Faint
Three.
Gia rubbed her eyes as the sun poked in through her blinds that were covering her windows. She yawned as she looked to her left at the clock to see that it was 10:25 am.
Standing up, Gia pulled down her tank top and adjusted her shorts as she opened her door and made her way downstairs. Gina was standing in front of the stove in a nightgown with a robe over it and cooking eggs. Roberto was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper as Gabbi was sitting in her high chair, her curly hair up in a fountain ponytail on the top of her head.
“Good morning Gia!” Gina said happily, turning around to smile at her.
Gia gave a small smile as Roberto turned around to look at her, his curly hair a mess on top of his head. He stood up from his chair and motioned to her to come to the table, pulling out the chair next to him.
“Did you sleep well?” Roberto asked, sitting back down.
Gia nodded, “Yeah; the bed’s really comfortable. Uhm, I was wondering if we could go and buy paint today?”
Gina brought over two plates, both with eggs sunny-side up and two sausages, and placed them in front of her husband and step daughter as Roberto looked at her surprised, “You already have an idea for your room?”
Gia nodded as she took a piece of toast from the plate in the middle of the table, “I thought about it last night. I want to do splatter art with all different colours. I’m going to have to get fabric paint as well though for the bed and curtains. And tape to cover the windows, if that’s okay.”
Roberto bit into his toast and nodded, “Of course; we’ll go out after breakfast. Just let me shower and we’ll head out to Home Depot.”
---
“So, what colours were you thinking of picking?” Roberto asked, pushing the orange cart in front of him, Gabriella in the seat.
“Well, I was thinking that maybe I could do green and blue. Y’know, like the Canucks,” Gia explained, her blue winter boots scuffing on the concrete ground.
Roberto looked at her and smiled, “Really? Are you even a Canucks fan?”
Gia shrugged, “No, not really. It’s nothing against you or your team, but I was cheering for Chicago to win against you guys. I was so happy when they won the cup last year!”
Roberto looked at her wide-eyed, “Well, I’ll introduce you to the team and we’ll become your new favourite; just wait.”
Rolling her eyes, Gia nodded and excitedly looked at the different colours of paint on the shelves. She quickly picked the right shades of blue and green for the walls and the same shades in fabric paint for her bed and curtains.
“We need brushes and tape, right? Anything else?” Roberto asked, tapping Gabriella’s nose as she started to huff.
Gia crooked her head to the side and thought, “I don’t think so. I can just dip the paint brush into the can, so I don’t need a tin or anything. I think we’re good.”
Roberto nodded and picked up a few different paint brushes as well as some tape, to cover the edges of the room, and they slowly made their way to the cashiers. Roberto was slightly bent over the cart, his lips close to Gabbi’s forehead and he pressed a few kisses to her forehead as she giggled and tapped her hands on his face.
Gia looked on, a feeling of jealously creeping through her. She was never one to be jealous, but as she was looking at her father interact with his second born, Gia felt jealous.
She had never felt like she needed a father, but at that moment nothing seemed more important than having a father.
---
Roberto helped his daughter lay down a plastic sheet over her carpet and bed, taping the sides to the wall where Gia didn’t want any paint. He had lugged all of the paint cans up the stairs and set them down on her desk as Gia went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of old shorts and a Montreal Canadiens shirt.
“That is a disgusting shirt,” Roberto commented as he ran his hand through his curly hair. His own Vancouver Canucks t-shirt was ripped in a few places and hung off of his lank frame as he stretched.
Gia glared at Roberto as she looked down at her Montreal shirt, “Uhh, no. That’s a disgusting shirt.”
Rolling his eyes, Roberto held up one finger and walked out of the room, quickly walking across the hall to his own room. He opened one of his drawers and pulled out a smaller Canucks shirt – one he had gotten just for Gia – and walked back over to Gia’s room.
“Take that gross thing off and put this one on. There will be no Montreal Canadiens shirts being worn,” Roberto explained, tossing the shirt at her and going back to taping the plastic sheet.
He heard Gia walk back to the bathroom and shut the door only to open it a few seconds later. He turned around and smiled as he looked at the Vancouver Canucks shirt hanging from her body.
“Beautiful,” Roberto complimented, placing the tape down on the desk and crossing his arms.
Gia blushed and smiled at him, “Thanks, but you’re only saying that ‘cause it’s your team.”
Roberto sat down on the plastic covered bed and patted the spot next to him, so Gia would sit down, “C’mere. I want to tell you something.”
Gia furrowed her eyebrows and tossed her Canadiens t-shirt onto her bag. She walked over to the bed and sat down beside Roberto, setting her hands in her lap.
“When you were born, it was the happiest day of my life. You were the most perfect baby; absolutely beautiful. I was only seventeen and yet I felt as if my life was complete because of you. Now you’re a beautiful girl; my beautiful girl,” Roberto explained, looking towards his daughter.
Gia slowly nodded and looked over at Roberto. Her eyes flickered to the wedding ring on Roberto’s left hand and the silver chain he wore around his neck, the name Gabriella engraved on it. If what he was saying was true, then why didn’t he have anything for her?
“I believe you up until a point. I may have been the happiest moment of your life when you were seventeen, but marrying Gina and having Gabriella had to have replaced me. I mean, you wear a wedding ring for Gina and a necklace for Gabriella; they’re your life now. I understand that,” Gia said, looking back down at her hands as she heard Roberto take a sharp breath.
He turned and stared at the fourteen year old, her features reminding him of her mothers, and he slowly stood up. He bit his lip softly and pulled his Canucks shirt over his head, tossing it on the bed and pointing to the script tattooed above his heart.
