caller • mattia polibio

029.

Mattia stood knocking until his knuckles went numb.
His heart in a million pieces, his head in a different place, he just wanted his girl back, he couldn't understand what he had done, why she had disappeared. At this point he couldn't care if her dad found out about him, that she had a boyfriend, he just wanted to know if she was okay.

What the boy hadn't noticed was that the only car in the driveway wasn't Claudia's and the footsteps towards the door weren't hers either. However there stood at her door was a quite short man, who was wide, and a quite bulging belly, his skin was ragged with age and just from his eyes you could just tell it was Claudia's father (you could also tell from the height but Mattia ought not to be rude).

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Sir, is Claudia home? She hasn't spoke to me in days."

"So you're the boy that's been distracting my daughter from her studies, school is important to her young man."

Mattia was confused. Never once had he stopped her from school work, giving encouragement when she was unmotivated, quizzing her on upcoming topics for tests. Why would he think this when he, too, felt it was important to have a bright career: hell he wanted good grades too.

"But, Sir, I haven't!" Mattia pleaded. "I want what's best for her!"

"And you think running around with a boy like you is any good? Do you have any goals in life? Because I sure know that my daughter does, she doesn't need to be held back" Mr. Mar's words were starting to annoy Mattia now, his hurt turning to slight anger now.

"I don't know what kind of person you think I am sir but I do have goals, your daughter and I have been working hard together and I've genuinely never had higher grades and neither has she! Not once has Claudia wanted to disrespect you and neither have I. I have a scholarship for Soccer. I wouldn't hold her back, I want nothing but the best for her, why do you think I spend every last of my wages on her favourite snacks and flowers? I had to pay my own family to hire out our restaurant for the night to give her a proper first date. Sir, I'm not who you think I am." Tears welled up in his eyes, he didn't want to cry but being degraded so much from the one person he wanted to be liked by upset him too much.

"Son. Don't cry." Her father was caving, realising the pain he was causing between just two teenagers. "Come inside, I'm sure Claudia will be home soon."

——————

Claudia lay in Mattia's bed, hugging his pillow.
After much contemplation, she took a rather dangerous U turn and headed towards her boyfriend's home, she couldn't bare it any longer. When she knocked on the door, his mother was skeptical at first after hearing her son cry his heart out, but knew that it would've had a worse outcome if she turned Claudia away. However the longer she waited the more tired she felt until eventually, sleep took over.