Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“Walk with me?” Vinnie loops her arm in mine once we’ve deposited our mother into her town car, following our obligatory lunch at Blankenship House.
Not so long ago, we had a family tradition of meeting for church every Sunday, followed by brunch, but some traditions are better off broken.
“Sly won’t be here to pick me up for another ten minutes or so. ”
When my father and my brother passed, so did our family ritual. However, the only reason I attended each Sunday without fail was to make sure my sister was protected from our brother, who made it his life’s mission to threaten and terrorize her until, quite literally, his dying breath.
Now, Vinnie and I meet our mother for lunch, brunch, or sometimes for just a quick cup of coffee, as time allows.
“Sure.” I let my sister guide us further into Central Park. It’s chilly today, overcast and bleak, and I suspect this conversation won’t last long. She’s quiet for the first few minutes, but I know her. “Say what’s on your mind. I know you’ve been bursting at the seams to yell at me.”
“Not yell, but definitely talk some sense into.” She sighs, as if my problems weigh heavily on her. And they probably do, considering the woman I can’t stop thinking about is her best friend. “Why haven’t you called her?”
“I have called her. Twice, actually. She hasn’t picked up.”
And every time I get her voicemail, it’s like a knife slicing into my heart. She doesn’t want to speak to me—not that I blame her.
“When was that?”
“Yesterday.” I gesture to a nearby bench, but Vinnie shakes her head.
“No, let’s keep going. So, you called twice yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“And she didn’t answer?”
“Vincenza, just say whatever it is you’re wanting to say.”
“It’s been nearly two weeks, Luce. What took you so long to call?”
I breathe deeply. “I don’t know.” That’s the God's honest truth. I had a million reasons why I hadn’t, yet none at all. “Uncertainty? Shame? You name it, it probably crossed my mind at some point.”
“Out of everything you could doubt in the world, you choose to doubt her intentions with you. Seriously, Luce? How she feels about you is the one thing about her that hasn’t changed over the last decade. Why would you believe she had anything to do with that horrible man’s lies?”
“I don’t know, Vinnie!” I snap, raising my voice an octave too high. Immediately, I regret it. I’ve never raised my voice at my sister, but fuck if she isn’t making me feel even worse right now.
My saint of a sister simply glares at me and adjusts her arm in mine, squeezing it tighter. “Have you ever been called a coward, Luce?”
“Only every time I look in the mirror.”
“Good. Because you are one. Raina isn’t some random woman you met at a bar.
She’s been in our lives for over ten years and is as transparent as Scotch tape.
She’s the one person aside from you and Sly who has never betrayed my trust. Knowing how she feels about you, do you really think she’d betray you? ”
“I know,” I snarl through gritted teeth.
“So, why aren’t you fighting for her?”
“I don’t know how to! Fuck, Vins, I don’t know how to make this right with her.
I love her so goddamn much, my lungs seize each time I think of her.
I can’t breathe without hearing her voice.
I’d do anything to get her back, but I fucked up when I doubted her and asked for space, and I fucked up even worse when I didn’t pick up the phone for almost two weeks.
But it got harder the longer I waited because I knew on the other end of that phone was a woman who was furiously disappointed in me.
I let her down when all I needed to do was stand by her side. ”
“At least you recognize it.”
“Yeah. Of course I do.” I rub the back of my neck. “Now I have to figure out how to win her heart back.”
“You still have it, Luce. Look, Raina may seem like she’s pure glitz and glamor, but at heart, she’s really quite simple in what she needs in her life to make her happy.”
“I know that, too. Why else would she adopt a senior fleabag?”
Vinnie laughs and lets go of my arm. There’s another bench up ahead, and she takes the lead, walking over to it. “She loves that dog so much,” she says as she sits down.
“Probably more than she’s ever loved me.”
I sit next to my sister and take in the beauty of Central Park before leaning forward with my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands.
“Oh, definitely more than you. Especially right now.”
“I need to fix things,” I groan, rubbing my face.
“Yep, you sure do. Just be honest with her, Luce. A beautiful declaration of your love in front of the people she loves most should suffice.”
“You mean at one of our dinners?”
She grins as I turn my head to look at her. Rubbing circles on my back, she nods. “Tomorrow night sounds like an excellent time to apologize. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I’m not even sure she’ll show up if she knows I’m there, to be honest.”
“She’ll show up. Raina’s loyal to a fault. You know that.”
“And you think apologizing publicly in front of our friends is enough?”
My sister laughs as if I just told her the funniest joke, and her phone begins to ring. It’s her husband, but before she takes it, she leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek, squeezing my arm.
As she stands, getting ready to leave, she shakes her head and tells me, “Oh, no, big brother. Apologizing won’t be enough. Be prepared to grovel. She’s worth it.”
Of course she’s worth it.
That was never a question in my mind.
Now it was time for me to stop being a coward and get the love of my life back.
I can’t believe I’m sending this message, but here goes nothing. I need everyone’s help.
Immediately after I press send, the replies come in one by one.
Sly
How can I be of service, amico?
Sully
Reporting for duty.
Nixon
What’s up?
Enzo
Not interested.
Sully
Shut up, Zo-Zo. Our boy needs something.
Enzo
Not my boy.
Let me rephrase. I need help, but it’s optional.
I have less than twenty-four hours to collect as many of Raina’s favorite things as I can and I can’t possibly visit all the places on my own.
Sully
It’s about time you won her back.
I should have tried more than a week ago.
Sully
Agreed.
Enzo
You’ve been even more insufferable this week.
I haven’t even seen you, Enzo.
Enzo
Thank God. But you act like Sully doesn’t give us all a play-by-play of every thought in his mind.
Sully
Hey, there are no secrets between us.
Sly
Vinnie hasn’t felt well since returning from lunch so I would like to stay close, but I will go wherever you need me to locally.
Nixon
I’ll help, too. Just tell me what you need and from where.
Sully
Adventure time. I’ll fuel up the jet. Tell me where I’m heading.
I appreciate it. Time is limited, so I’m grateful for the extra help. Let me make a list of items and locations and I’ll send it shortly.
Enzo
Fine. I’ll help too, Paladino.
Thanks.
Keep your phones on you. I’ll circle back in twenty.