Chapter Thirteen
G ia felt a warm, sturdy arm around her waist. It wasn’t her mom. It wasn’t Rocky.
It was Bev.
“C’mon, Gia. Didn’t you say you had food in the kitchen? Let’s get these guys a plate.”
“Good idea,” her mother said.
“Hey, Rock, turn the TV on for your dad,” Bev said. “I’m sure there’s an Astros game on.”
“Great,” Gia said as the three arrived at the kitchen table. “My dad’s a Rangers fan.”
Bev laughed as she went straight for the drawer with disposable utensils. “Don’t worry about them. They’ll strut around a bit, maybe paw at the ground and snort like a bunch of bulls.”
“Yeah,” her mother added as she passed Bev a paper plate. “After that, they’ll go outside and pee on a couple trees. Then it’s over. They’ll eat and watch the game and fall asleep in the chair. End of male bonding.”
Gia waited by the microwave while her cold rolls reheated. “Dad was pretty wound up.”
“Let them work it out, baby. He wants to know you’ll be taken care of and treated well.”
“Don’t you worry,” Bev said and pointed a plastic knife her way. “Rocky can hold his own. He’ll step up and tell your dad what he needs to hear. Pass me those rolls and make your husband a plate.”
Her mother headed off with her dad’s dinner.
“Tell them we have cake for dessert,” Gia said.
“Yum,” Bev said. “I’ll make coffee.”
Gia stood with several slices of salami hanging off a fork. “I don’t know where the coffee pot is. There’s coffee in the pantry, but we haven’t been drinking it. No caffeine for me.”
“Good for you.” She made a loop to drop off Nick’s plate and returned to one of the top cabinets in the corner. “I have one hidden.” She retrieved the coffee, the maker, and a filter. “Rock doesn’t use it much. I keep it here for Nick. He’d drink coffee until nine o’clock at night if I’d let him.”
“Gia?” Rocky’s desperate call from the other room made her smile. The other guys had food. He didn’t.
“Don’t get there too fast,” her mother said. “That pathetic little cry might be endearing today, but ten years from now it’s going to grate on your last healthy nerve.”
“Point taken. But the man’s been through enough today, and he’s been waiting on that cake since he left this morning.”
“Oh, he’s fine.” Bev popped a piece of cauliflower into her mouth. “And your mother’s right. Don’t make it too easy on him.” She plucked another veggie off the tray. “Do we have ranch dip for this?”
“Yes, we do,” Gia said. “Let me hand Rocky this plate and I’ll get it.”
Her mother made room for her plate on the table and speared several cubes of cheese as she sat down. “Speaking of long days, Gia, you held your own pretty good through this whole grueling confrontation.”
“Yes, Mother, and thank you for the police. That was a nice touch.”
“We were scared. We didn’t know what we’d find here. Trust me, someday we will laugh about this.”
“Why wait?” Bev snorted. “It’s hilarious now. Nick and I didn’t know what to do. Did you see us waving like a couple of guilty teenagers at an underaged drinking party? We thought of running out the back door and then looked at each other and said we’re in our fifties , why would we run ? And where would we run ? It’s not like I can get my lard-butt over that back fence.”
Her mother tugged a napkin out from under the meat tray to hide her mouthful of food while she laughed.
“And I was so smart,” she said when she was finally able to speak. “I barreled right through them and into the house to grab you. What if they’d thought I was attacking you and had tasers? I’m wearing a giant metal belt. That can’t be a good combination.”
Bev hooted and hollered until she had to wipe away tears.
“Glad you two are amused,” Gia said.
“Anyway,” Bev said, “I’m going to need your email and snail mail address, Susannah. We’re having a reception around the Fourth. You and Vincent have to come.”
Her mother’s smile did a slow fade. “A wedding reception?”
“Relax, Mom. Nick and Bev want to do something with their friends and family. You can plan something too and tell people whatever you want—except about the baby. Tell us when and we’ll be there.”
The idea seemed to appease her.
