< Nina >
My birthday doesn’t have to be a big occasion. My mom feasted us with my favorites and she even put party hats for the three of us. I feel flustered at her grand gesture since we rarely had this opportunity to celebrate my birthday given how heavy her workload is.
It felt normal at first, she keeps chatting on and on about her work and occasionally teases me with Gene since she sometimes calls us “love birds” to my embarrassment.
I love my mom but sometimes she’s jumping to conclusions with my relationship with Gene. We’re friends, that’s all.
And when she reveals the news during our meals, my jaw drops, no longer interested in defending myself from her teasing.
“Y-You’re getting married in Spain, mom? T-To Rodrigo Gomez?”
Of course it has to be him. Rodrigo Gomez, her long-time boyfriend of eight years has finally decided to kneel on his one knee before proposing to her.
I thought their whirlwheel romance is just a phase, since she hasn’t mentioned him a lot recently.
“C-Congratulations, mom!” I stammer as I smile. Gene says his congratulations afterwards while he continues to stuff himself with food. He isn’t a fast eater. In fact, he has been eating in a snail-pace by chewing the meat piece by piece.
Even if he’s starving, he doesn’t wolf the food like most guys do.But that would mean…this will be the first time my mom is going to be the legal wife.
When she gave birth, she and my biological father were in their teens then. But after hearing that she decided to keep me, he went somewhere far away, leaving my mother to support me on her own.
So the news strikes me as a huge surprise. I should be happy, really. And this should be something worth celebrating.
However…
“We are going to hold the wedding in his home city next year,” she says as she pours water into both of our now empty glasses. “Even if Rodrigo retired from acting, it doesn’t mean he is free from the public eye.”
“And his country is the key to running away from the presses?”
The problem with her boyfriend, I mean, fiance, is that he is a famous celebrity in Hollywood.
Back in his prime, he was known as the most handsome celebrity in most gossip magazines and he won many awards due to his raw talent.
His early retirement years ago caused a huge uproar in the Hollywood industry.
“He’d never gotten this chance with Elina, you know.”
“Speaking of which,” she adds, beamingly towards me. “She’s going to the wedding.”
“Is she, huh?” Elina is the ex-wife, I thought.
I met her once, five years ago in Italy for her birthday. She sent us tickets to head to Venice. It was my first time riding a plane and I wasn’t really used to anything fancy.
During that time, I was really worried about the tension between the wife and the other woman but the moment when Elina saw them, she ran and embraced us both. She introduced my mom to her friends and some of her relatives.
My first impression of Elina was weird. She may have been very welcoming to us during her birthday party but I couldn’t figure out why she’s completely okay with the situation they are in.
It’s really strange that she accepts the woman who broke off their marriage.
‘It’s as if I’m the only sane person in this fiasco,’ I thought, sighing.
“Y-you will definitely love Spain, Nina!” My mom continues, cutting my trail of thoughts. “You will be moving there with us after your graduation.”
...What?
As my mother said that, Gene stops eating as he looks surprised as well.
“I’m going to Spain?” I ask, looking baffled at the news.
“A-after your graduation, honey,” mom answers. “Rodrigo didn’t have the chance to spend time with you plus in Spain, no one will bother us there.”
“Plus, there’s an international university there so you don’t need to learn Spanish yet.”
“I—I see,” is my only response. I give a sideways glance to Gene who has been quiet the whole time. He just resumes eating his meal.
But something feels off.
I have this gut feeling that there is still more news. Whenever my mom stutters, it means she’s incredibly nervous. “A—anything else, mom?”
There is a long pause before mom sighs as she looks straight into my eyes, “Honey, the thing is… I’m going to Spain in two days.”
I don’t like where this is going.
“Rodrigo and I,” she continues. “ We were thinking that it would be better if you finish your school here before moving with us to Spain. It was a sudden decision and we don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in your last year in high school. Besides, we will be very busy preparing for the wedding.”
“So I will stay here until graduation?”
I try to think of the bright side.
