LUCA’S REUNION
THE CALL
Day 116 — Morning, Lucia’s House
Lucia was making breakfast when her phone rang.
It was Marco. His voice carried information that made her set down the pan she was holding.
“She’s awake,” Marco said without preamble. “Aria’s conscious. Eyes open. She’s speaking.”
For a moment, Lucia couldn’t process the words. Three months. Ninety two days. She’d begun to accept that waking might not happen. That Aria might remain suspended in that space between living and being alive.
But she was awake.
“I’ll bring Luca,” Lucia said immediately. “He needs to see his mother.”
She found her grandson in the garden, sitting on a bench, staring at nothing. He’d taken to doing this lately finding quiet places where he could sit without having to interact with anyone. Eight years
