Chapter 13 - THE WOMAN WHO TAUGHT HIM TO LIVE
Elena left her job at my house that autumn.
She enrolled in a nursing program.
Her mother's influence had stayed with her.
So had the experience of caring for Marco and Giulia.
I offered to pay her tuition.
She refused.
I didn't argue.
Instead, I helped establish a scholarship fund through an independent nonprofit for widowed parents returning to school.
Elena applied.
She was accepted.
On her own merits.
When she told me, she smiled.
“I did it.”
I grinned.
“You did.”
Giulia was thrilled.
“Mommy's going to be a nurse!”
I laughed.
“Apparently.”
My own life continued changing.
I attended physical therapy.
Met regularly with my attorney.
Complied with legal obligations.
Volunteered with a harbor safety initiative.
Some days were good.
Others weren't.
My hands still shook when I was tired.
I sometimes needed a cane.
But I was alive.
One evening, Elena invited me to dinner.
Not as an employer.
Not as a patient.
As a friend.
I arrived carrying flowers.
Giulia opened the door.
“Mr. Dario!”
I smiled.
“Hello, little lion.”
She giggled.
Elena appeared behind her.
She looked beautiful.
Not because she wore expensive clothes.
She wore a simple blue dress.
Her hair was loose.
Her smile was real.
We ate pasta.
Talked.
Laughed.
Giulia told me a long story about a school project involving frogs.
I listened carefully.
After dinner, Giulia went to bed.
Elena and I sat on the porch.
The night was cool.
She looked at me.
“Dario?”
“Yes?”
“Are you lonely?”
I considered.
“Sometimes.”
She nodded.
“Me too.”
We sat quietly.
Then I said:
“Elena, I care about you.”
She looked at me.
“I know.”
I swallowed.
“But I don't want you to feel obligated.”
She smiled faintly.
“I don't.”
I looked at her.
“Then would you let me take you to dinner sometime?”
She laughed softly.
“You're asking me on a date?”
I smiled.
“Yes.”
She considered.
Then said:
“Only if you promise not to bring six bodyguards.”
I laughed.
“Deal.”
And for the first time in my life, I felt nervous asking a woman to dinner.
May you like
Not because I feared rejection.
But because her answer mattered more than my pride.
