Page 42 of Fall
He's so distracted that my scattered answer isn't met with more suspicion. I've never seen him so stuck in his own thoughts. Usually, he notices everything. I should be grateful he's not himself.
“Nonna wanted to let you know she was leaving,” he says after a long moment, watching the espresso fill his little coffee cup. He starts thebutton to make another cup at the machine’s second coffee station. “The three of us could’ve talked. But no matter. She’s running late for her flight.”
“Sorry I missed her,” I breathe out, truly regretful. I look in the direction of the front doors, wondering if there’s time to say a proper goodbye. “I hope she's okay traveling alone.”
“She won't be alone,” he announces. He setsdown one cup of espresso in front of me, and sits at a high back bar chair opposite me with his hot beverage. “One of the guards will be with her.”
“You're right. It would’ve been a good chance to talk. But you can tell me now? What's going on, Father? Why is Nonna going back to Italy?”
He picks up his espresso and has a sip of the hot strong liquid. “There's much to discuss.”
Father takes the next ten minutes or so to explain everything, or at least I believe it is. It's more or less what I overheard from Nonna. There are just a few slight details that I didn’t hear about before.
First, Nonna is traveling back to Italy.
Second, Father needs to have a few business meetings locally and possibly in New York before he leaves, but doesn’t want me to stayback with him.
And that leaves me.
“Am I going to South America alone?”
He shakes his head. “No, you won't be alone. Vinny and another man from the protection detail will be with you. After Nonna has wrapped up her trip, she will join you. I may take a few extra days... just in case I need to travel to Italy as well.” He stretches an arm across the counter and takes my hand,giving it a gentle squeeze. “We won't be apart for very long, princess. And youwillbe safe. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. That’s my job, to worry about the details. Okay?”
“Yes, Father.”
"I'm so sorry about having to postpone your college start date. Hopefully, it doesn't take very long to resolve this dispute. Perhaps we can resolve this in a few days, in which case you'llonly miss orientation week. Try not to worry too much about it."
“It’s hard not to, but I will try. For you. When am I leaving?”
“Later today…” He catches my floored reaction to the fact that I now have hours to be ready, and cups my chin soothingly. “Yes, I know. It’s not a lot of notice. Believe me when I tell you it’s for your own good. Leaving the country is a precautionary measure.To protect everyone involved. That’s why we had to keep it close to our vest. Only Antonio and I know the full plan. Nonna knows what she needs to know to make an appeal to her family. Lorenzo and his son have some of the broader strokes. It’s for the best.”
"All right, Father. I trust you. So, just so I understand it, you're leaving Antonio in charge of your affairs? I'm asking becauseI should probably have an idea of who to contact if I need anything. Like say, for example, will I be able to reach you while you're dealing with these meetings? I know sometimes you prefer that we stay off the phone when we're apart because there's no way to know who's listening."
“Listen to me, Princess. This is an internal matter, and I’m handling it. Leaving the country is a precaution.Do you understand?”
“I think so,” I answer, but I’m lying. I have no idea what my life will be like after I pack my bags and leave this place for God knows how long.
“I might not be accessible, but you can call Nonna anytime you need to. Feel free to reach out to Antonio too. If you need cash, or a higher limit on your credit cards, anything finance-related, just let Cristiano know.I don’t expect you to have any legal problems, but if you do, reach out to Lorenzo.”
“All right, father,” I agree. “I will. Gosh, I hope everything’s back to normal soon.”
“I do too, Princess.”
“I only had a bit of time with you. If I knew you we would have such a short amount of time, I would’ve shortened my trip to Italy.”
He walks around to my side of the table andpulls me into an embrace while I'm still seated. "Yes, love. We all would've done a lot of things differently this summer if we knew this was coming." He kisses the top of my head and gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "But like I said, try not to worry about it. I trust that between Nonna and me, we should be able to come to a solution with Mauro."
“Okay. Was there anything else you wantedto talk to me about?” I ask sheepishly, my subtle opening, on the off chance he knows about Antonio and me. “I should use the time to do laundry and start packing.”
“No, that's pretty much it. Actually, wait here. I need to grab something for you.”
I let out a long puff of air as he leaves the room and retreats down the hallway towards his office. I should probably be more worriedabout his update, but for now, I’m relieved that there’s only one secret hanging between us. The one I’m keeping about Antonio.
After a few minutes, he returns with a small wooden trinket box I've never seen before.
“This is for you,” he says, placing the box on the table in front of me. “From your mother.”
Right away, I notice the emblem etched into the lid. It a monochromaticlikeness of my mother’s family crest.
