36 Questions to Fall in Love...in 36 days!

Chapter 13 : Trains and Smiles

8th of November  2023 🥀

" You know as much as your lovesick mind would love to think that it's only you and Olivia on this planet! There are other people in this world too Leonardo!" Mkhulu belted.

I had just woken up from a deep deep sleep and that was the first thing he said. No context. No good morning.

I was confused.

"Have you been standing over my bed waiting for me to wake up?" I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Mkhulu looks absolutely baffled. "That is not the point. The point is —I'm angry."

"I can tell.Would you like to tell me why you're angry or do you wanna keep watching me sleep."

I chuckle ,"Seriously, how long did you stand there? Weren't you the one who complained to me a few weeks ago about having weak knees."

Mkhulu sighs, taking a seat on the edge of my bed,he leans on his black cane. He shoots me a glare.

" I'm upset with you okay," he says,his gruff voice soft.

" You opened up to Olive bean but
treated me like I was a stranger and don't ask how I know you opened up to her. I saw it on your face yesterday when you came back from school. You had this silly smile on your face that even if I smacked you with this cane you'd still be smiling."

A silence.

"It was the stress of school okay. The stress of failing. "

He scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"Please you're the smartest person in the July family. I mean it."

"Yeah well…I'm still human. And I didn't open up to Olivia because I love her. I'm honestly quite... embarrassed about yesterday and wished you didn't remind me. I mean— crying in front of a girl?!! She must think I'm a wimp or—"

Mkhulu bursts out laughing, his cane clanking to the floor. He's full blown laughing in my face. I take it in like a man.

"And you wonder why I don't open up to you." I mutter, humiliated.

He tries to control himself and he ends up coughing terribly.

"I'm sorry—I just wasn't expecting that. Crying huh? It was that bad?"

"It was that bad. I would have opened up to a clown in the street with the way I was bottling things up. She  just happened  to be there at the moment I couldn't control myself. I'm thankful but embarrassed."

Mkhulu chuckles softly, a glimmer in his brown eyes.

"I remember the first time Sophie saw me crying. It was like the best-worst feeling. "

"Gogo saw you cry?"

"Tons of times but I'll never forget the first time. It was…it was so …so embarrassing. I mean I was full blown ugly crying, wiping snot on her scarf—that's why she told me to keep it."

We laugh.

"Anyway, it stopped being embarrassing in our 4th year of marriage. Don't worry too much about it Leonardo. "

"I won't and thank you "

"For what?"

"How you handled everything yesterday. For worrying about me and wanting me to open up. I don't know if I've ever said this but you're a really great grandfather."

And for the first time in a long time, Mkhulu's face breaks into a full blown smile, a compliment on  his trimmed beard. His brown eyes are aglow with happiness.