I opened the front door and set my bag down by the shoe-rack, calling out “Ciao! I’m home!” as I did so. Eliza came around the corner with a smile on her face.
“Hello, Feli!” she greeted happily. “Here, come into the kitchen for a snack.”
I followed her into the kitchen, where a small plate of crackers and cheese awaited. I thanked her for the food and started eating. She sat down across from me.
“So, how was your first day of high school?”
I set down my cracker. “It was really fun! I made some new friends and I like all of my classes! Well… except for math. Math’s boring. Oh, um, and…” I hesitated.
She looked at me curiously. “What is it, Feli?”
“Um, first, is stepfather here?”
“He told you yesterday that he would be going away for a week, remember? For one of his music things?”
“Oh, yeah! Anyway, Eliza…” I cleared my throat. “Lovi’s attending the high school, too. I saw him at lunch time.”
Eliza had been eating the crackers and cheese along with me, but at this proclamation, she dropped her cracker in shock and stared at me with her mouth open.
I hurried on. “He says that he’s doing fine, and he’s living in a cheap apartment…”
She found her voice. “That’s… excellent! I’m so glad he’s okay…” Eliza let out a shaky breath and smiled. “I’m so glad he’s okay…” she repeated. “I was so worried when he ran away. Now he can come back, and—”
“No,” I said quickly. She looked at me expectantly.
“Sorry,” I continued, “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Um, the thing is, Lovi said that he doesn’t want to come back. He said that he misses you, but he doesn’t regret running away.”
She looked down in disappointment. “I see.” It looked like she was about to cry, so I leaned over and hugged her comfortingly. I’d always been good at comforting people. When she gently pushed me away, she asked if she could see Lovi at his place sometime.
I thought about it. “Well, I don’t really know where it actually is, but I can ask him about it. What about him coming here?”
She smiled. “Feli, your brother is always welcome.” Then she looked around conspiratorially and whispered, “As long as your stepfather’s not here,” with a wink.
-------
I headed up to my room – and then I immediately ran back downstairs, because I had forgotten my backpack. When I came back up, I took out the plastic bag and took it off carefully. Some of the paint had come off on the bag, but it wasn’t too noticeable. I held it and carried it around to different places on my walls, checking to see where it would look best. I eventually settled on the wall behind my bed, approximately halfway in between either bedpost. The painting of Ludwig ended up a little bit crooked, but I didn’t mind too much. I’d just fix it later…
-------
Later that evening, Eliza and I were eating dinner (home-made pasta) when the phone rang. I offered to get it and rose to take the phone off of the base.
“Hello!” I said cheerfully. “This is Feliciano Vargas-Edelstein! May I help you?”
“Hi, Feli~! How are you?”
I heard a voice in the background yell “Give me back the phone, you bastard!”
“Toni? Is that you?”
“Si, Feli!”
“I’m fine, Toni! How are you?”
“I’m grea — gack!” I heard some indistinct shouting, a sound like someone was being choked, and a loud thump.
“…Toni?”
A new voice came on the phone. “Hey, fratello. Sorry ‘bout that, this bastard took the phone from me.”
I smiled. “It’s Lovi,” I whispered to Eliza. “Hi, Lovi!”
“…don’t call me that. Hi, Feliciano. I just wanted to say hi and ask if you’d told Eliza about me yet.”
I nodded, then remembered that he couldn’t see me. “Yes, I told her,” I said. “She’s sitting right here. Do you wanna talk to her?”
“…yes.”
I handed the phone to Eliza, saying as I did so “He wants to talk to you.”
She took the phone and started talking with a smile on her face. “Yes, it’s me… I’ve missed you too… I’m sorry that we couldn’t give you a proper home… of course! When? ... This weekend? Yes, absolutely! ...Er, sorry, who did you say? … Ah. Yes, of course he can come! … Okay, I’m giving it back to Feli now. Goodbye!”
She handed the phone back to me, wiping her eyes a little with one hand. I took it back and talked to Lovi a little bit more – he’d asked Eliza about coming over for dinner on Saturday. Stepfather would still be gone then, so it was okay. I said goodbye and put the phone back on the base before sitting down again with Eliza to finish our dinner.
