Page 246 of Vita Mia

Lucio chuckled.

“What do you want?”

“To see my old friend,” Lorenzo said. “I want my children to grow up with your kids. A life like this. I want America.”

“Children? You had another?” Lucio asked.

“Marietta gave me a son two years ago. But you knew she wasn’t infertile didn’t you. Told her that crazy bullshit about what the doctors did to her in Africa.”

“I thought—“

“Doesn’t matter,” Lorenzo waved off the explanation. “None of that shit matters. Gio is dead.” Lorenzo dropped his gaze to his bottle. “And I wasted fucking time on my anger. I lost him. I never got to say the things I needed too. Never got to fix things between us.”

“I thought about going to his funeral,” Lucio said. “I know it’s crazy, but losing Gio, didn’t feel real. Fuck it still doesn’t. I keep expecting to see him walk in with Renaldo as his shadow.”

“Yes, me too,” Lorenzo said. “I needed time. You needed time. Now I’m here. Is that a problem?”

“You don’t give a shit if it is.”

Lorenzo grinned. He then stared out at the club. “This place clean?”

Lucio nodded. “As wholesome and American as apple pie.”

“Want to get it dirty?” Lorenzo asked.

“You’ve been here, for how long? Already we’re talking business?”

Lorenzo shrugged. He stared at Carlo with an unwavering look of seriousness. Lucio paused. He was a different man, sort of. He had opportunity and means to make the kind of side cash he and Lorenzo tossed around since they were kids in places like this. He knew all the players in Houston. The underworld came here often to wet their dicks. One of his girls brought a glass of water to the table and put it before him. Lorenzo noticed that he wasn’t drinking but didn’t comment.

“America is different Lo, you’ll have new rules here.”

“Money is money. Pussy is pussy. How different can it be?” Lorenzo asked.

Lucio smiled. He raised his glass of water. “Welcome to the land of milk and honey.”

“Things will be interesting, that’s for sure,” Lorenzo winked.

***

“JEWEL! JEWEL!” SHAEyelled as she zipped the sandwich bag and dropped it in her daughter’s lunch box. “Hurry up or you’ll miss the bus.”

“She can’t find her shoes mama,” Carmine said as he nibbled on his Pop-Tart. He sat at the table with a glass of milk staring at the cartoon on the kitchen TV monitor.

“Goodness gracious. I’m going to be late to the center,” Shae said as she turned left and right looking for the fruit snacks to put in her son’s lunch bag. “You have to get dressed when mommy tells you. I can’t keep doing this. And where is your father? He should have been here two hours ago!”

“Don’t worry Ma, I’m taking them to school,” Jilly said. She dropped her books on the table. She was now in her last year of high school she got her car over the summer for her birthday. Carlo insisted on it. Rolando taught her how to drive. But Shae never adjusted to the idea. She had panic attacks each time all of the kids were in a car without her supervision.

“They should catch the bus, Jilly.”

“Here!” Jilly said and shoved a phone at her.

“I don’t have time for this I’m going to be late.” Shae said as she got the Capri Suns from the fridge and added them to the lunch bags.

“I’m ready mommy! Where is my breakfast?” Jewel came running in with her pink “My Little Pony” book bag on.

“I didn’t have time to cook babycakes. Eat a Pop-Tart please,” Shae said.

“Here!” Jilly insisted.

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