To the person that I love the most, Thank you for always believing in me and supporting me in everything I do. I wouldn’t have accomplished as much as I have if it wasn’t for you. Uno The temperature in Florence was starting to drop, I fucking hated the cold. I was driving to Parco Delle Cascine, it was her favourite park here. How I missed her smile that filled me up with joy when I just saw her a few days ago, I never thought this would happen, especially not today. Not on our Anniversary. I parked up the road nearby, and went inside the park at one in the morning. I slide my hands in my jacket, walking alone in this park. I wasn’t with her this time, I wasn’t holding her hand or looking at her. I was alone. The street lights were open and there were leaves all over the walk way, I was slowly heading to the bench where me and her always sat on, where we’d look at random strangers and talk about what we thought about them. I miss her laugh. She’s in the hospital, how in the world did she end up in a comma? I laughed at myself thinking she might not even survive this. Seeing her was already painful enough. I look up to the empty park, and sighed. Bullshit. This was complete bullshit. She didn’t deserve this, it’s been 3yrs since I met her, and frankly, it was as clear as motion picture in my head. 3 years ago at the Bargello Museum. I was there cause I found a certain appreciation in art recently, I was 18. I was alone, it was summer and the temperature was so appealing to me. I was there looking around, tourists were flooding all over the place and I honestly was annoyed. Girls staring, parents talking some shit, I couldn’t find any appreciation in this right now. I just bolted through everyone, until I found a small room where no one was in. Finally. I was staring at the work, then a skinny, tan, dark-browned hair foreigner came in and I thought to myself, great. I didn’t get a good look at her face, I was just annoyed by her presence already. She was holding an old camera where you still use film, and she looked lost. When I turned around I accidentally pushed her back causing her to hit an old ass vase and break, I looked at her and smiled. She looked like she just shit bricks. “Oh crap.” She looked at me and then the broken, priceless artefact on the floor. “I’m so sorry,” I said, laughing so hard, you should’ve seen her face. She looked like she just committed a crime, I guess we did.. But I couldn’t help but laugh. There we were standing above the broken vase and I looked at her for a moment and saw her face. I caught her eye and then I stopped laughing. Out of nowhere an old man, a guard, came running toward us. “Hey you two!” I realized he was coming for us, I grabbed her hand and ran with her, she didn’t know exactly what was going on but I did. She was laughing, holding her camera, and I was running towards the way out. I was screaming for people to get out the way for a clean exit. We ran through the streets of Florence on a hot summer day and by the time I thought we were safe, I stopped. We were both out of breathe and I thought to myself that I needed to work out again. “Are you okay?” I asked her, looking at her as the sun hits her face, getting a good look at her. She was smiling completely out of breathe. “Yeah, I am. What was that?” “I don’t think you wanna get fined for a first timer here.” “Thanks.” She smiled and suddenly we were normal. The world stopped for a moment. We started walking side by side, and I didn’t realize I was still holding her hand, dumb fuck, right? So I let go, and faced her. “I’m Alfonso” I smiled, bringing out my hand waiting for her. She looked at me first and smiled back. “Claudia.” Then a wave of cold air hit me, I was reminiscing in the past right now, I was back in the park, alone. It wasn’t summer, I wasn’t with her, but I was thinking of that summer. The summer where everything changed. The summer where I met Claudia Almeida. The girl in the hospital. DUE It was the first week of June, and summer had just begun for the most of us. I glance at her again, watching her take pictures of pointless things using her camera which is probably from the 60s. God, she’s such a tourist. I can never really stand foreigners, or just being around too many people. She puts her camera away and catches me staring at her. She gives me this gentle smile, almost child-like in a way, yet I can’t help but smile back. What is it about her that doesn’t make me feel so annoyed like I did when she first entered the room in the museum? “I guess we can’t go back there now, huh,” She asks while she rummages through her bag. “Yeah, I guess we can’t. Not unless you want to get fined.” “Uh, yeah I don’t think I want to on my first day here. I should probably call my parents if I could just find…..” She hastily brings all of her things out of her bag and sits on the ground. Girls. I will never understand why they bring so much. “Aha! There you are!” She takes her phone out and starts dialing. I observe her carefully this time. She has a golden sun-kissed tan, small-boned and fit for someone who lives in America, okay that was kinda racist.. Her accent was strong enough that I didn’t even need to ask where she was from. I couldn’t help but notice how long her legs looked in that navy blue dress; she was about five foot seven or eight, pretty short beside me. Typical American height. She had brown eyes which turn lighter when stricken by sunlight, along with her dark brown hair that falls below her chest. She was actually prettier than I thought. But god her voice was getting annoying. She puts the phone down and turns around to look at me. She smiles again like it’s a natural thing for her to do. She glances at the ground, murmuring something that I can’t really understand, then looks up at me and asks hesitantly, “Hey, I know we just met but uhm.. I was wondering.. If.. You’re busy? I mean, if you have somewhere else to go.” “What made you ask?” “I’ll answer if you answer.” She says in a shy tone. “Well, actually no. I don’t have any plans today. Your turn to answer.” She looks at me with a half smile, “I told my parents that I can’t go back to meet them at the museum and said to them that I’ll meet them somewhere else instead. I know it’s awkward because we just met. But do you mind going with me?” “Oh of course, I don’t mind. It would be nice to kill some time anyway. And you’re a noob here, I wouldn’t wanna be accused of a missing American, right?” I chuckled a bit. Wouldn’t mind? What the fuck was that? I’m going to have dinner with a complete stranger and her family. Don’t forget the fact she’s an American who smiles too much. Why. Yes, I totally wouldn’t mind, not one bit you cunt. “Yay, Great! That’s so kind of you. I appreciate it, really.” Her reaction to my saying yes to her made me look at her like she’s such a kid, but in a cute way. About 15 minutes later, we were already waiting in front of Ristorante la Giostra for her parents. What was I doing? We would’ve gotten here faster but we weren’t in a rush anyway. I actually think that I’ve completely lost it though. I’m going to have dinner with a girl that I just met, at one of the best restaurants in town, with her family. That doesn’t sound crazy at all. It’s almost six in the evening. Claudia and I are waiting inside the restaurant while her parents are on her way here. She braided her hair to the side and put a red headband on. I couldn’t help but notice how she looked better that way. She’s unlike the rest of the girls in my school, putting make up on like they’re some kind of clown. But I honestly don’t know what has gotten into me. Claudia’s phone rings as the waiter hands the menu to us. I look over the menu while secretly eavesdropping on the conversation of course. After a few minutes she put the phone down and looks at me with sorry eyes. “So, that was my dad. He said they couldn’t make it here because his business partner offered them dinner at last minute.