Retrieving the phone he gave me, I pull up his name and type out a message, rewording it several times before I think it sounds okay.
I couldn’t help but notice Nino doesn’t have any children’s decorations in his room. I hope you don’t mind, but I thought it might be nice if I bought him a gift as a way to break the ice. Would it be okay if I gave him a new bed set, maybe?
Anxiously, I press send, and I’m still staring at the screen when I see that it’s been delivered and read. My heartbeat quickens as I wait for him to reply, but he doesn’t.
I spend the next few hours convinced I made a mistake, but I can’t dwell on it. All I can do is focus on the here and now. Manuel and I return to pick up Nino in the afternoon, and he greets me with a shy smile, informing me he’s been practicing his letters all day. I tell him what a good job he’s doing, and then we practice on the next ten as Manuel whisks us off to his piano lessons. A few minutes before we arrive, I realize there was nothing in the schedule about a snack.
Are you hungry? I write.
Nino considers it, then nods. “A little.”
I reach into my purse and retrieve a granola bar, offering it to him. He unwraps it, and Manuel glances at me in the mirror as if I’ve broken some sacred rule about eating in the Rolls Royce. I suppose I should have asked him first, but I don’t really care. Nino needs to eat.
By the time we arrive, he’s finished, and I’ve stowed the wrapper in my purse and used a wet wipe to wash his hands. His piano lessons are at a residence, but not the type I would expect. It’s in a gated community, and upon entry, I can see that it’s another upscale home.
Manuel pulls up into the circular drive and glances at me in the mirror before he turns off the car. “You’ll have to stay here.”
My scalp prickles, and I already know why. This is one of Alessio’s associates. Someone else shrouded in secrecy and wealth. Someone else I’m quite certain must be involved in his criminal network too.
Anxiety settles into my chest as I glance at Nino. I know I can’t tell him not to go, but that’s exactly what I want to do. He’s so small, and I don’t know how well he knows these people. Quickly, while Manuel is getting out of the driver’s seat, I write him a note.
Do you feel safe here?
Nino’s brows pinch together, and he nods before his brown eyes meet mine. “It’s okay. I come here all the time.”
With that assurance, he retreats from the car a moment later, and I’m left to sit there and watch them walk away. I try to imagine who’s behind the door, the face of the person giving him the lessons. I can’t. And I decide I will have to ask him later when we have some privacy.
Manuel returns a few minutes later and sits in the driver’s seat but doesn’t start the car. “I wait here for him,” he tells me. “Next time, you might want to bring a book or something. There’s a lot of waiting in the afternoons.”
I nod, but I don’t need a book. My thoughts are more than enough to occupy my time, and they do for the entirety of the next forty-five minutes. When Nino returns, I am relieved to see that he doesn’t appear to have been put in any danger, but he is noticeably tired. From there, Manuel drives us back to the house just in time to meet with the private instructor who gives him his swimming lessons. By the time we finish that activity, he’s exhausted, and when I prepare him his dinner, he doesn’t appear to want to eat very much. And still, the day is not over. After dinner, he has a lesson with a tutor for Italian, and then it’s time for homework. We complete the task together, and I can’t help noticing his bedtime is slowly creeping up, but Alessio still has not made an appearance. I opt to get Nino ready for bed myself, ensuring he changes into his pajamas and brushes his teeth. When I tuck him in, I ask him if he would like to read a story with me, but he shakes his head, yawning.
“Can we do the rest of the letters?”
I smile at his eagerness. We have time to practice one round. But then you need to get to sleep.
He nods, and we go through the motions, his hands mirroring mine as I show him each letter. It’s amazing how fast he picks it up, even exhausted as he is. I think by the end of the week, he will have them all memorized, and we can build on that foundation. Spelling out letters will fill in the gaps as I teach him a beginner vocabulary.