I woke up bright and early the next morning. Despite waking up several times throughout the night, it was the best sleep I'd ever had. I stretched my arms high above me and glanced down at Ilaria, who was still fast asleep there beside me. My grin shone down upon her. Look at her.
Simply look at her.
Realizing that she'd likely be hungry or thirst when she got up, I made myself tear away from her side to go look for something to eat. I wasn't what humans ate beyond seafood. Could she drink sea water? Probably not. If humans could drink salt water then why were they always bringing drinks with them on their boats. My search proved fruitless anyway; there wasn't anything on the island I saw that she might like. Not wanting to be away from her for too long, I climbed back up the ladder. My joy was paramount once I got to the top, only to discover her awake. Ilaria was awake, and she was looking at me. "Oh, good! You're up," were my very first ever words to her. While I wore an expression of delight, Ilaria was absolutely petrified. Immediately she broke into a panic. "Where am I?! Where is this?! What happened?!"
I was honestly taken aback by this reaction, though I'm not sure why. I guess at some point I forgot that while I'd been watching Ilaria for some time, she's never seen me once before. It was a really weird situation when I thought about it. But under no circumstances can I let her know the truth. I have to act like this is my first time seeing her as well, like this is new for both of us. I can't even use her name….
My hands went up in a calming fashion, even though neither of us was feeling particularly calm at the moment. "Hey! Hey! Whoa! Easy! You're fine. It's alright. Trust me; you're alright," I've made sure you're alright. She turned back to me with a bewildered look. "I-I'm… alright?" I flashed her a grin, much cheesier than I'd intended it to be, I'm sure. I'm just so insanely happy right now! Her voice sounded even better when she was talking to me!
"Yep! Sure are." I don't think she believed me. "But I….? I….. No, wait! I can't be alright! I drowned! Didn't I drown last night?!" Oh yeah; guess I got to explain that one. Hmmmmm, let's see. "Yeah, about that. I kinda…. saved your life," saved your life, really? That's the best you could come up with, brain?! Ilaria mere looked at me. "You… saved me?" Uh oh. She doesn't believe me! "Yeah! I mean, you were drowning and I was right there, so….." I didn't notice the implication behind my words just now. But she did.
"You…. were right there? But no…" She thought about it for a minute. "No, you weren't! I didn't see you! All I saw was this big purple fish and….." Oh no, she did see me! What am I gonna do?! If I tell her that was me, she'll know I'm a sea creature. Fix this, brain! Fix this! I slanted my stance, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. "Oh, I was uh…." I paused here to clear my throat, buying myself some more time to think. "I was out for a swim! And that's when I saw you fall out of your boat," technically it's not a lie. I was out swimming and did see her fall into the sea. Would she buy it? "You were really out swimming last night?" Apparently not! Come on, brain; do better! "Yep! Just going for a late-night dip, you know. Didn't see any fish, though," I felt the need to tack on. I didn't want to gaslight Ilaria but this was the only way.
"Oh….. So you rescued me from drowning, and you brought me….. here?" "That's right!" My grin returned. I felt like a kid again, getting to talk to her like this. I was already enjoying her company so much! Maybe now that's she's seen my human form, she'll want to be friends! Life is good!
Ilaria gazed around again unsure. "I see. And where… is here?" My smiled faded once more as this wave of horror took over her face. "Oh no! No, no, no! You brought me to an island?!" "Well, yeah? Where else was I supposed to take you?" This was a legitimate question. I couldn't bring her back to the village; I'd have to leave her on the beach by herself if I did that, and there's no way that was happening.
"This is bad…. This is bad!" Her wobbly legs started to stand up. This surge of fear overtook me and I had to retrain myself from marching over and simply scooping her up in both my arms. At least that would keep her from falling. But I didn't know how she'd feel about this man she just met handling her like that, so I held myself back. "Easy! Easy," I cooed instead, hoping she'd steady herself. She glanced my way, then back out at the horizon.
"You really swam with me all the way here?" She asked like that was some amazing feat. "Yep!" I still couldn't help but admit with pride. "And then…? H-how did I get up here?" How'd you get up here? I thought it should be obvious. "Carried you up," was my short reply. "You carried me up here?" She sounded dubious; not sure why. "Uh huh. Was able to hold onto the staircase with one hand while holding onto you with the another," I'd often heard humans refer to steps as "staircases" before, and didn't know the difference between a staircase and a ladder, but staircase did sound more fancy. And Ilaria was a very fancy person. She looked shocked. "Staircase…?" Peering over the edge at the ladder, her face turned ghost white.
