If I turn into a ghost, I'll haunt you! (1)

The first time I realized Heidi was a special girl happened when she got revenge for me during P.E class.

I cannot say I was bad at sports, but the other boys were definitely better. So, they often made fun of it. I thought it was all in a friendly way; like classmates joking about it because we all knew what we were bad at. Then, in races, there was one person who started excelling in them: Heidi Ricci. She could win even against boys.

"You're sooo slow! Like babies crawling!"

"You're not even trying! Next time run like you mean to."

"My sister runs faster. And I don't even have a sister."

Her savage comments would make the boys fume and whine. Years later, I realized their egos were so broken by a girl that they thought she was a bad person. But they never considered themselves bad for making fun of me with those same comments. At that time, I did not realize the depth of what happened; I was just happy to see Heidi being so awesome.

Yes, she was unkempt, but she was pretty amazing!

As her friend, maybe even her best friend, I saw more about Heidi than our classmates. All the little things she did for me piled up with time until they burst into love.

Heidi shined when she was first in P.E class.

Heidi was like an angel whenever she got snacks for me.

Heidi was a real goddess that lightened up my life with her smiles.

Heidi could call forth the wrath of the universe while angry.

It is not that I have forgotten about it. Last time she got angry at me, she kicked me so hard in the butt that I was literally thrown in the air. When my mom asked why I had my hands and knees scrapped, I could not tell her it was because I called Heidi a stinky, flea-bitten urchin and she kicked me in her rage.

The things I had to do for her to forgive me!

Those are better left unsaid. I am not very proud of those moments.

So, yes, I know how her anger feels like. I have no idea why I thought she could have mellowed out as she grew up. Instead, I think she became worse. The upside is that she rarely gets angry, but when she does… harrowing.

I do not dare to guess how angry she will be when she realizes I have no idea how to fix the mess with her parents. The nerve, audacity and courage I had to actually volunteer! With years, I have become more handsome, and more stupid. I honestly admit that.

But it is not the time to wallow in the despair – though there is reason to panic; a couple of days have passed and my mind cannot come up with anything! I have no way whatsoever on how to smooth down the crack that might have formed between Heidi and her parents thanks to my big mouth.

Or I could ask someone to help me think of something…

And my mind flashes me with the perfect person for the job. When it comes to problems, he is the king of dealing with them; what with the myriad of troubles he gets into that strangely never see the light. Either he has bought people in the media, or he is one dangerous person with many shady deals.

Anyway, he might propose something good to fix my problem!

Without losing more time, I quickly take out my phone and dial Niccolo's number.

"Come to my house, Niccolo, now." I demand the moment the call connects and hang up without waiting for his response. He will come, I know.

Lo and behold, thirty minutes later, he appears at my house as if he is the hero of the movie: with an arrogant smile and an exaggerated pose. I roll my eyes and gesture at him to hurry up and sit. When he's done getting comfortable on the sofa, I start recounting the reason why I called him.

"I met Heidi's parents at a fashion event a few days ago. And I said something that might have put them at odds with Heidi. Nothing too bad, I mean, Heidi did tell me not to tell her parents about her real career, but they were being harsh towards her and the words just… left my mouth…" Bad recounting, charged guilty.

Niccolo blinks as he stares. "So, you betrayed her."

His words were so cutting and his tone of voice so heavy that it made me wince. Put like that, it seems to be the case. "I, uh… I did, didn't I?"

He closes his eyes and his edginess disappears. I hadn't known Niccolo could be this intense! And that tension only stopped when he closed his eyes! Just what happened?! This guy can be this scary?! He then sighs and shakes his head. "You're really hopeless, Aldo. Go talk with them and take responsibility for that cheap mouth of yours." And that moment vanishes as soon as he opens his mouth.

"Hey!"

"I mean it!" He raises his hands to placate. "You have to soften the path, so when they meet, her parents won't have a reason to be mad at her. Either you apologize for your words, take responsibility or just die for your sins, it's your choice." I nod.

Even when he is a bit rude, and overly dramatic – seriously, what is with that 'die for your sins'? –, he is right: I have to take responsibility for this mess.

I thank Niccolo for his advice, and then readily kick him out of the house. If not, then he will take the mile, get all comfortable and never leave.

Following Niccolo's advice, I call Heidi's parents to the number they gave me in case I wanted to contact them.

"Aldo?" Mrs. Ricci's voice sounds on the other line.

"Hello, Mrs. Ricci, how have you been?" Smooth and polite, Aldo. This is your mother-in-law.

"Been good, thanks for asking. Is there something?" She does not beat around the bush and asks.

"Yeah, well, I just want to know if it's possible to meet up before you visit Heidi? I, um, there's something I have to tell you first." I feel sweat covering my back from the nerves.

"Is it about Heidi?" There is a weird lilt in her voice that I totally ignore because I single-mindedly need for the call to be over to start planning the meeting.

"Yes, it's about her. Is a meal fine?" Please say yes, please say yes!

"Of course, dear. I'll send you the name of the hotel we'll stay at and we can meet in the restaurant there. Midday?" She happily makes the appointment.

YES! "Sure. Food's on me." I have to impress the in-laws after all.

Mrs. Ricci chuckles. "That's a deal then. See you." And she hangs up.

I melt into the sofa in relief. Now, some planning.

Stylish clothes? Check!

Comfortable and fashionable shoes? Check!

Elegant accessories? Check!

Showered and hair immaculately coiffed? Check!

Sunglasses? Check!

Confidence and serenity? Uncheck!

Gosh, I'm dying inside. I couldn't think of a way to soften them! I mean, they looked angry when they discovered their daughter lied to them with something so important, that any words to appease them sounded so superficial in my ears.

So, I hope they see my effort in reserving the best table in the restaurant; it was at a pretty hidden corner, so no one will bother us without any of us noticing. And I made extra sure no paparazzi followed me here!

I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart, yet it starts hammering in my chest again when I see Mr. and Mrs. Ricci walking towards me. They look like a pair of gods about to punish a mortal. And, yes, that mortal is me. Poor little me will be hit by lightning or burnt with just a thought. I know so!

Mom, at least your son will die by the hands of people you know, so please don't put them in jail!