Chapter 17 #2
—M: Can you pick me up? I don’t have a ride. Well, I have Henry’s car, but I don’t think I should be driving right now. Unless you have something you need to do. I can do a rideshare. I know this is all last minute.—
—Z: It’s not a problem. I got a message from Dante telling me about what happened and that he was going to take you home. I wanted to check in with you.—
—M: I told him I don’t want him to take me home. If it’s ok, can you still please come and pick me up.—
—Z: Sure, I’m on my way—.
While Madison waited for the counselor and priest she stared at her phone. Of course Dante would have gone behind her back. He always treated her like a child and presumed he knew what was best for her. It was another reason why they wouldn’t work out.
She listened to the counselor drone on, but she was a bundle of emotions and everything bounced off.
“Here are some pamphlets and resources we have available for you to use. And again, I’m sorry for your loss.” The counselor handed her the folder with the information and left. She looked at the priest.
“Let us pray.”
Madison let the tears fall as she listened to the father’s prayer.
Henry was dead. If she had done the interview instead, he still wouldn’t be here, but she would have had a better shot at her dream.
It had been a reaction to the anesthesia, and he went into cardiac arrest and they were unable to save him.
“Amen.”
Madison wiped her tears and looked up. “Amen. Thank you, Father.”
“Here is my card if you need anything.” And then he left, and she was alone again.
Everything went by in a blur. Zoe came and the nurse wheeled her down to the front door while Zoe pulled the car around. They didn’t talk and it was awkward, but Madison couldn’t focus.
She couldn’t go back to her place and pretend not to be there. Dante had a key and he hadn’t given it back. She bet he waited for her there now.
“Zoe, can you take me to Henry’s place instead.” She had collected his things and had his keys.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Madison told Zoe how to get to Henry’s place and she dropped her off.
“I can stay with you if you want or go to your place to get you some things.” Zoe helped Madison carry Henry’s and her bags inside.
“No, that’s ok. I think I want to be alone.”
“All right, I understand. Let me know if you need anything and I’ll come over.”
“I know and thank you. I appreciate it.” Madison went to close the door. “Oh and when Dante asks, you can tell him you dropped me off at a hotel or something.”
“Will do.”
“Thank you.”
Madison closed the door and sank down to the floor, with her back against the door. Her head rested on her knees. She was screwed. There was no way Dante was going to let her go. He was going to keep hounding her and thinking he knew best. He would want to take over everything.
It didn’t seem bad. He would be trying to help, but she needed to do it on her own. She was so used to doing everything that she didn’t know how to let someone else do something for her.
That had been one of the nice things that came with being with Dante. He was always doing sweet little things for her, giving her things and experiences that she wouldn’t have had without him.
But that was in the past. Besides, the more time she sat with it, the more she didn’t know her true feelings on being with a mobster.
Part of her believed it was hot. But that wasn’t the logical rational part of her.
That part knew it was dangerous and that she shouldn’t have moved past a booty call with him once she found out.
But by then she was already in too deep.
She realized the tears had stopped flowing and she picked herself off the floor and looked at what she needed to do.
She needed to dip into her savings for Henry’s burial.
She would need to win at fashion week. With the surgery and fashion week the next week, she and Dante had decided for her to stop dancing so she could recover and focus on the competition.
Now that they weren’t together, she didn’t want to go back to il Signore even just to bartend, so that was out for her. She needed this job to be able to survive. Madison looked at her phone. She had texted Sabrina, but hadn’t gotten a reply back from her.
She ignored the missed calls and messages from Dante asking where she was. There was nothing from her mom or dad. She needed to call and at least speak to her dad to see if he had anything he wanted done for Henry’s funeral.
She dialed his cell. “Hey, Dad.”
“Madison.” Her dad sounded tired. She worried this was too much for him.
“I was calling about Henry. I was going to make the arrangements, and I, uh, wanted to know if you wanted anything special done?”
“I hadn’t…I didn’t think I was going to be burying my only son.” Her dad choked out on a sob.
“I know, Dad. It’s ok. I’ll take care of everything.”
“Thank you. I’m just not in a place to do anything right now.”
“I know, it’s ok.”
Madison’s mother’s voice was in the background. “Milford, ask her for some money. I don’t have an LBD to wear to the service and you’ll need a new suit.”
“Dad, do you need me to buy you something?”
“We do need help with a few bills.”
“Ok. I’ll come over tomorrow.”
“They’re”—he coughed— “going to cut the power.”
“Dad, this is serious. You should have told me sooner. I’ll be over to pay the bill and see what else is outstanding.”
Madison ended the call. This was another reason why she shouldn’t have been with Dante.
He had become her whole world and she had forgotten her real responsibilities, like making sure her dad was ok.
She set Henry’s things down and left to catch the bus.
Her parents lived farther out so she would need to take the metro and then another bus to get there.
She sat down and the bus moved but stopped and opened its doors.
A man in a nice suit got on. Madison noticed that it wasn’t just the style of the suit, but the cut of it was well done.
Like it had been tailored for this man’s specific measurements.
And it looked expensive too. He walked past her and she looked at his face.
What was his story? She had seen him several times before.
She remembered thinking the same thing when it came to his suit.
She figured he had spent all his money on clothes and had to take public transportation to get to and from his job.