"So then…. do you live up here?" "Yeah! I used to live here with my dad, but now it's just me," why did I say that? What possessed me just now to bring my dad up? He's the last person I want to think about right now! "Are you from the town?" Ilaria asked me innocently. Oh boy, what do I say to that? "Uh, no…." I guess I say that! She was incredulous. "You really live on this island? Alone?" The way she asks me that, it sounds like she's almost sad for me.
Can't have that!
"Yep! It's great. The tower is super sturdy- perfect for stormy weather- and there's lots of room for me to keep my human things." "Your what…?" She blinked. Uh oh! That's right! Humans don't call their stuff "human" things! "Uh, collection! My collection. I'm a collector of sorts," yeah, of anything your kind makes.
She looked around, thankful dropping the topic. "Where's Portorosso?" Portorosso? What's that…..? Oh! She probably means where she came from! "You mean the town? It's over there," I pointed toward the village. She gasped in horror. "How am I going to get back there?!" Here I saw an opening- a chance to spend more time with her. And right now I'd take any chance I got. "I'll take you back," there was not an ounce of hesitation in my tone. "You?" "Yeah! I got you here, didn't I? I can get you back." "Ok. But I…."
I cut her off by jumping off the roof. I wanted to impress her by doing so, landing on my face on the hard grass down below. Worth it! I think. Did she see me? "Hey!" Sounds like she did! To prove I was ok, I waved my arms around excitedly. "It's ok! The tree broke my fall!" Sorta. "Come on down!" I next called up to her. "Uhhhhhhhhh…" Unlike me, she looked very, very reluctant to even budge. In a way I wasn't surprised. It actually made me feel a little manlier, being able to do such scary things in her eyes. I liked impressing her.
"Um, sir?" She hollered down at me. Sir? Who's sir? Is she referring to me? "I don't think I can do this!" Ilaria continued. My arms waved up and down. Ok, Alberto- now's your chance! Don't blow it! Tell her what to do; show her that you can be useful to her. Then she'll want all the more to be your friend and keep you around. You can do this! Just instruct her, encourage her, guide her. Let her know she's not alone with this.
I gave her a reassuring grin. "Sure you can! Look, just don't look down. You'll be fine," nailed it! "Yes, but um… I'm wearing a dress and am liable to slip," ooooooh, so that's what those big shirts for girls are called. Gotta save the word "dress" in the human memory bank. Come on, Alberto! You gotta help her better than this! Prove to Ilaria that you're worth keeping around- that you can take care of her.
"Then I'll catch you! You're gonna have to come down some way or another," I pressed. She hesitated a minute longer. "Uhhhhhhhh, ok." Watching her climb down the ladder was both the funniest and nerve-racking thing I'd ever seen. She couldn't climb worth anything! What did they teach her at those fancy-dancy lady academies? How not to climb ropes and trees? What kind of an education is that? Doing my best to stifle a laugh constantly, I proceeded to encourage her to keep going- slow as her pace may be. Part of teaching is positive reinforcement, after all. "That's good! You're doing fine! Keep going!"
Well, I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. Her foot slipped on the brown soft box thing, and down she came. "Whoa! I gotcha! I gotcha!" With arms out to catch her, I raced underneath her falling body. She crash-landed into me, sending both of us to the grass. I made sure she fell on top of me so not to hurt herself. I, on the other hand….. A single groan erupted from my lips. In truth I was in agony by now but there was no way I'd let her know that. My grin, somewhat forced, returned to my lips. "See? I told you I'd catch you." Yes! This is all going according to plan! Ilaria's going to see that I'm good to have around. "Indeed" she stood up to brush herself off, sounding less enthused. Then she scanned around the area. "How are we going to get back to the mainland? There's no boat."
Oh…. Oh, crap! She's right! I totally forgot about the boat! It sailed off somewhere last night! Damn it! Now how was I supposed to get her off the island? For the briefest of moments, I paused to contemplate simply…. not? She clearly couldn't swim, so she couldn't go anywhere if I decided to keep her here with me. Part of me wanted to destroy that stupid boat so Ilaria could never pull a stunt like that from last night. If it meant keeping her from drowning… I looked at her, at war with myself. What should I do? She's here now. Should I keep her here, forever to be with me? I was tempted; I'll admit, I was tempted.
But, sigh. One look at her and I knew I couldn't go through with it. Ilaria had a family back in the village- the place apparently called Portorosso. Massimo and the others are sure to come looking for her if she didn't return, and this wasn't the best foot to start a friendship on. With a heavy heart, I inwardly shook my head. Then I thought about the situation for a few seconds. "Ummmmmm," I nibbled my bottom lip. Oh great. Now there's the problem of her seeing me go actually fetch the boat. I can't go into the water with her watching. Think, Alberto; think!
