by Gabriela Paz
A small old town on the water where tourists loved to visit because of its picturesque landscapes full of mountains, ancient cathedrals, and crystal beaches. Leo absolutely loved it. He could have never anticipated his parents dropping such big news on the day of his graduation that would end up changing his life forever.
Leo’s parents were one of the wealthiest families on the island. Their business had skyrocketed several years ago, and since then, they had been living pretty comfortably. It all started eleven years ago when Mr. Rossi had this bright idea of starting a wine business. Since they knew the whole process of making it, he thought it would be a no brainer. Nobody believed his idea would lead to much since there was so much competition, but he worked hard for many years with Leo’s mother by his side, through all of the ups and downs of the business. Little did he think he would end up exporting wine outside of the country and become recognized all over Europe.
Leo graduated high school with honors from one of the most prestigious schools in Palermo and was one of the best students in his class. School was often easy for him. His best friend, Federico, would say, “You are so annoying. How do you study so little and get such good grades?”
Everything he read, he retained, and it was that easy for him. He sort of felt bad for Fede, who sometimes had to skip all the fun in order to reread books. They still managed to escape their responsibilities more often than not. No matter the kind of antics Leo got himself into, Fede always had his back.
The graduation took place in a beautiful garden at the back of his school, where the perfectly cut Romano trees lined the flawless lawn beside the white folding chairs. All of the students wore navy graduation gowns. It was a private event, so it was only friends and family members of the graduates. Leo felt proud to be graduating among the exceptional twenty students of his class.
The moment he had been waiting for finally arrived. As Leo prepared to step on the podium, his mind wandered. The time has finally come! Who will I choose to be now? Who do I want to be? He didn’t know. But as he heard his name being called, he knew it was time to step into that bright light, shake the hand of the school director and grab his ticket to freedom.
As soon as he came down from the podium, his mother ran towards him and shouted, “Congratulations, my boy! We are so proud of you.”
“Yes, congrats, bro,” his brother Stefano said as he punched him in the shoulder.
“Thank you!” Leo returned.
“Congrats, son. I have a big surprise for you,” his father said in a mysterious tone. “I will tell you all about it when we get home.”
The curiosity was consuming Leo as they got closer and closer to the house. He had no idea what it could be, but it was an important day, so he figured it had to be huge.
When they finally arrived, graduation balloons hung all over, while food from Leo’s favorite restaurant was piled high on a large table. He was certain this was his father’s big surprise. “Aw, Thank you so much, guys. You shouldn’t have. Thank you for always supporting me. I love you all.”
“That’s only half of the surprise, son.” His father exclaimed with a mysterious lopsided grin. “Why don’t we all sit down?”
As Leo and his brother sat on the living room couch, his father, proceeded to say, “Well boys, as you know, the business is doing very well, and your mother and I are quite excited to keep growing. I have recently received a call from a very important man in the United States who wants to partner up to expand our brand,” his father said in a very refined manner.
Leo wasn’t sure what to think at this moment. His father never talked to them about company matters. Why was this any different?
“Well, apparently, this man tried our wine in one of his short vacations to the south of Spain, and he loved it. Believe me when I say this wasn’t something I have been thinking about lightly.” His father said as he cleared his throat. “But after talking to the man in detail, I believe this to be a great opportunity for our business. I also think this would be a great adventure for all of us as a family. You both can study in the States, which would open a lot of doors for your future, or you can join me in the family business if you wish.”
Was this for real? There is no way my father has decided this without talking to us first. “Are you seriously considering moving us to another country? What kind of a ridiculous surprise is this?”
“Son, you know how hard your mother and I have worked. This is a great opportunity for us all. I was sure you would understand.”
Leo couldn’t bear the thought of living anywhere else in the world. “I don’t want to move, Dad! I love this island, and I want to build a life here.”
“I’m sorry, son. I wasn’t aware of how strongly you felt about staying. You are old enough now to forge your own path, and you can choose to stay if you’d like, but the rest of us are moving, and it’s decided.”
Stefano dropped his sight to the ground, perfectly aware that he had no say in the matter, and Giovanna, Leo’s mother, couldn’t even look Leo in the eyes.
“I cannot believe you are doing this to me! You will make me say goodbye to my friends and my whole life!” Leo bellowed, thinking that perhaps, he could still change his father’s mind.
“It’s your choice, son,” his father repeated.
“What kind of choice is this? You are saying I have to decide between the place I love living in and my family? Thanks for the graduation surprise.” Leo shouted as he got up and stormed out of the living room.
As he entered his bedroom, his mind was all over the place. What am I supposed to do now? I can’t live without my family. What about my plans and my friends? This was too much, too fast. He couldn’t process or cope with it.
Deep inside, he knew there was no decision to be made. His family was the most important thing in the world to him, and he couldn’t leave them. He just couldn’t do it, and that was it. It was only a few weeks later when the Rossi family embarked on the biggest adventures of their lives, not knowing that their journey would be full of surprises.
