[ Alberto takes the hint, and nods vaguely again, not giving much more of a response than that, still hugging himself and staring off into space. His eyes drift down toward his dark phone screen in his lap again. Even if Bruno comes back, months without talking to him will be hard. And facing the facts, Bruno may never come back, it's true. The best case scenario is that Alberto has to suffer Bruno's absence for a few months, and that upon his return, Alberto will have to suffer the uncertainty of fearing his disappearance again. That's the ideal he's hoping for right now. It's not a very comforting one. Yet he feels a mounting desperation wishing for it — and hand in hand with that feeling, a mounting doubt.
The visceral disappointment he feels sinks into his gut as he stares at his phone, realizing he's in all likelihood never going to get another text or call from Bruno... and if he's lucky, at least not for a long time. Whatever he said to him last, that was it. He picks up the phone to check what it was, only three days ago, and crumples inside when he reads it; something mundane and un-note-worthy, along the lines of "Hey, kiddo, how's it going?" "fine, doing homework. call you later." ...Then Alberto got busy and never called. Remembering that he forgot to call Bruno later, though, is what breaks his false composure inside. Tears of anger start welling in his eyes. That was the last conversation they had? He scowls deeply at the phone, holding it with both hands, then reads the two texts aloud to Luca, bitterness in his voice. ]
Then I forgot to call him back. That was Monday night. I did laundry instead…
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The visceral disappointment he feels sinks into his gut as he stares at his phone, realizing he's in all likelihood never going to get another text or call from Bruno... and if he's lucky, at least not for a long time. Whatever he said to him last, that was it. He picks up the phone to check what it was, only three days ago, and crumples inside when he reads it; something mundane and un-note-worthy, along the lines of "Hey, kiddo, how's it going?" "fine, doing homework. call you later." ...Then Alberto got busy and never called. Remembering that he forgot to call Bruno later, though, is what breaks his false composure inside. Tears of anger start welling in his eyes. That was the last conversation they had? He scowls deeply at the phone, holding it with both hands, then reads the two texts aloud to Luca, bitterness in his voice. ]
Then I forgot to call him back. That was Monday night. I did laundry instead…