Chapter Five- Snow #2
Walking out into the restaurant, my eyes searched around diners until I found Angel seated in a booth at the back. Taking a deep breath, I walked over to her. She lifted her head and smiled when she saw me. I did not return her greeting. I sat down and mean-mugged the fuck out of her.
“What’s up, Pinocchio?” I asked, folding my fingers on top of the table as I looked at her. She made a face at me, not liking her nickname.
Angel stayed quiet as she reached inside her designer bag and pulled out a white envelope. She slid it over the table to me.
“The fuck is that?” I asked, pointing at the envelope.
“Open it,” she said. Snatching it up, I flipped it open and pulled out the contents.
I felt my heart flutter in my ribcage as I stared at the 3D ultrasound of her baby.
I didn’t say a word as I looked at the images; there were four in total.
Different angles of the little red bean-shaped fetus.
My heart immediately softened because this could really be my child.
“That’s our baby,” Angel said softly. I looked up at her, and as much as I wanted to be angry, I couldn’t. I exhaled loudly and looked at the sonogram. Secretly, I hoped this was going to be a girl.
“So you’re really gonna have this bambina (baby),” I asked, folding the pictures and putting them back in the envelope.
“Bambina, why not bambino? You think it’s a girl?” Angel smiled with a tilt of her head.
“I hope so; I always wanted to be a girl, Dad.” I gave her back the sonogram, forgetting I was supposed to be upset.
“Vincent,” Angel said, reaching for my hand on the table. “I know my personality can be much at times, and I may go a little overboard with my storytelling, but I really do like you,” Angel smiled sweetly at me.
“A little overboard,” I teased, because she lied like a mothafucka.
“Ok, I can admit I do too much, but I really want this baby. I want you to be excited as I am. Please, stop asking me to get rid of it and be excited for us. We’re gonna have a baby.” Angel got teary-eyed as she squeezed my hand and smiled. Fuck it!
“We’re gonna have a baby,” I repeated her sentiments. Giving off a soft squeal, Angel leaned across the table and wrapped her hands around my neck.
“Well, isn’t this lovely?” The deep voice of someone suddenly talking caused Angel and me to pull away from each other. Standing there scowling down at us was Edwardo, with two of his goons behind him.
“Daddy, what are you doing here?” Angel asked, with a terrified look on her face. Edwardo had a cane in his hand. I had no idea he was now using a cane to walk. Ignoring her question, Edwardo sat down in the booth next to his daughter as he glared at me.
“You Ricci boys are like an infestation of wild ants that’s hard to get rid of,” Edwardo said, tapping his cane on the tiled floor. I know this mothafucka didn’t just call me a bug.
“If I were you, I’d get the fuck on before my brother finds out you’re here,” I told him, hoping he’d take the hint and leave. Instead, he watched me right in my face and laughed.
“Do you think I’m afraid of that rovina famiglie (homewrecker)? You think because he’s older and has a little bit of muscle, I should be scared of him?” Edwardo’s facial expression changed before he turned to look at his daughter.
“You’re just like your mother, you know that? Always ready to hop on the first standing dick. You love defying me every chance you get. Do you know how hard I worked to get Mervin to even consider looking at you?”
“Then you marry him,” Angel said. Edwardo was about to say something when the white envelope on the table caught his attention.
He reached for it, but Angel tried to grab it before he could.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t quick enough. We both watched as Edwardo opened the envelope and pulled out the 3D ultrasound of his grandchild.
Getting to his feet, his angry face was enough to make Angel cower.
“Get the fuck up,” he demanded, crumpling the pictures and dropping them on the table.
“Is there a reason you’re in my fucking restaurant?” I heard my brother’s voice before I saw him.
“Oh shit, it’s the little brother that acts like the big brother,” Edwardo cracked, giving his full attention to Buddha.
“Why don’t you grab your daughter and hobble the fuck out of my restaurant, and don’t forget to take Ren and Stimpy with you,” he said, nodding at Edwardo’s goons.
“Let’s just go, daddy,” Angel said, getting up from her seat. Her eyes clouded with tears, and she fought to keep them from falling. Edwardo watched as his daughter stood and walked toward him. However, he made no attempts to leave; instead, he focused on me.
“I’ll do you both a favor, if Mervin agrees to forgive my puttana (whore) daughter, I’ll go easy on you both,” Edwardo said, tapping his cane on the floor as he looked at his daughter in disgust.
