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The Merciless Widower and the Nanny

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Episode 17

Theo: Daddy, is Alice pretty?

Lorenzo: She looks beautiful, son.

I reply awkwardly.

Theo: And is Daddy handsome, Alice?

Alice: Yes, Theo, he is. Shall we go?

Oh my God, how embarrassing. We walk together and find Isabella entering the property.

Isabella: Where are you two going, looking so nice?

Theo: We're going for a walk, Auntie.

Isabella: Theo runs to Mel while I try unsuccessfully to find out more about this outing.

Theo: Tell everything to Cecilia, Mel.

(Melinda, 5 years old. Isabella and Arthur's daughter)

Mel: Okay, tell what?

Theo: That we're going out, Mel.

Mel: Why?

Theo: Because she asked me to tell.

Mel: Can I tell Mommy?

Theo: No, Mel, it's a secret. Okay?

Mel: Okay. I promise I won't tell.

Theo: You have to pinky swear.

Isabella: What are you up to? Theo puts his index finger to his mouth and goes "shh" to Mel. I end up laughing at them.

Mel: I pinky swore, mommy, it's a secret.

Isabella: There are no secrets from mommy, Mel. Come on, let's go inside. I say goodbye to everyone and enter with Mel, smiling from ear to ear with the joy on Lorenzo's face.

Alice: Lorenzo, don't tell Theo where we're going. We arrive at a cozy bakery-like place and Lorenzo speaks to me softly.

Lorenzo: Alice, if you don't mind, I'd like to take Theo to the place where I took his mother for the first time. I want him to learn more about her.

Alice: I don't mind, I'd like to hear more about her too.

Lorenzo: Thank you. Son, I'm taking you to where I took your mother to have a snack for the first time when we visited your grandma Larissa and had breakfast afterwards.

Theo: Yay! I want to eat what mommy ate.

Lorenzo: I enter with Alice and Theo, telling Theo about the day I had lunch here with Suzi and ordering everything I had that day.

Theo: Did mommy order all this?

Lorenzo: She didn't know what to eat, so I ordered a little bit of everything and we made it a challenge to try everything. The truth is, son, I do this whenever I eat at a new place, I try a little bit of everything.

Theo: I want to do the challenge with you and Alice.

Alice: Theo hands each of us a fork. My favorite was the chocolate croissant.

Theo: Mine is the chocolate cake, it's the most delicious in the world.

Lorenzo: Son, this cake was your mother's favorite. She had it for the first time here and would always come to buy it, especially when she was pregnant with you. I say, feeling emotional as I remember Suzi eating this cake for the first time.

Theo: I like the same things mommy liked.

Alice: And what's your favorite, Mr. Lorenzo?

Lorenzo: The croissant.

Theo: Just like Alice!

Alice: I smile at Theo. Can we take a walk before going home? I think I ate too much.

Lorenzo: Of course, I ate a lot too.

Theo: I want ice cream, Daddy.

Lorenzo: Let's go, we'll look for some on the way, son. We walk hand in hand, Alice looks around attentively. We find an ice cream shop on the way and Theo asks for his ice cream. We sit down and I admire the joy in Theo's eyes as he can't stop talking.

Theo: Daddy, look.

Lorenzo: What is it, son?

Theo: The man selling flowers. Buy one for Alice.

Lorenzo: I get up and buy a rose for Alice. She feels embarrassed but accepts it.

Alice: Thank you. I hear the flower vendor telling a little bit of his story to a lady and I am moved. I ask for permission and go to him.

Vendor: Do you want a flower, miss?

Alice: It's not necessary, thank you. I give him everything I have in my wallet and he cries, hugging me in gratitude. I end up crying with him, hearing him say that he had nothing to eat at home and his children were waiting for him to come back and eat, and I couldn't help it. Lorenzo gets up when he hugs me and I ask him to wait for a moment.

Vendor: Thank you so much, thank you so much.

Alice: You don't need to thank me, may God bless your family. The man leaves crying and thanking God. I wipe my tears and sit next to Lorenzo, who is looking at me curiously.

Lorenzo: Why?

Alice: I heard him say that he had nothing to give his children to eat. It was the first rose he sold today, and the children were at home waiting for him to come back with the food.

Lorenzo: You are special, Alice.

Alice: I'm not.

Theo: You are very special, Alice.

Alice: I smile at Theo. He finishes his gelato, and we head back to the mansion. I have the feeling that I saw Lina, but she looked different, and I'm not sure if it was really her. Theo falls asleep on my lap during the ride. Lorenzo takes him from my arms and carries him to my bed.

Mr. Lorenzo, I may be mistaken, but I had the impression that I saw Lina when we were going to the car after the ice cream shop.

Lorenzo: I will investigate this, Alice. It might really be her. She is currently out on bail for assaulting Theo.

Alice: I have a bad feeling.

I need to protect Theo. She pinched him for no reason, and I don't believe she can be trusted.

Lorenzo: I don't trust her either, but I will protect you both.

Alice: Thank you, sir. Can you please excuse me for a moment to take a bath and change?

Lorenzo: Of course.

I leave and do the same, then return to find the door open. Alice is already in her pajamas, a modest, funny fish-printed pajama. She looks like a giant child in that pajama. She is changing Theo while he's sleeping.

Alice: He is tired.

Lorenzo: Do you like fish?

Alice: I love it.

Lorenzo: We lie down, and Theo is fast asleep. I turn to Alice, and she silently stares at me until she is overcome by sleep. I keep staring at her. This will be the last night we sleep together. I confess that I hated it at first, but now I will miss it, I think. I am eventually overcome by tiredness and fall asleep.

Alice: I wake up feeling something hard, strange touching me. I open my eyes slowly and see Lorenzo's hand embracing me. I get scared when I realize what is touching my butt, I quickly move away and fall off the bed.

Lorenzo: I wake up to Alice falling off the bed and get startled.

Alice: Ouch...

Lorenzo: Are you okay, Alice?

Alice: Yes. Where's Theo?

Lorenzo: Sleeping.

I say sleepily, seeing him next to me.

Alice: How did he end up on the other side of the bed?

Lorenzo: I don't know.

Alice: It scared me.

I get up and move away from the bed.

Lorenzo: What's wrong, Alice?

Alice: Your... your thing, was pressing against me.