Violetta. Such a precious name. Concetta held her new cousin with adoration. She hoped that the child would grow up to be someone of worth. A doctor maybe or a scientist. Something she never had the chance to be. There was a new horizon waiting for this little one and it was going to be glorious, she knew it. She'd bequeath her sentimental items to the girl so that she could feel the spirit of the women in the family running through her fingertips when she touched them. Like the comb Concetta wore in her hair. To some, it was a simple comb. To her, it was a symbol of an unwitting voyager, her grandmother's present to her on becoming a woman. It had travelled with her across the ocean where the seasons were spun upside down although the men had not changed. Where a tomato burst on the tongue the same way as it did anywhere in the world. Her youth was over. All that mattered was the unfurled future, right here, curled up in those doll-like hands and luminous eyes. Gently kissing her forehead, Concetta reverently laid the sleeping baby down to rest.

'Benvenuto al mondo, Violetta' she murmured.