The first autumn leaf falls on the magnificent city of Rome, Isabel rushes out of the University of History, grabs her pool blue Vespa and takes off. The last exams before the winter break were making her neurotic. After gathering up her books and putting them in her backpack inside the vespa's small luggage compartment, Isabel sets off in the direction of her home. The busy streets of Rome and the usual crazy traffic make her tired, she throws her backpack on the sofa and goes straight to the shower:

 “Good afternoon sunshine…”  he says as he kisses her rosy cheek.

“Hi brother, how was your day?”

“ Busy, I'm in charge of a lot of investigations. I'm pretty tired... make me one of those?” pointing to the freshly finished sandwich on the table.

Isabel and Pietro had been close since childhood. Pietro, like his older brother, was very protective and always looked after Isabel and helped her with everything. Pietro had been working at the Polizia di Stato for two years as an investigator. He was very dedicated and found in this profession a use for his law degree

Isabel's parents, Julia and Mattia, owned a pizzeria in the suburbs of Rome. Mattia was a very traditional Italian who loved well-made food and good ingredients, while Julia, the Brazilian who won his heart, was a good-natured person. 

The family business was going well, they were able to maintain their standard of living and so Isabel and Pietro still lived with them. Isabel was thinking of living on her own in the future and had plans to share an apartment with her friend Martina. Pietro wouldn't leave his parents' house until he was married, but that wasn't in his plans, he wanted to grow in his position in Polizia and only then think about building a family. 

Isabel relied on her family's support to pay for university, but in her final year she could no longer help her parents in the pizzeria, she needed to find a part-time job, and so it was agreed. Her parents agreed to her working part-time to pay for college, Isabel was so neurotic about the last exams, she was going to take advantage of the winter break to research some vacancies. At last the exam results were in, Isabel didn't have to sit the exams, she passed them all for the first time. The tireless hours of study were useful. Her dream was, after university, to get a job in one of Rome's museums, perhaps one day to become the museum's chief curator... dreams. 

With her determined personality, clumsy and very sweet and soft-spoken, Isabel was much loved by her teachers, who wouldn't hesitate to nominate her for one of the museums. Now that Isabel was finally on vacation, she sat down on the sofa at home with her laptop in hand. She was going to write her CV, listing all the courses she had taken and the knowledge she possessed. After finishing her CV, Isabel looked at some part-time vacancies. None were in her field, history, or even related. 

She was a little discouraged when she saw a job recently posted on the website. It wasn't in her area, in fact it was quite far away, but the hours were ideal and the pay was very good, even too good, which left her, as her mother used to say: “with a flea behind her ear”. Isabel always laughed when her mother said that. But as Isabel wanted her independence, she decided to apply, after all, what would it cost to try? After taking an online test and leaving her contact details, the next morning she received a call on her cell phone from a hiring agent scheduling an interview for her that same week. 

(Isabel De Angelis)

On the designated day, Isabel goes to the address given by the agent, a true mansion in a more secluded neighborhood in Rome, where apparently only millionaires lived. The position was for a nanny with extensive knowledge of History, something truly uncommon… a fact for which the pay was above average.

The boy they were looking for a nanny for was named Andrea; his last name had not been revealed to the candidates beforehand. Andrea was 9 years old, a very observant boy who watched everyone closely, silently seated in an armchair in the corner of a large room. Isabel, being a diligent student, demonstrated her deep knowledge of History, which caught the hiring agent's attention compared to the others. After the questions, all the candidates went home, including Isabel. A few days passed, and just as Isabel was looking for new job openings, her phone pinged with a notification.

It was a formal email informing her that she had been hired to be Andrea's nanny. Below in the email were some instructions regarding attire and working hours. The following week, Isabel was to go to the mansion at the agreed time, when the housekeeper would brief her about Andrea. Isabel was thrilled; after all, she knew the pay was above average. She gathered her documents, placed them in her backpack, and rode her Vespa to the mansion. Upon arrival, she was greeted by the housekeeper, a polite lady with dyed red hair. The lady showed Isabel around the house, and then Andrea arrived home from school. Isabel’s role would be to assist Andrea with his homework and manage his activities, such as fencing and piano. Andrea was a very intelligent boy who enjoyed reading and watching movies. Caring for such an interesting child wouldn’t be difficult. The housekeeper provided Isabel with the schedules, his diet, and a list of books that Andrea wanted her to find in used bookstores. The only rule of the house was that Isabel should be discreet and never disturb Andrea’s father when he was home.