“Hello, Feli!” she greeted happily. “Here, come into the kitchen for a snack.”
I followed her into the kitchen, where a small plate of crackers and cheese awaited. I thanked her for the food and started eating. She sat down across from me.
“So, how was your first day of high school?”
I set down my cracker. “It was really fun! I made some new friends and I like all of my classes! Well… except for math. Math’s boring. Oh, um, and…” I hesitated.
She looked at me curiously. “What is it, Feli?”
“Um, first, is stepfather here?”
“He told you yesterday that he would be going away for a week, remember? For one of his music things?”
“Oh, yeah! Anyway, Eliza…” I cleared my throat. “Lovi’s attending the high school, too. I saw him at lunch time.”
Eliza had been eating the crackers and cheese along with me, but at this proclamation, she dropped her cracker in shock and stared at me with her mouth open.
I hurried on. “He says that he’s doing fine, and he’s living in a cheap apartment…”
She found her voice. “That’s… excellent! I’m so glad he’s okay…” Eliza let out a shaky breath and smiled. “I’m so glad he’s okay…” she repeated. “I was so worried when he ran away. Now he can come back, and—”
“No,” I said quickly. She looked at me expectantly.
“Sorry,” I continued, “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Um, the thing is, Lovi said that he doesn’t want to come back. He said that he misses you, but he doesn’t regret running away.”
She looked down in disappointment. “I see.” It looked like she was about to cry, so I leaned over and hugged her comfortingly. I’d always been good at comforting people. When she gently pushed me away, she asked if she could see Lovi at his place sometime.
I thought about it. “Well, I don’t really know where it actually is, but I can ask him about it. What about him coming here?”
She smiled. “Feli, your brother is always welcome.” Then she looked around conspiratorially and whispered, “As long as your stepfather’s not here,” with a wink.
-------
I headed up to my room – and then I immediately ran back downstairs, because I had forgotten my backpack. When I came back up, I took out the plastic bag and took it off carefully. Some of the paint had come off on the bag, but it wasn’t too noticeable. I held it and carried it around to different places on my walls, checking to see where it would look best. I eventually settled on the wall behind my bed, approximately halfway in between either bedpost. The painting of Ludwig ended up a little bit crooked, but I didn’t mind too much. I’d just fix it later…
-------
Later that evening, Eliza and I were eating dinner (home-made pasta) when the phone rang. I offered to get it and rose to take the phone off of the base.
“Hello!” I said cheerfully. “This is Feliciano Vargas-Edelstein! May I help you?”
“Hi, Feli~! How are you?”
I heard a voice in the background yell “Give me back the phone, you bastard!”
“Toni? Is that you?”
“Si, Feli!”
“I’m fine, Toni! How are you?”
“I’m grea — gack!” I heard some indistinct shouting, a sound like someone was being choked, and a loud thump.
“…Toni?”
A new voice came on the phone. “Hey, fratello. Sorry ‘bout that, this bastard took the phone from me.”
I smiled. “It’s Lovi,” I whispered to Eliza. “Hi, Lovi!”
“…don’t call me that. Hi, Feliciano. I just wanted to say hi and ask if you’d told Eliza about me yet.”
I nodded, then remembered that he couldn’t see me. “Yes, I told her,” I said. “She’s sitting right here. Do you wanna talk to her?”
“…yes.”
I handed the phone to Eliza, saying as I did so “He wants to talk to you.”
She took the phone and started talking with a smile on her face. “Yes, it’s me… I’ve missed you too… I’m sorry that we couldn’t give you a proper home… of course! When? ... This weekend? Yes, absolutely! ...Er, sorry, who did you say? … Ah. Yes, of course he can come! … Okay, I’m giving it back to Feli now. Goodbye!”
She handed the phone back to me, wiping her eyes a little with one hand. I took it back and talked to Lovi a little bit more – he’d asked Eliza about coming over for dinner on Saturday. Stepfather would still be gone then, so it was okay. I said goodbye and put the phone back on the base before sitting down again with Eliza to finish our dinner.
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