Suo Angelo

thirteen

SHE WAS A WHIRLWIND of emotions. She could hardly contain the excitement bubbling up inside of her like a boiling pot of water overflowing. Genevieve was flooded with pure happiness as she felt as if she was floating. She could hardly believe that Giovanni had asked her out on a date. Even though she had been half asleep, she woke up quickly at his words.  She felt like a schoolgirl—which she technically was.

She spent the rest of her time at the cafe waiting for her grandfather to pick her up and daydreaming about the next day.  Genevieve could hardly contain herself at the notion of being pursued romantically by such a hard, frightening man.  She knew deep down that there was something suspicious about him.  How could he have such expensive attire but have so much free time on his hands?  What man who made that much money could take time off work to talk to an obviously younger girl for a decently long period of time?

"A penny for your thoughts?" Mary took a seat across from the dazed Genevieve.

Genevieve's head snapped towards her. "Oh, what?" She blushed after realizing that Mary had caught her in her Giovanni filled daze. "I'm r-really sorry, Mary, I'm just a l-little out of it right now." She truly was; she was swept up in a hurricane of constant swooning and daydreaming about the man who was taking her out to dinner.

"Is it the attractive man that I see here waiting for you almost everyday?" Mary smirked at the younger girl. "I'd like to thank him; he is one of my best customers." It was true. He purchased a lot of coffee whilst waiting for Genevieve to be finished with her classes, and he often indulged himself on a cannoli after buying a lemon square for him and Genevieve.

Genevieve's cheeks burned further as she felt crimson crawl up her neck to coat her chubby cheeks. "M-maybe. Promise not to freak out if I t-tell you?" She didn't want to face the embarrassment of Mary exploding with excitement when and if she confided in her dear friend.

Mary lifted her hand and, with her pointer finger, traced an 'x' on her heart. "Cross my heart, darling."

Genevieve sighed out before looking down at her hands as she played idly with her fingers. She knew that nothing bad could come of letting Mary know what had just happened, but she was interrupted by her grandfather's early arrival to the cafe. He smiled before approaching Genevieve. "He asked me out on a date." She murmured under her breath before standing up to greet her grandfather with a warm hug.

At her exit, Genevieve slung her bag over her shoulder and sent a fleeting glance towards Mary, only to see the woman sitting in the same spot with a wide, happy smile on her face. Her little Genevieve was finally growing up and meeting new people. Mary felt her eyes well up with hot tears; she turned to watch her husband and son attend the register with contagious laughter. She only hoped Harvey wouldn't grow up as quickly as Genevieve had.

Genevieve turned her gaze back to her grandfather as he opened the passenger door open for her. He smiled warmly, and the softness to his eyes made her feel secure and loved. It was days like these, the accomplishment days where she experienced new things, that she wondered what her life would be like if her parents were still alive. She always yearned to feel a mother's touch and a father's over protectiveness and teddy-bear-aura. All she knew was that her mother was beautiful and her father loved her, at least while they were alive. She never talked to her grandfather about them, for she noticed how sad he would get at the mention of his deceased daughter and her amazing husband.

Her grandfather peeled out off of the curb, driving the pair home. He played with the radio, searching for a quality station; he settled for a proclaimed "oldies" station, humming along to the voice of Frank Sinatra. The rest of the ride was accompanied by the radio and the silence of the two sitting in the vehicle. Genevieve was consumed by plans of what she should wear and her grandfather was just pondering over his retirement.