Chapter Fourteen- Buddha #2
“Talking about Sofia, where is she?” Just as I asked my question, my mother walked into the room.
“She left to relieve your father of his babysitting duties,” my mother said, stepping into the room.
She quickly came up to me. Smiling proudly, she pulled me in and tiptoed so she could kiss my cheek.
“I’m so happy that you and Snow are back home in one piece, Phillipe.
Later, when you and Snow are back home and settled, your father and I would like to hear everything.
Let me leave you and your wife; I need to go get some rest,” my mother said before she walked to Dior’s bedside and bent to kiss her goodbye.
“No, no, come back here. I need to ask you something.” I said just as she began making her way to the door. Using my index finger, I signaled my mother to walk back to me.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, reversing her steps.
I looked at my mother and wondered how I was even about to start this conversation, because to me, what I was about to say sounded so far-fetched and frankly a little crazy.
However, if it were one person who would know the truth, it would be this woman right here, standing in front of me.
“When I landed, I went to the main house and found out that Dior was at this hospital. I had to go upstairs to ask Tomasso if he knew anything, and do you know what Tomasso told me?” I asked my mother, folding my arms tightly across my chest.
“How would I know what Tomasso said?” My mother asked. I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Well, it seemed after everyone left for the hospital. Rocki took a shit and had to be cleaned. Do you get where I’m going with this?
Or do I need to continue and tell you that I thought my father had lost his fucking mind by telling me that his grandson was really his granddaughter.
” I got my answer from the look on my mother’s face.
I took a step back because I was fucking floored.
I turned to Dior, and I had to take another fucking step back.
Judging by Dior’s expression and her lack of shock, she also knew.
“This is fucking unbelievable. Both of you have ten fucking seconds to make sense out of this nonsense…starting now,” I said to both ladies, pointing at the watch on my wrist.
“I found out by accident and was sworn to secrecy by Sofia,” Dior blurted out first. I narrowed my eyes at her before turning to my mother.
“I was also sworn to secrecy until Sofia figured some things out. It’s all very complicated, Phillipe,” my mother said that shit as if me finding out I really had a niece and not a nephew was alright.
Like this shit happened every day. I never wanted to snatch my own mother up the way I wanted to right fucking now.
“Victoria, what do I even say to you right about now?” Pointing at her, I used her government name, which she didn’t particularly like, just by the way her expression changed. Too bad for her because I couldn't give a fuck!
“Excuse you, Phillipe. Who are you calling Victoria?”
“You, Victoria! I mean, I thought Tomasso had lost his fucking mind. Do you know that? I legit believed the stroke had fucked up my father’s brain when he told me that shit.
I had to ask him if he had anything to eat or drink for the day.
I thought it was elder abuse! He swore to me that he wasn’t crazy and Rocki was really a little girl.
“I mean, poor fucking Rocki. I had to check for my fucking self, just to be sure I didn’t need to have my father committed to a fucking mad house.
I mean you and Sofia and maybe even you,” I said, pointing at Dior.
“All of y'all are a bunch of crazy ass females hiding something like this. Are you all trying to make Rocki grow up confused? What was the thought process between you three that you all thought this was a good fucking idea!” I grabbed my forehead because my brain was about to explode from all this fucking disturbing shit.
“I’ll remind you that we’re in a hospital and you need to lower your voice, Phillipe,” my mother said, as though I could give a fuck who heard. Maybe these nurses should hear me, so that they can come in and put my mother on the psych ward.
“Oh, you’ll remind me, Victoria?” I said, releasing a humorless laugh. I covered my mouth as I searched my brain for more things I wanted to say to my mother. However, everything that entered my head was so fucking disrespectful; she probably would never speak to me again.
“Tell me, who really is Rocki's father? I bet you know exactly who it is. Do you know? Since you seem to be aligned with all this bull-shit,” I asked Dior, who rolled her eyes at me as if I was being dramatic for no reason.
“No, I do n—-,” Dior started speaking, and then she stopped mid-sentence and stared at me. Lifting her hand up to her mouth, she stared at my mother, and her eyes widened.
