Chapter Text
Joe looked out the window. It looked like it would rain soon. Then he heard the bell make the usual noise, meaning there was someone in the store. After taking off the apron, he walked out into the store, where a young man placed two boxes on the floor.
Joe: "Giacomo, I thought I had sent you home an hour ago."
Giacomo was Joe's intern and only employee. Joe knew if it weren't for Giacomo, he wouldn't eat throughout the day or get any books sold. It was also Giacomo's idea to create an Instagram profile to reach more people who needed help with books. At first, Joe said no because he didn't want to show his face to strangers he didn't know, but Giacomo promised it would be all about the books, and it was a promise he hadn't broken. And it was thanks to whatever Giacomo did online, they now got jobs from all over the world.
Giacomo: "You did, yes, but the post office called five seconds after I had left and asked if I could get all the boxes that had arrived today. They are drowning in Christmas mail."
Joe: "Let me help you so you can go home to Mira."
They walked outside to the van so they could empty it.
Giacomo: "Thanks, Joe. Even though, well..."
Joe: "Have you been fighting again?"
Giacomo: "It's more that I can't figure out what I have done wrong. Yesterday, I got blamed for getting her pregnant with twins, and the day before, she couldn't stand the sound of me chewing."
Joe took one of the boxes, while Giacomo took another one.
Joe: "If I have understood my brother correctly, it all has to do with Mira being close to giving birth."
Giacomo: "Yeah, the midwife said the same thing, but to prevent me from chewing at home, I'm going to buy a pizza and eat it before Mira sees me."
Joe laughed as they walked inside the store again.
Joe: "Maybe you should try with flowers and give Mira something nice before she gives birth."
Giacomo: "There was an idea. Thanks, Joe. Let me get the last box."
Joe nodded as he read the label on one of the boxes. It was the books from Germany, where a self-proclaimed book nerd had written to Joe and asked if he could rescue some books from his Grandfather. When Joe saw the state of the books, he knew it would take months, but the books could be rescued.
Giacomo: "That looks like a lot of work."
Joe put the book back in the box before looking at Giacomo.
Joe: "I know, but that is for me to worry about. All you have to worry about is your family."
Giacomo: "You might have given me six months of maternity leave, but I'm still going to come by every day to make sure you eat something and help you a bit. I'll even bring the twins so they can learn to appreciate books from an early age."
Joe: "Fair enough, but I've been thinking. With the workload there is, maybe it's about time you got your own intern."
Giacomo smiled.
Giacomo: "Are you saying I'm ready for that?"
Joe: "You have been here for seven years, so yes. I have taught you what I learned from the previous owner, so it's about time you pass on the knowledge. And yes, that did sound like a kung fu movie."
They both laughed.
Joe: "And the first thing you have to do is to find the right intern, but let's talk more about it after the birth of your twins."
Giacomo: "Deal. I better find the pizza before going home. Please promise me you'll be out of here before ten pm."
Joe: "You don't have to worry. It's Wednesday today."
Giacomo: "Good to hear. Say hi to them from me."
Joe: "I promise and say hi to Mira from me."
Every Wednesday, Joe kept the promise he had made to the man he loved so much—visiting his parents and eating a meal with them. As usual, the woman who had become a second mother to him insisted that he was still too skinny and should have a second dessert, while the man who had become a second father to him only talked about football. Joe also made sure they weren't missing anything, and he promised to go with them to the commentary on Saturday.
When Joe came home, it was just past nine pm. When he heard a noise to his right, he saw the orange tabby cat lying on the window sill on its blanket.
Joe: "Wow, someone has had a productive day."
Joe scratched the cat behind her ears.
Joe: "You have actually moved an inch today. Was it when it rained?"
The cat once belonged to the man Joe still loved. The man found the cat on Nairobi's streets and insisted on giving her a home in Rome. Transporting the cat had cost a fortune, but given how much joy the cat had given a dying man, in Joe's mind, it was worth all the money. And Joe still kept the promise he had given to his beloved - looking after the cat.
Joe: "What about salmon for dinner tonight?"
The cat stood up and walked the few steps over to its food bowl, where it sat down. Joe knew the cat was getting old and that one day she would be gone, but every day, he prayed for another day with the cat because he was afraid to come home to an empty apartment.
Joe: "I know I promised you salmon, but first, you have to take your medicine. And remember, it was the vet's idea, not mine, that you have to eat it."
Joe held up the pill, and when the cat saw it, it turned its head away.
Joe: "Okay, what if I hide the pill in some ice cream?"
Joe found the ice cream and took a spoonful before putting the pill in it. Then he offered the ice cream to the cat, who happily ate it.
Joe: "Good girl. And now the promised salmon."
After feeding the cat, Joe sat down to check his emails. There were the usual ones from his family and few friends, asking when he would be back home for Christmas. It was still hard for him to leave Rome because he felt like he was breaking the promise of never leaving the man he loved behind, no matter what. He knew it was okay to do it, and he would return home again, but it was getting on that damn plane that was the hardest thing. He looked out on the rain when he heard a meow and saw the cat.
Joe: "Come here."
Joe lifted the cat, and she curled up in his lap with a happy purr.
Joe: "Yeah, I know, maybe we should visit them. Are you up for a trip?"
The cat licked his hand, which he took as a yes. He wrote to his family he would be home for a few days during Christmas. After writing the emails, another email ticked in. It was from Nile.
Nile: "Hi, Joe. Sorry you haven't heard from me for almost a year, but remember the rascal? Well, she decided that she wanted to be born before time, so I ended up being bedwritten for the rest of my pregnancy. It was three long months, but I gave birth to a healthy little girl we named Rosie. And yes, her father made it home in time. If you want, you can see a photo of Rosie."
Joe pressed on the first file attached to the email. He smiled when he saw the curly-haired little girl chewing on her foot. Then, he continued reading the email.
Nile: "After the interview with you, I had much to consider because your story touched something inside me. That was why, while I was bedridden, I decided to add new stories to my page. I have reached out to more football players who have publicly told the world they had cancer in their lives. If you press on the link down at the bottom, you can read the first three articles because, as you said, it is important to be aware of cancer. And on my page, you can also find links so people can read more about cancer and donate money to scientists who are researching for a cure for cancer."
Joe pressed the link and was impressed by all the work Nile had done. Joe read his own article and was happy that she had kept her promises.
Nile: "I plan to post your article as the next one, so please let me know if I have to make any changes. I hope you can make it before Christmas. And please feel free to contact me if there's anything. Merry Christmas, Nile Freeman."
Joe read his article before he closed his laptop. While petting the cat, he looked at the photo of the man he loved so much. It felt good to tell their story, and Nile had done it with the respect Joe had hoped for. The cat meowed and looked up at him.
Joe: "I'm fine, my feline friend, for the first time in years."
It wasn't a lie. For the first time in a long while, he looked optimistic about the future because someone had listened to him on his terms. And for the first time in years, he went to bed without crying himself to sleep.