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As usual, her mom Rey had to work a lot. It were 18 p.m. and she was still waiting for her, sitting on the couch of their little apartment, her eyes almost closing while the rain was falling down outside of the window.
Uncle Finn and Aunt Rose were always very kind with her. In that right moment they were busy in the kitchen preparing the diner for everyone. Usually she wanted her to help, because she liked cooking very much.
Aunt Rose was patient with her and she taught her a lot of things about how to prepare a good meal. In particular, they used to made cakes together and she was proud of herself every time her mommy made her compliments for her work.
Uncle Finn was funny and he liked a lot to play with her. He was just like a father for her, but she still missed her mommy when she wasn't at home. More over, her curiosity about her real father never seemed to stop since the day she started to understand that something in their family was wrong, or better, that someone was missing. That evening didn’t make any exception.
In the other room, Finn and Rose were helping each other washing a drying the dishes and they were singhing together as usual and she wished that one day even her mommy could smile like that to someone because she was always so sad… She didn’t even remember to have seen her mommy smile that way to a man.
Her mommy was sweet and kind with her bus she also looked always sad. In particular she had noticed that in the last days, mommy Rey had been even stranger and much nervous than usual…
She was about to join Finn and Rose in the kitchen, regretting her previous choice to stay by herself watching tv, when her mommy finally came back home, completely wet because of the rain. Her umbrella had been broken because of the strong wind. She run towards her to squeeze her in an embrance, but Rey suddenly protested.
“Ehy I am completely soaked, honey…Please…Let me go to the bathroom to take a shower…I’ll be back soon” she said letting her things in the entrance of the leaving room.
And so her smile vanished in the same moment Rey went straight in the other room without any other word. Yes. Definitively. Her mommy had something wrong and she didn’t want her to know about it.
Rey had just left the room that her phone started to ring. Suddenly she rushed to answer, noticing that either her mommy, Finn or Rose had heard the phone. The number was signed under the name: Kylo. It was a strange but familiar name, so she decided to answer anyway.
“Hello?” she said, her little voice full of mirth.
“Hello” answered a deep male voice. She felt him cough two times as if he was nervous and then the man said: “Listen…Is your mommy nearby? You have to tell her that I…”
“Oh, you are the guy that called mommy last week, isn’t it? I remember about you because you have a pretty strange name” she said eager to show him that she still remembered about him.
She was always proud of her good memory for names and people in general.
“Yes…It’s me sweetheart” the man answered with warmth in his voice. “…Should I call mommy?" the little girl asked a little unsure about how to behave "But she is under the shower...I don’t know if she can answer right now” she commented sadly hearing the sound of the stream of the water coming out from the other room.
She really wanted to help that man to reach for her mommy. She didn’t know why but she liked his voice very much. He seemed a good person. She didn’t really know why her mommy didn't want to answer at him.
“Please tell her that I am here and that is important…I will wait” the man said with hope into his voice.
“But…Did you do something wrong to my mommy? Because when you call her last week, then she was suddenly so sad. The last time I pick up she told me not to answer…” she explained kindly, full of curiosity and a hint of embarassment.
From the other side of the phone, she felt the man exhaling a deep sigh. After that he didn’t answered at her question. Instead, he seemed to decide to change the argument.
“Sweetherat…I…Okay…I undesrtand...But maybe we could talk just a bit…Give me a while...Please tell me, do you already know how to write? How’s your house? Do you like to go to school?” he started to ask. She didn’t expect him to be so much interested in her. It was so strange, but she didn't know why, she liked the idea of someone like Kylo caring for her.
Of course, she wondered why she was asking her so many things, but she had been taught to be polite with the other people and so she answered.
“Well…I really like school, but unfortunately mommy is always at work and so it’s aunt Rose who gives me the lift every morning. You know the other children has got their own fathers, but I have never met mine…”
“Oh sweetheart. I am sorry" the man said "But please, tell to your mother that I am here! It had been 6 years of pure suffering for me…Sweetheart. Six years, just like your age isn't it?”
“Oh no, actually I have got only 5 years… So, do you know my mommy? She never spoke to me about you…Wait a minute...” In that same moment Rey came out of the bathroom and at the sight of her daughter speaking at her phone she became pale. Suddenlu understading what was going on.
“What are you doing darling?” she asked rushing to take the phone away from her hands. In the same moment she saw the name written on the screen she switched off the conversation, her breath quickened.
“But mommy…it was a call for you…He said it was important and that..” she protested.
“I don’t mind…And I thought you knew that I don’t want you to answer at my phone and in particular when you read the name Kylo…Did you forget about the conversation we had last week?” she blamed at her with a frown. She was about to retort with something, when uncle Finn and aunt Rose came out of the kitchen with their hands full.
