The spring turned to summer and with it brought the first wedding anniversaries of the Dawsons and the De Rossis. After he had helped Jack to find a present for Rose for their anniversary, he at once began to concentrate on finding one for Helga for theirs.
Their anniversary was just one day away when he and and Helga stood in their kitchen after washing the dishes of the day's breakfast. As he had stood beside her he could feel the kicks and movements of their soon to be born child inside of her stomach which was now swollen to nearly the size of a full grown watermelon. He now pressed his hand against the lower part of it and could feel quite strong kicks coming from within.
He chuckled as he said, "It feels like it is a boy inside there."
Helga chuckled also then said, "Well, shouldn't be going now? You don't want to be late."
He nodded. Then he hesitated a moment on his way to the door. Turning back he said with concern, "You won't have the baby before I get back, will you?"
"Of course not," she assured him. "It shouldn't be until at least another month or two."
"I know," he said. "But it felt like it is getting quite restless in there."
"Don't you worry," she said. "I'll have Rose right next door to help me out in case something happens."
He smiled and nodded. "I'll see you this evening," he said just before exiting the apartment.
Then as he walked down the street towards his first job his mind again centered on what kind of present to give to Helga for their anniversary. She had assured him that all she wanted was to spend it with him and make more memories together, but still he wanted a little more for her than just that.
As he walked along he spotted a couple on the other side pushing a baby carriage along. He smiled as he began to envision himself with Helga and the Dawsons out with their babies like that.
Shortly afterward he reached his workplace right on time. During the day things went much the same as ever. At one point during the day he met with a man from Bosnia who had a wife who looked to be almost as pregnant as Helga was.
"Are you with child?" he asked her.
"Yes, indeed," she said. "And that is part of the reason why we came here. Because we need more space for our larger family than what we had available."
They also had a son of about ten years old and Fabrizio couldn't help but notice how when he walked he had a slight limp in his left leg.
"Why is he limping, if you don't mind my asking?" he asked with concern.
"He had an illness a while ago that almost crippled him," his father explained sadly. "We couldn't afford the proper doctors for him, and we don't know if his condition will get any better or any worse."
"Well," said Fabrizio. "We have doctors here that are the best and I am sure they will be able to help you out. In fact, I think I should show you to our doctor here right now. Come with me."
So then he brought them into a small clinic in which there was a doctor who looked over the boy with grave concern.
"How did he happen to get his disease?" the doctor asked the family.
"We're afraid we don't really know," answered the father.
"Is it contagious in any way?" the doctor asked further.
"We don't know," said the mother.
"Then I'm afraid I don't know of much I can do for you," said the doctor sadly. "And I'm also not sure if you'll be able to get in here with his condition."
"But they must be able to get in," Fabrizio exclaimed. "Can't you see she is with child and they need some place to say? And just because you aren't able to help them with their son's condition doesn't mean it can't be helped. If we could just search for the doctors who can I'm sure it could be."
The doctor looked at them solemnly and scratched his head a moment. Then he said, "Alright. I'll leave it to Mr. De Rossi here to set you up with housing and jobs, I'm sure he knows what he is doing."
Then Fabrizio did so and promised he would continue to look for a doctor for their son.
Then shortly afterwards he was on his way to his next job at the shelter for the homeless. On his way there he passed a set of buildings beside an alley like he always did and didn't think any differently of it until he thought he heard the sound of shouting and pounding coming from somewhere around them. He stopped and listened and then he heard a heavy thumping and the sound a door being slammed violently. He knew this meant trouble and so he headed in the direction he thought he'd heard the sounds in.
He stopped short when he saw there was a young girl of about sixteen years old laying down in front of the doorstep of one of the buildings. He rushed up to her and saw she had many cuts and bruises on her face, arms and legs, and possibly more where he couldn't see. Her clothes were filthy and torn in places.
"Mamma Mia!" he whispered.
She stirred slightly and opened her bloodshot eyes and saw him. She then tried to stand up but seemed to have been to badly injured to barely move at all. So he extended his hand to her and helped her up and then he continued to support her balance.
"What has happened to you?" he asked very concernedly.
When she spoke it was in a thick Russian accent. "My... father... he beat me..."
"He did? But why?" asked Fabrizio much shocked.
"He just want to teach me a lesson," she replied weakly.
"This not what I call teaching a lesson," Fabrizio exclaimed passionately.
"It is just his way," she said. "He has done it before. He does love me."
"This is not what I call love at all," Fabrizio said. "If he has done this to you and thrown you out he cannot possibly love you."
"He has thrown me out before, and has always let me back in after a few days," she said.
"But you shouldn't have to endure such cruel beatings from him," Fabrizio said insistently. "You must come with me and I will show you a place where you can have proper care and shelter."
"No," she protested. "He needs me. I do all the cooking and cleaning for him."
"He doesn't deserve for you to do that for him," he said. "I know what makes a good father and he is not."
Then after a bit more persuading he finally convinced her to come with him to the homeless shelter. There he brought her to the doctors there who treated her wounds. She also found some new clothes to put on.
Then later when it was meal time Fabrizio was serving the food for everyone there today and he when he served her he couldn't help but notice how a boy her age sitting close beside her was looking at her in a way that reminded him of when he had first looked at Helga and when Jack had first looked at Rose.
Afterward, he came to the boy and said, "I notice how you look at Natia. You really like her, no?"
The boy blushed and said, "I guess I do."
"Then you should tell her," Fabrizio said.
"But she is Russian and I am American," he said dejectedly. "We don't go together at all."
"I am Italian and married to a Norwegian who is about to have un bambinio," he said smiling. "I believe it doesn't matter where you are from as long as your love as strong enough to bridge the distance between you."
"But still I have no home or means to provide for her," the boy said."
"She has no home either, but that could change with time," Fabrizio said. "I could look for a job for you and then you two could eventually leave here and be together. I think that would make the both of you va happy. And she really does need to know what real love is," he added solemnly and then explained about her abusive and neglectful father.
"Well, when you put it that way," said the boy. "I guess you're right."
Then as Fabrizio left to go home he watched him go over to Natia and speak to her. He smiled feeling good inside. As he walked down the street towards home he thought about all of the memories he had made so far in America and how much he wanted to hold on to all those memories as well as make more. Then he at last had an idea of what to get Helga for their anniversary.
So then the next day he and Helga sat down together and handed each other two small gift wrapped objects that looked exactly the same. They each opened theirs at the same time and they both found the same things which were two small books with blank covers and pages.
"I see you got me the same thing I get you," Fabrizio said chuckling.
Helga chuckled as well. "I thought you might want to keep track of all of the memories we make together though both pictures and words," she said.
"Si, I do," he said. "And I suppose it is true that great minds, and hearts, can think alike, no?"