Page 13 of A Thirst for Franc

“That’s this way.” Gio grabbed my hand again and headed toward his bedroom. I imagined black walls with red silk sheets and an expensive painting hanging above an elaborate headboard. We turned right into a room, and I did a double take.

“Here it is.”

“This is your dad’s room?” I asked, completely dumbfounded. The walls were white. The comforter navy blue. There was no headboard or silk in sight. There wasn’t even a TV. Just a black dresser with a bottle of cologne on top.

“Yup.” Gio was too young to notice the glaringly obvious contrast between the two rooms, but I could. Everything Franc Grasso did was for his son.

“Do you want to see the swing set? Sally loves the sandbox.”

“Lead the way.” I already knew the setup was going to be something fit for an entire community.

The backyard was exactly how I imagined. Gio’s definition of a swing set was seriously lacking. He had not one, not two, not three, but four swings as well as two slides, another rock wall, and a bridge. There was a volleyball net and a batting cage. Woods lined the entire area, giving more than enough privacy. There was also a firepit and a Tiki bar that, for some strange reason, made me very happy. Maybe because, in the extravagance of Gio’s things, Franc had something of his own.

Gio put Sally down in the sand.

“Gio. wait!” I hurried over. “Shouldn’t Sally be on a leash?” I wasn’t kidding about beardies being able to run nine miles per hour, and the last thing I needed was to lose the family pet on my first day.

“Sally loves the sand. She never runs away from it.”

“Even still. I think for now we should keep Sally close and secure. Why don’t we put Sally in her tank, and me and you can go out and get to know each other better?”

Gio pouted, but I was a sister to four, a teacher, and pretty damn immune to the pouty lip. “But Sally will get lonely.”

“She has everything she needs in her tank. She will be perfectly content spending the day relaxing. Then when we get back, we can take her for a walk. How about that?”

He pouted even more, but I didn’t budge. If I gave in on the first day, then I would consistently lose control of the situation, so I waited. He kicked at the sand, causing it to splatter across my shins. “Okay, fine.”

Gio scooped Sally up and held her toward his face. “I’m going to go out for a bit, Sally, but we’ll go for a walk later. Promise.”

Once Sally was in her tank, and I turned Gio’s shirt right side in, we got in my car.

“Where are we going?” Gio asked from the backseat.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Are we getting ice cream?”

“It’s nine o’clock in the morning, and besides, your dad said if you behaved today, you’d get ice cream later.”

“He doesn’t have to know.”

I barked out a laugh. This kid. He was good, but I wasn’t falling for it. “I would never lie to your dad. Lying is bad.”

“Grandma told me lying is okay if you spare someone’s feelings.”

“Your grandma sounds like a very smart woman.”

“She is. So is my grandpa. My great-grandpa died. He was smart, too.”

My chest ached at the slight dip in his tone. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay. Dad said he’s in heaven now, watching me.”

I smiled at the sentiment, but my heart still broke for Gio. “I bet you keep him very entertained.”

“I try. Sometimes I look up at the sky and smile and wave. Dad says he’s up there, but I never see him. But if Dad says he’s there, then he must be, so I figure he can see me, but I can’t see him.”

“He can definitely see you. Keep smiling and keep waving to him.”

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