Family Moretti

The Moretti family had never been particularly good at having a quiet afternoon.

Alexandria's house was warm and lived-in, filled with the subtle signs of a family that had long since stopped worrying about keeping everything perfectly orderly. The television played quietly in the background, dishes sat half-forgotten on the kitchen counter, and several conversations had been happening at once for the better part of an hour.

Cassandra had claimed the kitchen as her territory, though nobody had officially given it to her. She was busy preparing something while simultaneously keeping track of what everyone else was doing.

Tony had taken the more sensible approach: sitting comfortably nearby and letting everyone else exhaust themselves.

Mia had arrived earlier without announcing how long she intended to stay. She was sprawled comfortably on the couch, looking through her phone and occasionally inserting herself into conversations purely because she could.

Naomi was sitting nearby with a book open in her lap, glasses slightly lowered on her nose. She had been trying to read for the past twenty minutes, though the family's constant interruptions had made that increasingly difficult.

Melissa, now an adult, was sitting at the table with a drink in front of her, listening to the chaos with the detached amusement of someone who had learned that trying to stop a Moretti argument was usually more trouble than it was worth.

Alexandria remained the calmest person in the house. She had been quietly observing everyone from her chair, occasionally offering a comment that somehow made the entire room go silent.

Cassandra: "Mia, did you seriously eat the last piece of cake?" She turns from the kitchen and gives Mia an accusing look.

Mia: "I didn't eat it. I simply prevented it from going to waste." She doesn't even look up from her phone.

Tony: "That's a very sophisticated way of saying yes." He takes another sip of his drink, clearly entertained.

Mia: "Nobody asked you." She finally looks up, giving him an unimpressed stare.

Tony: "Nobody ever does. Doesn't seem to stop me." He shrugs casually.

Naomi: "Can everyone please stop arguing over cake?" She adjusts her glasses and looks between them. "There are more important things to worry about."

Melissa: "Like what?" She takes a sip from her drink. "The economy?"

Naomi: "I was thinking more along the lines of dinner." She gives Melissa a mildly exasperated look.

Melissa: "So... food." She raises an eyebrow.

Naomi: "Yes."

Melissa: "Then we're still talking about food."

Cassandra: "Thank you, Melissa. At least someone here is being reasonable." She points toward the kitchen with a faint smile.

Mia: "She literally just made fun of you." She smirks.

Cassandra: "I know."

Mia: "And you're agreeing with her?"

Cassandra: "I can appreciate being insulted when it's deserved." She turns back toward what she was preparing.

Tony: "That's definitely a family trait." He leans back, trying not to laugh.

Alexandria: "If all of you are finished conducting a trial over a piece of cake..." She calmly closes the book in her lap. "...perhaps someone could explain why there are shoes in the middle of my hallway."

Mia: "Not mine." She immediately raises both hands.

Naomi: "They're not mine." She glances toward the hallway.

Melissa: "I didn't put them there." She looks around innocently.

Tony: "I know better than to answer that question." He suddenly becomes very interested in his drink.

Cassandra: "Tony." She gives him a knowing look.

Tony: "What? I value my life." He raises his hands defensively.

Alexandria: "Smart man." She gives him a small, approving smile.

For a few seconds, the room settles into comfortable silence.

Then there is a knock at the front door.

Naomi: "Oh. Someone's here." She immediately looks toward the entrance.

Mia: "At least one person in this world still knows how to knock." She glances toward the others.

Cassandra: "Could be someone visiting." She starts toward the entrance.

Tony: "Or someone delivering food. If it's the second one, I vote we let them in immediately." He sits up slightly.

Melissa: "You'd let a complete stranger into the house for food." She looks at him with disbelief.

Tony: "Depends what they're carrying." He gives her a completely serious expression.

Melissa: "You're unbelievable."

Alexandria: "Tony." She gives him a warning look.

Tony: "Right. Serious face." He straightens up, though the amused expression never quite leaves him.

Cassandra: "Well? Nobody's going to hide?" She looks back at the others while reaching for the door.

Mia: "I considered it." She sinks deeper into the couch.

Naomi: "Don't be rude."

Mia: "I said considered."

Melissa: "This should be interesting." She settles back in her chair, clearly amused.

Alexandria: "Open the door, Cassandra." Her voice remains calm and authoritative.

Cassandra reaches for the handle.

Cassandra: "Whoever that is, they're walking into a very strange afternoon." She opens the door.

The Moretti family falls quiet for a moment, all of them turning their attention toward whoever has just arrived.

The Moretti family was halfway through a long car ride, and somehow the trip had already become an argument.

Cassandra: "Can everyone please keep the noise down for a minute?" She keeps her attention on the road, clearly trying to concentrate.

Tony: "We're bonding."

Cassandra: "You're annoying me."

Tony: "Same thing."

Mia: "Can we change the music?" She looks toward the front with an impatient expression.

Naomi: "You already changed it twice."

Mia: "Because the songs were terrible."

Melissa: "She's not wrong." She quietly laughs from the back seat.

Naomi: "You're encouraging her."

Melissa: "I'm just being honest."

Alexandria: "A dangerous habit in this family." She calmly watches the others, faintly amused.

Tony: "Are we there yet?"

Cassandra: "We've been driving for forty minutes."

Tony: "So that's a no."

Mia: "You really are incapable of being quiet."

Tony: "And yet everyone seems to enjoy having me around."

Alexandria: "Debatable."

The car falls quiet for a few seconds before everyone inevitably starts arguing again.