Diavolo and Donatella go on a Date

“Why am I going to visit my grandparents?” Trish asked her parents.

“We thought you wanted to spend more time with them,” Donatella answered.

“But they’re old.”

“What’s wrong with being old?” Diavolo asked.

“Aren’t they slow?” Trish replied.

Diavolo snickered. Yeah, dad is pretty slow.

“Your grandparents aren’t slow. They’ll be able to take care of you and Ozzy,” Donatella explained. “Come on. Let’s go. Diavolo, do you want to drive, or shall I?”

“I’ll drive, but I’m not getting out of the car.”

“Babe, if it’s about the name thing, can you forget it?”

“I don’t like my name. I prefer the name I go by.”

It was a name his father, a priest, had given him. Years later, when Diavolo’s biological mother served her sentence, the priest let her live with them. Eventually, the priest had to tell Diavolo who the strange woman living in their house was, causing him to act out.

“What’s going on?” Trish asked.

“Solido…” Donatella sounded serious.

“Alright. Everyone in the car,” Diavolo said.

He drove them to his parent’s house, and Donatella, Trish, and Ozzy got out of the car while he waited. He saw his mother open the door to greet and take them in but didn’t see his father.

“Hello there!” Diavolo’s father said to his adopted son. He appeared out of nowhere. “I was trimming the bushes around the yard. You probably didn’t see me.”

He wasn’t sure what to say. “Hi.”

“I noticed you have green dots dyed onto your hair. For a second, I thought you had mold in your hair.”

Diavolo smiled slightly. At least he didn’t say I had lice. During the rare moments when he went outside, some people would ask if he had lice, which annoyed him. Do people know what lice look like? “Does it look good?” Why did he ask that? He wasn’t looking for his father’s approval.

“It makes you stand out, but I like it. I think Donatella’s lipstick got on you.”

“Oh, that’s mine.”

“I think I saw a cop wearing lipstick when I went to Naples. You don’t see men having lipstick on back in my days. Times are changing. Maybe that’s good. I see that you’ve also been working out. I remember you used to be so scared of strangers.”

Diavolo remembered his dad being more strict and controlling when he was younger, but he changed. “Hey, dad, what do you want?”

“Soli—Diavolo,” he corrected himself, “I’m sorry for not telling you about your mother sooner, as well as the other things I’ve done.”

“I…forgive you.” He felt like he was about to tear up. “Um, Donatella is coming. We’re going out on a date. It was nice talking to you, dad. Tell mom I said hi. I love you.”

“I love you too. Take care. We’ll look after Trish and Ozzy.” The priest looked at Donatella. “Have fun on your date!”

“I will!”

Donatella got in, and Diavolo drove off.

“I didn’t know your dad was there. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright.” He was better than alright couldn’t find a better word.

“So, where are we heading to?”

“Do you remember that spot where I took a photo of you?”

“Costa Smeralda?” Donatella smiled. “Ah! Yeah, I’d love to go. It’s such a nice day out, and I never did go swimming when you took that photo.”

“We need to buy a swimsuit, towels, and sunscreen.”

Diavolo parked his car near a small store that sells swimsuits and other things. When they went in, Donatella wasn’t sure what swimsuit to buy.

“Should I wear a one-piece or a two-piece?” she asked him. “The black and white striped swimsuit with a pineapple looks cute, but what if I have to use the bathroom? None of the two-piece swimsuits look boring.”

“How about a two-piece? You always wear clothes that expose your belly.”

“Not all the time, but I guess I will. Hmm, now, do I want orange or green?”

While she debated on what color, Diavolo looked at the trunks. Nothing seemed to grab his attention except for the pink one. It was short compared to the other ones, though.

“What do you think of this?” Diavolo showed her.

“It’s kind of short, and you have some cake.”

He blushed. “Oh?”

“Anyway, I decided what color my swimsuit would be. The top will be orange and the bottom black.”

After buying the swimsuits and everything they needed for the beach, they headed home to change and pack food and drinks before heading to Costa Smeralda. When they got to the beach, no clouds were in the sky, and the temperatures were just right.

“Wow, just like how I remembered it,” Donatella commented.

“I’ll get the chairs and everything else.” Diavolo grabbed the chairs, towels, umbrella, and picnic basket from the trunk, bringing them to the sandy part of the beach.

The two helped each other apply sunscreen and sat for a while.

“Maybe we should’ve brought Trish,” Donatella said, watching the kids play with their parents.

“I know Trish would’ve loved this, but I’m worried about her getting into the water,” Diavolo said. “We haven’t taken her to get swimming lessons.”

“I guess you’re right. Well, I’m ready to swim. Wait, is the water cold?”

“It’s better for the water to be cold. You’ll appreciate the warm air.”

“Alright, if you say so. But you’re coming with me. I realized I don’t know how to swim.”

“You’ll be fine. Just don’t go too far away from shore.”

The couple held hands, and Donatella dipped her foot into the water.

“It’s kind of cold,” she commented.

Diavolo let go and went to where water reached his neck. The ocean water was just right. “Really? I don’t think it’s that bad. Come, join me.” He brought his hands from out the water and curled his index finger.

“Let me get used to the water first.”

Donatella slowly went deeper into the water until Diavolo suddenly grabbed and dragged her in.

“Ah! It’s cold!”

He chuckled and splashed water on her, causing her to splash water back. They played and swam around for a few minutes. Then they returned to their seats to have lunch, eating watermelon and ham sandwiches and drinking bottles of Perrier.

“After we teach Trish how to swim,” Donatella spoke, “we should bring her here. I’m sure she would love it.”

“Maybe we should bring my parents too.”

“Yeah, but having time alone together was great. Let’s bring the others on my next day off.”

Diavolo scooted his chair closer to hers, holding her soft hands, and they watched the ocean, seeing boats and birds go by.