I knew very little about his dad and what I did know Saul hadn’t told me. That part of his world was closed to me and I wondered what else about Saul I may never get to know. Before I could dwell on it and get in my own dark place, I pushed the worries back and focused on what I needed to tell Rio. Today had been a good day. I didn’t want to ruin it with my fears about Saul and the future I knew we wouldn’t get.
“Do you want a drink or something?” I asked Rio.
He shook his head and plopped down on the sofa and crossed his arms over his chest. “Nope. Tell me what you know. I’m ready.”
I walked over and sat down in the floral chair across from him. “Well, okay. Let me start with a few days ago. Last week to be exact. The day that Saul was missing.”
“Back when we were still focused on finding out who our father was?” Rio asked with a smirk and teasing glint in his eyes. I knew he was pointing out once Saul and I decided to do whatever it was we were doing that I had been less focused on Rebel’s identity.
“Yeah, well you see, I already knew who Rebel was by then. I wasn’t sure when to tell you or how to tell you or if I should talk to…” I stopped and sighed. “Emily, the redhead I work with, that is also Hillya’s great niece, broke a frame in Hillya’s office. She came out to apologize and said that the picture of Rebel was fine, just the frame was broken. When Hillya left the kitchen, I asked who Rebel was and she said he was Hillya’s son. He died in a car accident when he was twenty.”
Rio was leaning forward now, his elbows propped on his knees and his brow creased in a frown. “Are you serious?” he asked.
“Yes and today Hillya and I were there alone and the topic came up about my mom and stuff so I just asked her point blank about Rebel. She confirmed that he was my father and yours.” I didn’t tell him about the photo of Rebel holding me or his mother being pregnant the reason my mom left town and Rebel. I wasn’t sure how to explain all that or if I even should.
Rio said nothing for several moments. “Shit,” he finally muttered. “You’ve been working for her all this time and she knew but said nothing.”
I nodded. “Yeah. She wasn’t sure how to.”
“I’ve gotten coffee and cupcakes there for years,” he said, shaking his head. “How could she say nothing all this time?”
“What was she supposed to say? Put yourself in her shoes. Her son got two girls pregnant around the same time. He didn’t have anything to do with either, then he died young. She didn’t feel like she could know us.”
Rio shook his head and stared out the window. I let him process it all and remained quiet. I’d been given plenty of time to think this through and I’d spoken with Hillya. He hadn’t been given the same experience.
“She wants to meet you, officially. She wants to talk to you,” I told him, and he turned his head back to look at me.
“Why? What the fuck is there to say?” His tone sounded angry. I hadn’t expected him to respond this way.
“You have questions and I still have some I didn’t think about when we spoke. She can tell us about our father. She can tell us how he died.” I stopped then added. “She said your voice is identical to his and your eyes.”
He took a deep breath and stood up. “Yeah, well it’s been twenty-two fucking years. Why hasn’t she told me all this by now?” He started walking toward the door.
“I have those pictures I found of my mom’s. You can take them and look at them when you’re ready,” I said, hoping he would calm down after he had some time to think this all through.
He paused and glanced back at me. “Yeah. Okay.”
Relieved that he was open to at least looking at the pictures, I took out the two that my mother wasn’t in and handed them to him.
He didn’t look at them, but he did take them. “Thanks. I’ll bring them back,” he promised then continued toward the door.
When he opened it, he stopped and I thought he was going to say something more but he didn’t. He walked outside and closed it behind him.
I sank back down onto the chair and let out a weary sigh. That had not gone how I expected it to. I was glad I hadn’t told him about the baby picture of me and Rebel. He wasn’t very fond of Hillya’s silence, but I hoped he would decide to talk to her at some point.