Chapter 26
Luca
It was a spectacular June day, and the park bustled with activity. The noise of kids playing and parents cheering drowned out the sounds of nature around us. It still drove me nuts watching these so called coaches waste the talents of the soccer prospects running around like chickens without their heads.
Most of the time I stood with my arms folded in a defensive stance on the sidelines. My pacing caused Sabrina to shoot me a sideways look. Then there were the times I went to open my mouth and her hand would clamp over it before any offensive words came out.
“Next year, I want to coach that team,” I said into her ear. Her expression was part amusement, part something else I couldn’t read. “What?”
“Okay, Ronaldo. Let’s take one season at a time.”
“Whatever.”
Sabrina’s parents stood next to us. Her father nodded at me in agreement. However, her mom’s expression mirrored Sabrina’s. Maybe it was a guy thing, but knowing I wasn’t alone in my opinion made me feel a bit better.
So, there I was trying to behave myself, and I didn’t remember anything in my life ever taking as much effort. With minutes left to the game, suddenly Sabrina gripped my arm in a death hold and gasped. We watched together as Mikey sailed down the field, controlling the ball like a tiny professional while leaving the rest of his team and his opponents in the dust.
“Oh my God,” Sabrina said quietly, contradicting my very loud, “Go, buddy!”
Just as Mikey reached the net, he faked left and kicked right, sending the ball over the goalie’s right shoulder and into the center of the goal.
“Holy shit!” I screamed, earning a few glares in the process. Surprisingly, Sabrina ignored my outburst. Her arms flew up over her head as she and her parents cheered for her son. On the field, Mikey’s teammates surrounded him. The sight of his grinning face practically brought tears to my eyes. He wasn’t mine, but he may as well have been. Pride swelled at the sight of my boy taking the skills I had taught him and excelling at a sport we loved.
In a matter of seconds, Sabrina was in my arms and giggling as I spun her around. “He is going to be so excited over this,” she stated the obvious. Of course he was, based on the way his electric smile lit up his adorable face. We spent the last short minute reciprocating with our own grins.
The moment the ref blew his whistle, Mikey came charging right for us. “I did it! I won us the game!” he yelled before jumping into my arms. I lifted him easily, using my other arm to bring his mother into our circle. Even though an official score wasn’t kept, the kids knew the final score. Sabrina cupped his sweaty head and kissed him on the forehead. “Eww, Mom.” I set him down to do the exact same thing. “Eww,” he repeated after my smooch.
“That goal deserves a kiss from all of us,” Sabrina’s mother said, planting a kiss on one reddened cheek while her dad planted his own on the other.
“I agree all goals should be celebrated with a kiss,” a female voice said as she approached. Sabrina laughed at her friend Becky, who began to bend toward Mikey’s head all while her scarlet lips were puckered and ready to strike.
He thrusted his hand up, stopping her in her tracks. “No way, Aunt Becky!”
“Fine. High five then,” she said, lifting her hand so Mikey could slap it with his. Her son did the same to Sabrina, and me, just as we heard a commotion from the other side of the field.
Mikey’s coach began yelling for his team, who were currently scattered all over the field celebrating in their own ways. “Rebels and parents, please come over to the bench.”
Sabrina took my hand and led me to where the team began sitting in a circle on the grass with their respective parents behind them. Being included left me speechless. The coach began speaking, complementing the team on great season. He then acknowledged the parents and thanked them for their support.
My girl squeezed my hand, awarding me with a smile. That simple gesture meant as much to me as being included in this celebration. One by one, the boys were called by name and given a small trophy. I wondered if there was an MVP statue for Mikey in that box, but knew better than to mention that to Sabrina.
The entire process was over in minutes, making me laugh that snack break actually took longer than the trophy ceremony. While the team munched on their treats, Sabrina introduced me to a few of the other parents. The men shook my hand cordially, and the woman offered a variety of flirtatious greetings. I couldn’t guarantee I’d remember one name out of the lot, because hearing Sabrina saying, “This is my boyfriend, Luca,” kept playing over and over in my head.
Mikey ran toward us with Oreo residue all over his lips. “What are we doing now? Can we celebrate?”
“Of course. Wherever you want to go,” I said as his mother attempted to wipe the crumbs with a tissue.
“Oh, can we go to Great Adventure?”
“Um… no,” Sabrina interjected. “It’s too far, and it’s too late, and I don’t think Grandma and Grandpa want to go to an amusement park.”