“ Here, this is the money for the books Andrea wants.” the lady said, handing her an envelope filled with euros. Isabel took the envelope in silence, merely nodding in agreement.

The housekeeper advised Isabel to wear clothes that covered her neck, as Mr. Lorenzo worked in his office and should not be disturbed. Matilde, the housekeeper, took Isabel’s documents and brought them to the office.

“I’ll take care of everything with the agent regarding your contract. Officially, your work begins tomorrow at the specified time.” After the instructions, Isabel took her Vespa and returned home, as Matilde had confirmed that her job would indeed start the next day. Armed with her list, Isabel took the opportunity to search for the books for Andrea in the city’s old bookstores.

“ What a peculiar taste for a boy…” she said to herself. After visiting three used bookstores, she found all the books on the list. Isabel then went to Pizzeria D'Angelis to see her parents and share the news.

Her parents were excited; they had received a restaurant critic the previous week, who had rated them very well. The family enjoyed a lovely pizza as soon as Pietro arrived home from work, and they all chatted about the week’s happenings.

( Isabel's parents)

The next day, there was Isabel at the Franco mansion. The place was magnificent, resembling one of those movie houses. As soon as she entered, Isabel found Andrea in the living room, sitting in an armchair with a tablet in hand. She struck up a conversation:

“Ciao Andrea, what did you do today?”

“I went to school this morning, and now I’m waiting for my piano teacher. Do you want to watch my lesson?” the boy replied excitedly.

“Of course! It will be a pleasure.”

After Isabel prepared Andrea’s afternoon snack according to his diet, the teacher arrived. Andrea then began his studies; he was already at an intermediate level and could beautifully play several songs. His teacher was quite demanding, and with each wrong note, he made the boy start over. Isabel sat quietly, observing the lesson. She thought to herself how unusual Andrea was. After the lesson ended, Isabel called Andrea to have a snack.

The boy was shy and didn’t talk much; he enjoyed discussing movies and books. Isabel could easily imagine she was talking to a college classmate. When her work shift ended, Isabel was leaving, grabbing her motorcycle helmet and backpack as she headed down the mansion stairs. At that moment, she opened the front door and came face to face with a tall, handsome man with long black hair and blue eyes, leaning against the staircase and smoking.

The very attractive man looked Isabel up and down and then asked:

“Are you my son’s new nanny?”

“Yes, sir,” Isabel replied promptly.

“Welcome.” He looked at her with those charming, almost hypnotic blue eyes. Then he extended his hand to greet her. Isabel returned the gesture and shook his hand.

When their eyes met and their hands touched, she felt a slight shock. Still looking at each other, Isabel said:

“Thank you very much, Mr. Franco. I won’t disappoint Andrea.” The man smiled and placed the tip of his cigarette in a silver ashtray on the edge of the stairs.

“Good to know. The last nanny had no interest in him, and that made her leave. I hope your interest is genuine in my son and not in me!”

Isabel looked at him in surprise, thinking to herself, “What an arrogant man!”

“I can assure you of that, sir,” Isabel replied confidently. She then descended the stairs and took her Vespa from the mansion's garage.

On her way home, she continued to think about what Mr. Franco had said. 💭 “Arrogant man, yes he’s handsome, but he’s not the last heartthrob in Italy… ugh.” 💭 “As if I couldn't resist him… full of himself.”

Isabel arrived home, made herself a hot chocolate, and went to her room to watch a series; after all, it was vacation time, and she deserved a break. Lorenzo owned several bars and nightclubs in Rome; he was a wealthy and stylish man but quite reserved. He didn’t appear in tabloids or gossip magazines, and it was hard to find any news about his relationships. Curious about Andrea’s mother, Isabel tried to find some information. The most she could find was an obituary for Mrs. Franco, which stated that she had passed away due to a tragic train accident.

At the time, Andrea was just one year old and had been at home with his maternal grandparents. Eight years without his mother, Andrea knew her only through photos and stories from his grandparents. Isabel felt a certain affection for Andrea, thinking about how terrible it would be to live without one’s parents. Fortunately, Andrea had his father by his side.

( Lorenzo Franco )