Where life leads us

Chapter 56

"Laura!" Javier ran straight towards me. Since Lando was next to me, I just left my belongings standing and went into the squat to receive my little brother. Without saying anything, Lando simply took my suitcase in the other hand and let me greet my brother in peace.

Javier had put his little arms around my neck and pressed his face to my neck: "But someone missed me." I heartily pressed the little boy on me and finally lifted him on my hip. So, I turned to my friend because he was still standing next to me.

"Lando, that's Javier, he's my youngest brother. Javier, that's Lando, my friend," my little brother shyly holds my friend's hand. Javier never felt comfortable with strangers, which is why it was difficult for him to go to day-care at the beginning. When he was two years old, I found it sweet, but if he couldn't put it off at some point, he'd probably have a hard time in life. After all, you got to know new people all the time and shouldn't necessarily cling to known people or hide behind them.

Lando smiled kindly at my brother as he shook his hand. Javier quickly hid his face back on my neck, which made me laugh. Lando, too, could laugh at it and did not resent my brother's behaviour. He seemed to understand that Javier was just shy.

With my brother on my hip and my bag in my hand, I walked the few steps to my stepfather, while Lando nervously followed me: "There's my princess, and she even has her prince with her." I looked at Luca badly, because the last part of his comment was uncomfortable with me. Lando didn't like the name for him, but he expected worse and was able to live with his participation as a prince.

"Lando Norris, sir," my friend kindly imagined. He held Luca's hand, which my stepfather immediately grabbed and shook vigorously. At the latest now I would have liked to hide like Javier and hope that no one will ever find me again.

Lando had tried not to look at any pain, but I could only imagine how much Luca was pushing: "Luca it's enough, people are already looking stupid. We'd rather get going quickly, to Mum and Matteo." With my eyes raised, my mother's husband looked at me, but luckily, I let go of my friend's hand. He seemed to test briefly whether it was still healthy, as Luca had really pressed hard.

"Not so biting young lady, I can probably still scare my future son-in-law, so that he will be good for you," I looked darkly at him now. Luca, meanwhile, just laughed and was amused by the fact that his words were embarrassing to me. He had done this occasionally, as he found it very entertaining to just ask teenagers. As I did then, I didn't find it entertaining today and wanted a tape on his mouth.

Lando behind me seemed to take it with humour: "He always didn't want to kill me and sees me as his future son-in-law. So, I think the first meeting could have been worse." I looked distraught to my friend who grinned at me broadly. The fact that he, too, spoke of a son-in-law made me slightly frightened. In my five-year plan, no wedding was planned. Of course, I would one day want this, but not in the next few years, so it was not worth mentioning from my point of view.

"Anyway, we really should get rid of it, your mother wanted to make broccoli," I awkwardly smothered my face. Also, from Javier I heard only a sound which should probably express his displeasure with the food. Apart from Lando, we all knew what was coming. I briefly thought about whether we would have secretly wanted to get something edible, but my mother would really bother to eat. No matter how much I loathed the broccoli to run from her, no one wanted to see a disappointed mother because she didn't like eating.

Since we had no choice, we set out to die through the broccoli run-up. Luca had taken Lando's suitcase off, because I was still carrying my monkey and couldn't pull the suitcase myself.

In the car, Lando sat in the back with Javier and I sat next to Luca in the passenger seat: "How's Mum doing?" I wanted to know about my stepfather because I had no idea what to expect.