“Luca said wherever I wanted to go,” he pouted.
“I have an idea.” Mother and son waited expectantly. “Let’s get cleaned up first, and then I’ll tell you,” I said, which was code for–after I run it by your mom. Sabrina quirked a brow in question and with a tilt of her head summoned her mother to come over.
Catching the hint, Mrs. Ricci took her grandson’s hand. “Mikey. Grandpa and I are going to head home.” She then added, “Sabrina, we’ll go clean our little champion up before we go.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Sabrina handed her mother Mikey’s duffle bag and watched her parents walk off with him chattering about something animatedly.
“What exactly are you planning, Mr. Benedetto?”
I pulled her into my arms to sweeten the deal. “I’m thinking we make the kid happy, but instead of Great Adventure we head to Point Pleasant.”
“New Jersey?”
“Yeah. It’s such a nice day, and it’s barely noon. He can hit the rides, we can have an early dinner, walk on the beach, maybe get some ice cream. What do you think?”
“I think you’re too good to be true.”
“Well, I agree. You can pay me later,” I said, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.
We waited for her parents to bring back a cleaner Mikey. Once they appeared, Sabrina hugged them goodbye. “We’ll see you on Wednesday, then?”
Sabrina nodded with a smile. “One, sharp.”
The Ricci’s said their goodbyes to me and Mikey, leaving the three of us to get on with the celebration.
“What’s Wednesday?” I asked, hoping all was okay.
“It’s my graduation! Can you come too, Luca?”
Sabrina placed a hand on Mikey’s shoulder. “Sweetie, I explained that Luca works during the week. We’ll celebrate with him afterwards.”
“I’ll take the time off,” I blurted out.
“Really?” The wonderment on his face melted my heart.
“Yes, I promise.”
Mikey raised a fist in triumph. “See Mom, he can come!”
My eyes cut to Sabrina’s, worried I overstepped. Part of me felt slighted over not being asked. I understood she didn’t want to put me in a position to have to say no, but if it meant a lot to him, then it meant even more for me to be there.
While Mikey skipped ahead, she touched my arm and with a small smile mouthed, “Thank you.”
Sabrina
The elementary school’s auditorium began to fill by noon. My parents walked in taking the two seats to my left, while my sweater rested on the seat to my right saving it for Luca. Mikey couldn’t contain his excitement during breakfast this morning. After each spoonful of Rice Krispies, he would tell me another part of the ceremony his class practiced.
Every few minutes I’d tap my phone to check the time. It was almost about to begin, and Luca’s chair was still vacant. I thought of texting him but didn’t want to in case he was driving. Disappointment was obvious each time I saw the door open to see it wasn’t him entering.
My mom caught my expression. “Maybe he’s stuck in traffic.” I forced down a swallow and nodded. All I could think of was something happened. There would be no way he’d break his promise to Mikey. He knew how much it meant to him.
Fifteen minutes later, the principal stepped to the microphone in the center of the stage announcing the ceremony would begin in five minutes. My phone vibrated and when I saw his name appear in a text message, my heart sank.
Luca: Sabrina, I can’t make it. Jude is away and an important client needs to meet today instead of tomorrow because he’s returning to Europe tonight. There’s no way for me to reschedule it. I need to take care of this. I’m so sorry. Please tell Mikey congratulations for me.
Was he kidding? My heart fell like a skydiver without her parachute. I gripped my phone, surprised it didn’t crack in my hand. This was all my fault. I should have nipped it in the bud when he promised Mikey he’d be there. As his mother, I knew better making such a promise could lead to heartbreak, and that was exactly what was going to happen to my son.
When the lights dimmed I noticed my mom, whose sad eyes mirrored mine. “Is he okay?”
“He’s not coming.”
She placed her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure it couldn’t be helped, Sabrina.”
“I understand that, but Mikey won’t.”
Shutters clicked on cameras as each student took their prideful place on the stage. Mikey spotted us sitting in the first row, but his wide smile faded when he scanned the chair next to mine. Rather than confirm his suspicion that Luca was a no show, I just gave him a wave followed by a thumbs up.
Throughout the various songs, short speeches, and the handing out of their completion certificates, my adorable innocent son, kept an eye on the door. The only smile he gave was when I took a picture of him accepting his kindergarten diploma while standing next to the principal and Cassie.
When I caught Cassie’s eyes she gave me with a knowing expression. I wondered if he texted her too? When her smile faltered, I guessed he had.