“Good. We’ll do something a couple weeks later. Probably a luncheon at the house. You’ll have to come, Bev.”
“We’ll be there,” Bev said and scooted the rest of the baby carrots onto her plate.
Gia held in a giggle as she thought of the two celebrations. The Lionakis’s Fourth of July kegger versus the Rinaldi’s prim and proper punch and cookies garden party.
Fun . Rocky would be thrilled.
Her mother pushed a piece of hair away from Gia’s face, her thumb lingering there to caress her cheek. “I can’t believe this. Weddings... Babies... I don’t know where to start.”
“I think I’m still in shock,” Bev said. “Must be. Why else would I be mainlining ranch dressing over here?”
“ B! ” Nick’s booming voice reached the kitchen. “Is that coffee ready?”
“Yes. Be right there.”
But she didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
“B?” Gia asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “Short for Bev, I guess. He started doing that one day like twenty-five years ago as if that one syllable was easier than the other one syllable that is actually my name. Men,” she continued. “Most exasperating creatures on the planet, Gia. Train Rocky early so you can keep the irritation to a minimum.”
“She’s right,” her mother agreed. “Marriage and motherhood are the hardest jobs you will ever have. There are blessed and miraculous benefits, but it is hard work.”
Gia leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “So what’s the key to success? You two keep warning me to keep my husband in line and be prepared for hard work, but you have yet to share any actual advice. You’ve been married more than fifty years between you. What’s the secret?”
The mothers glanced at each other as if they actually had a singular answer.
“Should we tell her?” Bev asked.
“Why not?”
They both leaned in and glanced over their shoulders as if about to reveal a box of black-market diamonds.
Gia leaned in too because it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. “You two met an hour ago. I find it hard to believe you have the exact same answer.”
Bev smirked. “We do, and it’s easy. You won’t believe how uncomplicated it is.”
“I’m on pins and needles.”
“Men are very simple,” she said. “They only really care about two things. Food and sex. Keep them well fed and well loved, and you won’t have any problem you can’t get past.”
“She’s right again,” her mother agreed. “The experts say couples mainly fight about money and childrearing. That might be true, but if a man has a full stomach and is given a lot of affection, they become very manageable. And by affection, I mean—”
“I know what you mean, Mom.” She raised her hand. “Stop. That’s... yucky , coming from you.”
“Let your mother talk,” Bev said. “She probably sees all kinds of things through her work at the church.”
Her mother shrugged. “True. And let me say another big issue is infidelity. Anything can go wrong in a relationship, and it can be anyone’s fault, but a satisfied man is far, far, far less likely to roam—even when faced with other issues. If he’s satisfied at home he’ll behave like a neutered cat. And by satisfied, I mean—”
“Stop,” Gia said again and faked a gag. “I know you’re doing that to gross me out, but marriages fail for all kinds of reasons. Both men and women can do everything in their power to please a spouse, and people still cheat. And you do know there is more to women than providing meals and uh...bedroom gymnastics.”
They both nodded.
“Of course there is,” Bev said. “And you should have the biggest and brightest career or whatever you want. We raised Rocky right. He respects women, but your mother does speak the truth about that other stuff.”
Gia narrowed her gaze and pointed at them. “Hard to believe you two don’t have your own reality show on cable TV.”
“B!”
“Coming.” Bev reached in a cabinet and pulled out several matching mugs. “Do you and Vincent want coffee, Susannah?”
“Yes, please.”
“Gia, is there something I can make you to drink?”
“I’ll get it. I picked up some decaffeinated tea. I don’t like it much, but it helps distract me from the coffee.”
“Rocky doesn’t want coffee, does he?”
“I doubt it. I’ll refill his water bottle.”
Her mother sliced off pieces of cake, tipped them onto dishes, and lined them up on the counter. Gia added forks and made several trips to drop off and pick up plates.
Rocky wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a goofy thumbs up on her last pass. He glanced at her still-antsy dad and acted like he was going to swat her bottom. She darted out of the way and then leaned in as she handed him cake.
