Summer wiped the rainwater from her face, squatted down before the grave, and placed the bouquet in front of the tombstone.
Staring at it for a while, she said, “Mom, I’m Summer. Leonardo and I have been together for quite a while. I’m sorry that I’ve only come to see you today.” She then bowed three times before the tombstone as a sign of respect.
Leonardo looked on as she did that. Then, he took off his jacket, put it over her head, and brought her up to her feet.
“How did you find this place?” Leonardo asked calmly.
She pointed at Carl, who had just arrived and was now panting like a dog. “He brought me here.”
Leonardo pulled the jacket over Summer’s head so that it shielded her face from the rain and she could open her eyes. He then wiped the rainwater from her face.
“Summer, you must have been an athlete in the past; how did you manage to run so fast?” Carl held the umbrella with one hand and placed his other hand on his hip. He came over and shoved the umbrella to Leonardo before bowing in front of the grave. Once he was done, he turned around and faced Leonardo again.
“You should have told her that you’ve come to see your mom. She’s been looking high and low for you.”
Hearing that, Leonardo glanced down at Summer. He held the umbrella above her, and as he hugged her tightly, he pulled the jacket down from her head so that it now covered her body. Summer’s white blouse was fully soaked and looking almost transparent.
Carl noticed it and quickly excused himself. “I better leave you guys to it. I’m going back down the hill.”
After Carl left in the rain, only Leonardo and Summer were left in the cemetery. Summer finally had a chance to look up and study Leonardo.
He looked just like he did on any other day. Except for the part where he was soaked from head to toe like a drowned mouse, there seemed to be nothing wrong with him.
Summer pondered for a while, figuring that the incident happened in the winter, not the summer. So today was not the anniversary of his mother’s death. Something else must have affected him, and that was why he had visited the place alone.
After a long while, Leonardo spoke with his hoarse voice. “I had thought of bringing you and Rosie to visit my mother’s grave after coming back from Sydney. But Rosie is missing, plus I don’t want her to know and be sad.”
His voice was low, and he was looking down, all depressed and gloomy. For a moment, Summer did not know what to say. All she could do was cuddle him.
Leonardo placed his hand on her shoulder. He pulled away quickly and brought her closer to the grave.
“Mom, this is my wife, Summer. We have a daughter, Rosie. We’ll bring her over to visit you someday.”
His voice was calm with little emotion, but Summer could not help but feel a lump in her throat. She looked away and quietly rubbed her eyes.
After Leonardo finished his words, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Let’s go,” he said.
…
Once they were back down the foothill, Summer called Tim to inform him that she had found Leonardo, so he would not be worried anymore.
After hanging up, she wanted to tell Leonardo that he should at least inform Tim where he was going the next time he went out. But when she noticed that Leonardo had closed his eyes and appeared exhausted, she bit her lip and said nothing. At least, he replied to her text message earlier.
Back in the city, they parted with Carl and returned to Leonardo’s apartment.
Without a word, Leonardo entered the bathroom to fill the bathtub with hot water. Summer stood at the doorway, looking at him. As if he could sense her stare, he turned his head around and said, “Come here.”
As she went in, he started to undress her.
“I can do it myself…” Summer quickly held her arms around herself.
“I can do it quicker than you.” He quirked an eyebrow, and his voice was matter-of-fact.
The words were stuck in her throat. Grabbing the opportunity, he stripped her in three seconds and plopped her in the bathtub.
He could really undress her quicker than she could undress herself, she quietly thought. Leonardo had changed into a bathrobe and was out of the bathroom.
After she finished her bath and put on her clothes, she went out to some sounds in the kitchen. She proceeded to check out what he was doing and saw him looking at his mobile phone while putting something into the pot.
“What are you cooking?” Feeling curious, Summer walked over.
“Ginger soup,” Leonardo said without looking back. He looked serious as he glued his eyes to the mobile phone screen.
Summer tilted her head to have a glimpse of what he was reading and saw that he was looking at a ginger soup recipe.
“Go and take a hot shower. Let me handle this.” She did not think Leonardo could cook it.
Leonardo grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back. “I got this.”
Since Leonardo insisted, she left him to it and stood by to watch. He was probably talented in cooking; he followed an online recipe and successfully made a pot of ginger soup.
Summer took a sip and looked up while he stared at her and asked, “How does it taste?”
“Not bad.” She nodded as she took another sip.
He patted her on the head. “Then you should drink more. I’m going to take a shower now.”
As Leonardo walked into the bathroom, she stuck out her tongue and frantically fanned it with her hand. It definitely tasted like ginger soup, but it was just a little too spicy. But she appreciated what he had done for her and took a large bowl of it. After finishing one bowl, she swore she would not drink ginger soup again.
Leonardo finished his shower and saw that Summer was waiting outside the bathroom with a hairdryer in her hand.
“What are you doing?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“I’m going to dry your hair, of course.” Summer waved the hairdryer in her hand with a gentle smile.
“That’s unnecessary. Go and get some rest,” he coldly rejected.
Summer was struck dumb for a moment. It was not like she had never gotten wet in the rain before. She was not as fragile as he thought. Dragging him into the living room, she pressed him down on the sofa. “Let me dry your hair. Otherwise, you’re going to catch a cold.”
He did not stop her.
Summer tested the air temperature first before blowing his hair. When she sensed that Leonardo had finally relaxed, she asked, “Why did you go to the cemetery today?”
“Do I have to pick a lucky day just to visit my mom’s grave?” Leonardo replied unhurriedly.
“No, I mean…” She could not get the words out.
Leonardo was extremely tight-lipped. If he did not want to talk about something, no one could make him talk. So much for her charming offensive; she thought that she could take down his defenses. She probably forgot that Leonardo was not an ordinary human.
She fretted when the thought of him standing alone in front of the grave came to mind. She sighed and said, “I’m just worried. Tim told me you finished an entire pack of cigarettes today.”