Chapter 7 - THE LITTLE GIRL WHO CALLED HIM THE TALL MAN
Giovanni met Lily six weeks later.
Not because he'd demanded it.
Because I invited him.
We had been seeing each other quietly.
Coffee.
Walks.
Dinner when Camilla could babysit.
He never pushed.
Never asked for more than I was ready to give.
And slowly, I began trusting him.
That Saturday, Lily and I were at a neighborhood park.
Giovanni arrived carrying two cups of hot chocolate.
One large.
One small.
Lily stared at him.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Who's the tall man?”
Giovanni crouched carefully.
“I'm Giovanni.”
Lily studied him.
“That's a long name.”
He smiled.
“It is.”
“Can I call you Gio?”
He blinked.
Then laughed.
“Yes.”
She pointed at his scar.
“What happened to your chin?”
“An accident.”
“Did it hurt?”
“Yes.”
She considered that.
Then reached into her purple backpack.
She removed a pink cartoon bandage.
Giovanni stared.
Lily held it out.
“For next time.”
His expression changed.
Something softened in his eyes.
He accepted it.
“Thank you, Lily.”
She nodded solemnly.
Then asked:
“Do you like dinosaurs?”
Giovanni smiled.
“Very much.”
Lily took his hand.
“Come on. I'll show you the big one.”
He looked at me.
I shrugged.
“You've been recruited.”
Giovanni laughed.
May you like
Then followed my daughter toward the playground.
And I watched the most feared man in Chicago allow a five-year-old girl to explain why purple dinosaurs were superior to green ones.
