Page 26 of A Layperry's Heart
Gendry asks something else, his head tipping in that way I find incredibly adorable. Mama shakes her head.
“I would never ask Aldo to take care of me like that. That’s such a burden and he has his own life to worry about without me getting in the way.”
“Mama, you’re not a burden. Not ever.”
“Hush, Aldo, your giant boyfriend is trying to speak.”
I sputter. “Mama! He is not a giant!”
Mama cocks her brow at me. “Compared to you and I? Gendry is a giant, anyone can see that.” Then she tilts her head, looking between us. “It does make me question the logistics of--”
“Mama! Absolutely not! Don’t ask him or you might actually hear the answer of how.”
“Okay, okay,” she says, raising her hands and giggling to herself. “An old woman can’t have any fun anymore.” She turns towards Gendry, gesturing for him to speak. He says something that makes her chuckle. I look between them, shaking my head. Maybe introducing the two of them wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Lunch goes on without any hitches or concerns. Gendry and Mama get to know each other, the two of them grinning and chuckling while I’m left to hear a one sided conversation. I can’t wait until I can get a permanent implant like Gendry.
Well, you know, if I actually go to his home planet with him.
Who the fuck am I trying to kid? Of course I’m going with him. Seeing him interact with my mother has only made my feelings for him stronger!
Gendry stands up. I look up at him in question but it’s my mom who tells me he’s going to use the bathroom. Before he goes, he leans down and kisses the top of my head.
“That matching hair was a nice touch,” Mama says with a grin. My cheeks flame but all I do is roll my eyes at her.
“It wasn’t planned.”
“If you say so.” She reaches over and takes my hand again. “While he’s gone, I want to say something, just for you to hear.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, looking into my mother’s eyes. She’s the person I trust most in the world. My father died when I was really young so it’s my mother who’s done everything for me. It’s been the two of us against the world for as long as I remember. It hurt me so much to leave and get an apartment of my own but Mama wanted me to have independence. To go out and live my life.
I don’t want to leave her here.
“I love you, Aldo. I love you more than I have words to say. You are my son and nothing will ever change that.”
My heart clenches where it sits within my chest. “I love you too.”
“I know that,” she says with a soft smile. “I have seen you with other men. None of them were good enough for my boy. None of them looked at you like Gendry looks at you.”
“How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re the reason the sun rises every morning. He loves you, mijo. I’ll admit, the fact that he’s purple really threw me off, but I can see you make each other happy.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. “Mama?”
“I want you to go with him, when the time comes. You should experience everything life has to offer you. What’s that saying your cousin is always spewing? Right, umm, live life balls to the wall.”
“Oh my god,” I blurt out, a surprise laugh bursting out of me and stopping the tears threatening to fall. “Mama!”
“Don’t hold yourself back, Aldo.”
“How can you know all this from just one meeting? Huh?”
“I have intuition like no one else. I can just tell. Trust me.”
I squeeze Mama’s hands. “Mama? Would you consider coming with us? I’m sure we could have a nice home there, something with a suite connected to us so you don’t have to be far. Please?”
“I’ll think about it. I might be getting too old for space travel.”