Once the whole family settled in Pensacola Beach, Leo didn’t have much of a choice but to attend college right away. Though he would have liked to take some time off, he grew sick of his parents bugging him about his future plans all day long. It was either college or working for his father’s business, and for Leo, it was a no brainer. Thankfully, the four years of college flew by as he enjoyed himself, partying, drinking, and of course, studying. He graduated with honors, which made his parents proud.
On his first day of work, Leo wore a very elegant suit. As he arrived at the workplace, his boss, a serious man with short, white hair, greeted him politely.
“Hello, Mr. Rossi, I was expecting you. Nice to meet you. My name is Hugo Archibald, and I’m the branch manager,” the man said as he extended his hand to greet him politely.
“Nice to meet you too. It’s my pleasure. Thanks so much for having me.” Leo responded.
“You will be a great addition to our team, I’m sure. Now follow me.” The tall and elegant man said as he guided him to the conference room. It was then when Leo realized there was no way back.
After Mr. Archibald finished explaining all the job details, Leo signed all the papers without hesitation and nervously shook Mr. Archibald’s hand, “Thank you, Sir.”
“Welcome to the company. Mr. Paire will be coming to get you shortly.”
Leo pictured his mentor looking similar to Mr. Archibald, perhaps a little younger, but essentially somebody he could look up to. But when he saw him enter the room, he was rather disappointed.
“Hello, Mr. Rossi, I’m Anton. Follow me, please.”
Leo stood up quickly to follow him without having much time to think. The man looked nothing like Leo had imagined. This Anton guy was young, maybe around twenty-eight years- old; He was polished and looked foreign; probably French because of his accent. But he looked like a guy wh
o could be his friend, not his mentor.
As they arrived at what seemed to be their final destination, Mr. Paire turned with his dark, cold eyes around and said, “This will be your cubicle, and I’m right across the hall if you need me. Please try to be extra attentive the first couple of days so you can catch up fast. I mainly need somebody who can deliver the work fast so that I can be more proficient in my own work.”
What? Who does this guy think he is? He hasn’t even told me what I have to do, and he is telling me that I need to deliver it fast? Unfortunately, starting at the bottom of the ladder wasn’t going to be easy, and he was going to have to play nice for a little while. Even though he would have liked some kind of nice handshake or a smile for his new mentor, he forcefully surrendered when the day came to an end.
As he drove home tired from his first day at the office, his mind drifted completely as he remembered that mysterious girl he had met. Thinking about her again and the conversation they shared gave him comfort. He still didn’t know what his next move was going to be or how on earth he was going to find her. No matter what the future held, he felt lucky, lucky to have met her, and lucky that he was actually capable of feeling this much interest in someone.
CHAPTER 7
A New Era
Eva had arrived home feeling strange. She had been talking to a complete stranger in the same spot where she had flirted with Daniel on the first day they met. The situation was odd, but he had been quite pleasant to talk to.
She was glad to have left the cove that night and taken time to think; she needed it. Sitting there at the water’s edge somehow made a huge impact on her life’s perspective, and for the first time in months, she was finally feeling ready to move forward. But she didn’t even know the stranger’s name. Everything happened so fast, and in the state she was in, it never occurred to her to ask.
The guy was definitely intriguing. He seemed older and more mature, maybe around his early twenties. He had dark hair and nice features, from what she could see in the dark, and he had some sort of accent that she couldn’t quite figure out where it was from. What she noticed the most was his smile. He had a really nice grin with dimples on the sides that were impossible to miss. She hadn’t given him much reason to smile, but the few times he did, it was quite reassuring and made her feel happier somehow.
For somebody she had just met, Eva felt like she knew him from the way she was able to talk with him so easily. He seemed so genuine and interested in her life, in stark contrast to most guys who would hit on her. She could never be with a guy who was so straightforward; it scared the hell out of her.
All she knew at this point was that she was nowhere near ready to date again. She needed more time to heal and get her life together. She didn’t even know if she would ever see him again, so it didn’t even matter.
Ever since things ended with Daniel, she felt her heart freeze into a numb state where she couldn’t feel much anymore. Everything was less exciting, less scary, less dramatic, less of everything. She didn’t mean to feel this way, but she did. She figured it was a new version of herself that she was going to have to get used to. She had read in books that people don’t change, and no matter how much time passed, the true essence of the person remains the same. She had believed this then, but she wasn’t so sure now.
At this point, she preferred to see life as a game. If she was going to keep getting curveballs from all directions, then she was going to go along with them. She didn’t want to be a vulnerable girl who felt too deeply about things. She had seen many people with broken hearts recover quite well, so why was she so fragile? She didn’t like this about herself. She wanted to be strong, determined, and fearless through life. On this day, however, she promised herself not to take anything too seriously. She would live life like her friend Cece and try and enjoy it as much as she could, whatever that meant.
