That's Amore

I looked at her and couldn’t help but smile. She was laughing with Athena about my nails and my cuticles. Her laugh was contagious. Her smile was heartwarming. I watched her as she looked at me, noticed the small bit of tenderness in those pale brown eyes. It took me another twenty minutes for my hands to be un-roughed and Leah and Athena paid the woman with warm smiles. I walked out, feeling the smooth palms of my hands.

“What’s next?” Athena asked.

“Well,” said Tiffany looking at a paper.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I’d say the looks and smells clean part.”

“What?” I asked.

“We’ve got it.” Alex, Archer and Emery said as they smirked darkly at me. I frowned and looked at Leah for help. She was talking to Tiffany while staring down at a piece of paper. The three boys picked me up and I started to scream and shout and thrash around.

“Boys!” Leah snapped. Emery instantly dropped me and hung his head. “Now that is no way to handle a man.” She said sternly. I stared at her and the way she held herself suddenly made me feel like a young boy again. “Put him down nicely and ask him the correct way to go with you.” She said firmly. Alex and Archer put me down and I looked at the two A’s and then at Leah.

“Come with us please? We’re going to bring you home and clean you up.” I frowned and crossed my arms.

“No way in Hell!” I snapped.

“Emmitt.” Leah said sternly. I looked at her and the look in her eyes said she was disappointed in me. “Your nephew and friends are trying to help. You should be grateful. Go with them, please.”

“But--”

“Emmitt, a man is supposed to be presentable. A man is supposed to be handsome and try to attract women to him. Men are supposed to be the person a woman can depend on. You do not appear that way. What kind of woman would want a man dressed like you? You look like a bum! No man is supposed to look the way you do. You are handsome, Emmitt, and you are a good man. The clothes do not make a man, agreed, but they reflect who the man is.” Her face softened then. “I want you to show the world how wonderful you are, Emmitt. Please.” I nodded instantly, without hesitation or second thought.

“Let’s go!” I snapped at Emery, Archer and Alex. “Where are we meeting you again?” I asked Leah. She smiled at me tenderly and told me we’ll meet at the Dress Cabinet. “That’s too expensive, Leah. I can’t go there.” She laughed a little and shoed me without another word. She, Tiffany and Athena left and I sighed.

“Damn she’s good…” Emery said.

“I wish you would marry her,” Alex said. “At least someone can handle that damn stubbornness.” I watched as she walked away and sighed wistfully.

“You know,” I said to them as I turned around. “She’s too good for me. I could never date her.”

“Of course not,” Archer said. “You’re too much of a mess and she’s too perfect.” I glanced at him and punched his arm.

“What the hell are we doing anyway?”

“Giving you a bath.” Alex said.

“A BATH!? WHAT AM I FIVE! I DON’T NEED A BATH!”

“Emmitt, you smell like something died on you. You need a bath.” I started to run away but Archer took me down on the hard cement.

“You can’t escape.” I looked passed him to see Emery with a rope.

“I’m not an animal!” I snarled.

“You are acting like one. Emery,” Alex said. “Quickly while he’s down.” Emery and Alex were boy scouts and knew how to tie a knot. I was tied up and sighed.

“I hate you all.” I snapped as I was thrown over Archer’s shoulder. “I really hate you all.” Archer and the other two smiled at people passing by, their smiles and greetings casual. I tried to get help but no one thought twice. “They’re going to kill me!” I said to a small woman.

“A bath is not killing you, Emmitt.” Alex said. The woman looked at the four of us and walked away. I sighed and was literally dragged to my home, into my bathroom and dropped into my tub. I ground my teeth and tried to stand up. Alex and Emery untied me walked out, locking the door from the outside.

“I’m not going to bathe!”

“Fine, Leah won’t talk to you again.” Emery said with that nonchalant tone. I ground my teeth and turned on the hot water.

“Fine!” I snapped. I mumbled about how much I hated them throughout the whole shower and when I was finally finished, they opened the door, threw me a towel and a pair of fresh clothes. I sighed, put them on, and walked out of the bathroom.

“My god,” Alex said. “What is that smell?”

“It smells like soap,” Archer said with a smile.

“He’s clean!” Emery said as he fell to his knees and held his hands up in prayer. “Thank you God!” he shouted. I pushed him over and walked to my door.

“Let’s go.”

“I wonder if Leah likes the sight of wet men,” Alex said with a dark grin. I turned back to him and frowned.

“Shut up about her.” He smiled.

“Did I hit a soft spot for you, Em? I’ll remember to do it again.” I ground my teeth and walked away, getting in the driver’s seat of my car. Alex, Archer and Emery joined me and they smiled at each other. I drove to the Dress Cabinet and parked in the parking lot. The large, looming building filled me with dread.

“This place is too expensive,” I said to the three boys. “One shirt is like fifty dollars.”

“Let’s go, Emmitt,” Archer said as he closed the door to my car. I sighed, closed the door and walked into the store. The whole place was brightly lit, the racks of clothing seeming to pop out at me. I sighed and sneered at the large place before me. Archer punched my arm. “Another thing the women said they didn’t like was your smile is crooked and too small. You need to be more open with people. Let them know you’re friendly!” I ground my teeth and started to walk away.

