My father’s cell phone rings while my mother is still going on and on about the horror show at church today. My father’s words are short and one word at a time.
“Yes.” Pause. “No,” he sighs. “No, I didn’t know.” A long pause. “Okay, this afternoon.”
My father hangs up, but not before doing something to his phone. Silence hangs in the air.
“So, what was that about?” my mother asks.
“Antonio Delisi and his son are coming over this afternoon,” my father declares with absolutely no emotion.
“What? What does he want?” my mother asks in a panicked voice.
My father does not respond, and my mother knows better than to press further. Erin glances at me, a smile creeping on her face.
***
My mother is a wreck. She races through the house, cleaning in one room, then running into the next, not finishing what she started in the first. She barks orders at Erin and me.
“Erin, put this is your room. Megan, vacuum the stairs.” We all work like crazy in a knowing silence. No one talks or asks why the Delisis are coming.
The doorbell rings and all of us stop in our tracks. My mother flattens her skirt while my father answers the door.
“Hello, Patrick.” I hear Mr. Delisi from the doorway.
“Hello.” My dad invites Antonio and his father in.
They come in the door and Mr. Delisi immediately acknowledges my mother. “Hello.” She is mildly cordial.
Antonio steps forward, handing my mother a foil-covered dish. “Hello, Mrs. O’Neill. This is from my mother. It’s tiramisu.”
“Thank you.” Her face is tight.
Antonio smiles at me and winks. I stand just behind my mother. Embarrassed and not sure what to do, I take the plate from my mother and head to the kitchen. As I am just shutting the door to the refrigerator my mother and Erin walk in.
“The gentlemen would like to speak privately,” my mother says through pursed lips. Excitement dances through me. Antonio in my living room talking to my dad—I never thought I would see the day.
Erin stands in the doorway to the kitchen off to the side. I see her.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Shhhh… I’m listening.”
“Erin,” my mother scolds quietly.
But Erin’s eyes go wide at what she’s hearing. Her hand flies up to cover her mouth. “They’re talking about you,” she whispers. “Holy crap. Antonio wants to date you.” Her face is incredulous. I approach to listen too. My mother stands rooted to the kitchen floor with a scowl.
I lean and take the same position as Erin.
“We had an agreement,” my father says. I’m surprised at the tone my father is taking with Mr. Delisi.
“Well, things change, Patrick,” he retorts. “My son is asking respectfully if he can spend time with Megan. I did what you asked. Tonio knew very well to stay away from her.”
“I understand your concerns, Mr. O’Neill,” Antonio offers.
“No, I don’t think you do, Antonio.” My father’s tone is angry. “I didn’t want her involved.”
Involved in what? My cell phone rings on the kitchen table, startling Erin, my mother, and me. I dive for it. It’s Troy.
“Hello,” I answer softly.
“Hi, Megan,” Troy says quietly. “I just wanted to…”
I cut him off. “Troy, I gotta call you back.” I hit end and stand with Erin again. My mother must have turned on the coffee pot because I can smell it brewing. Erin whispers what I missed. “Antonio’s father said that Tonio will be very polite and treat you cordially while you’re out. And that he personally vouches for his son.”
“I need to talk to my daughter.” My father stands, breaking Erin and I out of our quiet conversation.
My father enters the kitchen. He looks to my mother. “Will you and Erin please see to our guests? I need to speak with Megan.”
My mother passes us with a “Hmmmph,” carrying out a pot of coffee and the tiramisu. As soon as Erin and my mother are gone, my father stands in front of me. I have no clue what he is going to say.
“When were you going to tell me?” my father asks.
“What?”
“That you have a thing with Antonio Delisi.” He’s agitated and points to the living room.
“Dad, I just spent time with him last night.”
“I told you not to, Megan!” My father’s almost yelling. He never yells. He notices his tenor and takes it down to a lower level.
“It was unavoidable,” I tell him, looking at the floor.
My father paces a little. “I knew he was interested in you.”
“Huh?”
