“You’ll get through this. I think you moving out on your own again is a great start. Just don’t tell your mother I said that. I’ll deny it until the day I die.” Dad kisses the side of my head. I tip my head back, smiling with my response. “I won’t say a word. We could always pin it on Jackson anyways.” I end up with the vehicle Dad likes in the color of my choice. Between my savings, which was more than they thought I had, I don’t need their help after all, and my payments are so low I can double up on the payments, paying it off in a year. Even though there were a few stumbles along the way, today was a good day.
CHAPTER 8
MASSIMO
“It’s taken care of, Massimo,” Papa says the next morning after I called him yesterday once I got home and settled.
“Grazie. I know that wasn’t easy, and I appreciate you dealing with him.” Even though he’s retired, there are still some lines he has no problem crossing. Though, I know he made this one look like an accident to protect Lorenzo’s family figuring out just how bad it was. We wouldn’t usually do that. We’d make it known far and wide. The only reason I asked it to be kept quiet was because of the backlash Lorenzo’s mother would receive. She didn’t need the added stress of her son betraying the Russo’s on top of her steadily declining health.
“Prego.” He says you’re welcome in Italian; his accent gets thicker as the days go by since he’s left America.
“Send Mama my love. I need to get off the phone and quit working today. Dante asked to go to the zoo.” The chuckle tells me I’m in for a treat.
“Will do. Make sure you send your mama pictures, or she’ll talk my ear off. The next thing you know, she’ll be on a jet out of here and living with you if not.” A shudder runs through my body. I love her like any son would, but her living with me under one roof even in a house this size, it would be a battlefield.
“Ciao.” We get off the phone. It’s Saturday, which means no school for Dante and Hilda is off for the weekend. This was my doing. After our talk, I knew it was time for me to step up to the plate and be more hands on with Dante. Sienna would be pointing her finger in my face, yelling at me in her broken Italian, telling me to quit working so much and to take care of her son. So, that’s what I’m going to do, or attempt to at least.
“Uncle, is it time to go now?” I walk out of my office, shutting and locking the door after me, not wanting a little nosey boy to get inside to look around when I’m not there with him.
“It is. What do you say we go to the zoo, then after, we’ll stop and get something to eat, hmm?” I ask, not saying where we’re going to eat because if I do, he’ll be begging for ice cream as dinner.
“Is dessert included in this meal?” I reach my hand out to his. He’s dressed himself today. Not having Hilda here shows, but that’s okay. He’s in a uniform every day at the private school Sienna secured for him. She tried to pay for it herself. There was no way I was allowing her to dip into the money from Dante’s father; that was for her to live off of, to put away for later in life if she wanted to move out on her own with her son. Today, he’s in a red T-shirt, olive-green shorts, and a pair of white sneakers. Not atrocious, but certainly not what Hilda would have set out for him.
“If you eat all of your dinner, then yes.” My eyes sweep over my sister’s son. A damn shame she’s not here to raise him. She’d be much better than the poor excuse of an uncle I am.
“Mama would make me do the same thing. Miss Hilda said that she’ll be off on the weekends now. Does that mean you and I will spend them together?” We walk out the front door. Giuseppe is off since today isn’t about work. That means I’ll be driving us around and giving Dante as much normalcy as possible.
“Yep, but you have to promise to remind me to send Nonna pictures today. which animal are you most excited to see today?” My car is parked in the driveway. This is one of Dante’s favorite vehicles of mine, back in time when I was just an uncle and we’d piss Sienna off by going to the gas station to load up on candy and slushies.