“Don’t do that either,” Alex snapped. “They don’t like when you grind your teeth.”

“You need to be polite and kind whenever you speak.”

“You’re very rude to strangers,” Emery said with a thoughtful nod. “How about you try being polite with this lady?” Emery said as he looked at the woman coming toward them.

“How can I help you?” I smiled a little wider than usual, which came out like I was baring my teeth to her.

“I’m looking for my friends. Find them for me?” I said tightly.

“I’m sorry I—” I was pushed aside by Archer, who quickly recovered.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, he’s just a little nervous. He’s trying to find a girlfriend and he’s a little rough around the edges.” He smiled at her charmingly and she swooned. Archer was a handsome man, as was Alex, and there was no doubt that any woman would fall to their knees for these men. Archer had beautifully blond hair, his eyes were large and a pure emerald green. They looked like big pools that a woman wanted to swim in. He was tall like me and his physique was much more masculine than mine. He worked out a lot—mainly because he was a personal trainer for rich people—and he looked lean and strong. He was a model for a clothing store and just took pictures of himself without a shirt on. Alex was a handsome man, a teacher of engineering at the local university. He had a head of dark red hair—much like the color Athena and Leah made me get—and his cheeks were littered with freckles. Many women, Athena included, found his charm and adorable boyish looks to be attractive. The two of them combined could have been a pop band if they really wanted to.

“Oh,” said the woman. “I’ll try my best to help you. Who are these friends?” she asked.

“They’re three girls,” said Emery. Emery got my devilishly handsome good looks; we were both tall and well built our dark hair loose around our heads. He and I had the same big blue eyes that were like little pockets of the sky. “One’s about my age, the other two are about their age.” The woman looked at him and nodded. “One is tall, maybe five ten and the other is maybe five four-ish.”

“Hm, do they have black hair?” I nodded, offering her a less forced smile. “I think they were looking in the suit section, we’ll check there first, okay?” she asked us.

“Th-thank you,” I muttered to her, forcing myself to have a hint of a blush on my cheeks. Apparently, girls thought it was cute to have blushing boys talk to them, so I learned to make my cheeks red to give that embarrassed look. She smiled at me and led us away.

“That was good,” said Emery. “I think that was one of the things wrong with you.” I looked around the store and spotted a familiar face.

“There they are,” I said as I pointed to Leah. She was staring at something, a piece of clothing, muttering something to herself. Her black hair was let loose around her head, which was the first time I’d seen it that way. Her hair was curly near the bottom and it moved in front of her face, giving her this mysterious look. She walked away from the clothing shop and sat down, putting her legs up to her chest. Her jeans were tight on her lean legs and her torso was covered in a black and white striped shirt. She wore black flats that she picked at subtly. As we walked toward her, her attention was stolen by a little girl. She looked about five years old, and was talking quickly. Leah tried to follow along, the look on her face one of worry.

“Do you know the Lion King?” Leah asked. The little girl nodded. “I know every line from that movie. How about we go find your mom and I can say it to you?” The little girl turned her head.

“You know every line?” Leah nodded and smiled. “What’s the first line of the movie?” the girl asked skeptically. Leah straightened out her torso, cleared her throat and smiled.

“Life’s not fair,” she said in an English accent. “You see I, I shall never be king…and you….you shall never see the light of another day…ha-ha Adieu.” Leah moved forward, her hands poised to tickle the little girl, who shrieked and giggled as she ran away. Leah followed her until she was stopped short by the little girl’s mother. “Oh, is this your mommy?” asked Leah. The girl nodded. “Well make sure you stay close to her next time, okay?” Leah asked as she offered the little girl another smile. “Wouldn’t want a lion to get you, would you?” The little girl laughed and Leah rose to talk to her mother. I walked over to her and Leah smiled at me before saying good bye to the little girl and the woman.

“You really know all the lines in the Lion King?” I asked. She nodded proudly.

“I’ve known every line since I was five. I know all the songs too. I love Disney movies.”

“Lion King is a good one.”

“It’s one of the best, my friend.” She assured me.

“Where are Athena and Tiffany?” Emery asked.

“They went to go look for something for themselves. I was looking for something for Emmitt but nothing seemed to fit him. It all seems to ostentatious. I can’t picture Emmitt in any of these things.” I smiled at her and shook my head.

“It’s okay. We’ll find something for me to pretend to look good in.”

“You’ll look good in anything, Emmitt,” she said matter-of-factly. “It’s just what fits you. What says you’re an honest, good, caring man? All these say is that you’re powerful and rich. I don’t want a woman wanting you for the money you have but for the heart you have.” She said as she stared at the different fabrics.

“Why do you care so much?” I asked. She shrugged a little and looked at me briefly before her eyes found the floor.

“A good man deserves a good love. I’ve never had a good love and so I guess I’m trying to live through you.” She smiled at me halfheartedly before sighing and walking away.

