6. Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind

Keeping my eyes glued on the endless landscape I just couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I honestly didn't have the foggiest clue when it was the last time, that I had flown on an airplane, so I enjoyed every minute of it. I was fairly certain, that if it weren't just a short three-hour flight from Gotham to Fort Myers I would be thinking differently right now.

It's the small things in life after all.

This was a real vacation, no ulterior motive, I had left Gotham and my everyday life at the airport desk before boarding.

Due to my age and for a small fee I was thankfully allowed to fly alone. While I really considered Peppe and the others family by now, I just didn't want a single one of them near Claudia.

She, too, I considered family by now, but maybe it was the age since I was technically older than her, but I was really protective of her despite only exchanging the occasional postcard and phone-call since that fateful day.

The fact, that she was a beautiful young woman, and that I probably had some weird knight-in-shining-armor fetish, which might have colored my opinion of her a bit was considered and quickly disregarded.

Really, I would have cared just as much about some random geriatric leprosy patient with senility.

I snorted and tried my best to ignore the questioning gaze of the passenger next to me.

Anyway, she was family, no matter the relation or distance and I was going to make sure she was as happy as possible.

Since I didn't die a fiery death on the runway I stepped out of the terminal and immediately wished, that I did as the heat almost violated me.

One hand shielding me from the gruesome offender above and the other pulling my suitcase I was caught off guard when two soft arms wrapped themselves around me.

Squinting through the glare of the sun I finally got a good look at my attacker and maybe the biggest smile in months split my face in an instant.

"You look like a little Tomasso." Claudia gushed and couldn't resist pulling me into another fierce hug, which I wholeheartedly returned this time.

I honestly didn't know what to say, she looked radiant, despite the years she looked younger, and I felt a fierce satisfaction seeing her like this.

"You look gorgeous." I managed to say eventually. She just smiled softly and caressed my cheek.

"My little baby is getting all grown up." She teased a little wistfully. Sensing the mood shift I grabbed the hand on my cheek in my own and walked next to her while looking at the row of parked cars nearby.

"So, what's the plan, Mom?" I was quite proud how I managed to say that since I almost called her Claudia, which probably would have ruined the moment entirely.

"First we get you settled in my apartment, then we grab something to bite and for the rest of the day we enjoy to the beach." She said excitedly, her brief burst of melancholy hopefully gone, and led me to her car.

"No way!" I eyed her car, the US bumpers were a travesty, but my God, my mom had taste.

"Yes way!" She said proudly.

You know what? Fuck Gotham.

My mom didn't just have taste, she was living quite the snazzy life, too, I thought as I gazed towards the beach from her balcony.

Apparently, she had had her big break, when an elderly lady had stayed in the inn she had worked at and told her about her daughter she was visiting, who just had opened a dainty little boutique on Fifth Avenue South, which it seemed was THE street in Naples, Florida.

Having decided that it was worth a shot, she had applied for a job and struck gold. Apart from the looks she apparently also had a knack for getting old ladies hooked on jewelry and accessories. According to her own words.

"Are you ready to head out?" I heard her call and stepped inside.

I saw her wait at the door in an overly large blouse, that went to her thighs and grabbed my own airy shirt, which made me look quite dapper with my black swimming shorts if I do say so myself.

Hours later, I just came back from a nearby shower to wash away the salt when I suddenly stopped and stared.

Claudia, alone, her back to me and contently enjoying the sun. She was a picture of such beauty and serenity, that I felt the need to burn it into my mind.

An indescribable feeling filled me. I vowed then and there, that I was going to keep that woman happy, no matter the cost, even if it meant staying away as far as possible, just so she could remain blissfully unaware of what a man I was going to become.