AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Forty
The door was locked.Good.That meant Marta was definitely out.
I crept inside. What was I doing? This was supposed to be my home. I shouldn’t have to feel like I was an intruder invading Marta’s sacred space.
The place felt different. Of course it was immaculately clean and tidy. There were new throws over the sofa and all of the chairs. She was still obviously obsessed with thinking they were dirty. There were some new photographs in frames too. One of her by herself and another with Lorenzo.Jeez. I’d only been gone a few days and she’d already started making her mark.
I went into the kitchen, which of course was like a show home. No dishes in the sink, worktops completely clear and sparkling. Shiny floor which looked like it had been freshly mopped today. I got it. She was the model mum. But she also had nothing to do in her life. If I had hours and hours of free time, I could make this place look spotless too. Truth be told, I probably wouldn’t. I’d find something more interesting to do.
Anyway, I wasn’t here to do a hygiene inspection. I had to pack. I’d leave that kind of snooping to Marta.
I went into Leo’s room and picked up the packet of nappies. Marta probably didn’t approve of using disposable nappies either. Bet she was so perfect that she used cloth ones for her kids and washed and ironed them every day.
Just as I stepped over to the wooden chest of drawers to get some more clothes for Leo, my phone beeped. I hoped everything was okay.
I’d left Leo sleeping at Geli’s as I didn’t want to disturb his afternoon nap, particularly as we’d be travelling later and Geli said she’d keep an eye on him. She’d been such a gem. Putting us up, watching Leo when I spoke to Lorenzo and whilst I came here, dropping off Holly. Plus she’d be driving us to the airport later and still had to help look after her mum too. If you asked me, Angelicawasa fitting name. Geli really was an angel.
I rested my phone on the top of the drawers and clicked on the message.
Geli
Leo is awake. You prefer I put him back to sleep or let him stay up?
Geli
I know you have a routine so do not want to change it.
That was nice of her to ask. At least there wassomeonewho respected how I wanted to raise my son. I clicked the record button. It would be much easier to send a voice note than to stand here and type. I wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible, so that I could get back to feed Leo before Geli drove us to the airport.
‘Hi! Can’t believe he’s awake already! Yes, please try and put him back to sleep if you can. It’s only three-thirty, so it would be good if he could sleep until around four-thirty.’ I took a pile of clothes out of the drawer, walked to the opposite side of the room and put them down on the bed. She should still be able to hear me from here. ‘I should be back by then anyway, so no worries. But if he doesn’t settle, it’s okay, just keep him awake and…’ Just as I started to put some clothes into a bag, the door flew open and Marta stepped inside. I thought Lorenzo said she wasn’t going to be back until around four?
Tough.
I was here now and I wasn’t going to let her intimidate me.
‘Well, well, well. If it isn’t the evil grandmother.’ I put my hands on my hips. Maybe that was harsh, but it was true. What she did was out of order. Not like she understood me anyway.
She laughed.
‘You call me evil? It isyouthat is evil…’
WTF.
Am I dreaming, or did Marta just speak to me in English?
All this time!All this bloody time she’d played dumb and insisted she didn’t understand me and all along she had. What a devious little…
‘Youare the evil mamma,’ she snapped. ‘You give Leo chemicals. Fake milk. I save Leo. What I give him is natural. Milk from mamma.Goodmamma. Because you lazy English woman. You should feed him breast until he walk. At least for one year, but you are selfish. You care more about work and give sex than your son. You forget milk because you like givepompino!’ She scowled, shaking her head with disgust. ‘Puttana!My Lorenzo will never stay with you. My son, he need real woman.Italianwoman he can marry.Youngwoman who can give him more child. You too old. Lorenzo is good son. Italian man always need his mamma. He will stay here with me in this town until I die.’
She folded her arms and smirked.
OMFG.
I was rooted to the spot. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. I’d known she didn’t like me, but this?This?The venom that was shooting from Marta’s mouth was some next-level hatred. Judging me because I’d had Leo later in life and reminding me what I already knew: that it was going to be harder to have another child at my age. I hadn’t even decided if that was something I wanted, but it was a low blow.
‘Are you for real? I’ve never heard someone talk so much complete and utter bollocks!’ I felt my blood boiling. Marta said so many things to piss me off that I could respond to at length, point by point, but I wasn’t going to waste my breath. I knew I wasn’t a whore. I knew Leo was more important to me than work and giving blowjobs for God’s sake. I mean,WTF? And despite what had happened, I knew that if things didn’t work out with me and Lorenzo, it wouldn’t be because he wanted to trade me in for a younger Italian model. That wasn’t him. Marta was wrong, so I’d ignore her stupid comments. But one thing Iwasn’tgoing to ignore was what she’d done to Leo. No one fucks with my son’s health and gets away with it.
‘You put Leo’s life at risk. He could have infections or viruses because ofyou.Youractions were selfish. Unforgiveable. And as for using formula,damn. Babies have been having it for years. Not all women can or want to breastfeed.’
