Valentine's Day With Valentino by T.O. Smith

Author:T.O. Smith [Smith, T.O.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independently published

I was a sophomore in high school that year. Valentino had graduated the previous year, and he was off at college, bettering his life and becoming a better man.

In my eyes, though, Valentino would always be great.

I didn’t hate him for leaving. In fact, I had encouraged him to go. Valentino was always destined for bigger and better things. I knew he would always end up back here in Texas, working on the ranch with his grandparents and eventually taking it over, but I also knew that he needed to expand his horizons and go to college.

He hadn’t wanted to leave me behind. He had even proposed not going until I could come with him. He didn’t like the idea of leaving me behind with my dad since he was hardly ever sober enough to take care of me, but I’d told him to go. Besides, college wasn’t in my future – it never would be.

Valentino had been gone for a week, and the walks home from school were becoming lonelier and lonelier. Normally, Valentino would take me out to eat after school and get me a to-go bag of food as well for dinner later that evening since I never had food at home. Then, he would drive me home and drop me off.

But he was gone to college now.

I was on my own.

I sighed as I stepped into the house. The smell of alcohol and the stench of weed and cigarettes basically slapped me in the face as I stepped inside. I quickly rushed for my room, not wanting to face my father. Dad had become angrier and more volatile since Valentino had left, and it made me wary of him – afraid even – though Dad had never put his hands on me before. Don’t get me wrong; he always yelled and threw stuff, breaking furniture and other things, but he had never hit me.

“What took you so long to get the fuck home?” He snarled from behind me.

I swallowed thickly and slowly turned to face him, my heart thumping so hard in my chest that it was painful. “I have to walk now.” I quietly reminded him. “It takes longer to get here when I have to walk.” Even though Valentino had always taken me out for food after school, it still took me longer than that to walk here, and Dad would never fill out the paperwork for me to be able to ride the bus home.

“Don’t fucking talk to me like I’m stupid!” He shouted at me, his spit hitting me in the face right before his fist did.

I cried out, crumpling to the floor as I cradled my throbbing cheek, tears pouring down my cheeks from the pain and fear. “Dad, I didn’t mean it that way!” I told him. I wanted to get away. I had to get away.

His foot slammed into my stomach as I tried to get up from the floor. He dropped to his knees beside me as I tried rolling away, vomit in my throat, pain flaring up in my abdomen with every move I made.

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