Page 60 of Romeo vs Romeo

My mother shuddered in my embrace. When we pulled away from one another, she looked into her purse and found a handkerchief to wipe her eyes and nose.

“This heals my heart, Everett,” she said as we sat down again.

I struggled to find words. My lower lip was between my teeth, and my breath held in my lungs.

“Thank you,” she said. “I don’t imagine this was easy.”

“You came. You asked. You bothered to understand. That’s all I ever needed,” I said and realized that it was true. There was plenty I could get into, but it would lead us nowhere. Had it not been Roman’s complete and pure understanding that made me discover myself? He had forgiven me so easily for my outbursts and outrage, and in that, he had saved me.

After a short silence, my mother folded her hands around her purse in her lap. “There is another matter.”

Father? I didn’t say anything.

“When the stock lost value, much of the wealth tied to it went down,” Mother said. “A number of portfolios lost their worth by nearly three-quarters.”

I wanted to point out that criminal activities had inflated their value. This misery that was leftover was their true worth.

“Even so, the stock is not worthless, and some of it was made of gold and cash. I released it on Friday afternoon, although you will not see it until later in the week. It’s yours, Everett. It was always meant to be yours,” she said.

I blinked fast, not understanding.

“The fund was set up to protect you. And if that should mean you are to be protected from your parents, then that is a sin your parents must live with. But it wasn’t created to protect us from you.” She spoke clearly, yet I struggled to understand a single word.

“I don’t need…” I began, but my voice failed.

“Perhaps not,” Mother said. “But it’s yours to do with whatever you wish.”

I thought of Roman.

Mother moved on to tell me that the garden was blooming in front of the house upstate. She told me about the time of reflection, about the local priest who supported the LGBTQ+ youth in his parish, and about an organization in Beacon that offered housing to abuse victims where the priest had directed her if she wished to donate. She did. A little while later, I dared myself to ask about Father, and Mother gave me no straight answer. It amounted to him needing to reflect, too, if he was ever going to be happy again. For now, I understood that he wallowed in misery and failure. It didn’t make me any happier to know he was unhappy.

And when my mother and I parted, she hugged me again and promised to do better.

A persistent ringing noise filled my ears for a long time after my mother left. I sat there, baffled and silent, trying to think and failing to come up with coherent thoughts. And finally, when I caught onto one, everything else seemed perfectly clear. She had said, at some point toward the end, that the four million and some change were transferred to my name.

I got up and hurried inside. Bradley was preparing a couple of cups of coffee, and Mama Viv was reviewing her books. A few people sat around the bar, most of them rubbing headaches out of their heads after last night’s party. “Mama Viv,” I said. “When Roman comes by, would you tell him to meet me at the Belvedere Castle?”

She confirmed that she would, asking only if I was okay. And when I said that I was, she nodded firmly and told me she would relay the message.

It took me nearly two hours to have everything sorted out. And when I arrived at the castle, I was met with springtime splendor. The trees had just begun to leaf out, casting fresh green hues across the landscape. Early flowers added pops of pastel to the scene, and the park’s shimmering water mirrored the bright, clear sky. Off in the distance, the city skyline rose through the canopy.

Roman snuck up on me, and only a soft footstep alerted me half a heartbeat before his arms wrapped around my body from behind.

“Hey,” I said, barely able to contain my excitement. I turned around, and our bodies merged together in a tight embrace. God, I loved him. There was nothing on this planet that was even close to the feeling of his body pressed against mine.

“What’s this? I thought we were meeting at Mama Viv’s.” Roman smiled, his dimples pronounced and taking my breath away.

I had to take a moment to soothe the giddiness that came over me. “I love you,” I said.

He grinned. “I know that.” A look of mischief sparkled in his eyes.

“I mean to say I love you more every day,” I added. I looked around. We were all alone on the stone platform overlooking the lush nature. And when I looked at Roman, his ears perked. “Ilove you when we talk. I love you when I miss you. I love you when we watch TV. I love you when we fight. I especially love you after fighting.” We shared a laugh. “And I can’t imagine my life without you, Roman.”

“That makes two of us,” he said, his hands resting on my chest.

“Are you sure?” I asked nervously.

Roman chuckled, one hand pressing a little harder against my chest. “Your heart is pounding.”

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