Page 26 of Tito
“I’ll teach you.” I smiled at her. “There’s no hurry.”
“I hate to interrupt, but I already looked into…” Uncle Stephano paused. “The birth certificates.”
I stared at him. Yeah, being Stephano, he would probably do that…just go ahead and research it. Especially, if it involved Deacon and it did. The man knew no bounds sometimes. According to our mom, Stephano just did whatever he wanted to do. I had to agree with Mama but I sure as hell wouldn’t tell him that.
“What did you find?” Valencia asked him in a whispery voice.
I squeezed her hand in support.
“It’s legit,” he stated. “And your birth names are different from …” he paused. “The ones you go by now.”
“Even our names aren’t real?” Valencia asked as she looked stunned. “Ophelia is orwas ourmother?”
“Yes, I am afraid so.” My uncle nodded.
“That means Deacon is really our brother then,” she reasoned.
“Yes and I am sorry for that,” he said.
“You’re sorry?” She stared at him.
He slowly shook his head. “Mia cara, I aim to end the man. He attacked my family.”
Valencia said nothing but I could feel the tension coming from her.
“I really wish you…” Her voice faded away.
My uncle stared at her and prompted, “You wish?”
Squaring her shoulders, she raised her chin and said, “I wish you would leave him alone. Let him go.”
He stared at her. “My dear, he came after my son Giovanni and Glory. Then he went after Dante and Della.”
“I am asking you to please consider it. All of this has been a severe trauma to Julianna and I. What kind of sister would I be if I didn’t at least ask you to forgive and forget?”
He stared at her.
“I wanted to ask before but…I didn’t have a right to really,” she tried to explain. “With what he did and then what I did. But I was so relieved when you let him go. I admit it. He was there while I was growing up. He treated me well and never once abused me. I can see that…he even protected me if you think about it.”
“How so, mia cara?” Uncle Stephano asked her.
“By never telling me about all the illegal stuff and about Ophelia. What she was really like.” She let go of my hand and stepped closer to the golf cart. “Please reconsider this?”
“Listen to me my dear…The man lives a dangerous life. He always has from what I know. He won’t end well.”
Raising her chin, she replied, “That doesn’t mean you have to kill him. I mean haven’t you lived a dangerous life as well?”
He stared at her then he broke into laughter.
Squaring her shoulders, she huffed. “And what is so funny?” she demanded.
His laughter slowed as he explained, “I did not mean to anger you. I just admire you, is all. Standing up to me like that. You may not speak the language, but you really are italiana.”
Valencia seemed to ignore his offhand compliments as she tried one more time, “You said it before.” She cleared her throat and said, “La famiglia è la famiglia.”
He stared at her and chuckled some more. Then he looked over at me and grinned. “You chose well, Tito.” He placed his hand on the wheel and moved his cart up the path.
Watching his golf cart move further away, Valencia stomped her foot and complained, “He never gave me an answer.”
