Gustavo turns off the car machine. He takes a deep breath and Penelope holds his hand to encourage him. He smiles and they climb off the car.
They walk along the pathway to a huge house with a huge garden. "Penny, I'm scared."
"It's okay, baby. You can do it. Even if he doesn't want to accept you, at least you've tried."
Gustavo stands in front of the front door. There's a wooden angel attached onto the door and he recognized it as his "masterpiece" when he first starts his career as a woodcarver. He knocks the door.
Within a minute, someone opens the door. Automatically, Gustavo grabs Penelope's hand. The one who opens the door is a man in a uniform.
"Good day, Sir, Ma'am. Who are you looking for?" The uniformed man asks politely.
"I'm looking for, um, Mr. Geppeto. Please tell him Giuberto is here."
The man is silent for a few seconds. "I'll get him. Please come inside."
The man escorts them into the living room. The interior is elegant with a touch of gold and brass everywhere. He lets them sit on the couch while waiting for Mr. Geppeto. Gustavo sits down on the sofa, but Penelope is looking at one side of the wall next to the TV.
"Who's Giuberto?"
"My name before they changed it when I was 5."
"Why did they change it?"
"Because I was a weak boy who easily got ill. So they changed my name, and since then, I rarely got sick."
Penelope smiles and she focuses again to the wall. There are some news from newspaper and magazines, framed in brown and black thick frames. She reads some of the headline news. "Gustavo Leonardo, student of the year" "Gustavo Leonardo is the Most Wanted Carpenter" "Gustavo Leonardo Receives the Award."
"Gus, these news are all about you." Penelope says.
"Sir, he's here." The uniformed man says. Gustavo stands up and turns around. There, at the end of the staircase, he sees an old man with white hair in dark brown checkered suit with matching trousers. He looks at Gustavo silently.
The old man walks slowly toward Gustavo. And all of the sudden, he hugs Gustavo who almost bursts in tears. Penelope covers her mouth with both hands as she holds back her tears.
As they hug, the old man takes a deep breath and whispers the most magical words that almost immediately fixes the tension in the house.
"My son."
YOU ARE READING
Pinocchio
Fantasy"She's just a piece of wood" "He's just an ordinary woodcarver" And then, they met