“What’s happening now? Why do you have that look on your face?” I asked, irritated, shoving my hands into my pockets.
“Oh my God…it’s Luca,” Dior whispered softly, staring at my mother. Now, I was absolutely confused more than ever. So I turned to my mother, whose eyes had grown teary as she looked at Dior and then slowly focused on me.
“Back in Italy, he said something that at the time didn’t make any sense.
He said, you Ricci women, you’re always so high and mighty.
I couldn’t understand why he spoke in plural tense if he was just talking about me.
But then, Victoria, you also said something when I told you he attacked me.
It was like you already knew he was a rapist. Oh my God, he raped Sofia?
” I listened to everything Dior said, and I began to feel my stomach churn.
Raped? Luca raped my sister. There was no fucking way that was the truth.
Turning to my mother, she looked at me with her pity-filled eyes. Tears slowly trickled out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. That was when it hit me that Dior was telling the truth, Luca raped my sister, got her pregnant, and my mother really, seriously kept that shit from everyone.
“Mothafucka,” I muttered, doubling over, placing my hands on my knees as I struggled to catch my breath. I filled my lungs and then exhaled, repeating the action several times until I could breathe normally again. Standing up, I faced my mother, and I didn’t know how to think or how to even feel.
Sofia had been raped, and nobody protected her.
In this family, we protect one another; that’s what the fuck we do.
I kept staring at the woman who brought me into this world, and all I felt at this very moment was rage.
I did my best to remain calm as I reached into my pocket and took out my phone.
I needed to get away from this room, from my mother, shit, even from my wife.
“Take Dior home when she gets discharged,” I said, turning to leave the room as I dialed Sofia’s number.
“Where are you going?”
“Buddha, where are you going?”
Both women shouted behind me as I left the room. I ignored them both as I waited for Sofia to answer her phone. It was bad enough that she had to go through this shit alone, as if though she didn’t have brothers that would fucking kill for her. My mother really was something else.
“Hello,” Sofia finally answered after trying her phone three times, but there was something off about her voice. She sounded like she had been crying.
“Sofia, where are you?” I asked, punching the button for me to get in the elevator.
“Phillipe,” Sofia said my name, and then she began crying. My blood ran cold in my veins, and I froze when another voice came on the phone.
“The big bad Buddha. The man who killed my father, and now I was about to return the favor by killing his sister.” Hearing Luca’s voice the most terrifying thing I experienced for the day. Not because I was scared of the pussy, but because I was afraid of what he would do to my sister.
“Luca, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let my sister go.”
“Oh, it’s not just your sister. My son is here also. I’m about to make you feel what I feel. I’m about to make you hurt like I’m hurting, losing everyone you love.” Before I got the opportunity to ask where the fuck he had my sister and niece, he hung up the phone.
My stomach started doing weird flips as I called my brother. If he had Rocki also, that meant Sofia made it home. The fact that Luca still believed Rocki was a boy made me wonder even harder about why Sofia lied the way she did.
“What’s up?” Snow answered on the second ring.
“Luca’s got Sofia,” I blurted out as I stepped inside the elevator.
“What? That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Yes, the fuck it does. I’ll explain everything, but not right now.
You need to go over to Sofia’s house; I won’t make it in time.
Get there and see if Luca’s holding her there; he has Rocki also.
” I raced out of the elevator before the doors even opened all the way.
I ran toward the exit of the hospital, almost knocking people over.
“There’s a lot of shit going on, but as of right now, we have to get our sister and niece away from Luca.” I kept running as I found my car and opened the door.
“Niece? Did you say, niece? What the fuck are you even talking about?”
“As I said, fratello (brother), there’s a lot of shit happening.
Go to Sofia’s house and protect our sister the best that you can until I get there.
Oh, and if Luca is there…keep him alive for me.
” I hung up the phone before he could ask more questions.
In a way, I felt so fucking helpless. If anything happened to my sister, if Luca harmed one hair on her head or my niece’s head. I would never forgive my mother!