"Good morning Mr. Cindirillo, or I should say, Lieutenant Cindirillo", the handsome man dressed in a tailor suit shook hands with a grown up and totally different José in the now emptied living-room of the same house he used to live.
"Just call me José like you used to when you came to buy lobsters in the fish shop... Things got shitty on the Gulf and that owe me the bars, but I'm the same old man." Cindirillo smiled honestly, his green eyes beaming joy to see a friend from old times.
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"No you're not. Look at you. You're big man! Being a lawyer definitely doesn't build up those! What did they give you to eat in Middle East? That NAVY sweatshirt will tear off in those biceps... But hey, at last you're home and I'm glad to see you man!"
"Thank you Sammy! I'm so happy to be home and to see you again... But tell me, did you bring the papers with you? I want to see them with my own eyes." Cindirillo walked the lawyer to the kitchen counter top where the man opened a heavy brown file of documents. José quickly glanced over some while paying more attention to others.
"Of course I've brought them and everything is in order. There you will find the original and a copy of your father's will where it states that everything that once belonged to both your parents is now yours, as it should be."
"Yes, as it should be. Oh man, thank you very much for all your help with this. So sad those vultures took all the furniture with them... Greedy witches! Now I need to buy a couch, a dining set... I only hope Doña Carmiña hadn't tossed my old bed out the window after I left", a dimple formed in the left corner of his mouth as he smirked.
"Don't you ever summon back the devil! Those wenches are gone forever, and believe me that no one in town will ever miss them for good", the young lawyer spoke as he handed a pen to his friend." Here, you only need to sign these and everything's done!" José stamped his signature in all the documents required and Sammy closed the leather filing envelop and handed it to him again.
"Hey, what about the fishmongers? Are they still standing? I've only seen them through the pictures you sent me last year."
"They're a bit decayed, but yes, they still stand. Don't worry, now you have the money to both restore the old shops and the fishing docks. It's up to you if you still want to run your father's business... Fishing was your passion, remember?"
"Yes it was... You're right. I might consider restoring the mongers. Something rustic yet clean and modern to make it tourist attractive."
"That's a great idea! You can always count on me to make it... Now I have to go back to the office. Again, it's great to see you're back in town my friend. Welcome home Lieutenant."
Sammy left the house and after finding himself alone, Cindirillo took a deep breath and sighed. His house was finally his, a place he could now call home. Carrying the camouflaged rucksack in arms, the young man climbed up the stairs. His open palm feeling every inch of the cedar tiber handrails. The sun light that shone through the windows without drapes made everything look clean, even though the house had been closed for more than a year.
Once on the second floor, José walked along the corridor to the last door to the left; his dormitory. The smell of dust filled his nostrils after he opened the door. Everything was there, in the way he remembered. A fine laminate of dust covered his bed, desk and dresser. The closet was open, empty, only with a few plastic hangers clinging on the rods. His eyes watered... a turmoil of bitter memories hurt inside his chest. Everything came back to him, everything that happened and that forced him to leave.
Standing by the window, Cindirillo had a perfect view of the shabby fishmongers, the town shops and to the other side of the bay, where Villa Del Mar stood glamorous, in the way he recalled. "Amanda", he let go her name in a poignant whisper.
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After Cindirillo ordered some furniture online -a task to be fulfilled immediately if he wanted to make the house a decent place to inhabit again-, he took a shower, changed clothes and headed town. On his strolling, he admired his surroundings. It was summer, and the place was crowded with tourists that clicked on cameras flashing everywhere. José was amazed. How much the beach town had changed in eight years! There were new restaurants and shops, and even the small supermarket and pharmacy had been refurbished. Everything looked sleek and modern and painted with vibrant colors. His old friends barely recognized him but everyone was happy to see him back.
José bought a pillow and bedsheets at the convenience store and right across the street, by the seashore there were the fishmongers. A heavy lump knotted in his throat to see how decayed the wooden structure was now. Cindirillo crossed the cobblestoned road and from his pocket he reached an old bronze-colored key, the same one he used to open the heavy bolt on the door in his teenage years.
The rusted hinges of the doors screeched as they opened. Inside everything was dim and smelled like sea salt and mold. The dirt particles swirled in the air, reflecting like fairy dust the feeble sun beams that squeezed through the holes on the walls. The butcher table counters were dirty yet intact. A hanging scale subtly oscillated on the corner, the one in which he weighed the fish and crustaceans he caught in the sea every morning since he was sixteen. The man couldn't hold a tear to escape after been hit by a strong current of memories he thought buried in the sand eight years ago.
"Now I know I'm home", a thin smile curved up on his lips and he left the shop, closing the heavy doors behind him.
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***Cindirillo's back! Wohooooooo! After eight years serving in the NAVY! What do you think of this part? Are you happy he's back? What do you expect it will happen now? Will he meet Amanda again?
