Ayinah

Now she's with Andreas, boarding the plane bound for Italy. Most of the church members came and bid their goodbye. More tears have been poured out again. She never promises to visit them, but she told them that if she has a chance, she will come to see them.

She didn't hear anything from Thorne even from Nanay Sol. She will gonna miss her but this is not the world for her, she does not belong here.

They touched down the Florence Airport around 6 pm. Andreas guided her. He never let her carry anything but other than her handbag. He hailed a taxi after they cleared from the immigration.

She likes the place, for sure she will enjoy being here. The taxi stop in front of the big mansion.

"Is that your house?" She asked admiringly.

"Yes." He replied.

"So huge. How many bedrooms are there?" She asked curiously.

"Only fifteen." He replied.

"What? Only fifteen? That's a lot of bedrooms." She said in surprise.

He laughs at her.

"Here in Florence, most houses are big. Mostly are villa or castle." He replied.

"Wow!"

"Are you guys not coming in?" Shouted a lady maybe at her age.

"That's my sister Beatriz, she's older a year than you." He told her.

He introduced her to his family. She noticed that they all speak English fluently. Good education.

"Where's Patri?" He asked.

"At the vineyard." His mother replied.

"Bring Ayinah to her room first so we can have our dinner as soon as your father arrives." His mother said.

Andreas brings her up to her room. She's overwhelmed when she saw her portrait hanging on the wall. The memories came back that she want to cry.

"Oppsss, no more tears pouring out. Inhale, exhale." Andreas said blocking her vision.

"Come on I'm fine." She said.

She's a liar. 

But she needs to accept it. She must bear in mind that, that photos belong to her past. She has to remind herself that with that photos. She found her first love. And she will continue to love him. One day she will go to meet him again. Maybe not on earth but in heaven.

She heaves a sigh.

"From now on this will be your room every time you come to visit here." He said.

She hugged him and cried.

"Thank you so much!" She said.

"Don't thank me. It's nothing compared to the support you have given me. They all know who you are to me. The woman behind the success of my career." Andreas said.

"I did nothing." She replied.

"You did a lot." He said.

"I will show you the studio tomorrow. You won't believe how it expanded. You are my lucky charm" He said.

"I'm excited to see it." She replied

"After our studio visit, we will go to the vineyard." He added.

She never thought that her best friend comes from a well off family. He is very humble.

"I'm so excited to explore." She replied.

She will have to explore as much as she can to at least ease a little heartache she felt.

She enjoyed her vacation with Andreas' family. He brought her to all the beautiful places of Florence. They also spent some time at the vineyard. She forgot her son for a little while, while she's busy. Andreas is very good in keeping her mind busy. But of course, she needs to go back to her face her life. To be with her mother. To the place where she belongs.

She agreed to Andreas when he asked her that he wants to visit their place in Queens. She knew that the reason of following her is to make sure her safety. And also he doesn't want her to walk down the memory lane.

She's thankful that she found a friend someone like him. She just didn't found a friend but a new family. Imagine that, she has her own room in their huge mansion.

They finally arrived Queens at 10 am. Only a few minutes and they will be at her home to see her mother. Oh, she misses her already. It's almost a year since the last time she saw her. That was a month after the surgery.

"You've got a nice neighborhood here," Andreas commented as they enter the village of Hollies Hill.

"Yes. I grew up here." She replied.

"Nice. Are we there yet?" He asked.

"Yes, that house with a car parking in front. Mom might have a visitor." She said it's unusual because her Mom doesn't invite anyone in their home. It's not that she doesn't have friends but she has spent most of her life in the factory. So if her friends visited her they went to the factory.

"Maybe your cousins or your friends too." He said.

"I doubt it, let's find out. Let's go." She said opening the door of the taxi and came out.

He followed and took out their luggage from the compartment. She can't hold anything because she doesn't want to ruin the cookies she baked back to Italy. It's a mixed fruit cookie, she enjoyed making with Andreas' mother and sister.

She walks in front and calls her mom.

The door opened and she dropped the cookies she was holding when she saw the person standing at the door. She can't open her mouth. After a few seconds she collected herself she asked.

"What? Why? I mean--- what are you doing here?" She said, she can't find the word how to say what's in her mind.

"Tyrone need you, I need you, we need you." He replied.

That admission squeezed her heart, she broke down in front if him. When he hugged her she cried even more. This Mr. Arrogant man is crying too?

"We need you, we can't live without you Ayinah." He said never let her go.

She doesn't know what to say.

