Chapter XXXVI: Graduation

The day was postcard perfect, even the buses were running on time. Downtown, the skyscrapers shone silver in the morning sun and the sky was an unbroken backdrop of blue. Commuters walked like shoals of fish in a myriad of directions, not one of them in winter garb. Spring had arrived in Tuscany and for once it wasn't with a deluge of rain.
Today was a very special day for Rosalie.
She hardly got any sleep just thinking about it all with the excitement bubbling inside her.
Sitting up in bed, she grinned while looking around the room.
Over the course of a couple of months, she had given up on finding a place for herself and opted to move in with Arcangelo--something which she was already doing when she came to this conclusion. Looking over her shoulder Rosalie stared at him sleeping. He lay on his back with the sheets pulled up to his waist, exposing his torso as he had an arm thrown over his eyes, his breathing smooth and rhythmic.
Biting her lip, she straddled his lap, ensuring not to wake him with her sudden movement before she brushed her lips against his stubble jaw and molding her lips to his. It took Arcangelo a couple more kisses to wake up and register the fact that Rosalie was above him.
With a soft groan, he removed his arm from his eyes and wrapped them around her waist, holding her in place before turning them over. The sudden movement had her gasp before she smirked at the dazed expression he had.
"I could get used to waking up like this." He spoke huskily as he kissed her passionately.
"Don't get too used to it, handsome." Rosalie grinned before pushing him off her, the sudden tackle having left him defenseless before she loomed over him with a devious smirk. "Get dressed, pretty boy. It's my graduation day."
Arcangelo soon found himself dressed in a full grey three-piece suit. Adorning his sunglasses, he set out to find his seat with Arsenio while Rosalie went to rejoice with the remainder of her graduating class.
There were only a handful of people that were present and seated and Arcangelo watched as more and more parents and families arrived and took their seats, all of them here for the special occasion of their children's or sibling's -- or in his case, his girlfriend's -- graduation.
It didn't take long for the Allegro's to join.
Davide was very accepting of Arcangelo and the mother just had one concern that he keep her baby girl safe and happy. The father, on the other hand, was a little more demanding, making Arcangelo go through a series of surprise tests and getting increasingly frustrated when he passed them all. Ultimately relenting when Rosalie stood to his defense; throwing a fit at her father's antics.
Not long after their greetings to each other, the graduating class was introduced, the dean giving a few wise words before calling the Valedictorian.
"Please welcome the Valedictorian of 2008's graduating class." He spoke with a proud smile. "Rosalie Allegro."
Instantly, a round of applause erupted through the crowd while Arcangelo's heart swelled with pride and love for his girlfriend.
"When I first sat down to write this speech, I was absolutely clueless about what to do." Rosalie started with a confession. "So, like any other struggling student, I Googled "valedictorian speeches" and came up with a list of the top 10 phrases NOT to use in a graduation speech. For example, one should NEVER mention that "We'll always look back on these days" or that "This isn't the end, it's a new beginning. And finally, the number one most commonly used statement in graduation speeches across the country, "We, are the leaders of tomorrow."
It's funny though because although each of these statements ARE clichés, there is some truth to them. The fact is ... We WILL always look back on these days ..." Rosalie resumed with her graduation speech as everyone listened with wide smiles and glistening eyes.
Sitting in the middle of the crowd, Arcangelo couldn't tear his gaze away from her. So enraptured by her exuberant aura and the smile of achievement on her face. He felt his heart swell tenfold with the love he felt for her right there, and couldn't begin to imagine how her parents would be feeling.
But at that moment, Arcangelo knew, she was his, and would be his for the rest of his life. And that he would do everything in his power to keep her beside him.
After all...she was his soul mate.
"Thank you and congratulations!" Rosalie ended as a standing ovation following her speech.
After the degrees had been handed out and the pictures had been taken, the students all ran to their respective loved ones.
Arcangelo caught sight of Rosalie making her way through the crowd, smiling from ear to ear as he grinned in response. Wrapping her in an embrace, he lifted her off her feet before spinning her in joy, an ecstatic laugh bursting through her as she hugged him tightly.
"You did it!" He exclaimed as he put her down.
"I did it!" She proclaimed with so much enthusiasm, making her happiness contagious.
Getting on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his in a much-anticipated kiss as he had to smile against her lips before she pulled away and went to hug her family. Soon, they were all chatting with her fellow graduates as Arcangelo had his arm wrapped around her waist, smiling at all the people in graduation gowns and caps.
Suddenly his phone vibrated in his pocket, taking it out, he had to raise an eyebrow when he saw it be a message from Vincent.
Six months of zero contact, and now a message out of the blue.
'Claudia is sick.' The message read and instantly Arcangelo felt his stomach churn in concern.
His niece was perfectly healthy when he saw her just yesterday, and now he was receiving a message of her being ill.
"Go." He heard someone whisper in his ear, his attention shooting up to Rosalie who read the message from beside him. "She's your niece. I would have gone with you, but can't leave my parents hanging and you can leave Arsenio to me. So how about you see how she's doing and meet us at the restaurant later for dinner?"
"I love you." Arcangelo sighed at how understanding she was to his situation.
Giving her a quick peck on the lips, he rushed towards his car and made his way to his estranged sister's humble adobe.
Without knocking, he barged into the house and looked around in concern, searching for any signs of Claudia.
"Claudia?" He called up the stairs, about to go up when a voice halted him.
"She's not here." A voice slurred from the lounge.
