As the Surface Caves In

Just a Stupid Bomb Threat

Caro Alberto,

I hope I haven't been annoying you with the amount of letters I've been sending. Frankly, I've been spending more time on writing to you than my schoolwork. Senora Marcovaldo even took away my envelopes just to force me to get some work done, but lucky, for me (yet, unlucky for my grades) I found one that slipped under my bed.

Per carità, There's not even much work to do anyways... It's the last week of school!

This stuff in the news... about all these atom bomb threats.. It's terrifying.

I know what you'll say to me, "Luca stop being so paranoid like always..." and joke around about telling Bruno to shut up, but I don't know, this stuff just makes me feel uneasy... even more than usual. My history teacher has even moved away from talking about any topics about war completely... We are all scared. 

That's why I've been trying to find comfort in writing letters to you. I want you to tell my anxious self to be quiet and tell me there's nothing to worry about... can you promise me you'd spend your last moments with me if it were all to end? I know it sounds stupid... but if I could just hear you say those words to me, I think it would bring me all the comfort in the world.

You better give me a big hug when I arrive back in Portorosso! I could really use one... The date's coming up fast! L'otto giugno!

Ci vediamo prestissimo, Alberto! Non vedo l'ora!

-Luca

Alberto sighs as he places the letter to his chest. He moves his eyes from the ceiling towards his bedside table where a messy pile of letters from Luca lay. He smacks the new one down on the top. To his surprise, the pile doesn't topple over. It's not like it would make his room any messier. His room looks like a bomb exploded his closet and dresser to leave  almost every piece of clothes he's owned on his wooden floor.

Luca hasn't missed a day of writing for weeks. Alberto always loves receiving his letters but lately they've just been full of dread and worry. Every letter Alberto sends back is full of encouragement and ensuring Luca everything will be okay instead of things he actually wants to tell him. Hopefully when he arrives at Porturosso tomorrow, those anxious thoughts stay in Genova.

He knows Luca gets anxious, but this... this is a new high.

Alberto avoids the newspapers altogether. If it's not a letter from Luca, you can assure it won't even catch a glimpse from Alberto's eyes. The only snippets of news Alberto receives is from the TV when Senor Marcovaldo watches it. Alberto always looks up to the big strong man for comfort, but lately decides to try not to look at him while he watches the news. The look in the man's eyes... it's different from any expression he's seen from him before. Even Machiavelli seems to notice a shift in the man's emotions, as he cuddles up to him more often than ever.

Alberto shifts to lay on his side. It takes about 20 dreadful seconds to find a comfortable position. This bed feels so much smaller than it did five years ago. Back then, both him and Luca could fall asleep on it peacefully, as would happen often. Luca's family has their own casa down the street, but Luca tends to sleep in Alberto's bed more than his own. Alberto distinctly remembers the first Summer when Luca came back, he just would not shut up about all the things he learned at school. He'd talk on and on for hours night after night. Of course, Alberto never digested any of it, he was more interested in just how excited Luca looked to talk about it all. His eyes lit up brighter than any fish--or star in the sky. His voice would flow better than any music Alberto's heard in the piazza of Portorosso... And dio knows how that huge smile even fits on that small face of his...

Hopefully that Luca is the one that comes home, not one that's constantly worried about some stupid bomb threat. When has anything interesting happened in this town anyways? What would any bomb want to do with Portorusso?

He closes his eyes, it's way past the time he should be asleep. The train arrives early tomorrow. While he's glad Luca and Giulia arrive at the earliest time possible, he's also not a morning person.

Alberto's heart starts to race. He opens his eyes and stares blankly at the wall he lay towards. There's a funny sensation in his belly. Nausea, mixed with a little bit of pain, and then a tickle. The room is chill from the breeze of the summer night, but for some reason Alberto starts to sweat.

Dai, tieni duro, Alberto. Silenzio Bruno.

After eight years of saying that to the voice in his head, Alberto thought it would get old, but after sharing the phrase with Luca, it brings more comfort to him than he thought was ever possible.

Why was he freaking out anyways? This is the fifth year Luca is coming home for the Summer. They're best friends, there should be nothing to worry about. Plus he knows Luca is excited to see him, he even let his grades slip just to send Alberto letters every day! Alberto hates to admit it, but it brings a smile to his face knowing Luca prefers him over his school grades. 

Ma, dio, his heart just won't stop racing.

Can you promise me you'd spend your last moments with me it were all to end?

Alberto re-reads that sentence over and over in his head. What a terrifying thought. He shudders. The pictures in his head are gruesome to think about; him and Luca, holding each other as tight as possible, as the surface caves in.