“Listen,” Dad drawled, smiling now, trying to salvage this, his eyes darting to and fro between Tommy and me, “I did what I thought I needed to do. I always did. I just wanted you safe. I was no match for the Ferranos. I knew you’d have a good life here. Tommy is a good man; he’s taking care of you. You’re happy. I never understood why your Mom wanted away from this life. I tried to work my way up but Tom wouldn’t let me in. I thought I was a dead man, that Tom would have me taken out after your Mom. But he didn’t. Then when he came for you, I thought through you, I dunno, maybe I’d know we were now safe and then I’d be a part of your life. Tommy, I’m available. I’m happy to start at the bottom, I ---”
“Get out.” I interrupted. Dad looked at Tommy beseechingly and stayed perfectly still. There was silence for a beat.
Finally, Tommy notched a brow and jerked his chin up, “You heard her. Nino will walk you out.”
“Uh,” Dad got to his feet, “Can I uh… can I get a lift back home? I don’t have cab fare, I…”
“Get the fuck outta here,” Tommy pointed toward the door, “Nino!” he hollered, making me jump a little. The door flew open and Nino was in the room, looking ready to crush bones. He hauled my Dad out of the chair and held him by the scruff.
“Escort him out,” Tommy said. Tommy followed them out into the hall and shut the door. I don’t think I was breathing. Then Tommy was back. He shut the door and leaned against it and looked at me. I guess I was just staring off into space. Dad hadn’t even looked back at me on his way out the door. I looked up at Tommy finally, not sure what I’d see.
“Come here, baby,” Tommy said.
I stood slowly and fought the trembling that had started in my chin. No, no more tears. Not for him. Tommy pulled me against him and kissed the top of my head and held me. The strength of his arms around me, the solidness of his chest, the smell of him, he smelled like home to me now. He softly started to fill me in on the rest of the conversation he had with my father and I kept dry eyes throughout the time he talked, my head just resting against his chest.
My father was a fuck up. My father was probably a rebound for my mother who was looking for a different life than what she’d grown up wit
h but my dad was the wrong choice. Tom Ferrano set out to ruin my Dad, to show my Mom what a loser he was so my Mom would come back to him. It didn’t work. It might’ve driven my mom to suicide. Tom Ferrano might have killed my uncle as he had been allegedly obsessed with my mother and the power my uncle wielded. Mom’s family were connected, even more than Tom Ferrano back in those days. I never knew.
Tommy didn’t have any proof that his father did anything to my mother directly but Tommy had concerns that a lot of what my father had said was true because he said it fit his Pop’s MO, his MO was get to someone anyway he could and often that was by hitting them where it hurt and sometimes by making their life crumble around them. Tom Ferrano had the power to do that to people. With my Uncle Joe out of the way he had more power than ever. Tommy said he got off on the power, the control over peoples’ lives. Tommy said his Pop loved being a puppet master and his eyes were filled with irony, apology, as he told me that.
“So what now?” I asked, looking up at him and trying to ignore the way Tommy’s voice changed as he talked about his father’s love for control.
Tommy shook his head, “I’ll dig for more info. I have plans to talk to Bianca’s ma, she’s been an aunt to me. And to Dario’s mother. Then I decide what to do.”
“What do you mean what to do? What can you do?”
Tommy shrugged, “Let’s see where the truth takes us and then I’ll decide.”
I didn’t like the darkness in his eyes at that statement. I didn’t know what it all meant but I didn’t like it one single bit.
I heard a commotion outside the door. Tommy opened it. Nino and another guy I didn’t recognize were rushing toward the door, “T, I think you should come outside. Your father and Greg O’Connor---”
Tommy booked it toward the door and I followed and outside the front gate was opened and Tom Sr. was beating the snot out of my father out on the street. Tommy ran, passing James, and hauled his father off my father, whose face was gushing blood.
“Tia! Back in the fucking house!” Tommy yelled. His father tried to pull free of Tommy’s grip and then the most awful thing happened. Tommy’s silver crucifix necklace flew airborne during the scuffle and it fell. I ran for it but it fell down and when my eyes landed on the ground, they didn’t land on concrete or on grass. It was a sewer grate. I landed on my knees and cried out. Tommy let go of his father and reached for me and then Tom grabbed my dad again and cold clocked him and my dad was knocked out, lying on the ground bleeding right beside the sewer that had swallowed up Tommy’s necklace, Tommy’s anchor to goodness.
I was inconsolable. I was on my now bloodied knees bawling, staring at the sewer. Anyone watching might’ve thought that I was crying for my passed out bleeding father but my eyes met Tommy’s and I knew he saw precisely what I was weeping about.
He hollered out “Jimmy!” and then Nino and James got my father up off the ground carried him, barely conscious back toward the house.
Tommy yelled at his father, “Pop, inside!” And then he lifted me off the ground and cradled me to his chest, carrying me tight against himself, back to the house while I cried inconsolably into his chest, clutching his shirt.
Tommy
The guys put O’Connor into a car and had someone drive him. I knew they’d either get him looked at by a doctor or they’d bring him back to his house if he was alright. I got Tia into the family room and put her on the couch and covered her shoulders with a blanket and dabbed at her bleeding knees with tissue. She’d stopped crying but was making shuddering noises and had the hiccups. Sarah brought her a glass of water and put two glasses and a decanter of scotch on the coffee table, left the room and then came back with a first aid kit. I took it from her and waved her away and put antiseptic and then Band-Aids on Tia’s knees and then I poured a drink for Pop and for myself. He sat a few cushions away from Tia on the sofa, watching me bandage her up with a weird expression on his face. I was sitting on the coffee table, my legs between the two of them.
“Pop, it’s time for the truth.”
He downed his scotch and looked at her.
I said, “I know some of it, I know you know that I know some, but we need you to fill in the blanks.”
“I’m sorry if that upset you,” he said to Tia, “That necklace you’re wearing, I gave that to your mother for her eighteenth birthday. Caused quite an uproar at the time.”
She put her hand to her throat.
“We were crazy about each other but her brother, my best friend and business partner, wanted no part of it. He didn’t want one of his buddies dating his little sister. Died when he was 28. Tragic loss. I was there for her and she was there for me and we started to date. It was at the end of my marriage to Annette. But Lita and I had a fight one night and split up, stupid fight, and she decided she wanted no part of the life I lead. We went our separate ways. She married your father. She married fast so I’d know we were really over. You were born. Then we reconnected again, she wasn’t happy with him, and we talked about leaving our spouses. She got pregnant with my baby.”