*Caterina*

“Remember to stay safe and don’t go off wandering by yourself.” My mother lectured me through the phone, her voice still filled with the overbearing worry that she’d had when I was a kid.

“I know, Mom. I’m not a child anymore.” I chuckled to myself, curling up a bundle of clothes and folding it within my already packed suitcase. I held my phone to one ear, nodding along to my mother as she prattled on how much she was going to miss me. ...