Leo's Story by Maria Bogdanova

 (Prequel to the `The one who doesn`t deserve`)
Leo was only 6 when his father left the family. His mother was very sad.
She was crying at nights thinking that he didn`t hear, but he did. Younger sisters were sleeping peacefully, but he used to listen to her disconsolate sobs.
Leo was only 7 when he stole bar of chocolate in the shop. Mother didn`t buy them sweets – there was no money for it. Willow and Stef were asking for candies, they didn`t understand the situation: they can barely afford bread and cheap meat for eating. But the boy was older and he saw how they live. He stole the chocolate for sisters.  Leo wasn`t caught and he was proud because of that. Since then he started to steal different products from stores and markets, and their refrigerator became
always full and they – always replete.  Leo wasn`t sure whether mother noticed the changes. She still cried at nights.
Leo was 11 when he filched the purse from the bag of absent-minded old woman at the market. He `earned` 200 dollars. The family lived like kings whole month. He stopped to steal food and aimed for new loot – wallets. He was very successful here too, no one suspected him. For the Christmas Leo presented mother golden ring with emerald. He said that it`s a fake, which he bought at the supermarket. Mother thanked him. It was the first holiday when she was too drunk to cook and
celebrate. She was crying again and Leo gave her a bottle of gin.
Leo was 14 when he committed his first burglary. It was the house of wealthy dealer who spent vacation in Europe. The boy already had connections and fame in criminal world, so he disposed from stolen easily. Mother lost the job at the hospital (she was a nurse) and he had to work more. He paid for Willow`s and Stef`s theatre school. Girls were dreaming to become Hollywood actress.
Leo was 15 when he met Jill and fell in love with her. They were dating. His mother was walking outside drunk as usual. She was hit by a car that didn`t stop.
Leo became an orphan. He was separated from sisters and he lived with unnatural parents who had adopted four other children. He found out that Gill got pregnant from some guy, and Willow was seriously sick. She had strong convulsions, but the doctors didn`t know their reason. They thought it was connected with nerves.
Leo was 16 when he run away from `home` and left school with no intention to finish it. He decided to become a professional thief. Willow died and he didn`t meet with Stef. He forgot about Jill as well. He started new life in Chicago not knowing that he would come back to New York and meet Jill again. But that`s another story to tell.