“Ehi peanut…welcome back! The dinner is ready! Are you hungry?” Finn asked with a smile. But after a few seconds that joyful expression was suddenly replaced by concern. She dind’t understand why, but it was obvious that something was wrong.
“Ehi what happened?” Finn asked then. She looked at her mommy that now was sighing heavily and she saw her and uncle Finn exchangea gaze full of worry.
“Kylo called me…this is the second time in a month” Rey told him, her voice firm but also full of concern. She would have had known what was happening but nobody seemed intentioned to explain that to her. So they had dinner together as usual and no one ever spoke about that call for the whole evening.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the phone, a young man started to cry heavily. He was desperate as if somebody had just took away his hearth from his chest. He knew he had made a mistake six years before.
A big mistake. And he wished he could change his actions, and made another choice. Just recently, he had been to the point of no returning and he had finally understood what was truly important to him. He had to apologize with her, to have them both back…His Rey and his dear daughter…But he didn't know how.
Not a single day had passed without that he blamed himself for his choice…not a single moment he had forgot about them… But Rey didn’t seem to understand…She hated him….But he knew he had to find a way….He didn't have any intention to give up on them.
Not anymore…. And so, after that evening, he cryed at the phone, again and again… because Rey didn’t have any mercy for him…Nobody answered for a long time. Until, one day, after a couple of months, her mommy had forgot the phone at home and Kylo called again. Just like the other time, the little one decided to pick up, even if her mommy had warned her not to do that. She liked Kylo's voice. He seemed a good person.
“Hello sweetheart” he said. And for a strange reason her hearth warmed hearing Kylo calling her mommy that way.
“Hello” she answered politely as ever. “My mommy isn’t at home…she forgot her phone…” she said.
“Oh…I see…So, it's you dear" he noticed "How do you feel? I mean…it’s everything okay?” Kylo asked cautiously, a deep sadness hiding under his happy tone of voice.
“Oh, yes! Do you know that we are planning to go at the beach?” she told to him.
“So…Do you like the sea?” Kylo guessed.
“Yes! A lot! Do you know that I can swim?”
“Good. I am happy to know it, really. I like swimming too. I used to go to Niima Summer Camp on holiday” Kylo said. At that statement, her eyes widened with wonder.
“Really? How do you know the Niima Summer camp? Have you been there too, for real? I am going to go right there with mommy next week!” she said just in time. Her mommy was already back, she heard the key opening the door of their apartment.
“Honey I’m home…” Rey yelled at her “who are you talking with?” she asked suddenly noticing that her daughter was speaking at her phone once again.
On the other side of the line, Kylo, hearing Rey’s voice rushed to say: “Please, sweethearth…Tell your mommy that I love you both so much!” and at that Ben couldn’t really stop the tears that started to stream down his cheeks. His voice breaking saying the last part of the sentence.
“Do you love us? But I have never met you! Ehi what’s up? Why did your voice change? Are you crying? Why?” And so he was crying at the phone once more.
“I am sorry. I am crying because she never answer me…And even if I yell that I love her she doesn’t listen…Anyway I am crying at the phone for the last time, I swear. And you’ll find out the reason soon sweetheart…I promise! I love you!”. After a few seconds Rey had already throw the phone away from her ear, but now she was desperate to know what was happened once and for all. “Honey, don’t. Please!” she said.
“But mommy, who’s he? Why don’t you want to talk with him? I want you to tell me! Please!”
Rey, Finn and Rose had a long conversation that night. But once again she wasn't allowed to listen.
……………………………………………..
But she didn't had to wait a lot to know about the reason of so many strange behaviours. The little one finally found out the truth. It happened when, at Niima, they received the visit of a stranger, a tall man with long brown hair and two sad eyes, that made her mommy cry just for a long moment before that she saw her run straight into his embrace.
“Dear…I am sorry… I didn’t know how to tell you…” she cryed in front of her bewildered expression.
“This is Ben” Rey pointed at the man who had just greeted them. She answered with a shy smile but she immediately liked him at first sight. Because her mommy now was smiling once again and she had never seen her that happy before.
“Hello sweetheart” Ben said kneeling in front of her. She immediately recognized Kylo’s tone of voice.
“But you…” she started.
“This is your father honey…He wanted to met you" Rey said with a warm smile, while tears of happiness were streaming down her cheeks.
“My father? But where has he been this whole time?” she asked at her mommy with wonder.
“It’s a long story dear…But you have to know that we love you so much and we’ll always love you”. From that day the phone never cryed again because she finally had met her father, who loved her with all of his heart and wnated to stay with them forever and ever.
Fine/End