Alessia Moretti slid into her chair at the breakfast table. She dropped her napkin on her lap with a deliberate pat. Her fingers drummed against the wood grain.
She kept glancing at her parents, who were pouring cereal and buttering toast. Alessia Moretti opened her mouth to speak, but the Cereal box tipped and a avalanche of flakes spilled across the counter.
Her dad laughed, grabbed a paper towel, and started scooping. Alessia Moretti closed her mouth and watched the crumbs. When the table was quiet, she leaned forward with her hands folded tight, but her mom reached past for the Orange juice carton and their shoulders bumped.
Alessia Moretti sat back, tracing the rim of her Water glass with one fingertip. She took a slow breath.
Alessia Moretti stood on her chair and leaned all the way across the table until her face was close to her dad's. She whispered something and her eyes went wide.
Her dad froze, the coffee pot hovering mid-pour, and then his whole face broke into the biggest grin Alessia Moretti had ever seen.
Her mom dropped the Orange juice carton and wrapped both her arms around Alessia Moretti in a tight hug. Her dad lifted Alessia Moretti onto his lap and spun her in a circle while her mom clapped her hands against the table.
The kitchen was full of laughter and the smell of butter and coffee and something wonderful. Alessia Moretti's secret was out, and everyone was smiling.