“You really want to poke that bear, cowboy? He’s practically growling over there. I hope you have an escape route.”
“We’re fine,” he answered. “I got this.”
Gia’s heart did a little somersault when Rocky smiled.
Then it sputtered and sank as she met her father’s gaze. He attempted a supportive smile, she attempted to send one back. Why did it have to be so hard? He hadn’t wanted to save her when she really was in trouble. Why did he act like he needed to intervene now? She was the safest she’d ever been.
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen...
The mothers had their heads together over steaming coffee mugs and forkfuls of cake.
Someone giggled.
Gia winced. “You’re not talking about sex again, are you?”
“Oh hush,” her mother said. “We’re party planning and talking about how Greek and Italian men are similar.”
“Oh boy.” Gia didn’t slow down. She snatched her cake off the counter and headed for the patio. “That means you’re talking about Nick and Daddy, so I’m outta here.”
“Sit down,” Bev said. “It’s not that bad. We were discussing how your father and Nick were raised by emigrant parents. It was hard starting out in a new place, but family really pulled together back then. Nick’s mother rented out a spare bedroom and cleaned houses to make ends meet.”
“Vincent’s mother opened a tiny café, and Vincent delivered to-go orders for her and groceries from his Uncle Tony’s store when he was in middle school. He had a bike and a wagon, and he did that year ‘round. Ice, snow, you name it. Vince says his hands and feet didn’t thaw out until his parents moved the family to Texas. He was the original version of Door Dash and Uber Eats in their big city borough.”
Gia imagined her father, slight and cold, pulling a wagon through the streets of a northeastern community. The description sounded more like a sepia tinted old country movie scene and not the short time ago it really was. Her father didn’t talk about it much, and there were few memories of her grandmother, but she did remember Nonna Rinaldi crying after her son and speaking Italian as they discussed his ministry that was so different from the denomination he’d been born in to.
“What we’re really laughing about, is how stereotypically Greek Nick used to be. He was fiercely devoted to his mother and was spoiled. We had some doozy fights early on. He thought every woman knelt at the feet of her husband when he got home from work and removed his shoes and socks. Things like that were foreign to me. I told him I’d do every stitch of his laundry and keep him in clean clothes forever—but not if he couldn’t get them into the hamper.”
“Vince thought he had no responsibility around the house,” her mother said. “We both worked. I had to remind him more than once this wasn’t Italy in the forties, and I wasn’t his mother.”
“Don’t worry, Gia.” Bev patted her arm. “I raised Rock differently. We’re close, but not that close. I don’t feel the need to come over here every day and rewash your dishes and make sure my son’s shirts are clean. And he’s been on his own a while. He knows how to unload the dishwasher.”
Gia nodded and took a sip of tea. “I’m not worried. Rocky already does too much for me. This morning he got up and made me a breakfast smoothie.”
Bev beamed with pride.
“What’s this about not being allowed in the garage?” Her mother asked.
“I don’t know. Rocky said to stay out of there. He said it was dangerous. I don’t believe that, but it’s his garage. I’ll wait ‘til he calms down about it.”
Bev leaned in again like she had another secret. “He has exercise equipment out there and some tools and a few other things from when he...well, he has exercise equipment out there. Maybe he doesn’t want you to see him working on his pecs.”
“He’s pretty cute,” her mother said. “You might want to watch him work on his pecs.”
“There is that,” Gia mused. “But he gets such a workout driving that chair around. Does he really need to lift weights and all that?”
“He needs what he needs,” Bev said. “If it makes him feel better about himself, why not? He was supposed to be doing strengthening exercises for his shoulders. I think his right one was giving him some trouble, and the physical therapist gave him a regimen. He’s young, so that worried him. A lot of guys completely blow out their shoulders after many years in the chair. He doesn’t need to take any unnecessary risks. Trouble is, there’s nothing the boy won’t try. And there you have it. Good luck with that.”
“I know,” Gia said. “The day I met him he’d fallen out of his chair and was scrambling down and back up a steep embankment. He wouldn’t let me help him.”
