Well, looks like Alberto is already at the train station. Better hurry, so he won't have to wait.
I just arrived at the station, but I don't see him anywh- Oh, there he is!
I waved at him. After a few seconds, he saw me, and he waved back at me.
"Well, you look at him," he exclaimed so I could hear him. We hugged.
"Hey, Alberto, how's it going?" I asked him.
"Oh, you know, just the usual," he answered, although, for one moment, he sounded like he forgot something not-so-usual. "Massimo has become a lot more lively lately."
He sighed. We both looked around, as the few people were passing by us.
I just waited for him to ask. That... that is why I invited him to Genoa.
And ask he did.
"So, what is it you wanted to show me?"
Well... I guess there's no turning back now.
"Right... come with me," I told him, as I headed to the right place.
And even though he did follow my steps, he still asked me:
"Why can't you tell me right now?"
I have to be honest, I did not have a proper answer to that. But still:
"You'll see once we get there," I told him.
He had no response to that. I guess he's aware he'll have to wait until we get there.
We passed by the apartment.
We passed by the school.
We got really near the supermarket. That's where Bruno is sitting.
I have to correct myself. That's where Bruno was sitting last night. I can't know with any certainty where he is now.
I just... hope he is.
How stupid of me.
"So... are we there yet?" Alberto asked, after about 25 minutes of near-complete silence.
Luckily, we are only about a dozen steps away from the right location.
When I supposed to take that last step before turning around the corner, to see the entrance to the supermarket, and hoping to see Bruno just next to it - I stopped.
I could feel Alberto stopping too.
For what will probably remain the longest second of my life, the only sound I could hear was the sea waves. I listened to them. They're so nice. I, of all people, should know that.
"...Is this it?" Alberto asked.
I turned to Alberto. Very carefully.
"Stay here," I told him.
"Okay..." he said, also slowly.
I turned around the corner...
And there Bruno is.
Come on, Luca... You can do this... There might not be a "next time" to do this...
This is the very reason you dragged Alberto over here, for goodness' sake...
Alright... It's time.
I approached him:
"Excuse me... sir?" I murmured.
Bruno barely lifted his head from the newspapers. And it took him a few seconds to recognize me.
"We met last night..." I added.
I could see it click for him.
But instead of "Oh, yeah, it's you" or anything like that, Bruno's response was:
"Didn't I tell you it's not safe for ki-"
But I couldn't even let him finish that sentence. Otherwise, I would get dragged in a completely different conversation, and I might even forget why I came here.
"I have something to show you," I interrupted him.
Bruno stopped talking. He was clearly not very pleased. Neither by being interrupted, nor by what I actually said.
"What?" was all he said to me.
To that, I said nothing.
I just took one step back, and waved at Alberto to come forward.
Alberto raised an eyebrow, but he still did as I told him.
...
They saw each other.
Bruno immediately got up from his seat.
"Alberto?!" he exclaimed. He kept standing, though.
"D-... dad?!" Alberto also exclaimed, after a few seconds. He also kept standing.
For the first few seconds, neither of them said anything. And the looks on their faces weren't exactly very warm either.
So my first thought was that this might have been a giant mistake.
Then, Alberto burst into tears.
Bruno just watched him.
"How did you even co-" he started, but then suddenly:
"Why?!" Alberto shouted.
Both Bruno and I were confused.
"Why what?" Bruno wondered.
"Why did you make me do this, Luca?" Alberto then said. It was me who that was pointed at.
I... I was expecting a completely different reaction.
"Uh... I was..." I didn't know what to say.
"Alberto," Bruno started to approach Alberto, "I thought you'd be happy to s-"
"Get off of me!" Alberto shouted again.
I had to interfere.
"Alberto, stop!"
And Alberto stopped.
Now, I have to say something that's actually thoughtful.
But I can't think of anything.
Before Alberto or I could do anything - Bruno stepped in.
"Why did you bring him here?" he asked me, too.
Well... it seems like I screwed up. Big time.
Neither of them likes that I did this.
"...What?" I muttered.
"You can clearly see he's not very excited to see me." Bruno continued. "I appreciate that you tried this, but why were you even bringing him here if you knew he wasn't gonna like what would happen?"
"He didn't tell me what it was he wanted to show me," Alberto came in before I could think of a response. I shut my eyes. "He just said he had some sort of a... surprise for me."
And now I feel ashamed.
I went on to answer Bruno's question.
"I thought you would be happy to see him. And... I thought you were gonna want him back in your life."
Bruno got a disappointed look on his face.
"No," he said. "Not after I found out what he really is."
That was... disappointing.
"I don't want him back in my life, either," Alberto added.
Yeah... this plan of mine is officially failed.
"What was your thinking process, anyway?" Alberto asked me. "Just because you're a sea monster too, it would make him develop tolerance for us, now that he... knew more than one of us?"
Bruno suddenly gasped!
Because, no, all this time, I have not, in fact, told him that I too am a sea monster.
"You are that freak of nature too?" he asked me in vivid shock.
"...Yes," I replied in shame, after a few seconds of silence.
"Wait..." Bruno finally put the pieces together... "that creature from yesterday... was you?"
"Yes," I replied, way less shamefully this time.
And just like that, Bruno suddenly seemed like he'd had enough.
"Get out of my sight! Right now!" he shouted at me.
I didn't.
I just stood there...
"Are you seri-"
"I said, get out of my sight!" Bruno repeated.
Both Alberto and I closed our eyes in shame.
And, well... we walked away.
...
They didn't even hug each other.