Because I was so impoverished when I was 13, I never ate lunch. Someone in my class took note of me and began bringing me meals on a daily basis. During the same year, she disappeared, and I never saw her again after that. Fifteen years later, while I was working at a police station, I saw that her name was on the list of those who were due to be questioned. Upon her arrival, I could not move. It was the identical red lunchbox that she had.
She went by the name Livia. In the days when she was in middle school, she would carry about this bright red lunchbox that was decorated with stickers of stars and music notes. It is something that I will never forget. Before I even saw the sandwich that she was holding out to me on that particular day, it was the first thing that I saw. Jelly with peanut butter are good.
Without making any sound, she just smiled and gave it to me as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. simply like if it weren’t strange for a female to approach a child who was silent and hungry and simply… give it to them.
Every every day over a period of a few weeks, she brought something with her. a smile, sandwiches, and sometimes a hard-boiled egg or fruit, and nothing but a grin. Nobody ever asked me why. I didn’t want to make it a failure. In no way did she make a big deal out of it. At some point, she was present. After then, it was gone. The teachers didn’t go into much detail; all they said was that her family had relocated abruptly.
It was a crushing blow to me. Not just because I went hungry once again, but also because I was never given the opportunity to repay her. All of a sudden, she disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a random act of kindness. Over the course of the years, I found myself thinking about her more often than I had anticipated. Bewildered as to where she had landed up. What her condition was like. She was unsure as to whether or not she even recalled the child who wore out footwear and rarely expressed gratitude.
Rewind the clock Fifteen years— A tiny yet busy station is where I work as a police administrative assistant. I am 28 years old. The majority of my work consisted of clerical tasks, such as organizing schedules, submitting reports, and processing papers. It was not unstable. Secure.
During that particular day, I was reading over the list of people who were set to be questioned due to an ongoing investigation into financial fraud. Livia Malan was the name that caused my hand to go numb.
I was fixated on it. Malan was not a household name at the time. In addition, Livia… it had to be her.
Just before noon, she entered the building. The hair is now longer, chestnut brown in color, and has lovely waves. I was defeated, however, by the red lunchbox that she was holding in her hand. It seemed to be out of date, worn down, and scraped. It was, however, hers. Again, the same stickers. A similar form. My heart pounded like if I were thirteen years old again, and I was clutching a peanut butter sandwich in my hands that were shaking.
On the first attempt, she did not recognize me. She was gripping the lunchbox as if it were some sort of barrier because she was overcome with anxiety. After a few moment of wandering, her gaze finally settled on mine. There was a fleeting moment. Appreciation is due. She made a small inclination of her head.
Her question was, “Luca?”
I gave a little nod, and it looked as if the whole room vanished.
It was not appropriate for us to converse in such a manner, especially at a station. However, I was unable to resist the silence that prevailed.
The tone of my voice was lower than I had anticipated when I added, “You used to bring me lunch.”
Her blinking was really quick. Then came a grin. “It is clear to you.”
Why would I be able to forget? I inhaled deeply. The phrase “you vanished”
“My mother has divorced my father. This evening. My sister and I were sent to a different city there. There will be no farewells. Just vanished.” There was a few cracks in her voice. “I want to return to home. I inquired about it. What’s more, we didn’t even remain in one spot for very long.”
The officer in charge of questioning shouted her name, and just like that, she vanished behind the frosted glass. I wanted to say a million things, but she went without a trace.
I was unable to go to sleep that night. My thoughts kept going back to that moment. A lunchbox in red color. It was her voice. In addition to the fact that she was now being questioned as part of an inquiry into fraud. The particulars were unknown to me. But it didn’t appear to make sense. It did not seem that the girl who fed a starving child for no apparent reason was the sort of person who would defraud anybody.
A week had gone by. One more time, her name appeared. According to the paperwork, she was not a suspect in the case. She blew the whistle on something.
It turned out that she had worked for a charitable organization that assisted single moms. It had been discovered that one of the executives had been theft of contributions. As soon as she became aware of it, she reported it. Their attempt was to blame her for it. However, she was in possession of receipts. All of the emails and transactions that she had carried out were kept by her. That was a great move on her part.
Despite this, the pressure had been quite high. She chose to remain silent in order to save her sister, who was employed at the same charitable organization. It was the day that she came in, and it was the last straw for her. In spite of everything, she was prepared to give her whole voice.
It was well known that the detective who was handling the case was impartial. In a span of two weeks, he cleared her. It was decided to dismiss the charges. It has been cleared her name.
On her way out of the building one afternoon, she made a stop by my desk. Took the red lunchbox and positioned it in front of me.
“I chose to keep it,” she answered with a grin.
“I have taken note.”
“I guess I wanted to remember the one time when I felt like I was contributing to something.”
I elevated my gaze to her. You proved to be of great assistance. You have rescued me.
After that, we began to engage in additional conversation. On a weekly basis, she would come by. I learned that she was employed at two different places: one was at a bookshop, and the other was at a shelter. Helping without fail. Continue to have the same calm heart.
I eventually solicited her for a cup of coffee. She responded with a yes.
The first date we went on was a mess. Both of us confessed that we had no clue what we were doing, and we chatted too much and laughed too loudly than we should have. However, it hit the mark. In the past. Secure.
After a period of three months, I finally conveyed to her the significance of those meals to me. At a time when I was at my lowest point, that act of charity. “I just didn’t want you to feel invisible,” she said as she glanced down at her coffee and turned her head away from it.
Following that, we moved in together a year later. The unit is rather compact. A dripping faucet. It was, nevertheless, ours.
Both she and I continued to work, and she was promoted at the shelter. For the purpose of becoming an investigator, I began attending classes. Rather of just filing reports, I wanted to do more. In the same way that she had helped me, I wanted to assist other people.
She then received a phone call in the afternoon. An automobile accident had occurred with her sister. She made it through, but for a time she was unable to walk. During the course of her recuperation, Livia moved in with her for a period of many months. I was in favor of it. We were able to make it work.
During the course of my assistance to her in packing certain items, I came upon a folder. It had letters within. There are plenty of them. This is all written to me. beginning with the year she departed.
Virtually every week, she