“No, he usually won’t, but if he really needs help, he’ll probably ask. I’ve jumped in more than once and got in trouble—and by jumped in, I mean I really jumped in.”
Gia didn’t have to ask. Her curious glance must have begged for details.
“He and Max are like two little boys when they get together. They’ve been known to wrestle over a foam football in my living room and try to drown each other in the pool. They were swimming one day. Nick was out there half asleep in the shade. I came home from the mall and the boys are pulling each other under. Now, I know they’re adults, but I’m the mom, and I see them flailing around. First, they are laughing, then nothing. They’re completely under—no sound, no splash. And it goes on too long. I get scared and jump in the pool, shoes, clothes, sunglasses and all. I screamed for Nick and he’s like whatryoudoin’ B? They popped up on the other end of the pool—laughing. I’ll never live that down.”
Gia laughed. The pool was good news. She loved to swim, and that was something she and Rocky could do together.
“Anyway,” Bev continued. “He seems to be deliriously happy about you and the baby. Maybe he’ll settle down a bit. I know he wants to stay healthy for a long time.” She shoved her cake plate away. “Speaking of that, may I say one thing?”
“Certainly.”
“I can see you’re devoted to my son. My mother’s heart did a cartwheel when you jumped to his defense in there earlier. He needs that. He’s always there for other people and it’s nice to see he has someone there for him.”
“I want to be there for him.”
“I know, and I want you to know I’m here for you if you have any questions. You two will be fine, but there are considerations other newlyweds don’t have. Let’s face it Gia, catheters, medication, and pressure sores aren’t all that romantic.”
Gia flicked the handle of her tea cup with her thumb. “Well, neither is insulin, glucose meters, or injection pens, but diabetics get married every day. Same with cancer patients, people with mental illness, and the learning disabled. Everyone has something to overcome.”
Bev’s chin quivered and she squeezed her lips together to keep from crying. “Gia, I believe you’re the best thing that ever happened to Rocky.”
“I hope so. ‘Cause he’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
GIA SLUNG A DISHTOWEL over her shoulder as Rocky closed the door and made sure the porch light was on.
“I’m sorry, Rocky. That was wild.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. We knew it would be interesting when we shared the news this morning.”
“They sic’ed the popo on us.”
“I know,” he said and laughed. “How often do we get to tell people that?”
She brushed away a piece of hair that was stuck to her eyelash. “I’m going to finish cleaning up. Can I get you anything?”
“No, thanks. I’m heading to the bathroom, and then I’m going to sprawl out on the couch here and watch the news and decompress. You wanna cuddle with me and discuss it?”
“You know I do. Our parents are baffling in so many ways, and I have some other news.”
“Great. Meet you back here.”
Gia unplugged the coffee pot and further condensed the leftovers. She rinsed the recyclables and tied off the trash bag, then realized she had no idea where to put either one.
When she returned to the living room, she was surprised to see Rocky had already transferred to the couch. He hadn’t changed his clothes or removed his shoes.
“I thought you were going to get comfortable. Didn’t you want to change?”
“I took off my belt and washed up,” he said. “Everything else is too much trouble. I’ll get undressed when I go to bed.”
She’d wondered about that belt the other day when she watched him center the buckle at his waist. Why would he need to mess with a belt if he didn’t have to worry about his pants falling down? It was the same day she contemplated why he had so many shoes. But if she lost the use of her hand, wouldn’t she still paint all ten nails to match the other hand and complete the look? Conclusion: He needed certain shoes and certain belts to complete certain looks. She should be happy he was conscious of such things.
“I hope you’re not changing your routine because of me. You should be comfortable in your own home.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve been known to lie on this couch in my boxers and eat a whole pizza. Have to tell ya that will probably happen again.”
“Fair enough.”
He turned slightly and rearranged the pillow behind his head. “C’mon,” he said. “Cuddle up. You promised.”
