Touch Of Solicitude

VEINTICUATRO

"You woke up?" It was the first words I heard upon waking up, "What?" I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

He was holding a tray with a bowl and water above it, "Here," He placed it in front of me, to say tell the truth, the smell of the soup was rather tempting, "Do you not like it, should I cook another dish that you like, should I get someone to cook it for you or would you like to have the food delivered?" He bombarded me with inquires.

"You should at least eat something, Sunny," He stated, giving me the spoon, "I am not that good at cooking but you should eat to drink your medicine," I looked at the meal in front of me.

"You shouldn't have bothered cooking something for me," He averted his gaze in embarrassment, "It would be a drag if I call over someone or get something delivered, I don't have that much time, whatever- why am I even explaining this to you, just eat already!" His tone raised, which made me laugh in my thoughts.

I scooped the soup and brought it to my mouth; I saw how Luigi was anticipating; the broth was thick and somehow was salty. However, the thought and the warmth of the soup made it delicious.

"It's delicious," A bright smile appeared on his face, "Here," He gave me the water and left for a while, soon came back with a bowl in his hand once again.

"What's this?" My eyes widened when I saw what was inside the bowl, "Gelato," We said in unison, but I had my tone raised while Luigi, on the other hand, said it blandly.

I scooped out a spoonful, not minding how much it was, "Hey, eat slowly!" He worriedly voiced out, "I haven't eaten one in months ever since we started to get busy at work," I returned, complaining.

"Even so, you should eat slowly," He turned to me, shaking his head, "I can give these treats everyday just make sure that you'll be well," Up until now, he still remembers that I like this dessert, feeling guilty I offered some of it.

"This is too much for me, would you like to eat it together," I saw him gulping; he shook his head, "You can have it all," He patted my head and smiled.

Since I still could not work, I stayed at my office and worked from there; I only had to do some excess work that Lina had already organized for me; what would I do without her? She is my lifesaver every time.

My phone notified, it was a message about the reunion, opening the cabinet, I saw the invitation. The venue, the clothing theme, and the time were in complete detail; they even provided a map.

The event will start at eight in the evening; I took a deep breath, composing myself; I did not want to run away anymore and attend the reunion with peace of mind, I did not want to hide while I know in truth that even if they do not say things at me, they will still talk about me behind my back.

I do not have the power to control how they move and talk; I need to face them head-on and bravely; I need to show them what I have become after that man deserted me on that day. After I show up, I will soon leave; I am still unsure whether I will bring Luigi with me or not.

I do not want to impress the crowd; they will still talk about whether I bring Luigi or not with me. I will just be known as the woman who bragged about his soon husband who left at her wedding or a woman who brought another man at a reunion after bragging about his soon husband at the last reunion.

Overall, it will all just be the same; all had horrible sounds to it whether I come will Luigi or not, even skipping it again will make it worst. It would look like I am purposely avoiding them because I lost my face; well, that is true, but- I shook my head and replied to the message, stating that I would go to the reunion.

Someone knocked at the door, slowly turning the knob, revealing Luigi, who had another tray with a glass of water and my medicine, "Drink this," I smiled at him in thanks and drank, "What's wrong?" He must have noticed how glum I was because of the invitation.

"Still contemplating about your decision?" He asked, "Yes, I am frustrated about what I will do," He nodded and placed the glass on the tray again.

He pushed the invitation in my sight, "Whatever your decision is, I will still support you," He uttered, "The reason is because I trust you so much that I know what your capabilities as a person are,"

"You can have fun, I will also start to get busy because of the investements that are incoming," He complained, "I will still pick you up however. So text me the where you'll be, all right?"

"Are you sure? Would that be fine? I don't want to force you and I don't want you to force yourself, I'm afraid you'll end up sick again," He paused for a while, "I told you, Sunny, right now, the man that is right here, next to you is me, don't think about it anymore, you're not a burden to me, not in a way that you think of,"

I heaved a sigh and directly looked at him; he went my way and pulled me into a hug, "I know that you're trying your hardest." He said to me, "It will be fine, I'm here for you, Sunny. I'm here," His voice became my assurance.

A man who rarely notices and compliments others tells me this; it gives me a reason to believe in him, most notably in myself. Finally, I can say that I have someone that I can lean on, someone...