“Leah…”

“Emmitt,” Archer said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

“We’ve been thinking,” Alex said.

“A dangerous past time,” Leah said musically. “I know,” she adds, smiling at us. “Sorry. That’s a line from the song Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. I couldn’t help it.” I smiled back at her and Archer pulled me away from her. Emery and Alex kept watch while Archer pulled me close to whisper in my ear. “No one's slick as Gaston, no one's quick as Gaston, no one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston's! For there's no man in town half as manly! Perfect, a pure paragon!” she sang as she pulled Alex into a sweeping dance. “No one’s big like Gaston! A king pin like Gaston! No one’s got a small clef in his chin like Gaston! As a specimen, yes, I’m intimidatttting!” As Alex and Leah danced, Archer pulled me close.

“Look, you and I know that you like Leah--”

“No one fights like Gaston, douses lights like Gaston!” Leah giggled. “In a wrestling match no body bites like Gaston!”

“You just have to--”

“For there's no one as burly and brawny as you see I've got biceps to spare. Not a bit of him scraggly or scrawny!”

“I don’t like her,” I whispered.

“No one hits like Gaston, matches wits like Gaston, in a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston, I'm especially good at expectorating!Ten points for Gaston!No one shoots like Gaston, makes those beauts like Gaston, then goes tromping around wearing boots like Gaston, I use antlers in all of my decorating! My, what a guy, Gaston!" I smiled a little and looked at her. She looked at me and smiled back. “I told you I know all the songs.”

“Sing another one!” Emery said.

“Um…”

“She doesn’t even like me,” I whispered while she and Emery spoke.

“Emmitt… the woman feels the same way. Have you seen the way she looks at you with those big eyes of hers?”

“How about I sing my favorite song?” Emery nodded and Leah cleared her throat. “Forever and ever is a very long time, Pooh. Forever isn’t long at all when I’m with you. I want to call your name forever. And you will always answer, forever. And both of us will be, forever you and me, forever and ever.” I knew that song she was singing. “I--”

“I wanna stay like this, forever,” I sang back to her. She looked back at me with a wide smile. “If only I could promise forever. Then we could just be we, forever you and me….forever and ever. Forever and ever is a very long time, Pooh.”

“Forever isn’t long at all, Emmitt,” she said smiling, “when I’m with you.” She bit her lip and smiled at me a little more. “I wanna be with you forever. I want you right here beside me, forever.”

“One thing you should know, no matter where I go, we’ll always be together.”

“Forever and ever,” she sang with me as she blushed and looked away.

“Wow,” Alex, Emery and Archer said together as they looked at the two of us.

“That was so cute!” Athena said. Leah jumped and looked at her, laughing a little as she did. I laughed a little while she stammered out an answer. I had always known my laugh was loud but when we laughed together for a few moments, our laughs were secretive and meek. It was like our laughs were the only ones in the whole store. They were something only the two of us shared.

“I…I have always loved Winnie the Pooh. It was my favorite cartoon when I was little.” I smiled at her and began to laugh. She pouted at me and turned away.

“Oh don’t be like that. I think it’s cute.” She glared at me with her cheeks a bright red, and continued to pout. “Come on, Leah, you know you’re adorable.”

“How come when I say you’re adorable you get all mad at me?” she asked.

“I get mad because guys aren’t adorable.”

“You are,” she said looking at me pointedly. I smiled wide and rolled my eyes.

“Alright, thank you, Leah.” She smiled at me a little but still had her arms crossed.

“I’m still mad at you.”

“What can I do to make it up to you?” I asked.

“Tell me one thing about you.” I bit my lip and thought.

“When I was little,” I said. “I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to help people but my father told me I couldn’t. He said I wasn’t smart like my brothers or my sisters. When I went into writing, he said I wasn’t going to succeed in that either.”

“My mother said that to me,” Leah said as she touched my arm gently. “She said it was pointless and I should be a nurse.”

“You’d make a good nurse,” I told her. “You’d be very kind to all your patients and your laugh would probably make them feel better.” She smiled at me and sighed.

“I don’t know,” she said shrugging as she looked away.

“Why not? You don’t want to help people?” She shrugged again.

“There’s just a lot of work going into being a nurse and I don’t think there should be training to take care of someone. I know there's a lot more to it but...I dont know.”

“Did you want to do something that helps people?” I asked. She nodded slowly.

“I wanted to be a psychologist but it took too much time and money. I want to help people through books and through teaching instead. I dont know how, but it'll somehow work.” She said as she looked at me.

“That’s a really nice thing to do, Leah.” I said smiling. She smiled back and we stood there staring at each other for what felt like forever.

“Well,” said Emery as he cleared his throat. “Let’s get my Uncle some clothes and get him ready for his date this tonight.”

“The date’s tonight? That’s too soon!” Leah and I asked suddenly. The five of them nodded solemnly as they looked between the two of us. I looked at Leah who plastered on a smile.

“Well,” she said tightly. “Let’s get rolling.”