Philadelphia! #8

Chapter 1
 
Alfie sighed and pulled at a loose string on his bedspread. His sister, Emilia, sat next to him with her arms crossed. She sighed, too. Their great-aunt Zia Donatella laughed.
 
“Such facce tristi,” Zia said in Italian. “Such sad faces!”
 
“Do you really have to go?” Alfie asked as Zia packed her suitcase.
 
“Yeah,” Emilia added. “Can’t you stay just a little bit longer?”
 
Zia smiled and sat down beside them on Alfie’s bed. “I’m meeting friends in Oslo in a few days. I can’t disappoint them, either!”
 
“That’s in Norway, right?” Emilia asked.
 
“Yes!” Alfie answered before Zia had a chance. “It’s the capital of Norway.”
 
Alfie and Emilia had known for a while that Zia’s stay with the Bertolizzi family was coming to an end, but it didn’t make her leaving any easier. After all, Zia had traveled the world a few times over. She’d visited places as far and wide as Morocco, Russia, and Argentina! Staying with Alfie, Emilia, and their parents was probably the longest Zia had lived in one place in quite a while.
 
Alfie looked at all the maps that hung on the walls of his bedroom. Having Zia around and hearing her travel stories made Alfie love geography even more. He also realized how little time he’d actually spent in his room since Zia had been their guest.
 
“Won’t it be nice to have your bedroom back?” Zia asked, as if reading his mind.
 
Alfie shrugged. “It will. But I’d be happy to let you keep it if it meant you were staying longer.” He’d grown used to the lumpy pullout sofa in the office. It didn’t really bother him anymore.
 
“Or you could stay in my room for a while!” Emilia jumped in. “I wouldn’t mind.”
 
Alfie raised an eyebrow. Now that Emilia was thirteen, she spent more time in her bedroom than ever. It was hard for Alfie to imagine her giving that up.
 
Zia laughed again and touched the brightly colored stone necklace she always wore. “You’re both very sweet. Maybe next time I’ll stay in your room, Emilia.”
 
Alfie perked up at the thought of Zia being their guest again. He got up and walked over to the big world map tacked to his wall. He looked at all the places they’d visited since Zia came to stay: Naples, Italy; Paris, France; Hong Kong, China; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and New Orleans, Maui, and Miami in the United States.
 
Alfie turned to Emilia and grinned. “Look at all the places we’ve gone!”
 
Emilia jumped up and joined him at the map. “We’ve actually been around the world.”
 
Not only was Zia a first-class world traveler herself, but she had turned Alfie and Emilia into seasoned travelers as well—all thanks to a little magic.
 
Zia rolled up a pair of jeans and placed them in her almost-full suitcase. “I don’t know what you two are talking about,” she said with a smile. “But I do know that someone will be twelve in a couple of days!”
 
Alfie beamed. He couldn’t wait for his birthday. And he was so glad Zia would still be there to celebrate with them. “That’s right,” he said. “You know what would be a great birthday present, Zia?”
 
“What, ragazzo?”
 
“You staying with us longer!” Alfie replied.
 
“Yes!” Emilia chimed in.
 
Zia smiled, closed her suitcase, and zipped up the side. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go make a snack. Good food makes everything better.”
 
Alfie and Emilia had a hard time arguing with that. They raced out of the room and followed Zia down to the kitchen.
 
 
 
Chapter 2
 
The next morning at breakfast, Alfie walked into the kitchen and found his parents rushing around as usual. Emilia sat at the table eating her scrambled eggs with her head stuck in a history book. Emilia was passionate about history in the same way that Alfie loved geography. Alfie poured himself a glass of orange juice and took a seat next to Emilia.
 
Just then, Zia breezed into the room. She stopped short and looked at Mom and Dad. “You two look exhausted!” she said.
 
Alfie looked up and saw that Mom’s shirt was wrinkled on one side, and Dad was yawning. Zia was right: They looked frazzled, tired, and worn-out.
 
“Big project at work,” Mom said, taking a bite of toast while she tried to smooth out her shirt. “I was up half the night.”
 
“And I’ve got a very important meeting first thing this morning,” Dad added. “Clients are flying in from New York.”
 
Zia sighed. “You both really need a break. You’ve been working nonstop for months!”
 
“Yeah, Mom and Dad,” Emilia agreed, looking up from her book. “We’ve barely even seen you.”
 
Alfie nodded. Mom and Dad were always busy, but lately it had reached a crazy point.
 
Dad kissed Emilia on top of her head. “We’ll be home for dinner tonight. I promise.”
 
“Yes, we’ll see you tonight!” Mom said with a tired smile.
 
Alfie was about to bring up plans for his birthday party when Dad ruffled Alfie’s hair and grabbed his briefcase. “See you tonight, champ!” he said as he headed for the garage.
 
Mom trailed right behind, balancing her bag and travel coffee mug. “Have a good day!” she called back.
 
Alfie, Emilia, and Zia stared at one another. It felt like a tornado had just blown through the kitchen.
 
“What are we going to do?” Alfie asked.
 
“I don’t know.” Emilia shook her head. “They barely even sleep anymore. It’s crazy!”
 
Zia poured herself a cup of coffee. “I have an idea,” she said. “We’ll make a special dinner tonight and talk to them about finally starting to plan that family trip they’ve been dreaming about. I think if the three of us band together, we might be able to convince them.”
 
“Good idea!” Alfie said. “We’ve been talking about that for ages.”
 
Emilia nodded. “I guess I stopped thinking about it since Alfie and I have traveled so much on our own lately. But you’re right, it’s definitely time!”
 
Alfie laughed. “Where should we go with Mom and Dad?”
 
“Norway sounds interesting,” Emilia joked. “Mind if we tag along on your trip, Zia?”
 
Zia laughed.
 
“Do you like visiting Norway?” Emilia asked.
 
“Believe it or not,” Zia said, “this will actually be my first time going. I’m really looking forward to it, and I’ll let you know all the details.”
 
“How about some place in the United States, like San Francisco?” Alfie chimed in. “Didn’t you say you’ve always wanted to visit there, too?”
 
“Yes, I have! And I know your parents would like that. There are plenty of cities in the United States they still haven’t visited.”
 
“We could take a ferry to Alcatraz and ride the cable cars!” Emilia said.
 
“And eat burritos!” Alfie added.
 
“Or what about Boston?” Emilia said. “There’s so much history there. The American Revolution, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s house . . .”
 
“Boston definitely has plenty of history!” Zia agreed.
 
Alfie flopped back in his chair. “There are so many cool places. How are we supposed to choose just one?”
 
Zia laughed as she put away the breakfast dishes. Alfie and Emilia stood up to help. “We’ll talk more about it tonight,” Zia said. “In the meantime, you two should brush your teeth and get ready for school. I don’t want you to be late!”
 
“Okay,” Alfie and Emilia replied. They hurried to get ready for their day, but Alfie couldn’t stop thinking about where they might go. There was Seattle, New York City, Chicago . . . and that was just in the United States! It was exciting to think about a new trip as a family. He just hoped Mom and Dad could finally stop working long enough to plan something.