Page 4 of Always You
He rubs his sleepy eyes. “Okay, Mommy, I get dressed by myself. I am a big boy now, okay.”
I pass him his uniform. I had enrolled Dante in a private school, St. Mary’s Catholic School, one of the best. I’d applied for tuition assistance and was blessed with them paying half of his tuition.
My heart breaks; he’s gotten so big. I can’t believe five years have passed. I wish Dominic were here. He’d be so proud of him.Dammit, Dominic, I miss you. I wish you were here to see how beautiful he is.“Okay, baby, I’ll be downstairs making you breakfast.”
Thirty minutes later, I buckle Dante in his car seat, then we head off to school.
Once we arrive at St. Mary’s, I pull my camera out to capture the best memories of Dante’s first day.
“Smile,” I tell him.
He raises his eyebrow and smirks arrogantly, just like his dad, which makes me chuckle as I walk him to his class where Mrs. Hooker is waiting.
“You must be Dante.” Miss Hooker beams.
Dante gives her a shy smile. “My name is Dante Delgado, and this is my mommy, Mila Amaro.”
Mrs. Hooker shakes my hand. “Mrs. Amaro, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you as well. Dante is ecstatic to be in your class.”
She smiles warmly.
I lean in, smacking a big kiss on Dante’s cheek. He wipes it off with an eye roll. What a little booger.
“Have a good day, love you.”
Dante whispers, “Love you too, Mommy.” As happy as he can be, Dante scurries into his class.
I blow out a scant breath, swallowing the lump in my throat and letting the tears fall. Driving to work, I tell Dominic all about Dante’s first day.
* * *
I drag my ass into the studio. Sophie positions props for her clients, who are supposed to arrive in twenty minutes.
Glancing over her shoulder, she says, “Hey! How was our little man when you dropped him off?”
I let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Went well. He was more than excited, completely forgot about little ole’ me.” I slump into a chair behind the desk.
“Aww, I’m so happy. I can’t believe he’s in pre-school. I remember when little peanut was born. So whatcha gonna do today?”
“I have a client meeting me at the pier for family photos.” I smile just thinking about it. Being a photographer is something I love. Capturing beautiful memories—it’s satisfying. I see love and happiness. Every picture has a beautiful story. I love being the one to capture them. My uncle is an incredible photographer. I’ve learned so much from him. My heart breaks when I have family sessions. It’s the longing, the sadness for what I wish I could have. Maybe someday I’ll find someone to grow a family with. A year ago, Dante asked me where his dad was. I told him he was in heaven with the angels. The day I found out I was pregnant, I called the hospital, but they said he was gone and wouldn’t provide me with any information. For a month straight, I called Dominic’s brothers, Mark and Santiago, leaving voicemails with my new number. Uncle Roger had given me a new phone with a new number because my old one had disconnected when Nana lost her financial ability to pay. They never returned my calls, so I stopped trying. God, I miss him so much that not a day goes by that I don’t think of Dominic.
* * *
What a long day. Time seemed to drag. Once I picked up Dante at school, I was relieved to go home.
“Mommy, I had a really good day,” he says, swirling the spoon around his bowl, chowing down his mac and cheese.
“I’m so happy, little man. Make any new friends?”
“Yes, Mommy. John and Aaron. We wrestled.”
“Dante, you can’t be wrestling at school.”
His perfectly shaped eyebrows scrunch up. “But, Mommy, I don’t have anyone at home to wrestle with.”
“I can wrestle with you.” Grabbing a bowl, I scoop myself a helping of mac and cheese.
