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I look up and see the face of a smiley Asian man. “Hey, Andrew.”
“What’s up man?” he says, holding out his hand.
I clap his hand with mine and give him a genial, one-armed hug. “How’ve you been?”
“Been good, been good. Isabella didn’t tell me you’d be back so soon.”
“We were trying to keep it a surprise for Leo.”
Andrew gushes, “Aw, that’s sweet.”
If I can make Leo’s life special in any way, I’ll do it. I’m making up for lost time, although I guess I always will be. There are worse things than throwing myself into the love I have for my son. I’d definitely like more so I can be someone’s dad from the very start, but Isabella and I have agreed that we need at least a few years with Leo at the center of our universe.
“How’s the tour?” Andrew asks.
I sigh. “Almost over. Doing a leg through South America, but not until the new year, so…”
My friend smiles and elbows me. “So, I’ll be seeing more of you at school pickup, huh?”
I grin. “Absolutely.”
The doors to Desert Rose Waldorf School fly open and kids start to pour out. There are kids of every color and walk of life here. After some consideration, Isabella and I said fuck it to the hoity-toity prep school and opted to allow our new friends, Andrew and Akira, to put in a good word at Desert Rose since their daughter had been accepted but Leo had missed the application window.
I did sweeten the deal with a generous donation to their music program, but hey, that’s the way it goes sometimes. Gotta use what you got in life.
I spot Leo before he sees me. There’s a deep frown on his face. Probably looking for Isabella or Marisol. Gosh, in the short time I’ve been in his life, he’s grown so much. Five years old, taller, a bit thinner, and his features are starting to get clearer. He’s got my nose. I’m pretty proud of that.
I put my fingers in my mouth and give a big whistle.
Leo immediately finds me. This was our way of helping him find us if we got separated while traveling. One incident of Leo getting separated from us in Venice put the fear of God in me. Never want to see Isabella and Leo sobbing into each other’s arms like that again.
That moment is far away now because the smile on Leo’s face is unmatched.
“Papa!” he calls out and sprints toward me.
Never gets old, I’m tellin’ ya.
I get to my knees and brace for impact. The bigger they are, the harder they hug. “You’re strong, mijo! When did you get so strong?” I ask.
“When did you get here?!” he asks, eyes bright. He touches my cheeks. “You’re real!”
“Of course, I’m real. I wanted to surprise you.”
He guffaws, shoulders slumping forward. “I’m totally surprised.”
“Come on, let’s go home. I’ve got some stuff to tell you.”
Hand in hand, we walk to the car. I get him strapped in, hop in the front seat, and prepare for the long car ride.
Leo is my biggest fan and requests we listen to Black Flame in the car. I’ve fallen back in love with our music through my son’s eyes. Hearing him try to sing along, getting all the lyrics wrong is a breath of fresh air.
“What did you want to tell me?” he pipes up from the backseat.
“Oh, well…” I swallow and glance in the mirror to get a look at Leo. He’s kicking his legs in his car seat, looking at me and waiting. This is big and I don’t want to screw it up. “It has to do with your mom.”
“Is she okay?” he asks, sounding alarmed.
I half-laugh. “She’s fine, she’s totally fine.” Isabella, in her words, has never been better. After requesting a sabbatical and spending the summer with me, she realized she’d be able to go from full-time to part-time with my financial support. It wasn’t easy to get her to agree to that, however, when it came down to it, less work means more time with Leo. And that has made her happy as a clam. No more burnout. And she still gets to keep her independence. “Well, you know, your abuelo passed away many years ago.”
