Marc won’t be home until late. It’s 11PM, and my case is practically finished. I just need to revise it tomorrow morning, make it water tight. Then we’ll be fine.

I close my laptop, rinse my plate off in the sink, leaving the oven on so his food doesn’t go cold. Martina texts me goodnight. I reply with a selfie that I know will embarrass her. We may not live together, but I am her mother.

This is what I’m meant to do.

She replies with an eye roll emoji, followed by a picture of her friend, Rina, sleeping spread out on the mattress next to her.

I sigh. She couldn’t have made up anything comfier for her guest?

Though, that is totally something Lucia would’ve done for Bella when they were younger.

I smile, texting her a final goodnight.

I find the rosary and tiny Madonna idol on my bedside. The Madonna looks expensive - it was €3 from some market in Rome. We went when we were kids, and Mamma gave us €20. We had to get something expensive looking to pretend we spent it on that and not the €15 worth of sweets we got. Lucia got this pearl necklace with the remaining €2. Costume jewellery.

She wore it to her wedding. Honestly, she was probably better off with it than an expensive one. The only good two pieces of jewellery she owned were her wedding ring and her engagement ring.

The price sticker is still on the bottom of the thing, and it’s been here too long for me to peel it off.