Leaving the Pirate (Book Three)

25. On and On

It had become a custom to read Matteo a bedtime story to help him fall asleep when his parents were away. Unfortunately, that was often, and tonight was no different. I dressed him in his nightclothes, combed out his mop of curly hair, and seated him in his bed with a warm glass of milk beside him on his nightstand.

Most, if not every storybook I read was in English since I still was not accustomed to reading in Italian. This didn't bother the young child at all. He wasn't able to read anyway, so it made no difference to him.

I read him a book of fables. It had multiple stories within them, but it was a big enough book that I hadn't gone through the entire thing yet. This particular story I was reading was about a lion and a mouse.

He listened quietly, his head against his pillow and the rest of him snug under the covers. There was a milk stain imprinted on his upper lip that looked too cute to wipe away so I left it. I felt his eyes on me as I read each word steadily, careful not to mess up and be embarrassed by a small child. I watched from the corner of my eye. He was watching me.

I straightened my back in the chair I was seated in, taking my job seriously in watching over my boss's son. Every now and then, however, I kept glancing back at him, checking to see if he had fallen asleep. He didn't even look close to it.

When I finished the story, I closed the book and asked how sleepy he was. He shrugged his shoulders most casually, not sure himself. I put the book down on his nightstand and stood up from where I was sitting to lean over him, smoothing out the hair that naturally falls over his small forehead. 

"It's time to go to bed, you know," I said in English. "You should sleep."

Shyly, looking away he said, "I don't wanna."

"You miss your Mummy and Papa, huh?"

He shook his head yes. "They'll be back soon. They would want their little boy to sleep, though, don't you think?"

There was no answer on his part, but it was obvious he wouldn't go to sleep. On the days his parents were gone,  he rarely acted out against going to bed, too tired to play. That was then. Now, it seemed more of a common occurrence. It was all the same. The Mistress and Master would leave and I wouldn't hear from them until the middle of the next day when they called me for whatever reason it would be.

Tonight, they probably finished afternoon tea and went straight to evening drinks.

"You want me to read another story?" I asked him. He nodded his head yes, then shook his head no.

"Tell story," he said meekly.

"You want me to tell you a story?" I parroted. Again, another nod. I thought for a moment. There really wasn't a story that came to mind, but one. I knew it very well. It was almost as if it was ingrained in me. 

"Alright," I said, starting. "Once upon a time, there was a young girl that lived in a small village in a small house with an even smaller family. She lived simply with simple clothes, had simple chores, and had a simple mother and father. Alas, the girl was not happy. Not at all. She couldn't stand the life she led. She often got lost in her daydreams of being a princess or a bird that flew high in the sky. One day, she did get that dream. She was kidnapped by a nasty villain with big sharp teeth and nasty breath."

I got up from my chair and started to put stray toys away, continuing the story as I did so. I felt Matteo's eyes on me, following me.

"She was scared. 'What would become of her now?' she always thought. She knew there was no hope for her. Then, on one faithful day, she was rescued by a prince! A handsome prince he was! Oh, but there was just one issue! He refused to being her back home to her family! The girl couldn't believe it. Instead, the prince wanted to make fun of his new prize and dragged her around with him where ever he went. They saw many things, facing dragons and finding buried treasure. The girl realized this was no normal prince, but she didn't mind it. She grew fond of him and began to fall in love.

"Even though she missed her family, she didn't miss her old life and much preferred the life she had with the prince. One day though, the prince wasn't the same prince anymore. He had changed. Into what? A monster! A terrible, horrible monster. The girl could hardly believe it and blamed the prince for being so stupid as to become such a thing. Deep down, though, she knew he wasn't really a monster. She helped him get back to being a prince, but it was never the same. She knew that and the prince knew that. It was until one day that she decided to have enough and ran away."

I looked behind me, just finished cleaning the room, and found a sleeping Matteo laying still on the bed. I walked over and tucked him. 

"Never to return again," I finished, closing the door behind me.

***

My room was just down the hall from Matteo's. It was small with a tiny bed tucked away in a corner, a nightstand, a window beside my bed, and a tall dresser across the room. A personal touch that I added was a vase of flowers I picked from the courtyard garden. I wasn't allowed to do it, but I couldn't call it my room unless I had something of my own touch, and flowers were harmless anyway. 

They were asters. A pretty purple flower that resembled what I thought was close to a daisy. There was a bundle of them that sat on my nightstand. I had just picked them, so they were fresh. I greeted them as I walked into the room, shutting the door behind me. I asked them how their day was, and when I heard no response, I told them my day was fine, same as always.

"Let's see, I got up, I got dressed, I changed Matteo and gave him breakfast, then let him play. After that, he had his lunch and his mother got dirty from the food he spilled over her. After all that, she left to go to tea with her husband whom she pretends she likes, and stayed for drinks as I put their young son to sleep. How was that?"

Still, there was no response. 

"Yeah, I agree. When will it be any different? A revolving pattern, on and on. Oh? What do I do with my paycheck? I save it in case I get fired, never to be touched until then."

I changed out of my uniform, folded it up, and hung it on one of my dresser knobs. I slipped on my nightgown and brushed my hair as I continued to talk to my flowers.

"What if I don't get fired? Oh, I suppose I'll just keep working here. I have no plans, not now at least, but then again, I haven't had any plans for six years. Why would there be any plans in the future? I'm secure here. I get a roof over my head, pay, and the occasional meal. What more could I ask for?"

Once I put my brush away, I got in bed and scooted to where the window was, opening it up a crack to be able to hear the street noise and to allow some air in. It got stuffy a lot. I sat up to look out at the scenery for a while. I was thankful my room was on the second floor.

"Is there anything I want, you ask? Honestly," I said, "it's really hard to say."