"I admit it I'm a total idiot when I let you go. But I realized without you with us, it's incomplete. How can I bring up a son without a mother? I can't just grab someone to be a mother for my son. There's no one can replace my son's mother. No one. Who could love him as much as you do?" He said sniffing.

She's speechless.

"I love you, I think I have loved since the first time I saw you. I just denied it because you're too far from that woman I have been with. I was wrong because you're the exact woman I actually wanted to shared my life with." He said.

She looks up at him. 

He looks tired. 

His face seems thinner than before. 

He hadn't even shaved, he already has grown a beard and mustache that she never seen his face before. Even his hair became a little longer than the last time she saw him. He meets her with his reddened eyes and even his nose is a little pinky. 

He cupped her face.

"I love you Ayinah. I need you. Tyrone needs you." He said looking straight in her eyes.

She tought that he was a sissy, but his confession of his love for her tells the truth. 

The fresh tears freely gushing out again. He wipes it with his thumb.

"Can we start? Can we? Please." He asked pleadingly.

Does she have any option? She loves her son so much. It breaks her heart when she left him. Right now she will be with her son if she agreed to let him in  into her life. Why there's always no option for her.

"I will do my best for you to love me back." He said when she didn't respond.

"How?" She asked.

"I will start here." He said claiming her lips.

Her heart seems singing in praise. She realized that deep down in her heart, theres a feeling that is belongs to him. Oh well, they both are in denial. Hurting each other to realize how much they love each other. They have wasted too much time. She doesn't want them to stop this. She felt her knees wanted to collapse but he's holding her.

"I love you so much." He said again when he let go.

"I thought you're, you're---" She doesn't know how to say it.

"You think I'm a gay?" He continued teasingly.

"Yeah." She replied shyly.

"And what made you think I'm gay?" He asked smirking.

"Because--- because you did, I mean you---." She tiptoed and whispered 'insemination'.

He laughs out loud.

"What if I asked you to make it in a natural way would you agree?" He asked chuckling.

She could feel the heat rose up in her cheeks. She might be like cooked prawn by now.

"You haven't replied yet, do you love me?" He asked to change the topic.

She finally felt relaxed.

"I think I love you too." She replied.

"You think so?" He asked now with a sweet smile.

She touches his face with both hands and wipes the tears in his eyes.

"Yes, we both crazy I guess that we both hurt each other just to find out that we love each other." She replied.

Indeed they both are crazy.

"Can your son have a chance to be on his mother's arm?" That's from the old man she didn't notice when she came.

She didn't realize that they're not the only people in there. Her Mom gives her baby to her that it bring out another fresh tear. Tears of joy that she can hold her son. She kisses him and hugs him, drawing him into her heart.

"My baby." She said staring at her son for the first time. She missed the first time he opened his eyes. All the first time of him. But she may not bring back what she have missed she will make it sure that their time together from this day onwards will be worthy.

"Finally my masterpiece will be completed," Andreas said with his camera aiming at them.

"I brought all the things you left. I thought if I can't have you back there's the only thing I can show to Tyrone when he asks where's his mommy. But thanks, God I have you now." He said kissing her temple and also bend down to kiss their son.

"Well, this is the perfect gift I have received in my 105th birthday!" His grandpa said.

"By the way Ayinah, this is a grandpa." He said guiding her to his grandpa.

"I knew it the first time I saw the photo of you two at the airport that this crazy thing will be more craziest." His grandpa said laughing.

"Grandpa!" He exclaimed yet laughing too.

"I'm always right with my observation. My instinct tells so. The way how you look at each other, hmm only blind couldn't see." His grandpa added.

That means his grandpa knew from the start that they are bound to each other. Only the two of them didn't see it.

---

After the dramatic event at their home, they still made time to prepare their selves to join Throne's grandpa's birthday.

At Grandpa's Thorne's Birthday Party. The old man is giving thank you speech.

"First of all, I thank God for giving me too many extensions of living here in this world. And I thank God again for granting my request. Seeing my great grandchild is too much blessing plus a granddaughter--- it's overwhelming. My dear family and friends, I'm proud to present to you. My great grandchild Tyrone and my granddaughter Ayinah." Granpa Thorne said smiling.

People gasped some were clapping, some were whispering. Throne hold her hand while the other hand is holding their son.

"When our Father will call me home, I'll be happy to leave this life because I know that my grandson is in good hands. This lady here is perfectly made for my grandson." Grandpa Thorne added holding her hand.

It's overwhelming that his family never look down at her. They accepted her to be a part of their family. That means despite their wealth they are human who have a heart.

With the man on her side, she's confident that his love for her and their son was pure and true.