Page 87 of Constantine: Britain's Story: Part 2
All I manage to get out is, “Oh.” When he doesn’t say anything, we just sit there in silence as I finish shuffling through the photos, and the contents of the box.
He chuckles, finally breaking the quiet and says, “I used to have this little pocket notebook where I’d write down tidbits or things Georgia would tell me about you. It had everything: favorite movies, favorite food, funny things you once said. I hate to admit that I lost it somewhere along the way, though.”
I look up at him, and I wonder, “Did you love her? I mean really, truly, because I know she loved you.”
“That’s like asking if the sky is blue, Britain.” He laughs softly. “I love her…still.” On his last word he chokes, then lets a few tears fall. This time I reach out my hand to comfort him, and he takes it.
“I’m very sorry that you two couldn’t be together then. It was a tragedy.” He nods in agreement.
“I’ll be honest, my biggest regret in life is not being with her when I had the chance.”
“Whenyouhad the chance?”
“When I finally decided the kids were grown enough and I didn’t need to worry about Julie interfering with custody, Georgie wouldn’t have me.” He chokes slightly. “I understood. I’d made the rest of my life a priority for years. It wasn’t fair of me to expect her to just jump.”
I laugh. “She was stubborn, huh?” He laughs, too.
“Oh yes, was she ever.” We sit there in amiable silence for several minutes, when there’s a knock at the door. I instinctively drop Connie’s hand when Gina walks in, carrying a tray from the kitchen. I couldn’t eat right now if my life depended on it, but Constantine gets up, takes the tray and thanks her before shooing her back out again. I don’t miss her glare before she leaves, though. Jesus, she hates me.
“Did Julie know about this?” I motion down to the box, and he nods his head.
“I wasn’t a very good husband to Julie, maybe ever, but after everything that happened to Georgie, I was even worse. I never tried to hide any of it. In fact, at one point, your school pictures were hung on the fridge right next to the boys. I’d talk to them about you, too. It um, was probably hard for her, but we’d always had our issues.” No wonder Julie thought I was his.
I just nod. He motions over to the food, “Hungry?” I give him a half smile, and shake my head no. “Yeah, me neither, kiddo,” he says, coming back to sit down across from me this time.
“So, in Georgia’s box then…” I’d like him to fill in the blanks there.
“Right, so every year, I’d send you a birthday card. You should find those in there. There’s probably even a couple from Matt, too.” I feel guilty when he says his name.
“How is Matthias doing? I’m really sorry that things didn’t work out.”
“I’m really sorry about how that turned out too, dear. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have high hopes for the two of you.Always did. I thought…” he laughs. “I always hoped it’d work out between you two. I’d selfishly thought, what could be more perfect? I’m afraid I have to accept some of the blame there. I probably pushed him a little too hard.” Constantine pats his legs nervously.
“I never meant to hurt him,” I say quietly.
“No, no, and I’m sure he never meant to hurt you. Sometimes the apples don’t fall too far from the tree, though.” He chuckles. Yeah, I’m starting to see just how toxic Matthias’ family life probably was.
“I was a little surprised when we never heard from you after Georgie’s death, though.”
“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t emotionally ready to come back here.”
“I understand, sweetheart. But I am glad you’re back now. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a couple years now. Really ever since I retired.” I give him a smile.
“It was really nice getting to talk to you, too, Connie.”
He gives me a silly look before launching back in. “As you know, Georgia’s estate passed over to Alexander, but we did it that way because when I pass, my portion of the business will be split between Matthias and you both, equally.”
I freeze, unsure what to make of that. “Oh, Connie, that’s a lot, and also really unnecessary.”
“Of course it’s not. Georgie and I wanted it this way.”
“I could never accept that, Connie. It’s your family’s business.”
“And you’re my family, Britain.”
“What about Max and Niko and Silas? Your sons? Aren’t you worried what they’ll think?” He smiles at me gently.
“You asked if I loved Georgia, Britain, really truly.” He pauses. I nod and then he continues, “The answer is yes. If I wasn’t with Georgia, I wasn’t with anyone.” I sit with his wordsfor a moment and let them sink in. My eyes must go wide in realization.
