Lost Lombardi

Chapter 51

End of the month, Pietro realized he hadn't spent enough time with Dino over the past few months. After taking Dino home, they only went to the country club once. Since then, Pietro couldn't remember the last time he had quality time with his son. So, he decided to plan something for the weekend.

"Dino, cancel all your plans for the weekend," Pietro said while they were having dinner together. Don was eating in his room again that night, which made Dino happy.

Dino looked up, surprised. "But, Papa, I was going to meet my friends," Dino said.

"I've made other plans for us. We're going to Whispering Pines Lodge," Pietro replied.

"Whispering Pines? What's that?" Dino asked, frowning slightly.

"It's a wilderness retreat, a place where we can get away from everything. Just you and me. I thought it's been too long since we've had some proper father-son time," Pietro explained.

Dino felt a rush of warmth and excitement at the thought of spending time with Pietro. He remembered the day they spent at the country club, and it had been amazing. Dino loved spending time with Pietro just as much as he enjoyed hanging out with Kacper and May, but Pietro was always busy. Over the past few months, Dino knew he had caused enough trouble for Pietro, and he thought this trip might make his father happy. He couldn't believe that after all the trouble he had given, Pietro still wanted to spend time with him.

"That's cool, Papa," Dino said without hesitation. Pietro smiled a little, seeing Dino's genuine excitement, like a little kid. He loved when Dino acted that way. Suddenly, he wondered what Dino had looked like as a child. What kind of childhood had he experienced? A sudden pain came with those thoughts. He knew the Johnsons had treated Dino badly. They had left the area, and Pietro assumed they'd moved out of state. But he couldn't shake the heavy feeling in his heart as he looked at Dino, still thinking about the childhood he must have endured.

"Papa, why are you looking at me like that? Do you want to change the plan?" Dino asked, noticing Pietro's worried expression.

"No, I don't want to change the plans. I was just wondering... do you have any childhood photos?" Pietro asked, and Dino's mind instantly flashed back to his horrible past. He remembered how the Johnsons used to make him do household chores, promising him ice cream. Dino had been just six or seven years old, so he'd eagerly done the tasks like a fool, excited for the treat. But when he finished, Emily would say, "Oh, you didn't clean this dish properly," or "There's still dust here." Then, she would give the ice cream to Robert and Christy right in front of him. Dino would just stand there, staring sadly as they ate.

Dino's face darkened like the midnight sky as those memories flooded back. Pietro noticed the sudden change in Dino's expression. "Dino, what's wrong? Did I upset you?" Pietro asked.

Dino didn't respond. He knew if he spoke, he would start to cry. Old memories came rushing back, one after another. He stared at his plate, unable to look at Pietro, feeling embarrassed by his past. How foolish he had been—yes, he was just a child, but he still felt ashamed. He fought to keep the tears from falling, his lips trembling. He bit his lower lip hard, trying to stop it from quivering.

"Dino," Pietro spoke again, but Dino wasn't in a state to respond. He gripped the fork tightly, berating himself for being so weak. He cursed himself for feeling this pathetic—he was sixteen years old, yet he was on the verge of crying over the past. He squeezed the fork's tines harder, the pain registering, but he didn't care.

"Dino," Pietro's uneasy voice came again, followed by the sound of his chair scraping against the floor as he stood up. Footsteps approached, and then Pietro gently pried the fork from Dino's hand. Dino glanced down at his palm—it was bleeding.

"Dino, why is this happening?" Pietro asked, lifting Dino's face. Angry tears spilled from Dino's eyes, flowing uncontrollably. He wasn't angry at Pietro; he was furious at the Johnsons and how they had treated him. The memories felt humiliating. He remembered how they had sent him to school wearing old, tattered clothes while the other kids laughed at him. It was supposed to be a punishment for stealing cookies, but Dino hadn't stolen them—it had been Christy. She ate the cookies, and when she got caught, she blamed Dino. So they dressed him in those worn clothes with holes and sent him to school. That's when the bullying started, back in junior school.

Seeing Dino's face, Pietro realized he had made a huge mistake by asking about his childhood photos. "I'm sorry, Dino," Pietro said softly.

Dino didn't respond. He was still fighting to hold back his tears. Pietro wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. That was all it took—Dino broke down, clutching Pietro's shirt tightly as he cried and cried until he had no more tears left.

Pietro stood still, holding Dino, letting him cry out all the pain, offering the comfort his son had long needed.

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There was no awkwardness after Dino cried in front of Pietro. Instead, he felt a little relieved, but he made up his mind that he would never cry like that again.

"It's okay, Dino," Pietro said, kissing his forehead gently. "If you ever want to talk about it, you can. I'm your father, remember."

Pietro's words gave a warm feeling to Dino's aching heart. "Thanks, Papa. Maybe I'll talk about it with you someday," Dino replied softly.

"It's all my fault," Dino heard Pietro murmur. Dino hated hearing Pietro blame himself like that. It stirred something inside him, and he wished Pietro didn't feel responsible for the pain he had endured.

"Please, Papa, don't say that. It's not your fault. I was just stupid. I let them treat me like that because I was always stupid," Dino said.

"No, Dino. You weren't stupid. You were just a kid—you didn't know what to do. It's not your fault. It's... it's the fault of the person who gave you to them," Pietro said angrily. He was talking about Rosalia. He still couldn't understand why she hadn't told him she was pregnant. Maybe she was angry about their breakup, but if she didn't want Dino, why didn't she give him to Pietro? The thought filled him with anger toward her.

"Who gave me to them, Papa?" Dino asked curiously.

"Your... I... I don't know, Dino. I'm sorry I brought this up," Pietro said, placing a hand on Dino's shoulder.

"That's fine, Papa. It's not your fault I had a bad childhood," Dino replied. But Pietro looked at him with deep concern.

"No, Dino. It's our fault. Even though I didn't know about you, it's still my fault. She should have told me," Pietro said angrily.

"You didn't know about me?" Dino asked, confused.

"Well... your mother didn't tell me she was pregnant," Pietro finally admitted.

Dino looked at him, wide-eyed with surprise. "She never told you?"

"It's fine, Papa. Now you know. I don't care about what you and Mama did. I'm just glad I have you now," Dino said, and Pietro pulled him into another tight hug.

"I'm glad I found you, Dino," Pietro said, his voice filled with emotion. "Now, get ready to leave tomorrow. Just you and me," he added, trying to smile. He couldn't believe he had almost ruined the moment, but at the same time, he was relieved they had this conversation. Dino had a difficult past, and somehow, these conversations needed to happen between father and son. Dino always avoided talking about those things, but as a father, Pietro believed he had to know both the good and the bad to truly understand his son. How else could he help him?

Dino smiled at Pietro and got up to leave.

"Wait, we need to take care of your hand first," Pietro said, pointing at Dino's injured palm. "Next time, talk to me. You won't hurt yourself, understand?" Pietro commanded gently.

Dino nodded in agreement, grateful for his father's concern.