Alfred

Margherita decided that Alfred was her eternal lover. She dreamed about him day and night.

Her love was so strong that she stopped going to school, eating, going out with friends and she rarely left her room. Her parents began to worry and thought she was ill with a terrible disease. Her face became emaciated and her bones began to stick out through her nearly translucent skin. Margherita knew that Alfred yearned for her body, but she was afraid because of the age difference between them and that she was still a student.

Margherita knew that she would not divulge her relationship with Alfred to her parents as they would forbid her from seeing him. They might even file a complaint with the police because of her underage status, which would lead to his arrest. She, therefore, kept it a tight secret even from her best friends.

At night, while lying in bed with closed eyes, she began to caress her nipples and slide her fingers between her legs, imagining that Alfred was leaning over her and kissing her softly on her mouth. "Oh Alfred, kiss me, more, more. Please, Alfred my love, do to me as you desire. I am yours forever. Alfred my love, take me far away, take me to where it is just the two of us," she whispered in a choking voice, all the while penetrating herself with her fingers, with her breathing becoming heavier and faster.

Margherita was laying in the dark as she calmed down from the emotional storm that had overcome her. Her mind became more lucid as she concentrated on the new idea that popped into her mind: "Runaway," she thought. I will run away with him to a place where we are not recognized and we will start anew. Slowly her arms dropped at her sides as she curled up in her blanket, pulled the pillow over her head and fell asleep with her ​​rabbit doll in her arms.

The next day, she told her parents that she was well enough to return to school. She ate breakfast, took her backpack, her favorite red wool hat and waved to her astonished parents as she left home and headed for school.

After walking for a few blocks, she turned around, entered the street parallel to her house, to the street where Alfred lived. She climbed the stairs, stopped in front of his door and stood there for a while with her ear against the door and listened. There was no sound coming from the apartment other than the ringing of the alarm clock that was set to go off at eight o'clock. When she heard a slight rustling sound, she realized that Alfred had probably woken up and was getting ready to go to work. She tiptoed up to the floor above and waited. Suddenly the door opened, and a young woman exited the apartment and began running down the steps. Margherita did not recognize her, but the fact that a girl came out of the apartment sent her reeling in shock. When she had gone, Margherita went down to his apartment and knocked lightly on the door. "What happened love, did you forget your keys?" she heard Alfred say as he opened the door. They both stood stunned looking at each other's eyes without speaking. Alfred was the first to recover and said, "Margherita, you are a student, I cannot continue seeing you. Do you want to destroy my life? I could be sent to jail."

Alfred stood with a long-drawn face, feeling depressed when Margherita addressed him. "Do you love me, Alfred? Did you love me when I gave up my virginity to you?"

Alfred could not look up from the floor. He just stood in silence with tears running down his cheeks, and said, "Yes, I loved you and I still love you to death, but I cannot ruin your life and mine. You lied to me about your age. The girl who just left is an eighteen-year-old student from your school who told me what grade you are in."

"Alfred," Margherita cried, "Age does not matter, there is no age limit to love. If you truly love me, you will find a way for us to be together. Let us run away to another city where we will not be recognized."

"Are you crazy," Alfred said. "You want to get me into jail, escaping with a minor. Your parents will immediately file a complaint about kidnapping, and the German police will search for us all over and find us within a few hours."

Margherita pushed him inside and slammed the door. "Alfred," she begged, "Kiss me. Prove to me that you still love me."

Alfred walked over to her and held her face in his hands, bent over and kissed her on her lips. Margherita pushed her body up to his, tightly linking her mouth to his mouth and curling her tongue around his tongue. They both lay down on the carpet in the center of the room and began tearing off their clothes. Margherita lay on top of him as he penetrated her lying on his back. She began pulsating faster and faster as he cupped her small breasts and pinched her nipples. Margherita suddenly felt his flow inside her and lay down on him with her legs tightly together to preserve his seed inside her.

Alfred and Margherita lay cuddled on the carpet in the living room until they fell asleep.

When Margherita came home that evening, her father looked at her and said, "I do not recognize my daughter anymore. What happened to her, she does not talk to either of us anymore."

"Giancarlo, leave the child alone, she is reaching puberty. Give her some freedom," Federica grumbled.

"You talk about me as if I'm not here. Is this any way of talking to me? Have you all gone mad," Margherita screamed.

Margherita went into her room and slammed the door shut, as her father chased after her and broke into the room. His face was red with rage as he yelled, "Do not dare to speak to us in that tone, we gave you everything, and this is what we get in return."

