The Beginning (The Life 1)

“Sure unc, see you in a little bit.” I hung up the phone and sat in contemplation. My son keeps me on my damn toes. The boy, for all that he’s not of my blood, thinks and acts like me. Still, it’s hell trying to stay one step ahead of him because there’s also another side of him that I’m not privy to.

For that, I go to his best friend, the person I know he trusts most after me. I don’t do it to hinder or hamper him in any way but to protect. It’s the only way I know to keep him safe. As a man, I respect my son’s privacy, but as a father, I can’t afford to be that magnanimous; the stakes are too high. I’ve been feeling like the clock is running out since his eighteenth birthday, but now this new wrinkle just might change the playing field.

Lance didn’t know much, but what little he shared is enough for me to go on for now. Gabe does not do things out of order, and nothing sways him from his path. The fact that he went out of his way to save this girl not once but twice and then harangued his sisters into bringing her home under false pretenses speaks volumes.

He never brings anyone here; in fact, since his youth, Lance is the only one outside of family that he’s kept close. I know his reasons for that and suffer for it, but there isn’t much I can do there except change the road he’s chosen. Even without much to go on, I feel a renewed sense of hope. The girl! I’ll keep my eyes on the girl.

I switched cameras and found them in the gardens. There was nothing to tell by their movements, and Gabe’s body language gave nothing away. But then again, I didn’t expect it to be that easy. Just the fact that he’d gone to the lengths he has thus far is enough. Yeah, time to get to work. This might be the thing I’ve been looking for to steer him off course.

GABRIEL

Why the hell am I so nervous? It’s not like this is the first time we’ve been together like this. No, but this feels different somehow. Seeing her here, in my space, the feelings are not the same. I started out stiff and impersonal while showing her around the place, but her excitement over every little thing was wearing me down.

I could actually see the place through her eyes; rooms that I’d been in and out of for years and never stopped to notice came alive as she exclaimed over some vase Ma had hoodwinked Pops into overpaying for to the art collection lining the walls of the ballroom. “Is that the original Virgin Annunciate?”

“You know art?” She stood almost reverently in front of the Antonello Da Messina original that I’m sure Pop had procured by less than legal means since it’s supposed to be hanging in the Palazzo in Palermo, but whatever. I should’ve known she’d be into art, seeing as she’s pretty good herself.

“A little. My mom used to take me to museums when I was little before she died. She used to love to paint as well.” Her voice was sad with longing, which touched a chord in me and made me antsy. The room seemed suddenly too close for comfort. “Why don’t I show you around outside?” Yeah, so I can breathe.

I found myself in a bit of a conundrum. I wanted to get as far away from her as possible, and yet, the thought of leaving her side left me feeling empty. So, like an ass, I led her to my favorite place on the grounds. It’s here I find solace more than anywhere else. Here I come to unload the pressures of my thoughts.

“So, how do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in real life.” There was awe in her voice as she looked around at the vast gardens Pop had had planted for Ma. I’m not sure how other people live, but Ma has every kind of garden back here, from English cottage to Chinese imperial. Complete with tea roses climbing trellises to Pergolas and Koi ponds and about thirty men and women who were tasked with keeping them all in order.

Not sure what’s up with women and flowers, but this one’s eyes lit up at the sight of it all almost as much as they did with the paintings. I got the feeling that she doesn’t do that nearly enough, light up like that, and since I had no basis for my thoughts, my own conclusions, the ones I’d drawn from what I’d seen so far between her and Victoria made the moment touch something deep in me. What the hell?