27 — Catarina Rowedder
“I remember years ago
Someone told me I should have
Be careful when it comes to love
I had"
Impossible — James Arthur
— I?! How could I save you? Are you crazy? Did you drink too much? — he must be delusional.
— He comes. Sit next to me, because if you continue like this, sitting on top of me, I'm going to do everything but tell you what I need.
What a shame! The guy wanted to tell me something important and I was sitting on his dick.
If I don't embarrass myself with my loose tongue, the universe finds a way to do it for me!
In style: Catarina, your shame will be in debt, as the credit has already run out!
— Let me take off this wig and the lenses, which are already bothering me. I promise to keep quiet, listening to you. — Actually, this is just an excuse to avoid looking at him for a few moments.
I sit next to him, taking a sip of the water he had left on the table, I inhale the air deeply and, now, with the heat and anxiety controlled, without any disguise, I look at him, the man who is infiltrating more and more, not only in my body, but in my mind and in my heart.
I try to deny it, insist that it's just attraction, but even Lynn warned me that it's much more and I should enjoy it, without thinking too much about the future, just being me, and if it's meant to be, it will be.
It's inevitable, I'm in love.
— Ready to listen to me? — Look at me tenderly.
— Yes — I answer, but I honestly don't know, however, the curiosity bug that lives in me can't wait to find out.
— Just like you, who went through bad times, I also went through it, but in a different way, however, no less painful. — I take your hand in a signal for you to continue. — I was born in the suburbs, so far, so good, that's nothing to be ashamed of, but at the age of eight, I was forced to run away from home or my life would become degrading. — He bites his lip, as if it hurts.
— Continue, please — I encourage. — I'm not here to judge, you listened to me yesterday and now I'm here for you — I say, sincerely.
— Thank you, it's just difficult.
— I understand, but you know, telling you yesterday what happened to me, it was like I really freed myself from that past. So tell me, it will help you.
— Ok. — Hold my hands as if I were your safe haven. — I have vague memories of my mother, some great, others not so much. She had a beautiful smile, which gradually faded. Over time she started to become a little distant, she cried a lot, hugged me and said she would protect me at all costs. — Gives a yellow smile. — Of course, a child my age didn't understand things as they should.
— It's okay, Noah. Because children shouldn't worry about adult problems — I comment.
— One day, she handed me a backpack, where I had left all my documents, some savings that I had saved and told me that when the time was right, I should run away and not ask for help, just run as fast as I could and for good. far away. — A tear escapes my eyes, imagining his suffering.
— Noah, do you want to continue?
— Yes, I want you to understand how you helped me. — Take a sip of my water and hold my hands again. — Well, a few days later, I knew that the moment she had warned me about had arrived. My father always had men over at home and I would hide in the bedroom, listening to the noises coming from the living room. — He sighs, lowering his head. — That day, my mother screamed, saying that no one would rape her son. I managed to hear some more screams, grabbed my backpack, jumped out the window and ran. If you ask me, exactly how I ended up in Manhattan, I can't say for sure. — Your eyes are teary. — All I know is that I got on the subway and got off anywhere. When I arrived at station 718, I heard a lady saying she was going for a walk through Central Park, it was this comment that made me disembark there.
There are not only tears bathing my face, but his too. I release his hands and hug him, showing all my support, affection, understanding and love.
I would never have imagined that he had gone through this. I look at your face, wipe your subtle tears and smile.
— You're amazing, Noah. If you want, we'll continue this tomorrow. I will be here to listen to you.
How can I tell him that my heart sinks when I see this suffering?
— I know, but I'm almost at the end. Well, I went down there, it was the end of the day, I took a walk, admiring the most beautiful place I had ever seen. I knew I would have to take care of myself, otherwise, not only the darkness but also the dangers that the night brought would swallow me. I started hiding in some alleys, behind trash cans. To clean myself, I went into cafeterias, always making the excuse that my mother would be coming and so, I went. There was very little money and I needed to save. — Take a deep breath. — A man, homeless, ended up saving me when he saw me running away from some guys, so I always stayed with him, learning everything I could to get by. — Smile, wistfully. — He became my protector on the streets, he taught me to read, to write and when I questioned him about our situation, he always said that I couldn't lose faith, because something good was still in store for me. — Inhale slowly.
You know that moment when you're even more certain that money doesn't define a person's character? It's that.
This man who helped him, I don't know what happened, but the fact that he took care of a child and taught him is something commendable. We can never judge without knowing.
— Finally, we managed to manage. Some afternoons, I used to go to the park, just to admire the families, the children, the couples, even the dogs, imagining that one day, I would be the one there enjoying an afternoon off. A few months after turning ten, you passed away. At times, I even doubted the faith that he told me so much to have, until one day, I was overcome by so much sadness, not knowing what to do and I saw a girl, accompanied by a lady. Believe me, she was the only one who noticed the insignificant boy sitting next to a tree. — My head starts to be filled with memories. — This girl had the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, even though they seemed to contain some sadness. It was those eyes that didn't let me give up, it was this girl that filled me with hope and it was that look that I dreamed of until a few weeks ago. — He finishes with a smile from ear to ear.
I have no reaction at all, because I used to go with Iolanda for a few afternoons to that place and the boy from…
Oh my God!!!
I cover my mouth with my hands, tears run freely down my face.
I can not believe it!
I saved him when I had no idea what my life would become.
It could only be him, the boy who a few years ago asked me what had happened to him, since the next day and the next I never saw him again.
— Noah! I… — I breathe in. — Not long ago, I remembered the boy in the tree, that's what he called him... Just tell me I'm not imagining anything. Were you the boy and I was the little girl?
— Yes, my blue angel! — Give me a kiss and hug me.
— Ahhh, I would never have imagined that you didn't have a home or that you had gone through all of this. Just tell me that you weren't alone for long, because I remember the last times I was there and I didn't see you again.
— No, the next day, Jack Foster found me, by chance, and I told him everything that had happened to me, how I ran away until I got there, so he adopted me and with that, I became Noah Foster, since my old name was It was Jimmy Cox. That's where our pasts still connect, my love. Steve Cox is Otávio's right—hand man, that's why.
What beautiful rubbish!
— I want to protect you, infinitely from everything, I can't bear to be away from you for another second — he adds.
— Can I ask you something? — he nods. — Is your mother? Didn't you hear more about her?
— Yes, she was found dead, from what my father found out when he asked them to investigate. — We spent a few seconds in silence, until he decided to break it. — Catarina. Here he is, the real Noah Foster.
If someone asked me yesterday if I believed that there were princes outside of books, I would say no.
However, I'm starting to believe that I've found mine, right now.
Out of pure instinct, I jump into his lap, hugging him tightly. We stayed like that, just in silence and in each other's arms.
— Nina, I want to ask you something. If you say no, I will understand. — He gives me a tender and hopeful smile. — Stay here with me?