Chapter 25
Ainsley – nineteen / Renzo – thirty-two
Dear Ainsley,
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am a little late in wishing you a happy birthday.
I trust you received all the furniture for your dorm room and that it has been arranged exactly per the floor plan you sketched.
Let Mr. Blakely know if it does not fit your style, and he will return whatever piece you don’t like, and you can pick something else out. My treat.
Sincerely,
Renzo Iannelli
SOBERSIDED
I’ve been pacing my apartment for news. Why didn’t you tell me?
What the hell? I know you were stabbed. I heard Vinny talking about it.
I tried to call the prison, but they wouldn’t tell me anything.
Tore and Vinny have been too close-lipped about it, and neither Boyan nor Lou has picked up any information from them either.
At least, if you’re writing, you’re not dying.
Just give me more details. I need to know you’re okay.
We’ll get you out. I promise.
P.S. It’s a little on the nose that every piece of furniture that your lawyer had delivered happened to be ones I’d circled in a catalog that has now gone missing. I don’t think I’m your only spy.
P.P.S. Thank you. I love it.
Mia Piccola Rompiscatole,
Never promise what you cannot achieve. For example, I promised myself I’d never end up in prison. Look where that got me.
I have visited countries, seen beaches, monuments, great wonders people only read about. I have experienced luxuries dreams are made of. I reached a high I took for granted. Then I fell, about the furthest I could.
I am looking at this bloody altercation as a blessing.
I have a hospital bed. A white room. Bright fluorescent lights.
A private bathroom. Not terrible food. Those are the highlights of my month.
For once, no gray walls. No bunk beds. No shared showers and lack of toilet paper. I should get stabbed more often.
I joke. I am just tired. Being handcuffed to this bed is probably the best vacation I have ever had. No struggles. No imposed routines. No need to keep one eye open.
I never thought I would find a hospital room relaxing. If you could relax anywhere, where would it be?
Sincerely,
Renzo Iannelli
Diary,
Don’t joke about that. Those are giving-up words. Fight, damnit. Fight. Live. Stay strong. Shit happens. You pick yourself up and keep going. We’ve been worried sick about you. Tore, Vinny, Lou, Boyan, Jac, Rico, me—all of us are rooting for you. It’s not an empty promise.
If I could go anywhere in the world, it would be the French Polynesian Islands. My parents went there on their honeymoon, and I used to flip through the photo album in awe of the pictures they’d taken. I want to see it with my own eyes one day.
What about you?
Ainsley,
I want simple things. I want my memory foam mattress with my Egyptian cotton sheets.
I want to wear loafers with clothing that does not itch.
I want bacon, eggs, and sausages for breakfast. I want beer and wine at lunch and dinner.
I want a good night’s sleep. I don’t need to travel far for those.
I just need to get out from behind these damn bars.
Sincerely,
Renzo
GOOD LUCK CHARMS
You got it. I’ll keep a list for you. It’ll all be ready for you when you get out.
But I’m still adding traveling on there.
You can go with me, if anything, and check off all the places I want to see, one by one.
Neither Tore nor Vinny are big travelers, and quite frankly, I don’t really want to go on my own.
It would be a bit lonely for my taste. So really, you’d be doing me a favor.
So? How about it? You coming with? We’ll be able to try real Peking duck in China, tandoori chicken in India, kimchi in South Korea, coconut shrimp from Cameroon.
Don’t the names of those dishes just make your mouth water? So many things to try, so little time.
On another note, I’ve got a bit of good news to share.
So before my stay with the Hayeses, I met another orphan named Brielle, Bee for short.
We spent a few weeks together between foster homes, but lost touch after I got placed with the Hayeses.
Well, guess who I ran into at a coffee shop in Santa Rosa?
I couldn’t believe it myself. Now here comes the gossip because when I brought her back to Tore’s house that same morning, he practically choked on his breakfast, and she went bright red.
There’s a story there. They have to know each other, I’m sure of it.
I just don’t know how, and neither of them is talking.
Either way, I’ve exchanged numbers with Bee.
We’ll keep in contact for sure. I’ll test her a little bit, but if she’s trustworthy, she’s got a gift with computers that might come in handy.
The only issue will be trying to convince Tore to spend money hiring her, if something actually happened between them.
I might have to press Vinny, or maybe I’ll get back to you and let you command them into it, big boss.