The transition to having a 13-year-old girl as a major aspect of her life did not get off to a smooth start for Nikki. After a few weeks, Stefania began to quickly realize that anything she had been told about Esposito wasn’t true. She was still, however, icy to Nikki. Stefania held a grudge against Nikki for stealing her away from the only life she had known. Even though her mother’s alcohol and drug problems caused her some misery, Stefania also held a grudge against Nikki because it was reality that her parents would never be together. She was a bright girl, and in many ways, mature for her age, just as Nikki had been and still was. Nikki respected that, but Stefania couldn’t see the similarities yet. She constantly gave Nikki a hard time, mostly for her smoking. Any time Nikki lit a cigarette in the house or the car, Stefania would make a comment or a facial expression to express her displeasure. As for Nikki’s part, she hadn’t cared what someone thought of her in a long ti...