Melina woke up the next day, staring at the glass chandelier that hung on the white ceiling. 'No, it isn't a nightmare. It's real. Leo, where are you?', she thought and her eyes began to water. Her first instinct was to escape through the balcony but she knew her brother's life was at stake. She wasn't like those dumb heroines in the movie who attempt to escape and then find themselves in deeper trouble. All she had to do was wait for a sign from Leo. She knew by know Leonard would have noticed her gone by now and only had to wait.
And most importantly hearing his confession yesterday, she knew he would not hurt her. She only had to make sure to stay out of things that would make him angry, because she very well knew when that man's in anger, he is worse than the devil himself.
Thinking all of this, she pushed herself and got up. She observed the room that she was in. Simple and minimal. She was quite impressed with how the room so very resembled her's back in her house. Well, except for the chandelier. She could never afford that, though she always wanted one. Well for a guy who kidnapped her, it must be a piece of cake to know what her bedroom looks like.
She found a bunch of white roses on the little table in front of her. 'Well he must have known I like white roses too', she thought. Looking at the roses she remembered how Leonard jumped across the fence of the orphanage building every night for a week and worked in the store across the street so that he could gift her a bouquet of white roses on her birthday. She smiled remembering the look on his face when he gave her the roses...Pure love and happiness..the joy of giving.
Love was indeed the joy of giving.
Giving oneself to the other entirely such that the two souls become one, interwoven with each other, till death does them part.
The same moment Leonard was reminded of her, looking at the vase of white roses, the only thing with life in his entire house. He asked her once, ' Everyone loves red roses. Why do you like white roses Melina?'. She replied, ' Leonard white represents simplicity. Many people spend their entire lives searching for love and joy. What they fail to realize is that love and joy can be found in simple things. You don't need a perfect person Leonard, and you don't have to be perfect too. You need a person who makes you feel perfect. That's what love is. Finding joy in the simplest of things'. He never knew that that moment would teach him the greatest lesson of his life.
Find joy in simple things.
'I love you Melina', he thought.
'I love you Leonard', she thought.
Both smiled thinking of each other. Their hearts were one and they knew it. They loved each other and they knew it.
Melina turned around wondering whether she was allowed to leave the room when the doorknob turned and the door went open. In front of the door, was, in all his glory,
Don Massimo.