"Ciao?"

"Boungiorno, am I speaking to Lovino Vargas?"

"Uh, si."

"My name is Saveria Moretti. I am the social worker for your brother's custody case."

"My brother's what?"

"Custody case, sir. You…are aware of the situation, si?"

"What situation? Listen, I have no idea what you're talking about, okay? In case you haven't guessed, I'm not in Italy right now. Kind of been out of the country for a few years. I haven't seen the kid since he was born four years ago and I haven't spoken to anyone in my family since I left so maybe if there's a 'custody' issue with him, you should call his parents."

Silence.

"Sir…his-your parents aren't available. They…were in a car crash three days ago. Feliciano was the only survivor."

"Wh-what?"

"I'm…I am sorry, sir. They told me you had been informed."

Silence.

"Sir?"

"I'm here…"

A sigh. "Listen, Mr. Vargas, right now we have a four-year-old boy in the hospital and no one to have custody over him. You're the only family he has that can care for him."

"Care for him?! Lady, I'm twenty-two years old and in my fourth year of college in the fucking United States. How does that make me able to care for him? I don't even know him! What about Nonno?"

"Your nonno, Mr. Vargas, is in a retirement home."

"So? Last I heard the bastard was still bringing women over. Sounds pretty capable to me."

"Sir…can I call you Lovino?"

"Why not?"

"Okay, Lovino, your little brother needs a capable family member to look after him. Your parents' Will states that they wanted the next capable family member to take care of Feliciano in the event of something happening to them. That's you, Lovino."

Silence.

"Lovino?"

Still silence.

"Lovino? Sir?"

"Alright…Jesus…I'll do it. Um…how are we…uh…"

"There funeral is in three days. Feliciano will be getting out of the hospital on that day and be attending with your nonno. He will be allowed to spend that single night at the retirement home before he has to be placed into a stable home. We can do the paper work then."

"Fine."

Information was passed back and forth. "Alright. Grazie, Mr. Vargas, and again, I am truly sorry for your loss."

"…ya…ciao…"

Lovino hung up the phone and placed it on top of his art history book. So…his parents were…dead? They were dead and now he had to fly to Italy within the next day in order to take custody of the younger brother he's never met.

Guess now was a good a time as any to get drunk and not study.