An idea came to mind. "Ok, I'll go get us a boat. Just…. go wait behind there until I say, ok?" I pointed toward the tower. Ilaria seemed confused by this request. More like order than request, but still. "Uh…?" "Just go. And don't peak," I said as I began running down to the water. It took me longer than I was anticipating to find that damn boat some miles out. The storm really did a number to it. By the time I got back ashore I was panting and out of breath. "Uh, sir?" Seriously, why does she keep calling me that? "Ok! You can come out now!" I replied loudly. The instant she showed her head I proudly and eagerly showed off my accomplishment. "Ta da! I found your boat!"
Ilaria dashed over with happiness. "You did! Well done!" Praise…. It felt good to get praise again. "But…. How did you?" She next questioned me. My shoulder shrugged. "Oh, you know…. It was around," it was not. "Hop in! I'll row you back to town," I quickly added, wanting to be praised more. Ilaria's face revealed she was a bit nervous. "Uh, ok?" Once she was securely in, I pushed the boat back onto the water, careful not to get my feet wet. Perfect! Now she'll see how strong I am and capable of helping her out. This was going along first rate!
Or it was until rowing proved to be super hard. It was a lot harder to move wood on the water than in it. This grown sense of frustration bubbled inside of me as Ilaria observed me struggle. No! Not now! This is my chance! And I'm blowing it! Her hands twisted awkwardly in her lap. "Do you want some help?" She offered a tad shyly. Oh, hell no! I look after you; not the other way around. I didn't need help from anyone! I'm a man- I can do this! "No, I'm good. You just keep sitting there," that was all I had the strength to tell her.
By some miracle we made it back to the town in one piece, though I was a blithering mess. I can't remember the last time I worked that hard; gave me a whole new respect for human fisherman rowing out their boats. But it was worth it when Ilaria flashed me a grateful smile.
"Thank you. This is perfect; I live just right there," I know, but she didn't know that I knew. Still, it was nice to hear her say "thank you". "N-No…. No problem." Her smile grew. "Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Ilaria Marcovaldo," her hand reach out, waiting for mine. Now I'd seen human males shake hands before; was a human thing, I suppose. Didn't see why it would be any different with women. I took her hand, shaking it the way I'd seen before. "Alberto Scorfano," man, it felt good to tell her that! She knows my name now….
She knows my name.
Our hands reluctantly let go, but she was still smiling at me. "Thank you again for getting me back safely," mmmmmm, more praise. I loved it! She continued. "I'd invite you in for tea to thank you properly but my uncle…" I blinked as her voice suddenly trailed off; this terror filling her eyes. I stood there also in horror as she took off up the beach without an explanation. Wait… Wait, she's leaving! Where's she going?! We just met! No! I don't want her to go! Come back! Please come back!
"Hey! Where ya' going?" I asked, trying my best not to sound too desperate. "I'm sorry! I have to go!" No…. "Right this second?" No! "Yes! My uncle's going to be inside any minute! Thanks again for everything! Safe journey home, Alberto!" My eyes widened, my heart skipped a beat at the sound of my name emanating from her lips. That was the first time… The first time she ever said it. I'd only heard it once and it was already my favourite sound in the whole universe: Ilaria saying my name.
I had to quickly dive back into the water, my body was on fire. God, what was that? What's happening to me? Why am I so happy all of a sudden? I feel on fire and freezing as ice. Like I'm floating and falling…. I'd never felt like this before, and I could barely describe it. I could still feel her all around me, caressing the air and water I breathed. She was still everywhere…. Everywhere. Is… Is this what not feeling all alone is like? Is that what I'm experiencing right now? The opposite of loneliness?
My arms hugged myself; something I hadn't done in a long, long time. My mouth was hanging open, but I don't recall breathing. New. Everything felt brand new of all sudden. My whole life before this moment- everything I used to be and do- none of that mattered. Now there was only "forward". Somewhere far, far beyond all I've known. Yes, everything up to yesterday was a prologue. Life was beginning anew now- my life above the surface.
I'd swim out of the sea and dive right into you.
This wasn't the ending of Ilaria and me; not by a long shot. I could feel it in my bones. I had to see her again; hear her voice talk to me, say my name…. The gulf between us, the gust of wind that used to blow in between you and me… It's going to disappear and take my loneliness with it in its breeze. Then there will be nothing keeping me apart from her. All the sadness my dad left me with- it's going to go away. I know because today I felt warmth and comfort again. We could be friends now. She's seen me…. We can be friends. We are friends. From this day on….
Ilaria and I will be friends.
[End of part two.]