Page 16 of Tito
“I had the measles,” Julianna answered. “And I was at the doctors when Ophelia took Valencia.”
“Damn,” Tito swore. “Look, I know this is upsetting and it might or might not be true. O had been known for many lies. Maybe she left this as one more?”
I again looked down at the images. “It cites the hospital and the county here on the certificates.”
“And we can verify it,” Julianna said.
Romeo took his cell out. “I’ll call Dante. He’s good at this kind of thing.”
“No,” Julianna said. “They are on their honeymoon, babe.”
He looked up at her. “Oh, yeah. That would be sort of rude, right?”
Zia scoffed. “You think, Romeo?”
I agreed. “We can’t bother them.” I looked over at my twin. “We could ask your parents?”
Julianna lost more color in her face as she corrected me, “Ourparents but I-I…” She raised her arms up. “How can I do that…” She dropped her arms. “What if it was one of O’s tricks? What if she did that so she could back up her claim? Like if anyone saw you or found out.”
“I don’t think she cared about any lawful interference,” Romeo said. “She would have simply killed whoever it was that found out.”
Zia gasped at this suggestion.
“I’m sorry, Zia,” Romeo apologized. “But that was the kind of thing she did. Her victims total more than fifty people. That we know of.”
“Oh, God!” Julianna cried out. “Don’t let her be our real mother!” She burst into tears.
Romeo looked gobsmacked by her reaction. “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to…” Taking her by the hand, he tugged her up from the chair and said, “Let’s go to our room for a while. You need some down time.” He led her out of the kitchen.
Tito looked over at me and asked, “What do you want to do?”
“What can I do?”
“Take it to Stephano,” Zia suggested. “He has men who track unknown things in the world. It would be the fastest way.”
Tito looked from her to me. “What do you think?”
I shrugged and didn’t feel too encouraged by the suggestion. “I think he’s mad at me right now.”
Zia scoffed. “I do not agree, bambina. Sure, Stevie can be a real bully and he is stubborn. But he wasn’t mad at you when he left here. No, we would have known it.”
“How?” I asked.
She shook her head and explained, “He gets this little tick by his left eye and his breathing slows way down then his voice drops real low. He hides his emotions well, like any big bad boss, but I know the signs.”
Tito leaned in close to her and kissed her cheek. “You are too much, Mama. But you really gotta stop calling him Stevie.”
She smiled and patted his cheek. “As I have reminded him. He ain't the boss of me.”
I watched Tito and his mother together and smiled a little, even if my heart was breaking. They were adorable together. I never experienced that with… my possible mother. She was always too busy or gone. Yes, she was nice to me and never harsh, but we didn’t have what these two had. I shook my head. To think that all these weeks, I had been forcing myself to accept that Ophelia hadn’t been my mother. Feeling lost as to why she had done what she did. Now after a lot of soul searching and trying to reject Deacon as my true brother… It had all been true? Our supposed biological parents weren't our parents? So they stole us? No, they were not that kind of people, if I believed what Julianna had told me about them. They were hard working, God fearing people who were revered by all who knew them.
“Valen?” Tito called to me.
His voice broke into my wandering thoughts. I slowly looked over at him. “Huh?”
He stepped closer and caressed my cheek with his fingers. “Aww, I’m sorry this happened, sweet girl.”
I grasped his hand and squeezed it then said, “It makes me wonder.”
