Page 69 of Check Mate

I’ve been in Italy for five days now and have explored most of Venice. The day after the gala, I had lunch with Anthony and Hannah before they left to head back to the States, then spent the rest of the day exploring the Peggy Guggenheim art collection. My third day here, I took a boat out to Murano Island for a tour of a glass factory, and then yesterday I spent most of the day writing, looking through the photos I've taken so far, and then relaxing at the hotel’s spa.

Today, I’m just taking my time to meander around Venice. It’s such a fun city to explore because you can walk the whole loop in a day and it’s small enough you can’t really get lost.

Wanting to visit and photograph as many restaurants and shops as possible while I’m here, I spread out my meals into tiny snacks at several different locations. Including the cutest gelato stand with a red and white striped canopy, where I just had the most delicious pistachio gelato of my existence.

I brought my camera and tripod with me to get some more photos. I want to have enough content for my website until I travel to my next destination. Right next to the gelato stand, there’s a lovely little stone bridge. I instantly see it as the perfect creative opportunity and set up my camera equipment in front of the tiny bridge. It's such a cute spot to get a photo of the blue water flowing between the buildings.

I wore white linen pants today with a camel colored body suit. I wanted to be pretty neutral so in photos the attention stays mostly on the colorful buildings surrounding me. The city is so beautiful; I knew it would be easy to get artistic photos. It’s still a little awkward posing in front of my camera with so many people around, but it’s a big part of my job and I need to get comfortable with it.

Turning on the Bluetooth camera remote, I hurry toward the bridge to capture a few different poses. In one I face away from the camera, like I’m looking off in the distance. Next I put on my sunglasses, sent to me by a new sponsor, and snap a few more so my readers can see them. I even have a discount code from the company to share.

With the stone bridges, colorful architecture and old-world charm, Venice is unmistakably a city of romance. I can’t imagine a more perfect place for a honeymoon. It actually reminds me a bit of the steakhouse David took me to.

I’ve decided one of the articles I'll write will be “Why You Should Honeymoon in Venice.” Even though I haven’t been on a honeymoon, I can use my imagination. And I honestly don’t think it’ll be difficult to convince my readers that Venice is one of the most romantic cities to honeymoon in.

If David were here, I could stage some incredibly romantic photos of the two of us to really sell it. I sigh and put my camera and tripod away in my backpack.

My cell phone rings from the small pocket in the front of my backpack and I pull it out to see Mama’s face on the screen. My heart skips a beat at the sight of her face. I close my eyes and remind myself it’s probably Papa calling from her phone.

I answer the call and the FaceTime screen pops up, and it actually really is Mama.

“Mama? Hey,” I say awkwardly before grabbing my backpack and walking over to a bench next to the bridge to sit down.

“Bella,” She starts and then glances away from the camera, as if unsure what to say. When she looks back toward the camera again, I see the red around her eyes like she’s either been crying, or hasn’t been sleeping well. “How are you?”

I give her a hesitant smile. “Pretty good. Venice is lovely.”

She inhales a deep breath and blows it out slowly. “Papa showed me your website. Your article featuring Abuela’s was wonderful..”

My eyes widen before I school my features, not wanting her to see how surprised I am that she read one of my articles. “Thank you for reading it, I’m glad you liked it.”

“Honestly, I hadn’t ever looked at your website before your Papa made me sit down and read it.” She looks down and shakes her head, almost like she’s reprimanding herself. “You’re a very talented writer.”

I’m unable to disguise my shock this time. “Thank you, Mama. It means so much to me to hear you say that.”

“Also, you were right about Rosa’s leadership skills. Since you left we put her in charge of the scheduling and she’s doing great.”

I smile, picturing how happy my sister must be. She’s been wanting a chance to prove herself for years. “That’s awesome.”

She huffs out a breathy laugh. “Papa says I've been too exhausted and stressed to think clearly… I think it’s time to cut back my hours at Abuela’s.” Her mouth sets in a straight line, like the thought of cutting back will be difficult for her. “Who knows, maybe I’ll do some traveling of my own… someday.”

“You definitely should. Take some time to stop and smell the roses.” I wink at the screen and she laughs. A sound I haven’t heard in the past few years, and it brings so much joy to my heart. “I miss you all.”

“We miss you too, Bella.”

An awkward pause passes, I’m not sure what else to say, and it’s obvious she’s not either. The hurt we’ve caused each other can’t be brushed away in one conversation… but this is a step in the right direction.

Mama tells me she needs to get back to work and we say our goodbyes. My heart has a lightness that I haven’t felt in the past few months. I love my parents, and my relationship with them is important to me. Mama’s phone call makes me hopeful that things could be mended between us in the future.

That evening, I’m having dinner at the Monaco Café attached to the hotel. I made sure to dress warm so I could eat outside by the water. I’m dressed down in black leggings and a white v-neck tee paired with a cardigan that drapes all the way down to my calves. The café is pretty empty tonight and I’m the only one seated outside. I pull my legs into my arms and rest my feet on the chair, hugging my knees to my chest.

Soft Italian music plays in the background as I look out onto the water, which is dark except for the reflection of the outdoor lights and lanterns. I sip on my glass of red wine while I zone out looking out at the darkness, and remember the night David and I sat on a mountain top looking at the stars. A feeling of loneliness fills me, making my eyes become wet with tears.

I’ve traveled alone for years, and have never felt homesick or lonely. But tonight, the reflected light rippling in the dark water seems to mirror my soul.

Deep down, I know I feel this way because I miss David. It’s like I found the missing piece of my puzzle and now everything seems a little off without it.

I don’t know how and I don’t know when… but I fell in love with him and now I’m alone.