12. Peddling against the Current

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“I hate optimists!”

Debby had miscalculated, of course. That is, if she had calculated at all. The dishes didn't all fit on the lower shelves. I stretched up as far as I could reach and tried to put the next plate in its place with the left hand, while with my right balancing the remaining plates.

Suddenly, a big, tanned hand took the plate from me and deposited it in its proper place. I knew whose hand it was without looking, and that really made it all clear, did it? I doubt I even would recognize my own mother's hand without her engraved wedding ring. But this hand was perfectly familiar to me. This hand helped me, had reached up where I couldn't reach, and I wasn't even angry about it – because I knew it wasn't done out of pity or annoyance but because the person it belonged to genuinely wanted to help me.

I turned, not being able to keep a smile from creeping onto my face.

“Giacomo!”

Mia Angela”, he greeted me and I tried not to show too clearly how much I liked it when he called me that. He was smiling, too, looking as different from the sullen, retreated stranger in the corner as I could possibly imagine.

“Why are you here this late?” he wanted to know.

'Why are you?' I thought. 'Normally, you always disappear right after dinner.'

“I wanted to see you!” The words spilled out. I just couldn't help myself. I'm only a mortal and he stood there, looking all sleek, dangerous and gorgeous... “To.. tell you something,” I hurriedly tacked on. “I got a B- in my math test.”

His reaction wasn't what I had hoped for. He looked puzzled.

“Em, sorry, but I've got to ask... is that good?”

“For me it damn well is, yeah!”

“Sorry,” he repeated, looking sheepish. “I must admit, since I've been in America I haven't really spent much time studying the school system of the USA. I've had... other things on my mind.”

“Having a closer look at American schools might do you some good”, I hinted. He chose to ignore the comment.

“Well, then, I think congratulations are in order,” he said instead.

“Not just congratulations. Wait a sec.” Opening my Backpack, I retrieved the two cans of coke I had packed for the occasion. “I don't know if you've had one of these before. It's not exactly like they're exclusive to America. But if you haven't, I thought you might want to taste one for a change instead of having them thrown at you.”

“What a nice thought.”

Grinning, he took one of the cans. How could it be so easy to joke and laugh with him while all other things, the important things, were so incredibly difficult to talk about?

“So,” I said, “a toast. To me, to my incredible math skills, and my friend Giacomo.”

“Yes,” he said. “To us.”

To us. Did he... could he mean...

We sipped our cokes in silence. He tried to keep on a brave smile, but I could tell it cost him an effort.

“You prefer having them thrown at you, don't you?” I grinned.

He made a face. “Am I that obvious?”

“Just to me.” Because I have had a lot of Practice studying your face.

“It's just...” He held up the half-empty can of coke and stared at it distrustfully, “It tastes like bad quality water with sugar in it.”

“I think that's what it is, essentially. But you get used to it.”

“I doubt I could. I can manage to stomach the food here, but this...” He shook his head. “I think I'd prefer drain water.”

I laughed. “And what did you drink back in Italy?”

Instead of one of his rebuffs, he said, with a slightly wistful smile: “Oh, Burlotto Monvigliero, mostly. But sometimes Gianfranco Soldera Brunello Riserva, too.”

“Right... can you give me a notepad and pen? I don't think I'll be able to remember that otherwise.”

“You don't need to remember.”

'O yes I do,' I thought. 'It's something you've told me about you. That's a rare enough event to be commemorated in writing.'

“Should I help you with those?” Giacomo said, pointing to the remaining plates I had set down on the kitchen counter.

“Well, I haven't grown much in the last five minutes. So yes, some help would be appreciated.”

We started working again – or rather he started working, while I stood behind him and watched. The room was almost empty by now. All the other derelicts, with the exception of a little man who had fallen asleep on one of the benches, had retreated into the dormitory by now. So this was my first opportunity to watch him, watch him closely, with nobody near who could see what I was doing.

And, okay, he was stacking dishes – not the most romantic of activities. But just seeing him move, incredibly light and graceful for such a muscular figure, seeing him stretch to reach the upper boards, seeing him smile his dazzling white smile at me from time to time made me want to say things to him, do things with him that I had never wanted with any other boy.

He was just... different.

I knew perfectly well that all the signs told me that he and I were an impossibility. A part of me was even laughing at myself for being stupid enough to think that he saw me as anything but a child. But the thing was... I wasn't anymore. Or at least not when I was with him. Because when I was with him, I had started to feel new and terrible and delightful things, started to feel my skin tingle and little wings flutter in my stomach.

I knew my resistance was crumbling, and my reason along with it. I felt it. Every minute, I kept telling myself that I should stay away from him for my own good, my own sanity, I drifted closer towards him.

“All right. Everything done.” He placed the last dish on the stack, closed the cupboard door, and turned to me. His smile was radiant. I just couldn't keep myself from staring at his soft lips, and into his wonderful warm brown eyes. In that moment, I knew I had lost. And as he said “What's next?”, I feared I knew the answer all too well.

