Kady

 

My parents are going to kill me.

Not literally. Well, maybe…God, I hope not.

Once they find out what I’ve done and where I’ve run off to, killing me will likely be at the top of their list for punishment options.

My dad is a well-known criminal lawyer, so if they do murder me, they’ll probably get off scot-free. I wouldn’t blame them at all for being upset with me for what I’ve done, because this is the worst mistake I’ve ever made in all my nineteen years of life.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but this one takes the cake.

I’m what you might call a walking disaster.

Believe me when I say, I’ve fucked up a lot.

And now I’m in a predicament I can’t get out of on my own.

Every family has someone like me - the “black sheep” of the family and the one they shake their heads at whenever they screw up again.

It’s my lot in life. Growing up as the middle-child in a family of three, I had to find a way to stand out from my other two siblings, who are by most standards scientific geniuses. How could I possibly compete with that? I don’t have a head for math or science like either of them. My attention span and focus in the classroom is not my finest attribute.

I’ve concluded, while sitting here at a café in Florence, that my only option is to summon the help of my brother, Cade, who will undoubtedly flip the hell out and probably disown me. But I have no other way out of this mess.

Opening my Skype chat icon on my iPad, I stare at it like it has all my answers. I finally bite the bullet and click Cade’s profile picture.

I barely breathe as it rings.

While I wait for it to connect, I consider the positive aspect of my misfortune this time. It’s that both my brother, Cade, and twin sister Kylah, have stepped up to the plate to take the heat off me by dropping their own bombs on my parents this week.

While I’ve been trekking across Europe with my friend, Isadora, Cade proposed to his girlfriend of a year, and Kylah announced that she’s transferring colleges and will be moving in with her boyfriend, Van.

The perfect diversions.

My hope is that my parents will be so frazzled over those announcements that it will keep them off my trail for a bit while I figure out the solution to this conundrum. 

And if that’s not bad enough? Here’s the cherry on top of the cake.

I’m now stranded in Florence, Italy without any means of getting back. My passport and wallet were in the backpack stolen from me last night at a party, leaving me with only the money I’d pulled out and tucked in my pocket.

Did I mention that I’m a complete disaster?

Cade is my only option and I pray he’ll be willing to help me out.

There’s always the chance he’ll tell me to go fuck myself.

As I wait for him to pick up, I take in surroundings to gather my wit. Florence, or Firenze as it’s known to Italians, is such a beautiful city – offering a peaceful solace this time of morning. Shop keepers are just getting around to opening their storefronts, sweeping the dust from their doorsteps and setting out their goods to sell the mass of tourists that travel this city every day. 

I’ve resolved to find a way to stay here for a bit longer because I don’t want to go home just yet and leave this all behind. I have exactly one-hundred U.S. dollars available right now. Given the Euro exchange rate, that accounts for barely enough for a hotel room, dinner and a glass of wine tonight. I could check into a hostel, but those can be sketch. And there’s bed bugs. Gross.

Leaving now would be giving up on this grand adventure, when I still have so many historic cities to visit. I’ve had my share of failures lately, and leaving in defeat would be yet another one to add to my ever-growing list.

By the time Cade answers my call, I’ve put my game face on. Ready for battle.

But not too proud to beg.

Cade lets out a long-suffering sigh and rolls his eyes. “What the fuck, Kady? Do you know what time it is? It’s the middle of the night and I was asleep, goddammit.

Oops. I forgot about the time difference in my panic to fix my financial problems. It’s early here in Florence, meaning it’s the middle of the night back home in Phoenix.

I see Ainsley stir in the corner of the screen, pieces of her long, black hair strewn across her pillow.

Cade started his new job as a biomedical engineer at a prominent hospital this week. And Ainsley, his new fiancée, is on track to graduate next year with a nursing degree. They’re both amazing people who have their lives mapped out in front of them.

All I have in front of me right now are crumbs from my breakfast croissant. It sucks that I ended up in this destitute predicament, because Cade will only give me more shit.

Biting my lip, I make my apologies. “I’m sorry I woke you up, Cade. But I really need your help.”

I never plan on screwing up. Who does? With the school thing, I had every intention of buckling down, as my dad would say, and trying hard to hit the books. But I had so much fun partying with my new friends at school, that classes and coursework soon became irrelevant and weren’t a priority.

By the time the school year ended, I was so embarrassed by my lack of achievement that I couldn’t possibly go home with my tail between my legs, having to explain to my family how and why I flunked out of college.

I want to be inspired. Learn about other cultures. And meet as many gorgeous foreign men as I can possibly cram into the summer abroad. Izzy and I were having the time of our lives…

Until this teeny-tiny hiccup.

He scoffs. “Just like you forget everything important. Sometimes, Kady, you are the most thoughtless and self-absorbed person I know.”

I blink back hot tears and glance away, focusing on the old man across the piazza from me. He’s whistling a little tune to himself. I’ve noticed a lot of older Italian men doing that. It’s rather sweet.

“Shit, K…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just fucking tired. Real-life is exhausting.”

I wave away his apology with a flick of my hand. He’s right. I am self-centered and self-absorbed at times. I’m completely opposite of Kylah, my twin. She’s the martyr and saint between the two of us. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a statue erected in one of these old cathedrals in her honor.

Saint Kylah. Revered by all.

Fallen angel Kady.

My voice is soft and remorseful. “It’s okay, Cade. I honestly neglected to remember the time difference. I’m really sorry. But I wouldn’t have called you now if it wasn’t an emergency.”

Cade moves from the bed and walks out into his hallway, closing the door behind him so as not to disturb Ainsley.

“Why? What’s going on? Are you okay?” His tone is now that of a worried big brother.

Apparently, I’m easy to read.

“Don’t be mad…”

Damn, this is hella difficult.