Turning to his left in curiosity, he peeked his head through the archway seeing Vincent sitting on the floor in what looked like a week old t-shirt and dirty sweatpants, a bottle of scotch clasped in his hand as his clean-shaven face now had a bushy beard.
"I got a message telling me she's sick," Arcangelo stated calmly with a raised eyebrow as he stood a few feet away from the man that was once his best friend of over twenty years.
Suddenly Vincent burst into a hysterical fit of laughter as Arcangelo watched him silently, internally concerned for his mental state.
"This is the most we've talked for six months!" Vincent wheezed between his laughter. "Six fucking months!"
"Where is Claudia." He sighed calmly.
"Don't know, Alyna said something about taking the kids to an amusement park..."
"Is this some sort of joke to you, Moretti?" Arcangelo demanded harshly, watching Vincent visibly wince at his tone. "It's my girlfriend's graduation and here I am entertaining your pranks."
"It's not a prank..."
"Then what the fuck is it?"
"One last desperate attempt."
"Attempt at what?"
"To not pull the trigger."
Instantly Arcangelo tensed as he started at Vincent in silence, seeing a multitude of emotions reflected in his eyes in varying degrees of pain. With a heavy sigh, he glanced down at his watch before giving in to his primary instinct and sitting down on the sofa behind him.
"What's the matter?"
"A couple months ago..." Vincent started as he put the bottle to his lips, not being able to take a gulp before Arcangelo tore it out of his hands and put it away. "I went to a doctor. A psychiatrist to be exact."
"Yeah?"
"And you know what he diagnosed me with?"
"What?"
"Clinical depression,"
Arcangelo stared at the top of his head for a moment, trying to absorb the words before sliding down to the floor, sitting beside him as he pulled up one leg, resting his arm on his knee and leaning his head against the sofa.
"What did he do after that?" He asked quietly, not being able to grasp the full extent of the words because Arcangelo knew what it was like to have clinical depression--having been diagnosed with it in his early teens, he knew how it felt.
"He gave me anti-depressants." Vincent laughed humorless as a bitter smile crossed Arcangelo's lips.
"I don't know, man." He continued bitterly, his eyes hooded and his speech slurred due to the alcohol. "I guess I had it coming. I mean, things have been really shitty lately, so I guess it was only a matter of time."
"What do you want to do about it?" Arcangelo jumped straight to the point.
"Kill myself."
"You and I both know that's not an option."
"It actually is..."
"Do you really want to put your wife through the loss of a spouse? If not Alyna, do you really want to do that to Claudia and Alberto? She is only 4 years old and he's not even 2 yet, do you want them to have to put through with the loss of a father?"
"That's why I called you." Vincent choked, knowing that he didn't want to do this to either Alyna or Claudia. "You might not think of me as your best friend anymore, and I don't deserve to be, but Arcangelo, please...please, I beg you...help me...please..."
Arcangelo sat in silence for the longest time, weighing the pros and cons of re-establishing a relationship with Vincent. He hadn't even opened his mouth to give the verdict when Vincent suddenly burst into tears. The suddenness of his sobs had him jump back in surprise as he stared at the man break down before his own eyes.
"You don't have to put up a show for me to help you," Arcangelo stated light-heartedly as he rubbed his back. "I would have helped with or without the tears."
"She's cheating on me." Vincent sobbed as the man beside him sighed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to his side, having felt that his sister was having an affair. "It's just so fucking hard coming to terms with it all."
"We'll take this one thing at a time, Vinnie." He stated softly, rubbing his back. "One thing at a time."
***
"Sorry, I'm late." Arcangelo apologized breathlessly and placed a quick kiss on Rosalie's lips before settling down in the spare seat between her and her brother.
"Where were you?" Rosalie asked with concern. "You didn't attend my calls, how is Claudia?"
"She's better now."
"That's good." She smiled in relief before they all opened their menus and decided what to order.
They ate their lavish meals with light-hearted chatter and reminiscing over the past along with laughing at absurd memories.
"Oh! Arcangelo" Donna suddenly exclaimed, gaining Arcangelo's attention. "Did you know when Rosalie was about 13, she had this whole box filled with little trinkets and items she wanted at her wedding."
"Mom!" Rosalie drawled in embarrassment, her face flushing.
"What? He has a right to know."
"You wouldn't have that box by any chance, would you?" Arcangelo inquired curiously as Rosalie glared at him, clearly not wanting him to know.
"No, I don't think we have that anymore," Donna spoke rather disheartened.
"Well, that's alright." He chuckled lightheartedly, accidentally having dropped his napkin under the table. "We can make a box like that together, you know like a team." He continued as he got down to pick it up.
"Oh, my God." Davide suddenly exclaimed, staring at Arcangelo's seat in astonishment as everyone turned in concern.
Rosalie gasped as her eyes became moist with tears while she covered her mouth, her mother holding back her tears as a grin split across her face.
"Rosalie Lucia Allegro." He spoke clearly, kneeling on one knee as he stared at her with adoration reflected in his eyes, the entire restaurant turning to look at them with smiles. "Almost two years ago we made a list."
"A list of things we wanted out of the way before I propose to you." Arcangelo grinned as he took out the box from his inner pocket, a squeal escaping her. "Let me tell you a secret, I just ticked off the last item before coming."
A laugh tore through Rosalie as she tried to blink away the tears that continued to stream down her cheeks. Elevated joy bubbling in her chest as the laughter kept surfacing along with the tears. Her brother stared in astonishment, the mother wiping her tears as Bernardo held his wife's hand, both of them feeling honored to be able to witness their daughter's wedding proposal.
"Rosalie, princess? Please do me the honours of becoming mine forever."