Greta closed her eyes underneath her sunglasses and took a deep breath. Her daughters behind her played on their phones and her new husband was distracted by the camera he had bought for the trip. The girls insisted on taking a break after having seen St. Peter's Basilica and walking up the dome. This was Greta’s first time on vacation after her remarriage with Christian and she had decided to bring her two girls. Her oldest daughter, Mary, seemed excited by the idea of visiting Italy for three weeks before starting her internship in Berlin. As a junior studying history, Mary had wanted to visit Rome and Florence however Catherine, the youngest wanted to stay back in Germany with her father and friends. Greta and Mary had to force Catherine to come instead of having her stay in the countryside of Germany.
After arriving in Italy, the family had settled on staying in Prati. For the first time in years, Greta had left the trip to be planned by Christian who adored traveling. He was the person who purchased the tickets, found the AirBnB, and scheduled the itinerary according to the places that Greta and Mary wanted to visit.
As Greta, pushed her short curly hair into a hair tie, she noticed how busy the Vatican was becoming as the day progressed. She had pushed her family out of the apartment early in the morning so that they could arrive before the rush of tourists. Her father was the one to teach her to arrive early. Greta’s father, a devout Christian, was the first person to bring her to Italy before his sudden death a few weeks after the vacation to Rome. Sitting on the steps of the portico, looking to see the Vatican Obelisk in front of her and moving her eyes to watch people entering St. Peter's Basilica all reminded her of her father. This was one of the only places she remembered visiting with him as a child. He had taken Greta into St. Peter’s Basilica, he held her on his back as they listened to the priests singing during mass. Greta, having not gone to church in years since her father’s death, said a prayer for him as she closed her eyes again.
(Piazza San Pietro 05/24/2019)
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