Deciding I’d been silent long enough, I got to my feet and looked at Angel. The first teardrop rolled down her cheek, and that did something to me.
“How about I do you a favor, and let you live long enough to see your first grandchild brought into the world? Don’t ever threaten us, Ricci men.
We’re much older now, and a 200-year-old man ain't scaring nobody.” Edwardo’s goons didn’t appreciate my words, and they both stepped forward.
Edwardo lifted his hands to let them know to fall back.
He gave me a devilish smile. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a good battle. Let’s go, boys,” he said, grabbing Angel’s upper arm as he pulled her toward the exit. By this time, the diners were looking at us curiously.
“Didn’t I tell your goofy ass this would happen?” Buddha didn’t waste any time digging in my ass. “Bringing this shit into my restaurant around my customers. Please know I’m not in this when Tomasso finds out you’ve been fucking Angel.” Buddha said, turning to head back to his office.
“Which is worse? Fucking his daughter or his wife? I think you still hold the award for that one.”
Buddha’s steps immediately stopped, and he walked back toward me. I held my ground, preparing myself just in case we were about to scrap.
“The only reason I’m not gonna put your stupid ass in a headlock is because your brain is already fucked enough as is. Stupid mothafucka, get the fuck out of my restaurant,” Buddha said, sneering his upper lip at me.
“Man, fuck you. Don’t you get tired of being the golden child?” I asked, but he didn’t say anything. He just held up his middle finger and kept pushing.
Sucking my teeth, I walked off, ignoring the stares of the customers trying to eat their pizza. I just wanted to go home and call it a day. I was tired mentally and physically.
*****
I sat in the living room, staring at my phone, waiting to see if Angel would respond to the text I sent almost an hour ago.
I’d gotten home, had a shower, then came down to the living room.
I left Ciara upstairs in our bedroom. I avoided spending too much time with her when I got home because I didn’t want to fall back into the habit of using. I really wanted to kick my habit.
I let out a loud sigh when I saw that Angel wasn’t going to respond.
I had no clue if she was alright or not.
What if Edwardo did some shit and hurt her and the baby?
I had to shake my head to get rid of that thought.
I fucked up really bad with this one. Shit was about to get even worse when my father found out.
I grabbed my forehead and rubbed it as if I was trying to blister my skin.
“You’ve been acting really distant lately,” Ciara’s voice interrupted the quiet in the living room; my heart fluttered like a mothafucka. Her steps were so quiet I didn’t hear her walk in.
“What?” I asked her, not even bothering to look in her direction.
“Your attitude has been strange. You don’t even want to get high anymore. I’m starting to think you’re cheating on me,” Ciara said, folding her arms, staring at me suspiciously.
“I don’t want to do a line, and somehow that makes me a terrible person. Fuck outta here, Ciara,” I looked away from her, closing my eyes, placing the back of my head on the seat.
“The night of Buddha’s wedding, I know you left. Where did you go?” I felt my heart skip a beat when she said that shit because I hadn’t known she knew I’d sneaked out. I had to play it cool, though, and act as though I didn’t know what she was talking about.
“Left? When would I have left? You saw me right here in the living room with you,” I opened my eyes and looked at her, trying hard for my face not to show that I was lying like a mothafucka.
“Snow, I woke up, and you were gone. I looked around this house for you, and you weren’t here neither was your vehicle. Now, where did you go?” Ciara grilled me. Her eyes were cold and angry as she waited for my answer.
“I don't know what you mean. I didn’t go anywhere,” I kept my lie going because what else was I supposed to do. Ciara stepped closer to where I was seated. I cursed in my head.
“Let’s get one thing straight here, Vincent.
If I find out that you’re cheating on me, running around with some fishy pussy hoe in these streets.
I’m shooting you and that bitch,” Ciara warned me, pointing her index finger as though she could intimidate some fucking body.
Sighing heavily, I got up and towered over her easily.
“Please, move out of my way, and while you’re at it.
Let this be the last time you ever fucking threaten me,” I gently pushed her to the side, so I could get by.
Never mind, I was guilty as fuck, and I was doing everything she was accusing me of.
I’d be damned if Ciara’s drug addicted, barely weighing 130 lbs ass tried to intimidate me!