Chapter Text
When there was a knock at the front door, little Camillo was the first to go and open it. To his surprise, he found the Bottazzi Giuseppe standing there, holding one elbow with his hand, his face scrunched up.
They stared at each other for a moment silently. It was not like they hated each other. They just fought often who’s dad was better. Or made dares to see who of them was stronger, faster and braver.
“Mama!”, Camillo finally yelled over his shoulder.
“What is it?”, his mother called back from the kitchen.
“Giuseppe is here!”
“Which one?”
“Bottazzi”
“Oh?”, mother came into the corridor, looking surprised and a bit concerned, drying her hands on her apron. “What is it, Giuseppe?”
The little boy was silent for a moment.
“Do you have a band aid, maybe?”, he finally asked, his voice wavering slightly. Mother instantly sank to her knees in front of him.
“Aw, what did you do?”, she asked and gently removed the hand holding the elbow to have a look at it. Giuseppe shrugged and did not answer. Mother sighed and took his hand. “Come on then, we’ll have this fixed.”
Camillo closed the door behind them and followed along in curiosity. While mother looked for first aid and asked questions, Giuseppe stayed quiet, looking around the house with round eyes and throwing Camillo side glances. Finally, mother came back with a bandage.
“Here, let’s clean this and then I’ll bandage it for you”, she said, but Giuseppe shook his head. He took the bandage himself, hoisted himself up to the water basin and cleaned the wound with his lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes watering, but continuing nonetheless.
Then he dried the wound carefully with a clean rug mother gave him and wrapped the bandage clumsily around his elbow. All the while mother watched him in surprise.
“Thank you”, Giuseppe finally said, hopped from the chair that he sat on and ran out the front door without another word. Mother shook her head.
“Just as hard-headed as his father, he also never accepts any help”, she sighed and turned back to her work, while Camillo climbed up to the window to watch Giuseppe run around in the street with a friend of his like nothing had happened.