Dante enters the kitchen carrying a wrapped gift. He's been spoiling his sister for the past few weeks, giving her at least one gift every day.
“Is that for me?” Ida squeals, taking it from him. She tears the wrapping paper to reveal what's inside.
"Oh my God, I always wanted one," she says. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
She turns the box so I can see the front. It's a mirrorless camera.
"We should take a million photos at the beach," I say, taking a sip of my coffee.
Ida's smile is blinding. "Yes. We should dress up and take sunset pictures. Oh, I don’t know if I have anything cute to wear, though.”
"We can go shopping," I say.
"I thought today was going to be all about me," Dante says.
"He's been like this since he was a child," Ida says. "Everything always had to be about him."
Dante rolls his eyes, but his eyes light up every time he sees his sister happy. Giving her these thoughtful gifts every day has been healing something inside him.
I make sandwiches for the beach before we leave.
It's a little past noon by the time we get to the beach. Ida settles into a hammock with her book. Dante and I go for a dip in the water.
"The water is perfect," I say, swimming deeper into the Mediterranean Sea. He's right beside me.
"You were right," he says. "This does feel good."
"You deserve a break from the world, Dante," I say, holding his bicep. "You keep forgetting that you're also a human being."
He leans down to kiss me, but it's brief. Whenever we go outside with his sister, he makes sure to keep an eye on her. She's now taking photos with her new camera.
"You're a good brother," I say, pressing a kiss against his chest.
"No, I'm not," he replies automatically. "It took me way too long to find her.”
"What happened wasn't your fault, Dante," I say. "And you did the best you could. I know you'll never let anything bad happen to her ever again."
"It's already too late," he says.
I take his jaw and force him to look at me.
"You need to pull yourself together," I say. "What happened was tragic, but ruminating about every bad thing that happened isn't going to change anything. You have to be strong. If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for your sister."
I can feel his pulse racing under my fingertips. He glances over at his sister again and nods.
"You're right," he says. “But I still wish I could go back in time and change the past."
"I know, Dante," I say. "But she'ssolucky to have you."
I can't even imagine what it must have been like for him. He was only a child when he lost everything he ever loved.
I don't know how my words will make him feel better, so I just hold his hand instead. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me close. The waves are gentle today. I lean my head against his chest and let myself enjoy the moment.
The sun warms my skin and then spreads inside me.
I already know that this moment will stay locked in my memory forever. Even the mundane things in life feel specialwhen I'm with Dante. He keeps glancing over at his sister, making sure she's still there.
There's a family playing next to us. It's a whole generation, from the grandparents to the little kids. It's so wholesome that it makes me want things I was scared to dream for myself.
