Help

twenty-three

F L O R E N C E

"What was dad like?" I ask Emilio as we make our cookies from a low sugar and salt recipe. He pauses a moment before a smile draws on his face.

"Dad was the best." He sighs while rolling up the cookie-dough from the first bowl. I scoop up an even amount of dough myself and plop it on my pan.

"He was always busy with work. He never took a day off, he was your typical boss. But when he was at home he would play football with us outside and teach us how to do basic things like tying our ties or teaching us how to skate."

I feel a little resentment towards the boys, I would love to have a memory with my dad. I don't answer though because Emilio looks like he wants to continue.

"That was rare though, he was always at work. He provided this type of life for us, he made certain sacrifices for our own good. But, he left us alone with Elizabeth, he knew what she did. I think he turned a blind eye to it."

I scrunch my eyebrows together. I glance towards him and study his face. He's Emilio. He is calm, his face content with where he is and what he is doing. His face doesn't lie. He looks like it doesn't even bother him. So I ask; "why would he do that?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know," sighing he looks away from the cookie-dough balls, and settles on me. "All I know is that he loved us very much, that means you too. Everyone has their own way of doing things, I just think he chose to hide in ignorance."

"That's selfish though," I say.

He nods, "you're right. It is selfish. But I am going to tell you something Florence and I want you to really listen to me," nodding my head I wait for him to continue. "Just because a person is selfish, does not mean they're a bad person in general. A selfish person doesn't have the desire to help anyone, no matter who they are."

He continues, turning his whole body to face me. "A selfish person makes decisions for themselves. They do not see the world the way you see it. You can still help everyone you see. But you have to understand that others will not repay that favour. Chances are they will take advantage of you. Our dad was selfish because he knew what was at stake."

My brows draw together. I understood until his last point. Then I got really confused. It is silent for a moment as a million questions go unanswered in my head. He turns away after the oven dings, grabbing both trays of cookies. He places them in the middle of the rack and closes the hatch. I ask the most relevant question on my mind. "But what was at stake?"

He stops pressing the timer buttons. Glancing behind his shoulder he stares at me for a moment, he's conflicted. Like he wants to retrace his steps, and take back what he said. But it is too late and he knows that.

"Us."

Before I could ask more questions, Massimo and Dominic walk in.

Massimo walks up to me holding a white plastic bag. "Here you go Florence," he says with a small quirk of his lips. I take the bag from his outstretched hands and peer inside only to find my phone.

"We figured you would rather get your old phone fixed instead of getting a new one." Dom explains as I gawk at the smooth, brand new looking phone.

"Thank you!" I smile up at them gratefully. Plopping myself down on the counter as Emilio and Massimo clean up, and Dominic sits next to me, I open my phone.

Guilt washes over me when I see Nora and Riley, my friends' messages. They were all sent over a week ago.

"Oh no." I mumble quietly to myself. Tears well up in my eyes most likely making them glossy. When the words reach my brothers ears their heads all snap towards me, away from whatever they were doing.