On a beautiful morning seventeen years ago, Pavi woke up to the smell of breakfast.
Sausage, bacon, eggs, toast, even potatoes and salmon. He ran downstairs still in his red silk pajamas and skidded into the dining room where he saw not a maid or butler setting the table but mama Marni. She was wearing a crisp white apron over a pink floral dress and had on oven mitts as she carried the hot trays to the table. Pavi wondered why Marni had made breakfast, that was the cook's job, not hers.
"I gave Bridget the day off today." Marni said, by way of an explanation. "Are you hungry, Pavi?"
"Yes-a…But you didn't have-a to cook, you could have-a made her come in to work anyway." Pavi replied.
"I like taking care of my family, like my mom did when I was growing up. When I was your age, we didn't have a cook, my mom and dad took turns cooking, of course, when dad 'cooked' we normally ordered pizza or something, but regardless, cooking is fun. In fact, I could teach you to cook, Pavi." Marni smiled, setting down the plate and grabbing Pavi's hand, taking him to the kitchen. "After all, you're fifteen; you should learn to at least make scrambled eggs."
"Alright-a." Pavi smiled, following Marni into the kitchen. "Then we'll-a need…um...eggs?" He asked.
"Yes, eggs and cheese then a little salt and pepper for taste." Marni confirmed, opening the massive refrigerator and pulling out ten eggs, that ought to feed the whole family, two eggs per person. Next, Marni got out a large frying pan and put it on the stove dropping some butter in so the eggs wouldn't stick. "Now, Pavi, crack the eggs and put them in the pan."
Pavi did his best, getting some egg on the floor and some shells in the pan. Marni giggled and picked out the shells with a fork. "Now put the cheese in..." She smiled and at that point Pavi placed five slices of cheese in the frying pan with the eggs. "Good! Now scramble the eggs and cheese together with a fork until they're nice and fluffy." Pavi did so, staring at the pan in concentration. "And there you have it! You did it, Pavi! Aren't you proud? Now you can say you know how to cook something."
A few days later, Pavi was in his room alone, curled up on the bed having a good cry. He had a letter from school in his hand that he had fortunately intercepted before it reached his father. There was a small, soft knock on his door. "Pavi? Is something wrong, hon?" Marni's voice came, soft and sweet. "Can I come in?"
"Fine…"Pavi sniffled. With that, Marni opened the door and walked into Pavi's room, sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking his hair gently. Pavi sat up and scooted closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder and crying some more.
"What's wrong, Pavi?" Marni asked, hugging him tightly. Pavi handed her the note. "Hmm…let's see what this says 'Dear Mr. Largo, we regret to inform you that your son has been suspended from school. He was caught in an empty classroom with another male student engaging in sexual activity. Pavi can come back to school in three days time, until then, we recommend disciplinary actions be taken.' Hmm…Well, Pavi, this is…surprising." Marni sighed. "Wanna talk about it?"
Pavi looked up at Marni. His father would have beaten him senseless but here was Marni asking if he needed to talk. "Well-a…the thing is, mama Marni, I think I like-a women AND men….I can't-a help it, I just can't-a pick."
"No one is saying you have to, Pavi, that's not what's worrying me. What's worrying me is that you did it in school when you KNOW you should be in class." Marni explained.
"You don't-a think I'm-a a freak?" Pavi asked, surprised. "It's-a okay to like-a both?"
"Of course it is, Pavi, even I've thought of being with my friend Mag before." Marni smiled warmly. "If you love a person who is old enough to love, then nothing matters except that you love them. But be careful, Pavi, there are a lot of people out there who would use you just because you're a pretty young man who happens to have no problem sleeping with other men. It's a sick world out there, even women can be dangerous, so be careful and don't let any of your teachers, male OR female, talk you into putting out to raise your grades, that's why I help you study every night so you can get good grades the old fashioned way without degrading yourself."
"Thanks, mama Marni, I think I get-a it now." Pavi smiled brightly. "You won't-a tell papa, will you?"
