A Promessa

Chapter 18- L'amore Di Un Padre

Not now, Pietro.

He'd gotten used to those words ever since Mamma died. Papa didn't seem to have time for him anymore. If he wasn't at work, he was taking care of Giulia. Papa was very strict about it too. No matter how often Pietro tried, Papa never let him hold his little sister like Mamma, claiming he was too small and might drop her. Any attempts to play with her were equally forbidden, as Giulia was too young. Pietro grew increasingly frustrated and hurt by his father's increasing lack of attention. Did Papa not love him anymore? He'd promised Mamma he'd be the best big brother in the seven rings, but Papa wouldn't let him.

Footsteps on the grass outside the bush brought Pietro out of his thoughts. The pup retreated further into his hiding place; his tail curled up around his feet.

"Pietro!"

It wasn't Papa. It was . Pietro relaxed a bit but uttered no sound. He relaxed as the footsteps seemed to move further away… Until his hiding place was abruptly opened up.

Jawns sighed in relief. "Oh, there you are! What in Mammon's name are you doing here, kid?"

Pietro sank. "...Hiding."

"I can see that, but why did you come here? You could have run into a wild animal or… a very bad person! We've been looking all over for you!"

Pietro didn't respond. He just tried to retreat further into the bush. For a minute, he thought would force him to come out, but surprisingly he didn't. He released the branches and sat down.

"What's going on, kiddo? You do know your Papa is worried about you, right?"

"Doubt that…" Pietro murmured.

"What do you mean by that? Ale's been turning the house and neighborhood upside down, looking for you. He would have done it literally if he could…"

Pietro hid his face in his arms. "He doesn't love me anymore…"

"What? Why would you think that…?" Jawns paused. "...Is this because of what happened this morning?"

Pietro stiffened completely. "I was just… I just wanted Bianco to meet Giulia… She sneezed and began to cry… *sniffle* Papa yelled at me… I didn't do anything, but he…" Pietro didn't finish the sentence as he cried a second time.

Jawns sat down next to the bushes, silently beckoning the pup to come out for a hug. Pietro was so desperate for any form of comfort that he didn't consider Jawns might be trying to get him out and take him back. Jawns did no such thing. He just pulled Pietro into a comforting embrace, gently patting his back.

"There, there. Let it all out, kiddo."

Pietro sniffled. "... Doesn't Papa love me anymore?"

"Don't say that. You and Giulia mean the world to Alessio. It's just that… It hasn't been easy for him, losing his wife and looking after two kids alone. That's no easy task, you know. He's doing his best to care for you and your sister, but that can sometimes be… overwhelming. Your Mamma helped with that burden, but now that she's gone, he's got to deal with it on his own. And despite all that, he loves you and Giulia more than anything else."

"Sometimes it feels like he loves Giulia more…"

"It's nothing of the sort, Pietro. The thing is that Giulia is just a baby, and she can't do anything by herself just yet. You can't blame your father for being more attentive to her for the time being, but trust me when I tell you that he loves you deeply too. " got up. "It's getting late, kiddo. We should return before your Papa turns the whole city upside down."

"O-Okay…"

On the way back, Mr. Jawns messaged someone on his phone. Probably Papa. Pietro's stomach sank the closer they got to the house. Papa would surely be mad at him, and he'd get a big scolding again–

"PIETRO!" The pup was abruptly pulled from Mr. Jawns's embrace into another, much tighter one. It didn't take Pietro long to recognize Papa's arms. Papa pulled back and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Where have you been?! Do you have any idea of how worried I was?! What if something had happened to you?!" he cried in anguish. "I just… I don't know what I'd do if you…" Pietro was pulled back into another hug. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, figlio mio…"

The show of long-awaited affection was the last straw. Pietro began to cry and returned his father's hug, face buried in the crook of his neck.

He must have dozed off at some point. When he next awoke, they were no longer outside. As his eyes adjusted to the little light, Pietro recognized the paintings from Mamma's' stories on the walls. He wasn't at Mr. Crimson's house anymore. He was in the nursery he and Giulia shared. Shifting a bit in bed—his own bed—Pietro felt something stroking his head—a big hand.

"Pietro." the shark pup looked up. Papa was sitting on the edge of his bed, his red-striped eyes glowing in the dark. After a tense moment of silence, he said. "You know… Jawns told me what you said to him back there…"

Pietro's stomach sank. "Are you mad, papa?" he asked timidly. Surely now he'd get scolded.

Papa sighed. Oddly, he didn't seem to be angry. Instead, he looked… sad.

"I can't get mad at you, figlio. I'm aware I was mostly to blame for you running off like that. I shouldn't have yelled at you; I… I'm sorry, Pietro. I never meant to make you feel like that. You are very important to me, and I love you and your sister equally." Papa ran a hand down his face, sighing. "Ever since your mother… I don't even know how to describe it…" he thought momentarily. "Think about it this way. Giulia only got to know Bianca for three months. She won't get to experience all the things you did. She'll never hear your Mamma sing a lullaby when she's scared or read her bedtime stories before bedtime as you did. She won't even remember her face when she grows up. That's something neither you nor I can imagine."

Papa wiped his eyes. Pietro caught a glimpse of tears in the corners of his eyes.

"Giulia's going to need lots of affection to make up for the love she won't be able to receive from her Mamma… She will need someone who can teach her who her mother was. How did she laugh? What movies did she love? What made her happy? I've been trying to lavish Giulia with attention because I didn't want her to feel her mother's absence and suffer for it… I didn't realize I was depriving you of attention in the process, figlio mio." Pietro shrank a bit as his father reached out a hand, relaxing as it was placed on his cheek. "No matter how hard things get, I never want you to think I've stopped loving you. That's never going to happen. "Papa smiled sadly. "You are the most important thing to me, figlio mio."

Just then, Giulia began to cry. Papa sighed. As he got to his feet, he looked back at Pietro. "How about you lend me a hand?"

Pietro's eyes lit up and he eagerly jumped out of bed.

Big thanks to Noody_Noodles for letting me borrow her character!