She moved her hair to one side and prepared to inch her way onto the narrow space. It wasn’t weird or anything, but they’d never tried to lie down together before and she couldn’t tell if they could pull it off now. The spongy couch did not cooperate.
He pulled her into his arms as if she weighed nothing. “This couch is getting old and saggy,” he said. “Hard for two people to stretch out.”
“Exactly how many women have you tried to stretch out with on this thing?”
“Not nearly enough.”
“I’d smack you if I wasn’t trying to hold on.”
“I’m kidding. Don’t waste a good punch.” He moved again. “Is that better?”
“Yes.” She rested her head on his chest and put an arm across him. “Perfect.” She pressed her legs alongside his and couldn’t help but notice how much longer his were. It was another thing she’d wondered about. How tall was he? She imagined his big, powerful body on the football field. What a presence he must have been. She made a mental note to look around for pictures.
“Do we recycle?”
“Yes. Bin’s in the garage. They take it with the trash every Thursday.”
“I have a garbage bag and some plastic in there by the door.”
“I’ll take everything out when I leave in the morning.”
O- K. He wasn’t going to give her a pass to the garage. “Thanks. There’s no more cake. Don’t get your hopes up at breakfast.”
“Yes, there is. I saw some in the freezer.”
“Don’t touch that. It’s for our first anniversary. You’re supposed to freeze the top and eat it in a year.”
“Who told you that?”
“No one had to tell me that. It’s the law. I’m warning you, Rocky, don’t mess with that cake.”
“What are you going to do, call the wedding cake police?”
“No more police,” she said and jabbed him in the side. “Stay away from the cake.”
He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “What’s your news?”
“I have a job interview tomorrow. Probably not my dream job, but it’ll do. It’s at the community rec center.”
“Doing what?”
“I’m not sure. They have day camps all summer for kids. I’m willing to check it out. I also filled out an online application to be a substitute teacher. If all else fails, I can stay busy doing that come August. And lastly, I talked to a detective today. I’m filing a report about the assault. It’s all I can do, and I need to do it on the outside chance it will help someone in the future. You were right about that, and I could still kick myself for not paying attention to those letters I received at camp. Those could have been evidence.”
“Water under the bridge, babe.”
“I know. I’m thinking I want to do something else, but we can talk about that another time. Now back to you. How was your day? Were you brilliant?”
“I tried to be, but I spent too much time thinking about you. I’ll try to do better tomorrow.”
She smiled and nuzzled his neck. His scratchy whiskers couldn’t deter her from getting closer, especially since he smelled so good. “That’s very sweet, but you need to concentrate at work.”
“Speaking of concentrating, I’m not going to be able to talk to you about our parents if you keep doing that.”
She stopped mid-nuzzle. “Right. So, what did my dad say to you?”
“It was nothing. He was curious about the usual stuff, my job, where I went to school. My dad jumped in and we got on to football and touched on my injury. He wanted to know if I owned this house.”
“That’s nosy. Did you tell him?”
“He has a right to know if his daughter is going to have a roof over her head, so yes, I told him all about it. It’s not much, but no one can take it away from us. Your dad’s not that bad. I found him very charismatic and personable. No wonder he has a huge congregation. I kinda liked the guy once we got to talking.”
“I’m sure he likes you too. It’s me he has a problem with.”
“Let it go, Gia. Your parents love you. Maybe this is a time for a new beginning.”
“Maybe. They’re probably discussing this baby’s paternity as we speak. I couldn’t tell where they ended up on that matter.”
“Who cares? But if it bothers you, maybe you should tell them the truth. As I’ve said before, they’re your parents. They’ll be there for you.”
“No... I have this terrible fear my father would say I got what I deserved.”
“This has to stop, Gia. You’re letting your anger get the best of you and that’s not healthy. There’s no way he would say that.”
She processed the ugliness of what she’d suggested. “I know. That sounded horrible. You’re right. I didn’t realize it was that bad.”
He shifted again and pulled her closer. “How’d it go with the mothers? We heard cackling. Thought we were next door to a slumber party.”
