But even through all of that, he’s been here for me, never leaving my side, even when I told him it was okay to.
When I was about to lose hope on what we’re going to do, Gio and Gui came to let us know they overheard their mom saying they were going to go out to lunch today.
We decided Massi and I will sneak in and figure out a way to confront her, maybe when she goes to the bathroom or something.
When we get to the restaurant, Massi pays off one of the cooks to let us in through the kitchen. We end up in a hallway where the bathrooms are, with a clear view of the front of the restaurant.
“Do you see her?” I ask Massi as I peek my head around the corner, scanning the crowd.
“I don’t… Oh, wait, I think that’s her… Yeah, that’s her over by the window.”
I dart my eyes to the window, and when they find her, I freeze. She’s just as beautiful as I remember. My heart tightens at the memories I have of her, and knowing there’s so much of her life I’ve missed out on.
“What’re we going to do?” I say.
“It looks like she just got seated, so who knows how long we could be here,” Massi says.
My head swarms with what I want to say to her. Do I tell her she’s my mom? Do I tell her about the life she had before this? No, I can’t do that. She’ll think I’ve lost my mind.
Massi turns me to face him. “Hey, take a deep breath. Think about what you want to say to her, but don’t overthink it. Everything will be all right, okay? I’ll keep an eye out for your mom and let you know if she makes a move.”
I nod to him a few times.Take a deep breath.Just take a deep breath and relax, Liana, or else you’ll ruin the only chance you have at getting your mom back.
I won’t have much time to speak with her here, so maybe if I write down my number and a place to meet with her, we’ll be able to have some time to ourselves.
A server goes to pass us, but I stop him. “Excuse me, could I borrow your pen and a piece of paper, please?”
He looks at me with a furrow in his brow, but when he takes Massi in, who’s staring at him with a look of death on his face, he quickly hands me what I asked for.
I write down the address of our villa and jot down my phone number, then hand the pen back to the server. “Thanks,” I say, then he scampers off.
“Liana, she’s on the move,” Massi says, and I peek around the corner and see she’s headed our way.
“Shoot,” I hiss out, not thinking about where I’d be when she came over here. “Um, I’m going into the bathroom, you need to go to the men’s room.”
“Absolutely not,” he says.
“Massi, we don’t have time to argue over this.”
He pushes me toward the bathroom. “You go to the women’s room, and I’ll make myself discreet out here. She won’t think anything of me, but I’m not hiding in a bathroom where I won’t be able to make sure you’re okay.”
“Okay, fine,” I say, running into the women’s room.
I stand by the sink, fidgeting with my fingers for a few seconds before the door opens. Raising my gaze, I’m met with my mom’s, and I freeze, wide-eyed, mouth agape.
She jumps, then gives me a smile. “Oh, I’m so sorry. You startled me. I wasn’t expecting to see you there.”
“I… I’m sorry,” I say.
I’m still frozen on the spot, not knowing how to proceed. When she notices, a crinkle forms in her brow and she says, “Is everything okay?”
“I … I …”
I need to get it together. This is my only shot.
“I need to speak with you,” I blurt out.
She brings her hand up to her chest. “With me?”
