Chapter 73 Missing Periods
The ladies had flipped the sign from ‘open’ to close’
So happy they had completed a day's work and could finally stay off their feet.
Grabbing a bottle of water, Isabella came to sit beside Celia on one of the tables as she calculated the profit of the day.
“I don't think I've said this, but I'm honestly so glad we put the vacancy out!”, Celia said.
“How so!?!”, Isabella asked.
“Because Maria! My legs were killing me!
Ahh all the work Romano and I were doing!
All of it!
It was getting too stressful!”, Celia replied, waving her hands as she talked.
Her sentence confused Isabella to a certain extent.
“What do you mean by that!”, Isabella asked.
“What do you mean by what do I mean?!”, Celia asked back, having no idea what Isabella was talking about.
“I mean like, did you always wait the usual amount of customers?!”, Isabella asked, making herself clear.
“Oh no!
No!
If I did! I probably would have quitted
Do you see the amount of people that come in here daily?!”, Celia asked back
“I actually wondered!”, Isabella confessed as both of them broke into a laugh as a result of Celia widening her eyes.
“When I first got hired! The restaurant was still up and coming.
You know very little at the time!
But as it grew, more customers!
I then told the manager I needed help and I couldn't do it alone.
That was why we hung the vacancy poster that day!”, Celia explained.
“Ohhh!”, Isabella said as she watched Celia close the book and place the calculator on it.
“So! Have you been living here for a while?!”, Isabella asked, trying to make conversation.
“My entire life actually. I was born here!
I never really wanted to leave!”, Celia answered, setting the book aside.
“Ohhh! Wow that is beautiful!”, Isabella said, her mind subconsciously going back to the life she lived in Tuscany.
“Thank you! How about you!?!”, Celia asked back.
Her question gave Isabella something to think about.
“Ummmm…!”, Isabella started, opting not to divulge her actual reason for coming to Umbria.
“I wasn't born here! Is that obvious!?!”, she asked Celia.
“Maybe! You do not have the accent from here!”, Celia answered.
“Fine! I know that!
I wasn't born here!
My parents are late, so I'm just trying to start afresh!”, Isabella said, gulping at the lie she just told.
I hope she believes me, Isabella thought as she was aware of her horrible lying skills.
“Ohhh! I'm so sorry!”, Celia said as she stretched her hands towards Isabella's forearm.
“Yeah! It's fine!
I'm okay!
It took a while, so I just needed a reset! That's why I'm here in Umbria!”, Isabella said.
“How long ago was this?!”, Celia asked.
“About three months!”, Isabella answered.
“Oh you poor thing!...!”, Celia drawled as she went around the table to hug Isabella.
“I can't imagine losing both my parents at once!”, Celia completed.
“Yeah, it just happened. They died in a car crash!”, Isabella said to make her story believable.
As Celia went back to sit down, Isabella opened the bottled water to take several gulps.
She hadn't intended to lie, but with how fresh her escape was, she decided It was best to keep certain details to herself.
“Where have you been staying at! Did you get somewhere to stay beforehand?!”, Celia asked, genuinely concerned about her co-worker.
“Uhmm no! No! I checked in at a hotel not too far away from here!”, Isabella answered.
“Is it comfortable?!”, Celia inquired yet again.
“I mean it does the job it's supposed to!”, Isabella answered.
Suddenly having a bright idea, Celia watched as Isabella sat up.
“Do you know any vacant single room apartments nearby?!”, Isabella asked.
“No…!”, Celia started, Isabella disappointed at the news she'd gotten.
“But, I know someone who can help you with that!”
Even if it wasn't what she had expected, Isabella was very happy to hear Celia’s words.
“Are you for real? Like you're not joking?!”, Isabella asked, not believing she could be getting her own apartment that soon.
“Yes I am! It's a friend of mine from college! I'll give him a call tomorrow, see what happens!”, Celia said.
“That is really so kind of you! I never would have seen this coming this soon to be honest!”, Isabella confessed.
“Aww! No pressure Maria! I'm happy I could help!”, Celia said.
“I can't believe Romano left us to pack up the shop!”, Celia said as she looked towards the clock again.
“I know right!
But we've done quite a lot!”, Isabella said.
“True though! Oh my God! I can't believe I forgot about dinner with my family tonight!”, Celia said as she quickly stood up.
“Uhmmm do you want to come?!”, she asked as she grabbed the book and the calculator.
“No! No I'm fine!”, Isabella replied.
“I'm still seeing Umbria you know!”, Isabella completed.
The ladies soon closed the shop, going their separate ways soon after.
Isabella just couldn't explain the amount of happiness she felt being in the space alone.
It was everything she ever wanted.
How could I possibly go back!?, she thought as she sat by a tall building.
“Ouuu dinner!”, Isabella thought as she stopped a taxi to take her back to the hotel.
It was definitely one of the things she'd miss if she finally got her apartment.
I don't think the hotel knows just how much they help me with the fact that they provide dinner, Isabella thought on her way back to the hotel.
As she predicted from the top notch experience she'd gotten from the hotel, room service knocked on the door literally minutes after she entered her room.
“Room service!”, Isabella heard as she put her hair in a bun.
“Coming!”, Isabella said as she approached the door.
She opened the door to see one of the usual faces that brought her dinner.
“Thank you!”, Isabella said as she pulled the trolley into her room.
She looked at the platter before her, I hope this can magically induce my period!, she thought to herself.
Isabella didn't have the slightest clue what was about to hit her.
Especially with the lie she had told earlier.
Missing her period was only the tip of the iceberg.