Bad Guy

Painful Memories

L E O N A R D O

When I woke up I was surprised at the fact that I slept great. And slept through the whole night at that.

I look down feeling a small weight in my chest and see Katara still sleeping on my chest from last night with her hair all sprawled out around her.

I grab my phone that was resting on the side table and see that it's 10:00 am. I need to leave soon and all I can think about it how angry she'll be with me.

My first initial plan was to leave without her knowing, but I realized that when I come back she'd hate me even more than she does now so I decided to tell her everything before I leave and maybe, hopefully she'll understand.

My hand rubs up and down her back in a soothing manner as my hold tightens around her.

Her warmth makes me feel the comfort that I haven't felt in a while and these days that I've gone without her made me realize that I enjoyed the comfort feeling that she gives me and that I shouldn't run from it anymore.

She starts squirming in her sleep and turns to her side off of my chest so I change my position so her back was to my chest.

My mind drifts back to earlier yesterday when I had went to retrieve something important.

When I was 18 my mother pulled me to the side one day and said we needed to talk. She had said, "Son, I'm getting a bit old now and I feel it's time I gift you with this."

"Momma you're still the most youthful woman ever in my eyes but what gift?"

She waves me away at my claim of her being youthful and says, "Oh you don't need to lie to me Leonardo, I've accepted that I'm old, but anyway, when I was a little girl my father gifted me this necklace."

She opens the box to present me the necklace and it was beautiful.

She says, "He always joked around and said he gotten it for me because a magical fairy was in it to help guide me through life and to be there for me when he wasn't going to be there since I was going to be moving to the States with mother while he stayed in Italy for business."

She smiles down at the necklace reminiscing the moment then says, "But my mother told me as I grew older he gifted me it because he wanted me to have something to remind me of home and of him because he wasn't staying in Italy because of business, he owed a debt to these powerful people and since he wouldn't have enough money in time to repay them back, he was a dead man although my mother couldn't tell me that at a young age."

She sniffs and says, "I want you to have it Leo, yes it's silly and girly but I've only had boys. I want you to hold onto this for know so you know I'll always be with you even when I'm physically not. But when the times comes I want you to give this to whomever you fall in love with."

She looks me in the eyes and puts her hand to my cheek and says, "You've always been my tough child and you don't always know how to verbally speak your feelings or show your emotions well but giving this to the girl you'll come to love will show her that you'll love her no matter the distance or circumstances."

A small frown graces my lips and I grumble and say, "No one will ever love me that way momma."

She smiles at me and says, "Hush child don't say that, yes you're difficult but not impossible dear, I promise you, there is a girl out there who will love you with every ounce of her being and she will fight for you son, she will love you until the day she cannot."

She brushes my hair to the side that was starting to grow longer than she liked and asks, "Promise me you won't treat your love the way your father treats me son."