“I knew, Megan. Anytime we ran into him or saw him he always watched you.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m a father, Megan. It’s my job to know.” I felt that my father was leaving something out of that statement.
“What about Troy?” my father tacks on.
“He’s a friend, Dad.”
“Well, I hoped he was something more.”
“He’s not,” I respond.
“Do you like Antonio?”
“Yes,” I say, staring at the floor again. Very much!
I’m guessing those aren’t the answers my dad is looking for.
“Well. I am going to give you permission to see each other. Hopefully, it will be over before it starts. You’re both off to college next September. Please, Megan, be careful. I don’t want you to get… hurt.” It seems as though hurt has a double meaning in his tone. I quickly nod.
My father and I join everyone in the living room. Antonio beams at me as I walk in the room. We sit down and take the plates my mother offers to us. It becomes uncomfortably quiet. My mother makes small talk with everyone. Erin clears the plates and goes with my mother into the kitchen.
“So,” Mr. Delisi questions.
“I’m going to give my permission to Antonio.” Antonio’s smile brightens, and I think how eighteenth-century this seems. “Please keep her away from… trouble,” my father adds.
Mr. Delisi stands and Antonio follows. “I have some business to attend to. Patrick, don’t forget to take care of that matter.”
“Yes.” We all stand, and I wonder what Mr. Delisi is talking about.
“I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Antonio smiles at me. “Thank you,” he says to my dad.
“Bye.”
They walk out to Antonio’s car. I watch from the front window. I see them talking in the car as Tonio lights up a cigarette, then pulls away. The excitement of having Antonio here in my home is paralyzing. I’m in a daze. No one has ever made me feel this way.
“Patrick!” my mother yells. “What is going on?”
Erin runs up to me. “Meg, I can’t believe it. He is so gorgeous!”
I turn to my sister. “When did you become so boy crazy?”
My parents are talking loudly in the kitchen.
“I heard Antonio tell Dad why he punched Dino.” She is practically jumping up and down.
“Why?” Now this is something I want to hear.
“He said that Dino made a rude remark about you! So that’s why Antonio decked him!”
“Wow…” I’m stunned.
“Megan, can I see you please?” my mother calls.
I find my mother at the kitchen table with her hands folded.
“Sit, please,” she orders.
I reach for the back of the chair and pull it out to sit.
“Your father tells me that he has agreed to let Antonio come around, to call on you, if you will.” This IS the eighteenth century!
“You realize that Troy would be better for you.” My mother draws out his name and gives me a knowing look. “He has the same background as you.”
“Troy is my friend.”
“Let me make myself clear. I don’t trust Antonio Delisi. His family is corrupt and dangerous. We have worked at keeping you and Erin at a distance from them ove
r the years. You need to be wary and careful. Do you understand me?” My mother’s tone is harsh and angry. She tries to stay in control, keeping her hands folded.
“I understand. I need to call Troy back.”
“Fine.”
I swipe my cell phone off the table, and I go to my room in bewilderment. My fingers itch to call Antonio. I wanted to head out the door with him this afternoon, but I knew it wasn’t the time. Having him in my house just at an arm’s length was bittersweet. It was also formal and awkward, but I try to forget about that part of it.
Troy answers on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, college guy. How’s it going?”
“He was there, wasn’t he?”
I’m shocked at his question.
“What? Who?”
“That guy.”
“Troy, what is going on with you?” Now talking to Troy felt awkward. We’ve always been so close. Where is this coming from?
“Just answer me, Megan. That fuckin’ guy was there.”
I suck in a breath through my teeth.
“Yeah, he was. What’s it—” I’m angry, but I catch myself. I don’t want to go into this again. I try to switch subjects back. “How is the dorm? Are you close to the cafeteria?”
“What’s his name?” Troy’s tone gets louder.
“Uh… Antonio.”
“Holy shit! Megan! That was Delisi, wasn’t it? The guy watching us was a Delisi?”
“How do you know the Delisis?” I ask.
