JULIET

The dark figure continues advancing and my hands remain clinging to the gate to be able to enter quickly if necessary.

But the better I distinguish who I have in front of me, the more the fear that produced me in a previous moment leaves my body.

My breath quickens as I discover Kerem, Ali in his arms, moving toward me. How is this possible? It can't be, what are they doing here? I must be hallucinating, it must be a product of my imagination and none of this is happening.

Kerem steps toward me steadily. Ali begins to celebrate by waving his little arms as he snaps out of what appears to be a half-awake state. As soon as he sees me, he becomes completely agitated and begins to want to throw himself in my direction.

"It's not true, it's not true." The words escape my mouth and my field of vision dissolves into a dense crystalline layer.

I blink, letting the tears fall down my cheeks and he takes a few more steps in my direction.

To my surprise, once he's within a few feet, he drops Ali to the ground. He sets his little feet weakly and Kerem leads him in my direction. What I see leaves me completely absorbed.

"You couldn't miss Ali's first steps," Kerem says of his son, holding tight to the baby who tries to run rather than learn to walk, running up to me.

I squat down and stretch out my arms.

A meter or so away, Kerem lets go and Ali flaps his little feet until he throws himself into my hands that catch him before he falls.

I hug him tightly and I am a sea of ​​tears. My little. I had no idea that I missed you so much, I didn't know how much I missed you until you were finally wrapped in my arms, sweetheart of my heart.

You are a lover, you are wonderful, you have stolen my entire soul.

"Thammy was working with him."

"When I left... He was already trying to start walking..." I comment, trying not to notice how broken my voice is.

I pick Ali up in my arms and rise back to my feet, facing Kerem.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, still absorbed and uncomfortable by the short distance between the two of us. All this time I was used to thousands of kilometers. I had even made up my mind that I would never see him again, I was almost convinced that this life was only part of the past.

"I had to do it. I had to come for you. Reality has slapped me hard until it finally...opened my eyes, Juliet. I have my son, I have my partner, I have a family that is not...not complete without you."

That I did not expect.

Something inside of me is turning and going into revolutions while I listen to him. With what law? By what right did he dump me like that in New York and try to leave me in a gilded cage so he could run off and find his dead, treacherous wife? I know that these are very cruel words to think like this now, but it is the reality.

He wanted to make sure that everything was already lost and then come to change my plans with total injustice and playing with my feelings.

"However," he murmurs sadly. "I see that you have already decided to move on with your life and meet new...people..."

"Excuse me? Are you calling me promiscuous?" I have been crying and heartbroken every night, thousands of kilometers from my reference home for him to come and tell me that I have come to live a crazy life, it is definitely nonsense.

"Okay, you're within your rights, plus you can tell that this... boy is your age, has style, is European."

"Kerem.."

"Yes, I must not interfere. It's okay. I just wanted you to know something and I'm out, you have every right to be with someone else, but so soon? Really?"

"No! It's really nothing. Frank is my friend."

"Yes, that's how it usually starts.

"And he's gay! He and his boyfriend have a restaurant a couple of streets away. He only accompanied me so that I would not return alone."

"He is?"

"Gay!"

"So...he and you weren't going to..."

"We were going to what?"

"Nothing. Forget it. I'm an idiot."

"Yes you are. How is it possible for someone so business savvy to be so brutish at controlling his emotions?"

"Okay, it's about time I hit this man up."

"You're right about that. To my surprise, he gave me the right. And that's why we're here, Juliet. I want to tell you with Ali that..."

"Mammamá!"

What did he just say?

My head seems to short-circuit hearing it.

I look down and look wide-eyed at the little boy who just blurted out those shocking words to me.

Ali is looking at me and with his little hands he closes on the neck of my blouse. There is a huge grin from ear to ear showing me his gums and he continues to babble "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"

"Okay, this is weird. Did you come so he could call me "mom"?" going back to Kerem.

"We didn't travel that many kilometers for nothing," he admits. Then he takes a step and he's already too close to me. "I needed to apologize, too much has happened, Juliet. But it was necessary to be able to clear my points of view and know that... that I love you."

"Mmmamo!"

Ali says that and I try to giggle, but I'm still engrossed.

Kerem continues "I love you and I can't let you go, Juliet. I know I wasn't on my best behavior, but I really didn't want to miss out on our chances, because despite my inner terrors, I love you and I wanted you to be able to move on."

"I... I don't know what you expect," I blurt out, outraged and in love and fascinated and enraged, all at the same time. "I would have to slap you, Kerem." Really? All this time you sent me away from you because you "loved me"?

"Possibly from the first moment, but I didn't realize it until you were in danger and saving your life made me feel that my life finally seemed to really have a purpose. You made me the happiest guy and I don't regret anything, but please don't put yourself in danger again, okay?"

"Kerem, I can't. I can't forgive you so easily."

"Then forgive me difficultly."

"My life...is here now. Will I go back to New York sometime, yes, but I have to stay and you know it."

"Then we will stay in the apartment that I rented here. There is a full deposit already."

"Did you go crazy?"

"Not at all. We can rent something better here in Milan."

"You don't have to, really."

"No, I don't have to. But I am willing to do anything to help you fulfill your dreams. I can work from Milan and Thammy came to Italy to help us with the baby."

"That sounds..."

"Crazy, yes."

His hands cling to my jaw.

My heart is bursting from my chest.

I stare into his eyes, closing them when I feel his mouth clinging to mine. His kisses taste like tears and promises.

"I love you, Juliet. Don't forgive me, not now. But at least tell me we can try."

The words are stuck in my mouth all together when I finally manage to articulate something legible in the middle of the emotion; "I...love you too, Kerem. I love you..." I look at Ali and he wraps his little arms around my neck as if asking me to say yes. "But I can't forgive you so easily, anyway, it's no use living with a grudge."

"You don't have to live with a grudge, Juliet."

"So you want to do this. This! my goodness."

"Yes, Jules. What are you saying? Do we give ourselves another chance? Let's start from scratch. Again."

I take a deep breath and this time I lean into him to give him my answer with a kiss. Ali screams and shakes as if celebrating.

Kerem's heart beats as strong as mine, still in the illusion of falling into the reality that it finally seems that we have some certainty on the path to happiness.

Because it's all that matters.

The family? My family.

Yes, that matters.

Give thanks, with God's blessing, that we are together and realize that being happy is lived in the present, because it is the only thing worthwhile. And that's my idea of ​​eternity.