"What do you want from my life? What have I done that you attack me with such brutality?" Margherita yelled back.

Suddenly, Giancarlo grabbed his chest with both hands. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. He collapsed on the floor of Margherita's room hitting his face on the edge of her marble table. His body did not move and a large bloodstain was visible beneath his head.

"Oh, Jesus, what happened? Giancarlo, what happened? Quickly, call an ambulance," shouted a trembling Federica, as she entered the room and saw Margherita holding her father's head.

Within ten minutes an ambulance arrived. Three paramedics entered the apartment and began to revive him. After several attempts, Giancarlo's body began showing signs of life and when his condition stabilized he was transferred by ambulance to the hospital.

Margherita and Federica followed the ambulance in their own car.

None of them spoke during the entire trip to the hospital. Margherita looked at her mother who was driving recklessly and very fast, with tears streaming down her face. She was consumed by regret for her behavior. "Oh my God, help my father remain alive," she prayed silently.

When they arrived at the hospital, they learned that Giancarlo was in the Intensive Care Unit in a serious but stable condition. Mother and daughter could do nothing more than to sit outside the ward and pray.

"What happened that he got so angry about? What did you say to him?" her mother inquired.

Margherita decided that this was not the time to get into her intimate issues. She regretted that she had not run away from home before the confrontation with her father. "Let's talk about it when the situation improves. Now is neither the time nor the place for this discussion," Margherita replied, holding her mother's trembling hand.

Towards evening, the department head advised them that it was pointless for them to stay any longer. The patient was sedated and on a respirator to ease his breathing. "Go home and come back tomorrow," he advised them as he gave a smile of encouragement.

When they returned the next day, they learned that during the night Giancarlo's condition had improved and he had been removed from the respirator. "You can go in to see him, but I will ask you to enter one at a time," the nurse told them.

Federica went in first. She grabbed hold of his hands while tears were streaming from her eyes. Giancarlo just looked at her but said nothing as tears trickled down his face. He did not have the strength to hold her hands and his arm just dropped by his side. He was unable to speak, but he looked at her and expressed his love for her by trying to smile.

When Margherita entered the room, Giancarlo closed his eyes and refused to look at her. She took hold of his cold hand and said, "Papa, I love you very much. I am very sorry about what happened and I pray for your recovery," and left his room.

After spending a week in the hospital Giancarlo was released. The same ambulance that transported him to the hospital now took him home. It was forbidden for him to leave the house for at least another week, and after that only for short walks and accompanied by somebody, since he was taking blood thinners. Slowly his appetite began to return. Federica said that it was "a sure sign of health."

Margherita started throwing up every morning. At first, she thought it was because of the stress that had accumulated due to her father's condition. When she realized that her menstrual cycle had stopped, she realized that she was probably pregnant. She did not tell her mother a thing. Later that day, as her curiosity was growing she purchased a home pregnancy-testing kit. She went into the bathroom of a nearby cafe, performed the test; the result was without a doubt positive.

Margherita made her way by bus to Alfred's home and with a pounding heart knocked on the door. She could hear footsteps like those of tapping heels approaching the door. The door opened and there stood a girl that she recognized from school. She did not know her name but identified her as the same girl she had seen leaving the apartment the last time she was there.

Alfred appeared in the doorway and said, "Margherita, why are you doing this again?"

Margherita had an urge to tell him how much she loved him, tell him that she was carrying his child in her womb and all about her sick father, but no words came out of her mouth. With a spinning head and tears in her eyes, she turned and started to run away. She bumped into a man who was coming towards her and they both fell to the ground.

"I am so sorry, I did not see you. I apologize for my recklessness," she said with downcast eyes not able to look at him,

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked as he grabbed her around the waist supporting her so that she did not fall once again.

"I think I should sit down someplace. I feel very weak," Margherita said.

The young man helped her walk, partially dragging her, to a small plaza where there were some benches in the shade. Margherita sat down. She noticed that the man was very good looking and dressed in a business suit.

He turned to her and asked, "Would you like me to leave or to stay?"

Margherita looked at him and said, "I would very much appreciate it if you could stay with me a few minutes."

"Michael Dunkel is the name," he said while extending his hand to her.

"Margherita" she replied softly and shook his hand. She held his hand for a while until signs of embarrassment appeared on his face. She then let go of his hand and said, "Forgive me, but I needed that."