's restaurant is open to both worlds, but is only a chain in the Wizarding world, I get to understand the muggles who come and go.
I have to go how they want me to was the dishes. No more push-ups!!!
--Mina
I know that to be a family you have to have a certain type of respect for everyone living around you. Sometimes I feel as if that certain type of respect isn't included in my family. Even though families don't scarily have to democracies it would be nice for them to be so. My father says that the oldest male is always the patriarch; it has been like that in my family for centuries on end. Even before my great-grandfather can remember that has been the Rinelli custom, "The Patriarch makes the rules in this house." of course when you have a family that is all Italian and who the women of the family make way to much food for anyone's good. But whatever, I'm only 14 there's not much to say about me; I'm just the second child of Paulo. That's my title, If not called by name I am always "Daughter of Paulo." Ah well, what you can do.
Anyway, enough about my very different family, more about me. I am Mina Leana Rinelli, second child and only daughter of Paulo and Natalia Rinelli, joint owners of Viva la Roma, the most famous Italian restaurant I know of here in England. Yes, I have been to Milan and yes, I have been shopping there, but no I have not been up in the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I haven't done everything there is to do in Italy. I don't have an accent, (as far as I know but you have to remember that I live with Italians, and my accent is if defiantly softer, and even then maybe not non-existent compared to theirs) My mother is a great cook and is the Head Chef in the restaurant near our mansion. Father in the Manager and my big brother and be work there. It is the most popular since is run with the current owner of the chain. I'm the hostess since father doesn't let anyone under 18 wait tables. I only have 3 years to go. My birthday is in November. My family believes in manual labor and that is all we get. We, as a family have always gotten done what we need to get done, with our own sweat and blood. Even if it means push-ups from mother if we didn't wash the dishes.
I live a fairly normal life here in London, I go to boarding school ever year and I come home with piles of homework for my teachers every summer. I do the homework, get the letter and go back to school. A process I will be repeating until I'm 17. Which is when we graduate at school. I will have lived with my 4 four friends in my house for 7 years for 9 months out of the year. That's longer than my life with my parents during these long years. I've learned to accept the fact that even though the cooking is good at school, mamma makes better spaghetti; but then again, doesn't she make better everything? I lie out of a considerably large trunk for the majority of the years and every summer I get a new wardrobe for good grades. The more A's I get the more my cash increases. The only problem is I didn't last year. My total A-count was 5 out of 8. I was scolded for my atrocious History Grade only because I should know my Latin (which I do) and that the Roman Empire history has been drilled into my head to the point of be being able to recite the speech my father gives me every time my father gives me the talk on how witches and wizards influenced the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. And oh yeah I forgot to mention, I witch-in-training.
It's different and all being a witch, but you get used to it after your father had a nervous breakdown and turned to sofa into and ostrich. I take what I get, If I get a fast bird to chase around the house all day, so be it. It's the rules of nature in my house and I live by them. Sometimes, because there's this boy……just kidding I'm no "Omigod There he is!!" kind of girl. I've been kissed and I've never had a boyfriend. It's all because I have a low self-esteem level and I curse too much. I've had detention way to many times for the amount of curse words I use. I won't even begin to tell you about my detention with Professor Vector last year. Man, was she mad when I dropped to f-bomb in her class after I tipped over my pyramid of numbers last year. I picked most of them up, much to the dislike of the numbers, I had tiny little bite marks where the 7's kept chomping down on me whenever I picked one up.
I was very close to failing my Transfiguration final last year all because my button still had wings. And I didn't know the correct Incantation triangle for the box turtle into a box. I was so frustrated I did fine in the class though. I got an A both semesters. As a result, and punishment for my yearly average, I get a few hundred to go shopping for new clothes. I buy Muggle clothes only because I can and because I hate the way robes make me feel, I itch all over after school gets out and they are much more interesting. Even though I don't take a Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, I just understand them. Since my father's restaurant is open to both worlds, but is only a chain in the Wizarding world, I get to understand the muggles who come and go.
I have to go how they want me to was the dishes. No more push-ups!!!
--Mina