Honestly, that seems to be a good idea since I’m not really ready for Spain. Heck, I don’t even know how to construct proper sentences in Spanish class!
My only concern is to deal with the daily chores and to do a bit of money management.
My mom continues to stare at me. Her eyes are telling me that there’s more than just that.
“Honey, do you still remember Luca?”
“N-no,” I stuttered for the nth time before looking at the hem of my sweater.
Luca de Milano.
The same guy I tried to forget all these years.
All I remember is the fury in his eyes and how he’s ready to kill me.
How could I not forget him? I met him in Italy and well, it’s still fresh in my mind the way he looked down on me as I was on the floor.
“You met him when you were thirteen. He’s their son.”
“I—I see.” I couldn’t count the number of times I said that. Just the thought of his icy glare makes me shiver in fear.
“Because we want our children to get along, we’re hoping that before the wedding, you can get to know each other more.” Oh no, I don’t like where this is going.
“He may not be blood-related but he will be your family soon. So—“
“Mom,” I interrupt her as I muster the courage to ask. My stomach’s churning, my mind drifting to a path filled with uncertainty. “Are you saying that I will be living with him?”
“Yes~” she beams, clasping her hands, unaware of my gaping mouth.
This isn’t the surprise that I’m expecting at all.
There is a sound of a spoon drop on the table as Gene looks at my mom, completely stunned.Surprisingly though, Gene has been handling it so well that he didn’t speak his own thoughts like he normally does.“I was opposed to it at first of course because I don’t want to bother Luca.” Has my mother ever thought that this is actually the LEAST of the problem? Sometimes I’m envious of my mom’s ditzy nature.“Does he mind at all?”“Of course not, Elina said he would like to see you again soon.”I sure doubt Elina even knows her own son.“Besides, you will be staying there until the wedding. We tried inviting Luca but for some strange reason, he doesn't have time to attend."Oh for the love of God. My mom can be oblivious to situations like this. My stepbrother (can I call him that?) is probably being forced to do his mom's bidding. Otherwise, he could flatly say no and we can all just live alone in peace, thank you very much.“Also, Nina, honey, you will be staying with him in
“You want me to stay over?” Gene blinks, unsure of what he heard.“It’s getting late, Gene,” I answer, with a sheepish smile.Besides, I don’t want you to stay outside for the whole evening while your family locks the door. I thought.He only nods as he mutters to me a thank you.I think I must be crazy to ask him to stay. But after the events that happened earlier, I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking that I will be moving away.“Well, I have nothing against Gene staying here since I trust him. But as your mother, it’s my responsibility to say that he has to sleep on the floor,” my mom says after I told her about the plan.She was busy washing the dishes when I told her about my plan. It’s been a while since Gene had any sleepover. The last time he did come over to sleep was… when we were eight.“Sure thing, mom.”“Also,” she quickly adds after she turns off the tap water. “Make sure to be extra careful unless you want to give me a grandchild,” she says with a wink.“M
It’s strange really. At first, I was worried about my future predicament and Gene’s as well. But here we are chatting about the most ridiculous gossip we’ve heard from school. “I didn’t know that Mr. Roacher writes poems.” “Apparently, he has a huge crush on the cafeteria lady and he thought women like poems.” “We’re in the 21st century, you know?” Gene arches a brow. “Well, old-fashioned romance isn’t that bad. If Mr. Roacher finally marries, he won’t be so cruel to you anymore.” “Nah, he’s probably worse, knowing the cafeteria lady’s temper. Besides, I’d rather if he gives me the toughest equations because I’m starting to question his ability to teach.” I turn to his direction with a frown. “Sometimes, you’re harsh, Gene.” In return, Gene just looks at me with a deadpan expression. “He started it.” We keep talking about random stories we’ve heard from school, more like Gene just listens and asks questions as I talk about the most random things. Occasionally we gigg
