New Life

Part 9

Celso's mother cleared her throat and excused herself. Celso nodded and she left. He sat down in her place. He looked around the room and found Chiara looking at him, he gave her a nodded. She nodded as well and started her way over to him.

"How are you Mr. Regio?" She sat by his side. They both were looking at one another.

"I'm fine, my mother has learnt her place and my father is dead." His voice got quiet.

"And here I thought you couldn't feel." She patted his back. She felt pity for him. She helped him up.

"Come lets go." She pick up his left arm and stood up. He followed be hind her. Everyone was watching.

"Stop. They think you to be a whore." Celso pulled his arm back. Chiara sighed.

"Then let them think such silly thoughts." She grabbed his arm back and lead him up the stairs. Tarso saw and went to help but was stopped by Jen.

"Not this time, this will be good for him. Wait till they get up the stairs to help." Her arm that was up to stop him went down. Tarso nodded, his eyes never leaving the two going up the stairs.

When they got to Celso's room he cried, possibly for the first time. Chiara tried to calm him down but was failing. Tarso then came.

"Tarso." Chiara sighed in relief. He went up them, they both sat on the bed.

"Do you know how to calm him?" Chiara asked, he shook his head. Tarso was in shock.

"He's never cried. At least to my knowledge." Tarso bent down in front of Celso.

"Celso..." He whispered only loud enough for the two men to hear. Celso looked at him between his hands.

"Tarso, I'm-" He cried some more and hugged Tarso. Tarso patted his back and caressed his head with his other hand.

"Chiara, you should tell everyone to go. The funeral is over." She nodded and stood up, she walked over to the door and gave one more glance at the two before exiting.

"Celso, make sure to take some deep breathes. I'll pour you some water then we'll talk, ok?" He grabbed Celso's shoulders and looked at him, Celso nodded trying to swallow the knot in his throat. Tarso stood up and poured some water into the cup that was all was in the room. He handed the cup to Celso.

Celso drank all the water and held the cup in his hands.

"Very good, now let's talk." Tarso sat by him on the bed.

"I'll never have family again, they all want to kill me. My father is dead, my mother is pretty much the same. I have no one to love me all over again."  Celso swallowed at the lump once more. Tarso patted Celso's back.  

"That's not true, sir. What about Chiara? She doesn't want to kill you. Or myself? I've known you for over 20 years, sir. I grew up with you, I could count as a brother, sir."  Tarso stopped patting his back and stood up. Celso looked up to him.

"I have to go, get more water. You'll get sick if you don't drink water." Tarso walked out of the room as fast as he could with out running.

Tarso rushed down the stairs and went up to Jen.

"Go to him, Jen. He needs you, I'm not good at this stuff." Jen nodded her head and started her way up the stairs, but half way she stopped for a moment.

"Thanks for the money, he's better. Thank you Tarso." She smiled at him and then continued her way up the stairs. Tarso smiled for a second. 

Celso was going through a hard time, with getting all these new emotions. He was breaking, slowly but surely. His head hurt all the time, same as his heart. He felt guilty to Chiara. He felt like everything he did was wrong all the time.

In a few more moments Tarso was back by Celso's side. He quietly poured the water and then hand the cup to Jen. Jen would then help Celso drink it. Celso was falling asleep, slowly. When he did finally fall asleep, Tarso talked to Jen.

"What do you think happened to him? He wasn't like this last week. He's changed to fast and to dramatically." Tarso's voice was filled with concern, his expression showing the same.

"I have no idea. Not even Chiara could have done this. Maybe someone laced his drinks with some type of drug?" She looked around for answers. The dark room not offering much in the way of light or clues.

"He needs to stop drinking, as long as I can remember he has been a drunk. Maybe he needs to sober up, what do you think Jen?" Tarso looked over to the older woman who agreed with him.

"You are mostly all ways right, when it comes to Celso." She motioned for them to leave when Celso started to move around in his bed. After the door closed they started to talk again.

"I'll get all the alcohol out of the house. We'll follow the law and stop drinking." Tarso laughed out, Jen nodding and chuckled.

"For once we'll follow the law." Jen agreed.

Jen and Tarso went around the house throwing out anything that had alcohol in it. Even the wine that Celso loved some much. 

"He's goes going kill us. Make sure to check the bathrooms, he likes to drink when he takes baths." Tarso said turning into the bathroom. Jen sighed and nodded. They had to go in every room. The kitchen was half empty due to the alcoholic drinks being thrown out.

"Tarso, I just wanted to say, thank you. You've helped my family so much and yet I haven't even given you a proper thank you. You are the best man I've ever known." Jen spoke through the door. She smiled and gave him a hug after he came out of the bathroom.