April 15, 1994
Caro diary,
I've had trouble thinking about what to write the past few days and that's why I haven't. Mia and William have gone out frequently, and every time they do, she looks at me funny because I've been wanting to ask him if he knows anything at all about his family history. Seriously, the guy could be a dead-ringer for Wilhelm. But I guess that if I do ask him, and he is Wilhelm and he does happen to regress, most of what he tells me probably won't mean anything since I left his life so early. Che cosa da fare, che cosa da fare.
I suppose I could ask James. We still write each other every so often. It's kind of nice and surprisingly, Damon doesn't mind.
I haven't told Mia and Gianni about Wilhelm yet. I probably should, at least that's what Alaric would tell me to do. But with his possible reincarnation here, I want to be absolutely sure of everything before I allow the truth to come out. All right, I will ask James. I know where he lives, and I've been meaning to leave this house and explore a bit. This is the perfect opportunity. More later.
La Sera Presto
I had a lovely day at James's and afterward, he insisted on coming home with me to see William for himself. He could be more certain if he could see him with his own eyes, he told me.
When Mia and William came back and found James and I in the kitchen, Mia smiled at me first.
"Mama, did you bring a guest? Does Papa know?"
I nodded. "Of course he knows. But even if he didn't, he owes me anyway."
That made her laugh. Then, she smiled at James. "Hi James! What brings you here?"
He cleared his throat. "Andria, your mother tells me that you're dating someone who might be of interest to me."
She frowned slightly. "Interest to you? Interest to you how?"
I lightly forced her into a chair across from us. "Mia, do you remember the first day you came to Fell's Church?"
She nodded. "Of course I do. That was the day you killed Katherine."
James nodded. "But do you know why your mother killed Katherine?"
Mia nodded. "That's easy. She got drunk on Genazzano and went crazy."
I could tell James wanted to laugh at that. "No, that's not why she killed Katherine. That's why it was easier for her to do, but that's not why she did it."
"Why'd she do it then?"
James looked at me. I guess he wanted me to be the one to tell her.
I looked her in the eyes and tried to keep my voice steady.
"I killed her because James and I were married once a long time ago. Not as long ago as me and your father, but awhile ago."
She looked stunned. "You guys were married once?"
Just then, there was a sound by the kitchen entrance. I looked up to see William looking very handsome in his date clothes. Mia motioned for him to come sit next to her.
When he did and got a glimpse of James, he went pale.
"You know, you look a lot like my great-uncle who died in World War I."
James smiled at that. "What would you say if I told you I was your great-uncle who died in World War I?"
Surprisingly, at that, William's face relaxed. "I'd ask you how you felt about me being your great-grandfather times about a thousand."
This time, it was James's eyes that widened. "What do you mean? And I know that's highly exaggerated."
"Every since I was a little boy, I've had all these really depressing dreams where I'm living in the Renaissance."
Mia's eyes widened. "Do you recall seeing anyone who looks like my mother in your dreams?"
He nodded. "Yes, except she's really young."
I nodded. "You dream these things, as you've guessed, because you're the reincarnation of my ex-fiance Wilhelm Falkstein."
Mia looked at me, amazed. "geez Mama, how many men did you have in your life?"
" A few. And I hurt them each somehow."
The four of us spent the rest of the night together, and I finally got around to telling Mia the whole story about me and James. Now I wonder how Damon's going to take Mia dating Wilhelm's reincarnation when I tell him about it tomorrow.
Fino Alla Mattina,
Selina