After the pomp and circumstance, the children descended the steps to greet their families. Each one of them were happy, except for Mikey who looked as though he was about to cry. Steeling myself, I plastered the biggest smile I could muster on my face. There was no way in hell I was going to let Luca’s absence ruin this moment for my son.
“Sweetie.” I knelt down. “I am so proud of you.” After a good hard squeeze, I released him to allow my parents to congratulate him next.
He gave them a timid smile before asking me, “Where’s Luca?”
Dread filled me because my son was once again going to be crushed. “He couldn’t come, but he wanted me to congratulate you.”
“Why not? He promised.”
“He had a work meeting come up. He’s sorry.”
Cassie approached us and put her arm around Mikey. “You had such a great year. I’m going to miss having you in my class.”
Mikey nodded but didn’t say a word. In all the happiness that surrounded us, my son appeared to be in a spotlight of sadness. My heart ached for him and the longer his smile was a frown, the more irritated with myself I became.
My parents pulled Mikey to the side to take a picture with each of them leaving me with Cassie. When she placed her hand on my forearm, I had to fight back the tears that were forming.
“Luca texted me. He feels horrible.”
Knowing how close she was with Luca, I needed to choose my words wisely. “I know he does, but look at my son’s face.”
She nodded. “I knew the exact moment he realized Luca wasn’t coming.”
There weren’t any words that I could add to her statement. Cassie continued to try to placate the situation, but there was nothing she could say that could change the outcome.
“We need to get going. We don’t want to miss the cupcakes.”
With a knowing nod, Cassie gave me a tight smile. “Have fun.” She walked away to visit with some of her other students.
Taking Mikey’s hand in mine, we walked to the gymnasium where refreshments were provided. Thankfully, Jared spotted him and the two went off to enjoy the treats.
Becky walked up to me licking vanilla frosting off her thumb. “I thought Luca was coming?”
“So did I.” Even Becky flinched at my snark. “He had a meeting and couldn’t leave work.”
“That stinks. I bet he’s sad he didn’t see Mikey graduate. That man loves your son.”
She was right. I knew he loved him and wanted to be there, but that didn’t negate my son’s fragile state of mind. “I’m sure he is.”
“I don’t doubt that he’ll come by when he can. Then Mikey can show him his certificate and you can share the pictures you took. It won’t be the same, but I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”
“Beck, did you see Mikey’s face? The kid was devastated. I need to worry about him before I worry about Luca seeing a picture.”
“Yes, I understand. I just meant…”
“I know what you meant… and I appreciate it. But, my head isn’t there right now.”
Her ex-husband walked up to us and placed his hand on her lower back. “I need to get going. I’ll pick him up after work.” He kissed her on her cheek before heading out.
“That was interesting,” I said to her. “He kisses you now?”
She shrugged. “Whatever. He’s still an asshole.”
That was the first time I genuinely smiled all day.
Mikey and I had a nice quiet dinner—the complete opposite of what I had pictured. Each attempt to keep his spirits up had failed. By the time we finished watching, Monsters, Inc., a movie that would normally have my son laughing, Mikey yawned.
“Are you tired, honey?”
He nodded. “Has Luca called you?” I shook my head and led him to his room. Tears welled in his little brown eyes until they spilled down his face. “He lied.” Throwing himself on his bed, I watched his chest heave with a hitch. “Just like daddy promised he wouldn’t go away anymore, Luca broke his promise, too. I’m never going to lie to someone I love. I hate him… I hate them both.”
I laid beside him and pulled him into my arms. “No, you don’t, honey, you’re just disappointed, there’s a big difference. Plus, you shouldn’t hate anyone.” My son’s tears dampened my cotton shirt. “Shh, it’s okay. I’ll always be there for you. That’s a promise you can count on.”
“I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you, more. How about a bedtime story?”
“No. I don’t want one tonight.”
Sadness washed over me when he refused one of his favorite rituals. My hand rubbed his small back in an attempt to soothe him but nothing was working. Knowing my son the way I did, I knew it wasn’t just Luca’s absence. It was the memory of pure devastation coupled with confusion that resurfaced in his mind.
After I kissed his wet cheek goodnight, I cuddled up beside him holding onto him as he cried himself to sleep. I felt this had little to do with Luca, and all to do with old wounds reopening. And as I stared at my son’s face, one that resembled his father’s, I wondered if his little heart would ever mend.