Never Mine

Chapter 1

It has been four years. Four awfully long years since I was standing here, right at this same spot, in the middle of the loud Airport in Chicago, saying goodbye to people I love the most. Hugging Adam and Ben, promising to bring them as many presents as I can when I come back, including a few Italian girls; Mia's small hands wrapping around me as she cried; her hot, salty tears spilling on my neck and wetting the ends of her light blond hair that barely reached below her chin as she tightly clutched the shirt I was wearing, pleading me not to go, before giving me a sloppy kiss on the cheek; Lina not showing up. I remember every little detail about that day. It feels like it was yesterday.

I was absent for quite some time, but it didn't seem that long anymore as I found everything around me somewhat familiar. It certainly has changed, but this was still my home, the place where I had moved to at the age of five, the place where I met all those people that became so very important to me and where I made numberless unforgettable memories. I truly missed those young, reckless days and just being able to see and spend time with my friends whenever I wanted, especially with Adam and Ben, and little Mia, who would always find a way to spend time with us. God, I missed them so much. I experienced so many things for the first time here...my first real movie at the cinema, my first diploma, first kiss, first heartbreak, first fight. I can remember how mischievous we were.. always on the run, never tired.

For those past few years Adam came to visit me once or twice every year and Ben came to see me once for whole three weeks. I was able to come back here only twice, because of my constant transferring of countries, required for the job I was doing. As I work in the company owned by Adam's father, I was able to get an opportunity to help build and organise more than twelve new representing companies from the same company chain in six different countries over the past four years. Since I was one of the youngest on my team and I don't have as much work experience as the others, I had to start off with volunteering which turned into receiving a standard, but not very high payment, especially at the beginning. The fact that Adam's dad was like my second father didn't give me a privilege. That's what I've always admired the most about that man. He was always as fair as it could get.

That is another reason why I wasn't able to travel back home for so long. Now, however, the situation is much better. As my four-year project is over, I have moved to a much better position and I have gotten some serious amount of money for my previous work, which allowed me to move to an even better position of being an partial co-owner of the company and move back here.

However, Mia is the only one that I haven't seen even once, and to be honest, it was hard hearing a different excuse from Adam each time he came without her. I stayed in contact, but after a few months Mia had stopped answering my messages. When I would ask Adam about it , he would tell me the same thing as the time before: that she is in a confusing faze and that there was something going on with her at the time, but he never wanted to tell me what it really was, claiming that it was not his story to tell. God, I was worried sick, but he convinced me that everything was fine and it was nothing that should affect me or my work. I managed to visit twice, but even then Mia wasn't there. There was always something, school excursion, language camp, visiting a friend from another city... I don't know but it seemed like it was not that important to her to see me, which pissed me off a bit, since she was the one against me leaving. I guess she just grew up and I wasn't such an interesting person in her life anymore. Kids are like that, especially when they are growing up. Always changing their interests and their wishes, and usually even friends. It would have been nice, though, to be a part of that; of her growing up. I'm glad she had Adam for that. Even if he could be irresponsible sometimes, he always took such a good care of his sister. It's better that she has an overprotective brother rather than the one that doesn't care enough. But with us he was different. Adam, Ben and me have always been those three mischievous guys that would manage to create a funny situation or even a problem no matter where we were. Ben tended to be funny without even trying, while Adam was a professional at making fun of everything. Seriously, I don't know how he does it, but he could make fun of the most boring situation and it would still be funny. However, he is the one with whom I can be dead serious as well when it is required. Even without saying it, we both know when to switch to being serious. I guess we just know each other so well that we automatically understand what the other one is trying to say, without needing to say it. We liked to go out and party. Our Fridays and Saturdays were always entertaining and even some days during the week. We never stayed at home. We were always up to something, anything really. We managed to make so many legendary memories, us three, that I possibly cannot wait to make some new ones. As I was leaving United States, I have gotten a silly present from those two. Since I haven't had a girlfriend at the time, I unwillingly became a private owner of a balloon-like, female doll that would, as they said, be the only women in my life that I could truly open up to and love. The other part of the present was however really nice and unexpected. They have thrown me a big surprise party with some amazing people and food, that everybody has enjoyed very much. Everybody was so exited and happy about it except one small person. Mia wasn't at all happy about it. Since she was still fourteen or fifteen, she was really too little for that kind of parties. The idea of her coming to that party was horrifying for Adam. On one side he was embarrassed of everyone meeting his little sister and 'people not being able to relax and party for real' and on the other side he didn't want Mia to see her brother and his friends getting drunk and trying to get together with girls. We wouldn't be able to do that also because we would have to look after her. Anyway, she really wanted to come, even though everybody there was significantly older than her. I can still remember perfectly how she reacted.