THEIR DOLL 🔞

Friend

The park echoed with the laughter of children and the chatter of parents. Every child in the park was accompanied by their parents or at least one of them. Elderly couples strolled on the grass, holding hands and gazing at each other with eyes filled with a love that had grown over time.

Sitting on a bench in a corner, shaded by a tree from Italy's summer sun, the twins admired the families around them.

"I wish we still had our padre with us," Marco said, looking down at the lush green grass, a habit he had when revealing deep feelings in his heart.

"I know, Marco. Our madre would be happy; she wouldn't have to pretend in front of us," Mario replied.

"Why don't we have what others don't value, brother?" Marco asked his elder twin as he observed children discarding half-eaten ice cream into the trash.

Marco and Mario licked their dry lips, their mouths watering at the sight of untouched sweetness. They sighed in silence and shifted their gaze to the children playing football.

"Let's play with them," Mario beamed at his brother, trying to distract him from his melancholic thoughts.

"Slow down," Marco chuckled as he followed Mario.

"Hey! Can we play with you?" Mario politely asked a group of boys.

These boys appeared to come from a well-off family, with new shoes, freshly ironed clothes, and an air of affluence.

"Look at yourselves," one kid laughed mockingly at Mario and Marco.

"I don't think we'd be comfortable playing with dirty kids like you," another snickered, causing Marco and Mario to bow their heads in shame.

Tears welled up in Marco's eyes, but he didn't want to be born into a middle-class family, despite being content. They used to receive new clothes for special occasions, birthdays, Christmas... But everything changed after their father's death. Their mother, who lacked education, had to work as a maid in others' homes. After she lost that job for unknown reasons, she took a job as a waitress in a small restaurant, barely enough to afford a single meal for all three of them. Their mother never stopped them from attending school. Both brothers were smart and studied diligently, as it was their only way out of poverty. They faced bullying and beatings at school but never missed a day. Their hard work paid off when their mother proudly smiled at their report cards with straight A's. They had no friends; jealousy and cruelty from classmates made Marco and Mario keep to themselves.

"We just want to play with you all," Marco mumbled softly.

The boys looked at them with disgust and rolled their eyes.

"Come on, guys, let's go from here. These two have made this place dirty with their presence," one of them said as they left, giving the twins dirty looks, and causing Marco to burst into tears.

Mario was better at concealing his emotions, while Marco wore his heart on his sleeve. Mario believed it was his duty to stay strong for his brother and shield him from the pain that would hurt his younger sibling.

There were days when Mario saved his lunch money to buy a new bag for Marco, who was teased for using an old pink bag given to their mother by a generous lady she used to work for. Marco noticed that his brother was hungry but still saved money for him and shared his lunch with Mario happily. Sharing became their thing. This time, Mario couldn't hold back his tears, and he let them flow silently while rubbing his brother's back.

After shedding silent tears, the brothers wiped away any evidence as they intended to return to their mother, waiting for them at home. At least they had their mother in whose lap they could sleep, who would sing them songs to make them feel better, and who would run her soft hands through their hair, erasing unwanted thoughts from their minds.