“I’m not stupid, Megan. I may not live in the same town as you, but I live in the same state. Don’t you think our parents talk too? I’m not living under a rock.”
I’m not sure where this conversation is going, but I don’t like it. I’m still trying to process the past eight hours, and then I get this crap from Troy, my best friend.
“Are you going to tell me about school or are you going to keep this up?” I’m getting mad.
“I gotta go.” His voice is hurt. This whole thing is so unlike him. “I’m going out with a bunch of guys from the dorm. See ya.”
He hangs up. Again!
Chapter 12
Stai zitto (sta te zeet): SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
Antonio
I’ve always hated school. I have to put up with the phony kids who try to be my friends, the made-up bleached blondes that hang on me, and the teachers who can barely look me in the eye. Don’t get me wrong; years ago I took some Barbies up on their offers and used my position to influence some grades. I didn’t do it for long. It just didn’t feel right. I stay pretty low key at school now. Most people stay away from me anyway.
I park next to Vito’s Caddy. I scan the parking lot and benches, looking for Megan. Raven’s little blue car is a few parking spots down.
I slam my door and Vito comes up to me.
“What happened yesterday?” he asks, smirking. “You talk to her dad?”
“Yup.”
“What did he say?”
“He said yes.”
“You are shitting me! Even after you kicked Dino’s ass in church?”
“Yup.”
“Dude, that’s awesome!”
My mind is racing about what I’m going to say to Megan today. Today is the first day of Auto Mechanics and Megan is in my class, so I can talk to her then. Also, I know where Megan’s locker is—I’ve known since freshman year. Now I can actually drop by there and say hi to her. I head there with a purpose. I have this insane urge to let everyone know that she’s mine. My stalker is back.
Megan slams her locker and hikes her bag over her shoulder. She smiles when she sees me coming. I take that as a good sign.
“Hi.” She’s blushing. Her hair is hanging straight down her back.
“Hi.” There is an awkward pause. We lock eyes and both kind of laugh. What the fuck is happening to me?
“What class do you have first?” I finally ask.
“Home Ec.”
I don’t even give myself a chance to think. I take her hand in mine and lead her down the hall to her classroom. The hallway is still full. Some people rush out of the way when they see me coming. Others stare from the outskirts near their lockers. Their eyes travel to my hand wrapped around Megan’s. The hallway is unnaturally quiet as we get to her classroom. It’s a short walk.
“What class do you have?” Megan asks.
“English.”
“You’re going to be late. That’s the other side of the school...” She trails off.
I roll my eyes and shrug, and she lets out a small giggle. It’s fuckin’ adorable.
“Thanks for the dessert yesterday,” she adds.
“Don’t thank me—thank my mom.” I catch sight of the clock. I really should get to class sooner or later, or I’ll be in deep shit with Ma. Then again, she probably wouldn’t care about a bad grade if it was over a girl.
I don’t have any time or patience left, so I ask her. “Can you go out Saturday?”
“Ummm, yeah, I guess. I don’t have any plans.” She watches me. “That was pretty brave coming over and talking to my dad. It was actually pretty… awkward.”
I stop short in front of Home Ec. “What are you saying?” Does she not want to go out?! Shit!
“Nothing. Just that it was weird. Nowadays, guys don’t usually ask a girl’s parents to take her on a date.”
“My father wasn’t for us dating at first. He said he wanted to talk to your dad.” I was starting to get an eerie feeling. “Do you not want to go out Saturday?”
“No!” she says, a little too obvious with her answer. She blushes again. “No, it’s not that… I would love to go.”
I try not smirk at her admission. I let her hand go and brush my fingers across her cheek. She visibly shudders.
“Good,” I am relieved. “See you next class.” I smile at her and turn to head for English. Whew! I have her all to myself Saturday!
I make my way down the hall to English. Vito and I slip into two desks all the way at the back of the classroom. Mr. Treat, what a fucked up name, comes into the room carrying English anthologies.
“So…” Vito says.
“So what?”