It was a spur of the moment and regrettably, I almost made her trip when I pushed her inside the bus. A part of me thinks that I shouldn’t let her go. In any case, she just moves on and finds better friends in Dawn City.Another part of me, my selfish side that I had secretly been hiding from her, handed over my cross so she will keep it as a keepsake.A reminder of me, even if it’s just a bit.But I should have known Nina, she is too unselfish and prioritizes her loved ones over her own sake.You will be safer there than here.This line has been in my mind for these past three days like a replay button is being pressed repeatedly.I shouldn’t involve Nina with my problems anymore. She has suffered enough already and every time I looked at her bruised eye, I knew that I couldn’t protect her all the time.Yet, regardless of what I thought, I still handed over my cross.Have I regretted giving up my brother’s cross? Nah, I entrusted it to her no matter what.“Move aside, kid,”
“This is 12 Quartz Square Bound C Express train. The next stop is Dawn City. Stand clear of the closing door, please.” Just one more stop. I have been moving from one train to another and it’s the very first time I’ve been in many places. The last two trains I’ve ridden are packed with people like sardines in a tin. For the entire trip on this last train, I’ve been standing and holding the pole, while my other hand is carrying my travel bag. My hand is getting numb thanks to its weight. Mom and I didn’t go around a lot since she’s busy working a lot of jobs and I don’t go out often. It’s a new experience for me. It was no joke when Gene told me an eight-hour trip tires anyone out. I feel really tired but my mom told me not to sleep in the train alone or else I’ll definitely miss my stop. And it’s just a few minutes till I’ve reached Dawn City. All throughout the trip, I keep wondering if Gene is going to be fine. It keeps me awake, thinking about his safety. As soon a
“Do you mind eating Italian pizza?” I shake my head, my thoughts are more focused on finding a payphone. As we enter the pizza parlor, my eyes are scanning for a payphone in this area. “Are you looking for something?” I hesitate, looking down on the helm of my hoodie as I say, “I’m just looking for a payphone so I can call my friend.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” he chuckles, and then he hands me his phone. “You can just call your friend using mine.” “B-but, I can’t do that! What if you have some emergency calls from your job or something?” Like Luca checking up on us or something like that. “Don’t worry, it’s just a phone call.” “Are you sure?” I ask reluctantly. “If you are going to be Luca’s family, then I’ll treat you as family. So, be a good kid and just take it.” I smile and give him a thank you before accepting his phone. “You can call and wait on that available table there,” he says, gesturing to the table farther from the cashier. He is definitely being c
Funny how fate works. I was hoping that we would never cross paths again. I thought that his threats were proof enough that we weren’t supposed to see eye-to-eye. Sigh, why does he have to live eight hours away from my small town? I mean, he knew that I live in the US but then again, I’m aware that the country is vast with greener pastures. A part of me is hoping he would rather stay in Italy there for good.But here I am, just one door away to finally reunite with the man who almost made me pee on my pants. Yu doesn’t seem to notice my anxiety as he slowly and gently knocks on the front door.No response.A few knocks.Still no response.“Tch!” Yu grimaces, his eyes glaring towards the door. His clenched hand trembles and I stare at him with anticipation.“Y-Yu?”The usual cool and kind Yu won’t get mad, right?Right?Then he starts banging the door.“LUCA! OPEN THE FUCK UP!”This is the side of him that I didn’t expect. I instinctively backed away from him.Is it normal
I don’t know why it has become a habit of mine now. Maybe because I grew up in a small town, the only fanciest trip I had was in Italy—and the worst one. Or maybe since everyone knows everybody in my hometown so I have no reason to stare.But it hasn’t been one full day in Dawn City and I have been entering some kind of staring contests all the time.Well, towards my future stepbrother, that is.Unlike the first time when I was ogling his face, I just stay frozen stiff, my eyes still widen and it should really hurt by now because I have been doing this for a while. Not to mention my cheeks are clearly flushed. My skin might be the same odd color as Gene’s hair right now.Finally, Luca’s features change into disgust and his mouth opens a bit. like he has something to say before he shakes his head, indicating his final decision not to remark.“Your room is on the left side next to mine. If you have questions, just talk to Yu tomorrow morning,” he says as he heads straight