It was early in the morning, and her mother had taken the day off to help Eva get ready for graduation. She had gotten up, deciding to make chocolate chip pancakes, which were Eva’s favorite. She seemed super thrilled, maybe even more than Eva was. “I’m so proud of you sweetie, you have become such a strong, beautiful woman,” she said.
“Thanks, mom,” Eva replied without enthusiasm. She couldn’t avoid thinking about her father on such an important day—or wishing he was there.
“Eva, where is your camera? I have been looking for it everywhere.”
“It should be on my night table,” Eva said, disinterested. Why does she want to use my camera?
“Found it,” her mother said walking down the stairs.
That was the camera her father had given her when she had turned eight, and it was the reason why she had started taking photos in the first place. It was a nice digital camera, and it took very nice pictures. “Why don’t you use your phone?” Eva asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t know. It’s your graduation, honey, and I want to take great pictures.”
“Mom, the last thing I need is to think about him today,” Eva mumbled, avoiding eye contact. It was clear that her mom would go to any lengths to keep the memory of her father alive, but she wasn’t about to play her game.
She knew there was a deeper reason why her mother wasn’t dating. Even if her experiences weren’t the best, she knew for sure what was holding her back. She never talked about it, but it was obvious her mother still missed and loved her father terribly. It was as if he was the love of her life, and her chance had passed her by.
After leaving her family and cutting all contact, her mother married her father, Erik Coleman, after only dating him for a few months at the age of eighteen. Her father was a good-looking young man, ambitious, and already had developed an appreciation for the finer things in life. He was tall and dark-haired with masculine features and piercing green eyes. His hair was kept short and he was always clean-shaven. He had an air of importance about him, or so her mother insinuated. He was very confident in himself and just knew that he was going to achieve great things. “It was love at first sight,” her mother said. “He told me he was amazed by my beauty the first day we met and the way he looked at me… I couldn’t resist.”
“Honey, he gave you this camera. I know he would want me to use it on your graduation day.”
Pfff. “He’s not dead. If he wanted to use the stupid camera, then he could come and use it, but he isn’t coming, so let it go already.” Eva snapped, not wanting to hear another word about the subject. It was too painful, and she had decided to move past her pain. She couldn’t go back now, not today. He isn’t going to ruin my day.
Eva was wearing a beautiful blue dress with black heels as she entered the graduation auditorium. She had gone dress shopping a few days earlier with her mother and Cece, which she had enjoyed deeply. They were the most important people in their life, and it meant the world to her to be spending these significant moments together.
Plus, her mother’s relationship with Cece’s was great. In fact, it was hilarious to watch them bond. Eva loved it. For some reason, Cece brought the teenager back out in her mother. Every time they searched for new dresses, they giggled like a pair of schoolgirls gossiping about their high school crush.
Her hair was down and to one side. She wore more makeup than usual, which her mother had helped her with. Her lips were bright red and shiny, and her eyelashes looked unusually long. Her dress came down to the top of her knees, and it was tight around her waist. It was a simple dress but surely made her body look flattering. Her legs looked long and lean, and although she wasn’t the tallest girl, she looked quite slender.
It was the first time in a while that she felt like dressing up. As soon as she saw Cece on the other side of the auditorium, she ran to greet her with considerable excitement, hugging her with enthusiasm.
“Hey. Thank God you are here. I’m so nervous. You look gorgeous,” Eva babbled.
“So do you. I could
barely recognize you, I swear. Can you believe it? This is it, Evs. The end of an era.”
“I know… it’s crazy. I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I know, but it’s a new chapter, and we are going to kill it in college.”
“Yeah, about that… I’m not sure if I’m going to college.”
“Yikes, I know you’ve been going through a tough time. But Eva, you gotta think about your future and what’s best for you.”
“I know, my mom has been bugging me about it every day. She thinks I should apply no matter what, but what career would I study? There is nothing I’m sure about. I know I love photography, but I can’t study that.” Eva said.
“Why not?”
“Is that even a career? I don’t know. It probably won’t get me anywhere. My mom thinks I should study graphic design since I love art and creating things.”
“Right. I think you could be into that. It sounds like something you would do, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I feel confused about everything at the moment. I may take a year off. Who knows.”
“So I’m guessing that means you haven’t filled out any applications?” Cece asked.
“No, have you?”
“Yes. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure. I got accepted to Pensacola State College to study journalism. Can you believe it?” Cece squealed, with the widest of smiles.
“Wow, Cece, that is amazing news. I’m so happy for you!” Eva was certain journalism was perfect for her. She was nosy and talkative enough, and she wouldn’t mind stalking a few people from time to time.
“I know, it’s really happening Evs, we are growing up and starting a life of our own. It’s nerve-wracking but so exciting.”
“For sure!” Eva said with a forced smile, trying to act like she was as happy about the future as her friend was.
“Anyways, don’t worry. You still have time, and you can start applying to schools now, and I’m sure you will find the perfect fit.”