“When are you takin’ her out?” Vito asks.
“Saturday.”
“What’s your ‘big plan’ with Red?” He air quotes his words.
I plan to blow her fuckin’ mind with the plans I have. I don’t want to tell Vito because:
1.He has a big mouth with the guys.
2.He’s going to know I have it bad.
“I’ll tell you about it on Sunday.”
“What!?” Vito’s voice raises and Mr. Treat sends us a warning glance. We could talk all class if we wanted. He just wants us to be quiet. I’m feeling generous today because I have a date and a class with Megan, so I don’t send the warning glance back to him.
I show up outside her door at Home Ec to walk with her to Auto Mechanics. Vito is with me. She looks stunned when she walks out of the classroom.
“Uh, hi.” She seems surprised to see me.
“Hey, Red,” Vito pipes up. I shoot him a look. Why the hell is he using a nickname for my girl? Whatever! He has been referring to her as Red since forever.
“Hi,” she says again.
“Come on.” I grab her hand and the three of us walk down the hall. Vito makes playful jabs at Dickie, the empty suit. Dickie loves every minute of it. He wants to hang with me and my friends so badly. He’s such a freakin’ poser. He probably would have pissed his pants the other night when we got jumped. He doesn’t have the heart to run with us.
“Hey, you hear about Johnny Nero?” Dickie asks Vito. My adrenaline spikes at Johnny’s name. I spin myself toward him, pulling Megan with me. He sends a leery gaze at Megan like he doesn’t want to say it in front of her. I get the message. I continue to lead her to class. Vito will fill me in later.
We enter the classroom. I lead us to the back black-topped tables.
“Is this
okay?” I ask her.
“Sure.” She puts her stuff down and sits on the gray stool. The classroom smells of oil and metal. She seems nervous.
“I’m gonna pick you up early Saturday.”
“Where are we going?” she asks eagerly.
“It’s a surprise.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, Maria comes bouncing in the room, headed for the teacher’s desk. I groan inwardly. I watch her give the teacher an add slip. Fanabola! Maria turns and starts waving to me frantically. I catch Megan out of the corner of my eye, appraising me.
“Friend?” she asks.
“Not really,” I answer, as Megan appears aggravated now.
Vito sits on a stool at the table next to ours. He gives me a knowing look. Maria bounces down the aisle toward Vito. My elation of having a class with Megan is quashed as Maria and her stiletto heels clunk down onto the stool beside him.
“You are going to be broken up into groups of four,” the teacher, Mr. DeRobbio, announces. “This will be your group for projects. This is a hands-on class.”
Vito chuckles and waggles his eyebrows at Maria. Mr. DeRobbio casts him a warning look and continues. “Today, we are going to break down into our groups and do an activity.”
“I can think of a few activities.” Vito smirks.
Maria slaps him on the arm, giggling. “Stop it!” she squeals.
Kids in the class chuckle along. The teacher definitely heard Vito this time, but he won’t say anything.
“Break up into groups of four. Choose wisely.” As Mr. DeRobbio says this, he gives a pointed glance at Megan. Vito immediately stands up and drags his stool toward Megan and me. Maria watches. Vinny Maranzano’s kid, Joey, comes over too.
“Hey, Tonio. Can I be in your group?”
“Sure, man.”
“Me too,” Maria says, moving toward me.
“Uh, Maria. This group is full.” Is she stupid? We have four. Megan’s face goes pink. Maria eyes her up and down.
“What about me?” Maria whines. “Who am I going to go with?” Her face scrunches up, and she folds her arms across her chest in a pout. Like I need this fuckin’ drama. What am I, the freakin’ organizer? I know she’s not going to stop, so I call over Alessandra’s friend, Sophia.
“Maria needs a group.” It’s all I have to say.
“Come on, Maria,” Sophia walks Maria over to her group. She already has four people. Sophia shoves out some kid I don’t know. The kid gets up and walks to another group. I can tell that Maria is seething as she stares at me from across the room.