“No, that was an assistant. But I was informed as soon as they hung up. I felt it was more proper to speak in person,” Leo explains as he sets his book down.
As they are talking, two flight attendants walk past them. Victor notices another attendant walking down the other aisle, trying to be inconspicuous. Victor knows they are hoping to listen in on their conversation.
“Do we have to talk about this now?” Victor asks softly. “I have a feeling my crew is trying to listen in.”
Leo notices another flight attendant trying to get a good look from behind a wall and smirks. “We can talk more while you’re on your layover.”
Victor cocks an eyebrow while he presses the tip of his tongue against one of his canines. “I have a feeling you already know where I’m staying in São Paulo?”
Leo tries to hold back his grin. “Of course I do. I used to live there as well. I’ll take you to breakfast at my favorite cafe near the hotel.” Leo finishes his drink and holds out the glass for Victor to take. “For now, I’m going to take a nap. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Victor stands up, takes the glass from Leo, and smiles to give his crew the impression that the conversation was good. He walks back into first class, where most of his crew awaits him when he turns into the galley. “Shouldn’t you be taking care of our passengers?” he exclaims. “And shouldn’t half of you be on break?”
“Well, what did he want?” asks one of the other attendants.
“It was nothing,” Victor responds quickly. “We went to high school together. It took me a moment to realize who he was.”
“Are you going to meet up with him?” asks another with a smile. “He’s really cute too.”
“Will the four of you please get back to work or go on break?” Victor says, dismissing their inquisitions.
They begrudgingly leave the galley, hoping for more juicy details, but Victor knows he can’t talk about what has happened to him over the past few weeks.
After an exhausting flight and a long drive to the hotel, Victor finally walks into his room, completely spent. He starts getting settled and unpacking when he receives a text message from Leo with the cafe’s location. Victor sits at the foot of the bed, then falls back.The café is close by. I just need to shut my eyes for a moment,he thinks. An hour later, he is awakened by another text message.
Are you on your way? I just ordered for you.
“Shit!” He quickly changes his clothes, puts his phone in his pocket, and heads out to the cafe.
When he walks around the corner from the hotel, he sees Leo sitting on the cafe’s patio reading the same book he was reading on the plane. He is dressed casually in a button-up shirt with the top two buttons undone and light blue shorts.
“Wow, he wasn’t joking about it being close to the hotel,” he says aloud to himself. He walks up to the table and takes a seat across from Leo.
Leo looks up from his book and smiles at Victor. “Bom dia. Happy to see that you made it. Our food should be . . . there it is.”
As soon as the words leave Leo’s mouth, the server sets down two plates and places a glass of orange juice and a glass of water in front of Victor. Leo picks up his cup of coffee and toasts,“Provecho.”
“I didn’t think Brazilians said ‘Provecho,’” Victor comments as he picks up his utensils.
“Well, you are Mexican, aren’t you?” Leo asks.
“I’m half. The other half is Sicilian,” Victor responds, taking a bite of his food.
Leo picks up his juice and asks, “So, is your mother or father Mexican?”
“My father,” Victor answers with a mouth full of food.
“Really?” Leo ponders for a moment. “Russo isn’t a Mexican last name.”
Victor takes a drink of his orange juice before responding. “My parents divorced while my mom was pregnant with me. When I was born, she gave me her maiden name. It was a little awkward when my father started to come back into the picture a few years after I was born. He wasn’t too happy when he learned I wasn’t given his last name.”
Victor takes another bite and swallows before he continues. “When my mom passed away, I moved in with my father and stepfamily. He wanted to change my last name, but because I was already 14, I was given a choice: Russo or Fernandez. Russo was easier to spell. Plus, it was my mom’s and grandma’s name, and I had no other family. It only felt right.”
“Were you close to your mother and grandmother?” Leo asks.
Victor fiddles with his food, reminiscing about the past. “I didn’t really get to know my grandmother. She died after I turned five. But my mother was my world, as I was hers. I was an only child and didn’t have that many friends or family growing up. When she died, I felt like I was lost. Something was missing in my life, and it wasn’t just my mom; it felt like something more.”
When Victor finishes talking, he begins to tear up. He tries to cover it up. “Sorry, I think I got something in my eye.”
