Page 24 of When Love Gives You Lemons
“I do, though.” Heady and out of breath, I say, “I have to try.” Loving Ricky is all I’ve ever wanted, and I’m not about to let some temporary boyfriend get in the way of a lifetime of history and the only future I’ve ever wanted.
Benny is right.
This could be my last chance, and if it is, I can’t regret a single moment.
“He’s my home. Ihaveto get him back.”
FROM THE JOURNAL OF RICCARDO DELUCA
“HOME”
When I leave your house, you say,
“Don’t be sad, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Buttomorrowisn’tnow,
Nowis the stretch in between,
the silent waiting,
unbearable weight of having you
and being apart again,
when all I want is to behome
because my home is you.
Every time you leave my house,
though you’re right next door,
a piece of you stays here.
I care for it like I do for my own body,
the way I watch your Nonna tend to her garden,
tenderly, from the roots,
clearing out debris so it has room to grow,
so when you return, what you left behind is not just safe
but thriving.
Sometimes I worry,
what will happen to the home
you built for us when I leave.
Tomorrows aren’t promises I can keep.
What then? Will you keep it for me?
Is that too much to ask?