“The day after you were born I got this tattoo. I always carried you in my heart; no matter what.”
Standing up, Gia pulled down her tank top and adjusted her shorts as she opened her door and made her way downstairs. Gina was standing in front of the stove in a nightgown with a robe over it and cooking eggs. Roberto was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper as Gabbi was sitting in her high chair, her curly hair up in a fountain ponytail on the top of her head.
“Good morning Gia!” Gina said happily, turning around to smile at her.
Gia gave a small smile as Roberto turned around to look at her, his curly hair a mess on top of his head. He stood up from his chair and motioned to her to come to the table, pulling out the chair next to him.
“Did you sleep well?” Roberto asked, sitting back down.
Gia nodded, “Yeah; the bed’s really comfortable. Uhm, I was wondering if we could go and buy paint today?”
Gina brought over two plates, both with eggs sunny-side up and two sausages, and placed them in front of her husband and step daughter as Roberto looked at her surprised, “You already have an idea for your room?”
Gia nodded as she took a piece of toast from the plate in the middle of the table, “I thought about it last night. I want to do splatter art with all different colours. I’m going to have to get fabric paint as well though for the bed and curtains. And tape to cover the windows, if that’s okay.”
Roberto bit into his toast and nodded, “Of course; we’ll go out after breakfast. Just let me shower and we’ll head out to Home Depot.”
---
“So, what colours were you thinking of picking?” Roberto asked, pushing the orange cart in front of him, Gabriella in the seat.
“Well, I was thinking that maybe I could do green and blue. Y’know, like the Canucks,” Gia explained, her blue winter boots scuffing on the concrete ground.
Roberto looked at her and smiled, “Really? Are you even a Canucks fan?”
Gia shrugged, “No, not really. It’s nothing against you or your team, but I was cheering for Chicago to win against you guys. I was so happy when they won the cup last year!”
Roberto looked at her wide-eyed, “Well, I’ll introduce you to the team and we’ll become your new favourite; just wait.”
Rolling her eyes, Gia nodded and excitedly looked at the different colours of paint on the shelves. She quickly picked the right shades of blue and green for the walls and the same shades in fabric paint for her bed and curtains.
“We need brushes and tape, right? Anything else?” Roberto asked, tapping Gabriella’s nose as she started to huff.
Gia crooked her head to the side and thought, “I don’t think so. I can just dip the paint brush into the can, so I don’t need a tin or anything. I think we’re good.”
Roberto nodded and picked up a few different paint brushes as well as some tape, to cover the edges of the room, and they slowly made their way to the cashiers. Roberto was slightly bent over the cart, his lips close to Gabbi’s forehead and he pressed a few kisses to her forehead as she giggled and tapped her hands on his face.
Gia looked on, a feeling of jealously creeping through her. She was never one to be jealous, but as she was looking at her father interact with his second born, Gia felt jealous.
She had never felt like she needed a father, but at that moment nothing seemed more important than having a father.
---
Roberto helped his daughter lay down a plastic sheet over her carpet and bed, taping the sides to the wall where Gia didn’t want any paint. He had lugged all of the paint cans up the stairs and set them down on her desk as Gia went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of old shorts and a Montreal Canadiens shirt.
“That is a disgusting shirt,” Roberto commented as he ran his hand through his curly hair. His own Vancouver Canucks t-shirt was ripped in a few places and hung off of his lank frame as he stretched.
Gia glared at Roberto as she looked down at her Montreal shirt, “Uhh, no. That’s a disgusting shirt.”
Rolling his eyes, Roberto held up one finger and walked out of the room, quickly walking across the hall to his own room. He opened one of his drawers and pulled out a smaller Canucks shirt – one he had gotten just for Gia – and walked back over to Gia’s room.
“Take that gross thing off and put this one on. There will be no Montreal Canadiens shirts being worn,” Roberto explained, tossing the shirt at her and going back to taping the plastic sheet.
He heard Gia walk back to the bathroom and shut the door only to open it a few seconds later. He turned around and smiled as he looked at the Vancouver Canucks shirt hanging from her body.
“Beautiful,” Roberto complimented, placing the tape down on the desk and crossing his arms.
Gia blushed and smiled at him, “Thanks, but you’re only saying that ‘cause it’s your team.”
Roberto sat down on the plastic covered bed and patted the spot next to him, so Gia would sit down, “C’mere. I want to tell you something.”
Gia furrowed her eyebrows and tossed her Canadiens t-shirt onto her bag. She walked over to the bed and sat down beside Roberto, setting her hands in her lap.
“When you were born, it was the happiest day of my life. You were the most perfect baby; absolutely beautiful. I was only seventeen and yet I felt as if my life was complete because of you. Now you’re a beautiful girl; my beautiful girl,” Roberto explained, looking towards his daughter.
Gia slowly nodded and looked over at Roberto. Her eyes flickered to the wedding ring on Roberto’s left hand and the silver chain he wore around his neck, the name Gabriella engraved on it. If what he was saying was true, then why didn’t he have anything for her?
“I believe you up until a point. I may have been the happiest moment of your life when you were seventeen, but marrying Gina and having Gabriella had to have replaced me. I mean, you wear a wedding ring for Gina and a necklace for Gabriella; they’re your life now. I understand that,” Gia said, looking back down at her hands as she heard Roberto take a sharp breath.
He turned and stared at the fourteen year old, her features reminding him of her mothers, and he slowly stood up. He bit his lip softly and pulled his Canucks shirt over his head, tossing it on the bed and pointing to the script tattooed above his heart.
“The day after you were born I got this tattoo. I always carried you in my heart; no matter what.”