I get started on the pasta. It’s ready to go in the pot, so I heat some water.
My father smiles wryly. “Mia, do you know how a penguin builds his house?” he asks.
“No,” I say slowly, confused about where he is going with this.
“Igloos it together,” my father chuckles, and I shake my head. “That’s terrible, Papa.”
I watch Frankie for a moment, but his expression doesn’t change.
“Well, what do you call lazy shoes?” my father asks.
I knit my eyebrows together. “I don’t know….”
“Loafers,” he laughs a little at this one, shaking his head. He nudges Frankie. “You like jokes? Mia used to love my jokes when she was little.”
“Yes,” I say. “He is the master of lame dad jokes.”
Frankie doesn’t smile, and my father and I look at each other. I snort. “Frankie, can you seriously not let loose for one moment?”
Frankie looks up at me, puzzled. “No, I just, um, this is clearly your thing.”
“Do you even know any jokes?” I ask with a grin.
Frankie sighs and thinks for a moment before he says, “I can’t think because I’m afraid for the calendar.”
We look at him as he looks at me seriously and says, “Its days are number.”
I snort, and my father laughs. “That’s a good one,” my father says. “I like that one. I will have to remember it.”
Frankie smiles and nods. “Like, have you ever thought how great singing in the shower is,” he says. “At least until you get soap in your mouth. Then it’s a soap opera.”
I burst into giggles, that was a good one.
My father grins, saying, “I thought the dryer was shrinking my clothes. Turns out it was the refrigerator the whole time.”
Frankie and I laugh.
We cook dinner and exchange many jokes. I’m surprised at how funny Frankie is. He’s as good at dad jokes as my father is.
Soon the meal is prepared, and we are sitting at the table, eating.
“Where will you go?” my father asks me.
“It’s best we don’t let many people know,” I say before Frankie can offend him. “They could try to hurt you to find out.”
My father scoffs. “These drug lords are all the same. They want all the territories and no responsibility. Just money. They take the easy way out, using muscle rather than negotiations. They’re smart, very smart, but they’re also impulsive. They act on their emotions, and a business cannot be run like that.”
Frankie nods. “I couldn’t agree more, though some drug lords realize the benefit of alliances. It’s only a select few like Jose that don’t like to work with other families.”
“Pah,” my father shakes his head, “Jose has too much power to recognize his weakness.”
“What’s his weakness?” Frankie asks. I look at my father carefully.
My father shakes his head. “He thinks no one can get to him because he only surrounds himself with his family. He relies on that loyalty, but if you stay in this business long enough, you’ll eventually find out that not even family is always loyal.”
I sigh and sip my wine, setting my fork and spoon down. “Frankie, if you’re done, can you give us a moment before we have to leave?”
Frankie nods. “I’m done. I’ll wait for you in the car. Gustavo, thank you for dinner. I’ll take good care of Amelia.”