“Should we go to the coffee shop for a bit?” I asked.

“We could, I guess. But shouldn't you be getting home? It's late.”

“No. I can stay out a bit later this evening. But what about you? Doesn't this place have a curfew?”

“I...” He hesitated, then went on: “I don't sleep here.”

“Really?” It wasn't easy to feign surprise. Actually I hadn't expected him to spend his nights here. So I had been right when I thought he seemed disappear immediately after dinner. As if food was the only thing he came for.

“Where do you sleep, then?” The question just slipped out. Damn curiosity!

“Somewhere that doesn't have a curfew after midnight,” was his only reply. He marched to the door and held it open for me, bowing. “Ladies first.”

From the way he held the door and stood there, I could tell he wasn't trying to be funny. He really was used to holding the door open for... no, I could not bring myself to apply the term 'lady' to sweet little me. But why the hell should he have any kinds of good manners? A derelict? It was was another troubling question in the mystery that was Giacomo. And I knew that this one, just as the others, wasn't going to deter me from my course.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

“So, now that we're through with math, what do you want to do?” he asked.

We were at the Cafe once more. I looked up at Giacomo. His warm eyes looked so... tender whenever he looked at me. Oh, Giacomo...

I sighed. I would have to do this sooner or later. But I was a natural procrastinator, even if I wasn't talking about homework.

“What I want to do? Celebrate. Why don't we go somewhere and have a bit of fun?” My smile was a bit forced, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too surprised.

“Fun?”

“Sure. We're... friends, aren't we? That's what friends do. They have fun together.”

“I guess so...” He still didn't sound very convinced.

“Look”, I said, standing up and tugging on his big arm. “We've already gone this far, the Golden Gate Park isn't much farther. There are pedal boats there – we could rent one. Peddle around a bit on the lake.”

“And why should I wish to go round and round on a lake with a boat? Seems rather pointless.”

“God, what is the point of having fun, Giacomo? Didn't you ever have fun back in Italy? What did you do to amuse yourselves back there?”

His face twitched and his right hand slid under his jacket, seemingly without him realizing it.

“Well, we didn't peddle, I can tell you that much.” His face suddenly broke into a smile. “Okay! You're right. Let's go peddle.”

So we went to the Stow Lake Boathouse and rented a boat. That is, I rented a boat. I could see that it annoyed Giacomo to no end that I had to pay for him, too, but once we were on the boat and out on the lake, all that was forgotten.

I had been right. We did have fun, a lot of it. Mostly because with me peddling on the left side and him, twice as big and three times as strong, on the right, we kept going in circles and nearly turned over the boat three or four times. I couldn't remember the last time when I had been so wet – or so happy. We peddled and laughed until my legs hurt too much to continue, and then we stumbled back ashore and flopped down onto a park bench.

“You know what?”, Giacomo gasped. “You were right. That was fun. And do you know another thing? I like the American way of having fun!” He burst out laughing again, and I did too, although I had no Idea why. It felt fantastic anyway.

When we had calmed down again a little, Giacomo turned to me with a smirk.

“So now what do you want to do?” he wanted to know. “Biology?”

It was obvious he expected me to laugh again. But his question had brought it back to the forefront of the mind. Not something I wanted to do, exactly. Because I was afraid. Very much so. Rather something I needed to do. And I realized there would never be a better moment than this one.

“That's on the list”, I answered, slowly. “But there's another question I need an answer to before we can go on. A rather important question, actually.”

“And what's that?”

There was nothing for it. Looking at those two birds on the roof, I had realized that I couldn't continue like this. This evening had only confirmed that belief. I had to know. I just had to screw up my courage and take the leap – and not think about what would happen when I would hit the bottom of the gorge a thousand feet below. Perhaps, just perhaps, I wouldn't. That tenderness in Giacomo's eyes, when he looked at me, like right now for instance, I couldn't just imagine that, could I? Could I?

A part of me was still fighting, still trying to be reasonable. A small part. Much too small. Almost nonexistent...

Taking a deep breath, I leaned towards Giacomo, staring into his tender eyes and whispered: “When you look at me like that, Giacomo, what is it you are thinking?”

Was it just my imagination or did he lean towards me too? He opened his mouth a little. For a moment, I thought he would say something, but no words came. He was as silent as a stone. I leaned forward a little more. And a little more. Did he, too? It was so hard to tell.

His arm, draped around my shoulders, suddenly tensed.

I ignored it. As our faces came ever closer, I kept staring up at him earnestly, imploringly, until my face was just inches away from his. His mouth was still opened a little bit. His tongue darted out and slid over his full lips. Did I move or did he? Someone did. Someone moved forward to close the remaining distance between us.

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Well, isn't that a nice cliffhanger? ;) How do you think it's going to go between them?

Hope you like the chapter! :)

Cheers

Robert

P.S. for those of you who also enjoy my story 'The Robber Knight', (cover on the right) the next chapter will come out tomorrow :) 

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