“Oh yeah, those two are like long lost sisters or something. They hit it off immediately.”
“That’s good.”
“Yes, but they did almost give me a heart attack when your mom asked my mom if they were driving back to Dallas tonight. She said no, that they would be staying over due to exhaustion. So, your mom decides to tell my mom what a nice guest room you have. Mercifully, my mom jumped in and said she wouldn’t dare spend the night with us newlyweds. Then your mom apologized because she realized she was extending invitations when the new lady of the house was sitting right there, and all I could think about was how was I going to explain my mess in there and get the sheets changed for company.”
“I get it. Take a breath.”
“This story ends with us meeting my parents for breakfast in the morning if you have time.”
“I’ll make time.”
“Otherwise, we had great girl talk. Those two became fast friends and were willing to talk about anything. And I mean anything.”
“Like what?”
“Sex. And food. But mostly they wanted to gross me out with sex talk.”
“You don’t mean like the birds and the bees ‘cause, well...”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Was my mom trying to give you helpful advice of a personal nature regarding my injury? If so, she has to die.”
Gia laughed. “No, it wasn’t like that. She only touched on your special needs—”
“I don’t have that many special needs. I do what I want. All you need to know is to not hide my Chips Ahoy in the top cabinets, don’t get any ideas about puttin’ down a bunch of throw rugs that I’ll get tangled up in, and don’t move anything out of my reach in the shower.”
“Understood.”
“And by the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you I have a really nice shower. Me and my dad put in this big spa-like stall with a built-in seat and all kinds of water jets and a couple of wands and a heat lamp and a rain shower head. It’s cool. You should try it.”
“You can stop with all the fancy courtin’ talk, cowboy. I already married you.”
He scooped her up so fast it took her breath. In one second, she was sprawled on top of him, nearly nose-to-nose. She let out a squeal and then laughed.
“Are you making fun of my shower?” He pinned her to him with one arm while he threatened to tickle her with the other.
“No, I’m making fun of the way you fondly talk about your shower.”
“Hey, that shower is awesome. You’ll talk about it too once you use it.”
She threaded her arms around his neck and planted tiny kisses on his cheek.
He seemed to respond, but then abruptly moved to something else. “Hang on a minute. Can you reach my phone?”
She dangled off the edge of the couch and retrieved it from the coffee table. “Um... Are you comfortable? Do I need to move?”
“Nope. Stay there. I have something to show you.”
She rested her chin on his expansive chest and waited.
“Here. I found this app.”
He turned the display her way. It was so close she had to move a bit to focus. A video started and a tiny body wiggled on the screen.
“Awww...” was all she could say.
“I plugged in all your data, and this app sends a weekly update and a video. This baby is at nine weeks, and it says he’s about the size of a peanut and weighs about two grams.”
“My app doesn’t have a video,” she lamented. “All it tells me is what my body is doing and what I should and shouldn’t be eating.”
“We’ll get you this one. It’s much more fun. According to this, our peanut is already movin’ and shakin’. He could wrap his fingers around something—if there was something in there to grab—and he has fingerprints.”
She gazed at the miracle for a long time. He hit the replay button twice.
“I have a confession,” she finally said. “I need to tell you I don’t think our peanut is a he peanut. I think it’s a she peanut.”
“What?”
“You keep saying he, and I’m pretty sure it’s a she. As in a pink peanut versus a blue peanut.”
“What makes you think that?”
She shrugged. “I just know. It’s a feeling I have.”
“Well, as much as I trust womanly feeling stuff, I’m going to hold out for more information.”
“Fine. We’ll wait and see. I think we should pray for the peanut.”
“OK,” he said and held her tight.
They made their way through a tired prayer, mentioning their family and friends, and seeking God’s provision for the pink or blue peanut.
“Amen,” she said. “You should get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”
“I will, but I want to see the sports.”
He reached for the remote, but by the time Gia heard the score of the Astros game, he’d fallen asleep.
She tossed the crocheted blanket over him.
And then knelt to remove his shoes and socks.