(Third person)
~
Mattia brought his son, Dante, to the park today.
"Now, no running off again. Ok?" Mattia says sternly to his son. "Ok papa!" Dante smirks childishly. "Hey! I know that devilish face. I want you to listen, alright. Running off the minuet I stop paying attention isn't ok." Mattia glares at his ignorant son. "Alright!" Dante gleams. "You remember stranger danger, right?" Mattia questions. "Yes, yes! I do! Don't talk to creepy old people unless papa says to!" Dante says being proud of remembering. "Good! Now go play." Mattia sits at the bench watching his son to make sure he doesn't goof off or run away.
Mattia laughs at when Dante's clumsiness gets the best of him.
As Dante ran off to the slide he tripped and landed in his stomach. Dante sits up and begins to pout. Mattia chuckles as he goes to check on his clumsy child.
"You alright there?" Mattia squats down to Dante's level. Dante looks up and nods rapidly not wanting to leave due to minor injuries. "Let me see your hands and knees." Mattia huffs. Dante slowly stands up for Mattia to see.
Mattia grabs Dante's small hands and flips them over to see his palms. "They're a little scuffed, bud." Mattia says. Dante's eye become wide. "I don't wanna, I don't wanna leave! Please, please stay! It doesn't hurt! I'm ok! See!" Dante starts running in a circle.
Mattia grabs Dante's shoulders lightly so he stops spinning. Dante almost falling again from being dizzy. Mattia holds him up. "I'm ok, I'm ok. See!" Dante says not wanting to leave. "Are you sure?" Mattia says concerned for his son. "Yes! Yes!" Dante reassures his papa. "Fine," Mattia sighs. Dante smiles widely and runs to the slide, going past other kids. "Don't rough house too much!" Mattia yells out. A distant 'ok' is heard form Dante.
Mattia sits back at the bench getting out his phone. Mattia scrolls through Instagram as he occasionally peeks up to see what Dante is doing.
He lightly chuckles when he sees Dante trying to climb up the slide, and failing.
He looks at his phone again for a bit until he hears small footsteps.
"Hey!" Mattia looks up form his phone to see Dante standing in front of himNow. "Push me!" Dante points to the swings. "Ask nicely, ok?" Mattia says. "Can you push me." Dante does puppy dog eyes. "Alright." Mattia stands up and puts his phone away.
Dante reaches and grabs Mattia's fingers in his tiny, dirty kid hands and leads him to the swings.
Mattia lifts Dante up by the shoulders and puts him in the baby swing. Mattia being too scared to put him in the big swing due to how clumsy Dante is.
Mattia pushes the swing and Dante squeals happily. "Weee! Higher! Higher!" Dante shouts. "Alright, hold on!" Mattia shouts. "No!" Dante puts his arms in the air. "Ok, but, I told you so." Mattia rolls his eyes as he pushes Dante in the swing to make him go higher. "Weee! Hahahah!" Dante shouts.
After while Mattia gets tired. "How about you go play on the seesaw with that girl." Mattia points to the seesaw wanting a brake. "Ok!" Dante agrees.
As Mattia lifts Dante out of the swing a woman comes over with a baby held at her waist and a small girl standing by her.
"Hey there!" She waves.
Mattia sets Dante down slowly.
"Hi" Mattia falters.
"I'm go play! Bye bye papa!" Dante runs in the direction of the seesaw. Mattia waves to Dante as he leaves.
"Hand-full, isn't he?" The woman pipes in. "Yea, I guess." Mattia stands there awkwardly infront of the middle aged woman.
"Don't worry, I won't bite." She winks.
"Uhh, ok them." Mattia cringes.
"Quite young, aren't you?" She tuts.
Mattia rolls his eyes.
"Look, if you're gonna bother me, don't." He sighs.
She gives a weird face.
Mattia assumes it's her annoyed expression.
"I have done nothing if the sort!" She huffs.
"Sorry, when people ask that question it usually leads to me being judged." Mattia apologizes.
"Hmmm.." she hums. "I just wanted to say how great you are for taking your son to the park while your girl is busy." She looks him in the eyes innocently.
He looks at her wanting to not be in this stressful situation.
"His mother isn't around." Mattia says annoyed.
"I'm sorry for your loss." She buds in.
"She's not dead!" He gives her side eye.
"Oh, what happened." He nosy woman asks.
Mattia looks as if he's about to burst at this woman's absurd behavior.
"Mind your own damn business lady!" He gets agitated.
The woman looks distraught.
"Language young man! How rude this generation is!" She stomps off with her ugly ass children.
Mattia looks towards the seesaw wanting to find Dante and leave.
Dante's not there.
DANTES NOT THERE
It's like an alarm set off in Mattias head
He ran towards the seesaw
"Excuse me, little girl. Did you see a boy here?" Mattia ask hoping she doesn't think he's a pedo.
She takes a minuet to think
"Yesh, I did." She looks at him.
"W-where'd he go?" Mattia begins to worry.
"Why should I tell you, mishter." She says with a lisp.
"He's my son, I can't find him." Mattias eye are almost bulging out of his head.
"I don believ you." She crosses her arms.
Mattia wants to scream at the top of his lungs.
Mattia backs up slowly, his eyes looking everywhere
"DANTE! DANTE! WHERE ARE YOU?" He yells
Parents looking at him like he's crazy
He runs around looking
"DANTE, ITS NOT FUNNY! DANTE!" Mattia's sanity slowly leaving his body.
His anxiety increases
The thought of having no one left scares him
"Hey!" He whips his head around
Mattia sees a short boy walking to him with Dante holding his hand.
Mattia runs toward them crazy fast.
"Dante! Dante! Oh my god!" Mattia grabs him in his arms tightly and lifts him up.
Mattias eyes snap towards the small boy infront of him.
Slightly surprised at how much he has to look down at him.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Mattia starts. "It's ok, really. I saw him wandering on the outskirts of the fence around the playground and he started coming to me." The small boy tells the latter.
Mattia looks at Dante
"What did I say about running off?" Mattia says sternly. "What about stranger danger?" Mattia adds. "I'm sorry. But, you said stay away from creepy old people." Dante tears up slightly.
"But, why him? You never go to strangers. I specifically said not to run off." Mattia scowls.
"Cause he's pretty, not creepy. He's not old either." Dante protests.
Mattia rolls his eyes. "Still, I've gone over this." He points his finger at Dante.
Mattia sighs.
"Listen, I'm sorry. Names Mattia, sorry to bother you." Mattia apologizes again.
"It's ok, promise. Name's Kairi. I wasn't doing anything except watching my niece anyways. She's over there with her mom so it's fine." Kairi tells him.
"Wait," Mattia thinks. "How old are you?" Mattia wonders. Kairi looks like he's heard that for the 10th time today. "I'm 23." Kairi says.
"I'm literally three years older than you, holy shit." Mattia says. "What? You already got a kid?" Kairi looks shocked.
"Eh, long story." Mattia says. "Well I think I'm going to make him go home." Mattia refers to Dante. "Oh yea." Kairi giggles.
Kairi suddenly stops when he sees Mattias face.
"What?" Kairi looks nervous.
Mattia thinking about how cute that was.
"That- th-you know what, I'd like to buy you a drink as a thanks, honestly." Mattia offers. "That sound pleasant." Kairi agrees.
"I think Dante likes you anyways, so I could bring him." Mattia says. "Sounds good." Kairi says giving him is number.
Mattia nods as thanks.
"Well we'll be going. Say bye Dante." Mattia waves bye. Dante waves bye.
"Bye bye pretty boy!" Dante cheers.
I promise it'll get better
✨💘✨
...