Page 92 of Rafe: Sins of the Father

He pauses and looks up at me. “This shit? You don’t know about this car, do you?”

“What’s so important about this old car?”

“Your mother got rid of it before you were born, so I guess you wouldn’t know. But your mother loved this car. Goddamn, son, if you could have seen her back then, flying into the lot in this thing. She was amazing. I’ve always felt guilty she had to sell it.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m the reason she did. She needed money to leave town, so she sold her most prized possession. This black corvette. It was one of the classics, even back then, but she took good care of it, because it was her baby.

“Son, I was the reason she felt she had to leave town. For decades I’ve tried to track it down, and four months ago, I finally found it.”

“How come I didn’t know about this?”

“Because you’ve got a life, and it doesn’t revolve around your mother and me.”

“Do the guys all know?”

“Cole and the older guys do.”

“You should have said something. I would have helped you.”

“You can help me now. I want to surprise her for our anniversary.”

We work for almost an hour.

My phone dings with a text. I pull it out to check it. I’ve stopped hoping it’ll be Tori. It never is.

MOM: Have you seen your sister? I can’t get a hold of her.

ME: Nope.

MOM: When’s the last time you saw or heard from her?

ME: She stopped by yesterday. Said she was going on a date. She didn’t tell you?

MOM: No. With who?

ME: I don’t know. Some guy who rides a sport bike. She met him at a gas station.

MOM: You mean one of those Ninja bikes that go a hundred miles an hour down the freeway? The ones that are always doing wheelies?

ME: They aren’t all bad, Ma. They don’t all drive reckless.

MOM: I was worried. Now I’m really worried.

ME: Ma, she’s 21. She’ll probably come home later today.

MOM: Why isn’t she answering her phone?

ME: Ma, do you really want me to answer that?

She texts me back an angry face emoji.

My father sits back on his heels. “What’s going on?”

“Mom can’t find Fiona.” I roll my eyes. “She had a date last night. I’m sure she’s still with the guy.”

“Oh.”

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