Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Romeo
This is it. My chance to dive deeper. To answer a question honestly for once.
And I fail.
I chicken out.
I give her some bullshit about Catholicism.
She sees it in my eyes, but she just nods, and accepts my excuse to leave.
We make small talk the rest of the day. Sure, Ivy plays her role as girlfriend at dinner.
She talks about a Christmas trip to San Diego, with her parents.
Her favorite place to go as a child. At the time, they went to Sea World every year, but ever since that documentary came out, they can't bring themselves to watch whales or dolphins perform.
She still loves the city. The harbor, the gas lamps downtown, the old town, Balboa Park.
After dinner, my mom issues another intimacy exercises.
Ivy goes to bed early instead.
My brother and Cynthia take to their room.
Mom tries to talk to me about love and commitment, but I don't quite understand what she's trying to communicate. There's too much poetry in Italian.
I walk in circles around the backyard by myself, trying to answer the question in my own mind.
Why can't I share for real?
What am I so afraid of?
Thankfully, in the morning, Mom goes easy on us. Insists on fixing scrambled eggs for the group.
She dangles everything I want in front of me too. "Romeo. Tonight, after lunch, I want you and your brother to take me through your business plan. Fix me a coffee. Show me everything. If Daniel says it checks out, I'll arrange the trust so you both get the money at the same time."
Everything I want.
So, so close.
With that one little asterisk. As long as you manage to keep a woman around.
And then she addresses the room with the last thing I expect.
"There are two taboos in society. Sex and money.
Normally, I wouldn't bring up either. But they're an important part of marriage.
The top two causes of divorce. You don't have to share with me.
But you do have to share with each other.
Total financial nudity." She passes out workbooks and sends us to private areas.
But it turns out there's nothing private about it.
Mom follows us into the backyard.
She sits next to me at the patio table and says, "Whenever you're ready, I'm here to help."