Lust and Unholy Love

Erika's P.O.V.

"Here's my stop, sister. I'll see you soon." I bade farewell to Sister Agatha, breaking our embrace before picking up my luggage and then boarding the bus. As the bus drove down the streets of Venice, my heart felt heavier, knowing I was a step closer to my destination. Home. It was nearing summer, so the weather had become rather warm lately, hence adding to my agitation. Believe me, I had tried every possible excuse to convince my family back at home that I wouldn't be able to come home, but they hadn't budged, insisting that I return home as I had spent too long away from home. I understood my Nana's incessant need for me to return home, as it had been only her and my parents; my twin sister, Avery, had long left home before I had. She was the wilder one, more carefree and more stubborn, while I had been the meek one, the dove. I had been fine with that; my Nana always told me I didn't have a single bad bone in me, but I hated the fact that my parents always tried to control my life, even at the age of twenty-six. I was a country girl, bred and brought up in the countryside; however, I was a devout Catholic, just like my Nana, which heavily influenced my choice to become a sister in the convent. Safe to say, my parents weren't pleased.

That was two years ago, and now I was returning home, a bit excited to see family but also feeling exhausted. After five hours, the never-ending journey finally ended as our bus came to a stop at the bus terminal. Stepping out of the bus with my luggage, my eyes shut briefly as I breathed deeply, already feeling the familiarity of the atmosphere. 

Hailing a cab, I slipped into it as our journey began after giving him my address. I watched as the buildings blurred past while we drove, a few familiar buildings, shops, and the bakery that I'd always frequent when I had lived here. Soon, I reached my destination as I paid the cab driver his fare, who wasted no time in driving off without a word, picked up my luggage as I walked up the stairs of my parents house, and knocked.

A minute later, I heard footsteps before the door swung open as I came face to face with my Nana, who squealed and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Mio nipotina. You're back; I missed you." She sobbed in my arms.

"I missed you too, Nana. Now stop with the crying; I'm here now." 

"And you're not leaving me? Never?" She pouted as she looked up at me, causing me to giggle.

"Not anytime soon, Nana. Now, can I-" I was cut off when my mother spoke.

"Erika, darling, you're home. It's about time." Her Spanish accent came out slightly as she walked down the stairs. She was wearing a cream-coloured skirt with a white woollen sweater, her blonde hair packed up in a ponytail. She looked slightly different, a bit aged, but still had that domineering aura about her.

Stepping fully into the house, I shut the door behind me, turning around only to come face to face with my mother, who pulled me into a hug. Tensing up slightly, I relaxed into her, returning her embrace whilst inhaling her scent, cherry as usual.

"Mother, it's good to see you." I smiled tautly at her, breaking away from her embrace, and she hummed, looking me over. "You look beautiful."

I could practically read her through, and I knew that whatever words were going to fall out from her mouth, I would highly detest: "Mmm, I know, darling. And you look...well, nice. I do wish you could improve with your taste in clothing, dear; it's not very flattering. As a beau- Just when I had had enough, my Nana intervened, luckily for me.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Adele, let the poor girl be; she just arrived." Nana cut in disapprovingly while my mother huffed. 

"Come, Nipotina, come tell me all you've been up to these past months." Nana chirped, taking my hand as she led me up the stairs while I carried my luggage. I could feel my mother's stares boring holes into the back of my head, making me wish I was anywhere but here. My mother was a special being, always wanting things done her way. She loved looking prepped and polished like the upper-class women. While Avery and I were much younger, she'd take us to gatherings with her 'friends,' who were much like her-showoffs. We were by no means poor; in fact, we were above average, but my mother always wanted more...craved it. At first, Avery had followed in my mother's footsteps, loving the attention, but then somewhere along the line she'd changed. Mixed with the wrong crowd and just went off.

I smiled as I stepped into my old room, which looked just as it had been when I had left, except it looked neater, which meant someone had cleaned it. Setting my luggage down, I allowed my Nana to pull me towards my bed.

"So tell me, how have you been, ragazza mia?" She asked as we settled down.

"Honestly, Nana? I've been good. I love my life back at the convent; I fit in. I have friends who actually like me, and it gives me time for me." I confess sincerely.

"I'm glad, Riri. I'm happy that you're happy." She smiled fondly at me, placing a palm on my cheek.

"What about Father?"

"Your father had some business to take care of in town, but he'll be back soon." And so we carried on talking till dinnertime. Nana told me that Avery had come home once while I was at the convent, but she had left on a rather bad note. She and my mum had gotten into a huge disagreement concerning something Avery had gotten herself into. I hadn't thought much of it given Avery's habit of constantly making wrong decisions.

Soon, it was dinner time. My father had arrived, and we had done a bit of catching up. While my relationship with my mother was a bit estranged, I had a better relationship with my father. 

"So," Mother cleared her throat while she wiped the corners of her mouth, "there's something you need to know, Erika." My mother spoke up.

Cutlery clanged as my father looked at my mother; even Nana looked uncomfortable. "Adele, this can wait." Father said in a warning tone, which Mother disregarded.

"No, it cannot, Peter, and you know it." She bit back.

"What's going on, Mother?"

"We've gone into debt, Erika, and a shitload of it."

"Debt?" That was impossible; there was no way. Judging by the look on my mother's face, there was every way.

"Yes, debt."

"W-w-what happened?"

"Long story, which we'll come to later. But we need your help." I didn't like the sound of that. What could I possibly do? If my parents hadn't found a solution, how then could I help?

"How? What can I do?" My heart thumped in my chest, fearing her response.

"Sweetie, we can talk about this later." My father spoke softly at the same time my mother spoke.

"You need to get married."