"I think I still owe you one for not telling him about me and Luigi anyway." Marni giggled.
Two months passed and Marni was married to Nathan Wallace now. Pavi was invited to come and visit her because she and Nathan had some exciting news that Marni wanted to share with her young friend. They'd been giving the news only to their closest friends because only Mag had been told so far. All she could tell Pavi before he went to see Marni was that it was really exciting and really sudden. As Pavi's limo pulled up to the Wallace household, Pavi leapt from the car and ran towards the gate. He rang the bell and called out "Marni! It's-a me, it's-a The Pavi."
He was immediately buzzed in and Marni answered the door. When he went inside, he noticed Nathan wasn't there. Marni looked a little sad when she answered the door, when she saw it was Pavi, she began to sob. "Um…am-a I not supposed-a to be here?" Pavi asked.
"That's not it, Pavi…come inside and I'll tell you…" So Pavi came into the house and Marni sat down on the bottom step of the staircase, Pavi sat next to her and she hugged him tightly. "I'm pregnant."
"But that's-a good! Isn't Nathan happy?" Pavi asked, smiling brightly.
"Yes, but he doesn't know it isn't his." Marni sobbed.
"Not-a Luigi's…" Pavi gasped.
"No…It's your father's." Marni sniffled. "I took the test before I married Nathan and it turned out positive."
"Well-a…what are you gonna do?" Pavi asked. "You can't-a get rid of it, Nathan would-a know something was wrong-a."
"I don't know….I just don't know what I'm going to do." Marni held him tighter, squeezing his head against her breasts without noticing. Pavi would have felt like he was in heaven if Marni hadn't been so sad.
"It'll be-a alright." Pavi smiled up at Marni. "I know-a it will be."
However, seven months later Pavi got the horrible news from his father. Marni was dead and Nathan Wallace had killed her. 'He found out!' Pavi gasped to himself. 'He found out and the bastard killed her!' He still couldn't tell anyone, he'd promised Marni he wouldn't.
All he could think about after that was sitting in his black suit at Marni's funeral, unable to cry, the reality of the situation hadn't set in yet and he was still in shock. The casket was closed so he couldn't even see her one last time. Finally, as the casket, which Pavi didn't know what empty, was lowered into the tomb, Pavi threw a single white rose on it and walked off.
A few years later, when the grief wore off, he decided to go meet his little half sister. He took a limo to the Wallace household, rang the bell and demanded to come in and meet the child. Nathan, however, refused to let him through the gate and sent the now nineteen year old away.
"I have to meet-a her, Mag." Pavi told Mag one day, believing she knew about the child.
"Pavi, Marni's child died with her, didn't you hear?" Mag explained. "We all miss Marni…well…at least you and I do, but I've moved on and you have to too, life isn't fair, Pavi, but then your father can tell you all about that…Who knows? Maybe when you become just like him, he'll leave Geneco to you." Mag's words were somewhat cold, but she was speaking out of hurt. She was a slave to Geneco because of her eyes, but Pavi couldn't understand why Mag was, in his opinion, being such a bitch. She had the perfect life. She was beautiful, famous and had been Marni's best friend. And did he mention she was….beautiful? That face…Everyone loved Blind Mag's face, it had to be the prettiest face in the world now that Marni was dead. Pavi wanted to have a face just like that.
"Pavi….are you awake?" This voice was deep. Graverobber.
"Huh? Yes-a…"Pavi replied sitting up in bed. Graverobber had been sitting up right next to him, shaking him gently. "Are-a we safe? We're-a still far away from-a my father, right-a?"
"Yes…We're back at the hotel. But you need to go home soon or else he'll come looking for you." Graverobber suggested. He loved Pavi, but he really didn't want to end up without his organs.
"Alright-a…" Pavi replied, looking a little sad as he got out of bed and got dressed. "Hey, before-a I go, I noticed there's-a a little kitchen in-a the room, maybe I could make-a you some scrambled eggs."