I hate having to beg and acknowledge I’ve screwed up. Especially with my brother, who already has a savior complex. A few months back, just as he and Ainsley were getting serious, he helped her rescue her sister, Anika, who’d been abandoned by their mother. It was terrifying and everyone was in hysterics, but he kept his cool and did what he had to do.

“Oh Christ, what the hell did you do now?”

There goes all his concern. I scrunch my nose offensively, slightly hurt by his accusation. While he has reason to assume something bad has happened, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be calling, he doesn’t have to point out this isn’t a one-time isolated incident.

“Shut up, dickhead. I didn’t do anything wrong. Not technically. It’s just…” I stall, breathing in deeply to gather my strength. My determination. My mojo.

I think back to last night, and the party we attended after meeting some touring musicians from Denmark and Izzy’s harebrained idea to run off with the band.

She’d tried hard to convince me to go with her. “Come on, Kady…you have to come with us. I can’t believe you’d rather stay here.”

“Iz, I can’t just leave the country now. I have no ID and no money. I need to call Cade tomorrow to see if there’s anything he can do to help me get this sorted out. There’s no way I’m calling my dad.”

Izzy simply slammed her drink down, sending the contents sloshing over the edge, and told me that I was fucking crazy to give up this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Maybe she was right. If I had gone with her, at least I’d be with someone I know right now instead of sitting at a corner café table overlooking the Piazza Doumo, alone and uncertain, agonizing over all my stupid decisions.

Cade’s voice has risen to an angry pitch. “It’s just what?” he snipes, growing annoyed and impatient as he runs his hand through his tousled bedhead.

Blowing out a breath, I come clean. “I’m stranded. In Florence. I’m down to my last few Euro’s that will only get me through the night, and my wallet and my passport were stolen last night. I was hoping…”

I’m unable to finish the sentence when he interrupts.

“Jesus H. Christ. You’re stranded in fucking Italy? What is the matter with you, Kady? Can’t you ever do anything without it becoming a full-blown drama?”

While his assessment of my past behavior is rather hurtful, but perhaps accurate, I try to hold myself together. Being respectful of the time and his whereabouts, I place my finger against my closed lips, asking him to be quieter.

“Pipe down, Mr. Hostile. You’re going to wake Ainsley and Anika. What I was trying to say is that until I’m able to pull more money out of my trust fund, which I can’t get to right now until I have an ID, I need some help. It’s just a temporary loan until I can pay you back at the beginning of the month.”

To fund my trip of a lifetime, I’d tapped into my trust fund established by my grandparents when I was a kid. I’m only allowed a specific withdrawal amount every month until I turn twenty-one, unless I have a specific purchase that supports my future – like oh, for example, college tuition.

Cade’s wheels are turning. I can see it in the flash of his blue eyes. I hold my breath and wait.

His response is emphatic. “No.”

My head jerks back with the force of his denial.

“No? Are you serious right now? You’re just going to leave me stranded here, alone, without any money? Without a place to stay? Cade, please…” My lip quivers in terror, and my whine is that of a two-year-old girl.   

Even if I penny-pinch my meager allowance and find ways to be frugal with my day-to-day expenses for the next few weeks, it’s not enough to prevent me from ending up on the streets like a vagrant. .

Cade shakes his head, clearly frustrated with me.

“Listen,” he starts, rubbing his temples. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you. I’ll wire you enough to get you by for the next day or so. But Kady, you got yourself into this mess, you need to figure a way out of it. I’m not going to bail you out completely. It’s called being an adult. But I may know a guy who’s over there playing ball for one of the Italian teams. He’s Christian Lancaster’s younger brother.”

I flip through my brain archives to see if I can recall ever meeting Christian. He played with Cade on his ASU basketball team. I think he was the tall, dopey guy I met a few times. He’s kind of an idiot.

As I’m mulling this over, the waitress from the café stops by my table and asks me if I’d like more coffee.

I nod my head and hand her my empty cup. “Si. Per favore. Grazie.”

Cade’s eyes bug out on the screen when the girl walks away.

“Wow, she was…”

I scowl at him for his indecent behavior. “Dude, you’re an engaged man. You can’t be looking at other women now.”

He laughs, taking a peek behind him at his closed bedroom door. Yeah, that’s what I thought. “You’re right. But I’m not dead. A guy can admire a beautiful woman. Are all the Italian ladies that hot?”

From behind me I can hear the waitress snicker from inside the doorway of the little café.

“Yes, they are. And shush, she can hear you, ya know. And I’m sure Ainsley can, too. Don’t be such a douche canoe. You’ve got a gorgeous fiancée in your bed right now.”

Cade nods. “Yeah, I know. I’m a lucky son-of-a-bitch. Anyway, getting back to your predicament.”

I consider the options in front of me. I may be stuck in Firenze a little longer than I expected. Maybe I can get hired on in one of the businesses around here temporarily. And as far as accepting help from this guy, perhaps I could crash at his place for just a few nights until I can figure out a more sustainable plan.

“So, what’s this guy’s name and how do I get in touch with him?”

Cade’s typing something in his phone. Probably a text to Christian.

“It’s not a sure thing. I don’t even know if he’s in Florence or not. He might be out on the road. But, for what it’s worth, his name is Gavin. And as soon I hear back from Christian, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, find me a place where I can send you some money.”

I smile sweetly at my older brother, tears prickling at the corner of my eyes. While we might have our differences, he’s always been someone I can count on. Maybe I don’t mind his savior complex.

“Thanks, Cade,” I say, pressing my hand above my heart so he can see my sincerity. “I really appreciate this. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

I blow a kiss at the computer screen as he flips me off and grunts.

“Just stay out of any more trouble for now. Okay?”

I can make no such promises.