Page 41 of Tito
“Angelo was your Godfather, girls,” Tommaso stated quietly. “And Maria was your Godmother.” He paused, then asked in a shaky voice, “I-is Maria still alive?”
“Yes!” Tito replied with a laugh. “She just threatened me with a spatula at dinner tonight and we just got through having her Budino al Cioccolato.”
Tommaso laughed. “Your father used to say that life was not worth living if there were no—”
“Cioccolato,” they both said at the same time.
Everyone laughed now as we all felt relief in this at least.
“So when we visit, we will get to see Maria?” Bianca asked hopefully.
“Yes, you will. We have been here for most of my life.” Tito shook his head. “My father died when I was just a teen, but we were already living here when it happened.”
“So did they ever find his killer?” Tommaso asked.
The room went utterly silent.
I now held my breath. What did he mean?
Looking confused, Tito asked in a hushed tone, “Whose killer?”
“Oh my,” Binaca said as she looked upset again.
Now we were going down yet another rabbit hole…again.
“Someone was after your father,” Tommaso told us.
“His car went off a cliff,” Tito replied.
“After they put a bullet in his head,” Tommaso growled.
“Tommy,” Bianca chided as she grasped his arm.
“I can’t help it, Bianca. I still feel angry,” he admitted. “It doesn't matter how many years go by. It won’t ever matter. I’d never wanted to return to the ole country so badly like I did when I was told he had been killed. I wanted to find that coward and give him a bullet between his eyes.”
“Who told you?” Tito asked as he couldn’t seem to take his eyes from the screen. “About this being a murder.”
I reached for Tito’s hand and squeezed it. Murder. We never expected this Zoom meet to go like this. I glanced over as my gaze met Julianna’s and she looked worried too.
“His brother, your Uncle Leonardo,” Tommaso replied. “He said they had all believed that he had driven off a cliff until they pulled that car up from the ravine. Then they could see itwasn’t an accident. I think his killer hoped the car would explode and burn. Only it didn’t.”
“H-e didn’t know, Tommaso,” Bianca said as she looked surprised. “They never told him about the murder.”
Tommaso studied Tito. “I’m sorry. I figured that…” He let out a heavy sigh.
“That someone had told me the truth?” Tito snapped, obviously upset by this shocking news.
“Si, si.” Tommaso nodded.
“Did my mother know? About the true cause of his death?” Tito asked.
Romeo moved closer and set his hand onto his cousin’s shoulder in support.
Tommaso paused before answering, “I don’t know? We didn’t know where she was and we never spoke to her again.”
“Oh, wow,” I said as I realized that this might turn into a huge mess. “Tito…if you ask her and she never knew?”
Tito nodded. “Yes, that would be hard… My mother never told a lie in her life, so I don’t think she knows.”
