Dino had been living under the Lombardi roof for several days. He had fully recovered. Sometimes, he met his unfriendly cousins when they visited. Rocco and Nicko forced their children to talk and spend time with Dino, but they weren't very interested. They talked a little and then left him. Dino had grown up in a middle-class family, so his cousins didn't like to spend time with someone like that. Dino didn't fit into their group. Dino felt sad about this. He felt cursed to have neither friends nor anyone close. But Dino had Pietro now. Sometimes, Dino felt scared he might lose Pietro, and he quickly shook off that feeling with fear.
"Papa, when can I go back to school? I want to pass my exams," Dino asked, entering Pietro's room without knocking. He wanted Pietro to know how it felt when someone came in without knocking. Pietro, shirtless and in shorts, with messy hair, was shocked to see Dino. Dino was happy to see Pietro's reaction.
"How about knocking before coming in?" Pietro asked, annoyed.
"You never knock, so I thought it was okay," Dino said.
"You're just a kid. I'm an adult," Pietro replied.
Dino looked around Pietro's room. The bed was messy, with shoes and clothes everywhere.
"I'm not a kid. I'm 16, and your room is a mess. Worse than mine," Dino said.
"I was about to clean it," Pietro lied.
"Why did you come here again?" Pietro asked. He didn't tell Dino to leave. Pietro was looking for clothes in his wardrobe. He had a walk-in closet for his clothes.
"To ask about school," Dino said, trying to look inside Pietro's closet.
Pietro came out with a navy blue two-piece suit in his hands. "Ever heard of privacy?" he asked.
"Is it messy, too?" Dino asked.
"Dino, stop poking your nose into other people's business," Pietro said.
Dino stopped worrying about Pietro's closet.
"Okay, I want to go to school. Can I?" Dino asked.
"Next week, you can. I found a school for you. Hileo is going there too, starting next week. You can go with him. He's 17, I think. Or maybe 18? I'm not sure. Anyway, he still goes to school," Pietro said.
"Can I go to my old school?" Dino asked.
Pietro paused while putting on his trousers and looked at Dino. "Oh, sure. What's wrong with a Lombardi kid attending a public school, right?" Pietro said sarcastically.
"Is that sarcasm?" Dino asked.
"Of course it is. Who do you think we are to send our kids to a public school?" Pietro thundered.
"But..." Dino started.
"No buts. Do as I say. I'm your father. I have the final say," Pietro barked. "And you better change your attitude," he added, pointing his finger at Dino.
Finally, Pietro was fully dressed and combing his hair. He looked handsome, and Dino wondered if he resembled his father.
"Why are you staring at me? Are you thinking how handsome your father is?" Pietro asked Dino, looking at him in the mirror. Dino blushed because he got caught, and a little smile crossed Pietro's lips.
"Don't worry. You're handsome like me. I just have to feed you well.
Look at you, just skin and bones. Looks like they didn't even feed you enough," Pietro snapped, worry underlying his anger, and Dino looked down, knowing it was true. He felt embarrassed as if it was his fault.
When Dino looked up, Pietro stood before him, ready to go out. "You better eat well and gain some weight before you go to school next week," he said as a command. Then he wrapped his arm around Dino's shoulder and gave him a little side hug.
"I'm leaving," Pietro said.
"Leaving where?" Dino asked as if Pietro was going to leave him.
"To work," Pietro replied.
"Are you coming back today?" Dino asked, knowing the Lombardi's sometimes leave the country and stay away for weeks.
"Yes," Pietro said, looking at Dino curiously. He wondered why Dino was asking these questions. He didn't know that Dino was afraid of losing him.
"Okay, now get out of my room," Pietro said.
"I can clean it if you want," Dino offered because he was a cleaning expert. When he lived in the Johnsons' house, they forced him to clean everything like a slave.
"No need," Pietro said after a few seconds. He was surprised by Dino's offer.
'What's wrong with this kid?' Pietro thought.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Lombardi
Genel KurguThis is a family type of story and not a BxB story. Dino had always dreamed of escaping his miserable life with his foster family, who constantly mistreated him. As an adopted child, he never felt loved or wanted, but he had a plan: work hard, fini...
