Introspection
“Yes. Remember when I told you how your uncle hired a family to locate you?”
“In New York.”
“Yes. Well, someone,” he gave her a pointed look, “told your mother you were in Sicily. What do you think she did with the information?”
“She told my uncle.” She groaned and flopped backwards onto the bed. “Why would she do that? I told her he abused me, and she went and told him where I am?”
“Yes. She did. He then reported the information to the family who is hoping by taking you from me, it will weaken our family and then they can take over some of our businesses in the city back in America.”
“They sent this person to try to get me to leave you?”
“Yes.”
“The mutual friend she mentioned then was my uncle?”
“He wants you to come home, Zorah and he is hoping you bring Sidonia back because her parents are really putting pressure on him.”
“They took the money!” she lifted her head to look at him at the end of the bed.
“We agree.”
“Why doesn’t Sidonia call them and tell them to bugger off?”
“Sidonia is angry with them, and she doesn’t feel they deserve to hear her voice. In her mind they sold her.”
“They absolutely sold her, but she can make this stop simply by calling them and telling them she is fine and doesn’t want to go home.”
“Zorah, you may need to have a chat with her but for now, she’s made it clear to Vodingo, she has no desire to speak with anyone from back in Providence. She has everyone from back there blocked on her phone. The only contact she still has is yours. She told Vodingo she has no family now and she is going to make the best of this situation.”
As his words struck her like the punch he delivered to The Walrus, Zorah whispered staring at the ceiling, “I’m the worst friend.”
“Why do you say this?” Icaro crawled up to lay next to her on the bed.
“I think I measure right up there with Caiu Giarre in terms of friends.”
“I don’t think anyone falls so short,” Icaro snorted, “but please elaborate.”
“I’ve been so wrapped up in my own misery and my own sadness and fear, I didn’t think for a moment about how all of this is impacting Sidonia.”
At Icaro’s lack of response she turned her head to face him and saw him watching her carefully, knowing he agreed but didn’t want to say so.
“Vodingo said earlier she cries because she thinks I’m pulling away.”
“He did tell me this.”
“I haven’t really asked her how she is coping. I keep thinking about how I’m being inconvenienced and how hard this has been for me, but I haven’t really asked her how she is doing.”
“She is lonely, Zorah.” Icaro lifted her hands from where they rested on her belly. “However, I know she understands. All she ever asks when she sees me is how you are doing and what she can do to help you feel better.”
“We used to spend all of our time together. Since we’ve come to Italy and Sicily, we’ve spent extraordinarily little time together. She came here for me. I mean, I know she came here for Vodingo too, but she came here because she wanted to be close to me and I’ve been shutting her out because I’m so caught up in my own misery.”
“What are you going to do about it?” Icaro was bold in his questioning. “How are you going to make it up to Sidonia?”
“She’s really sad?”
“She really is. Other than one lunch at the farm and a dinner where they joined us, we haven’t spent any time with them since we got to Sicily. We were in the car together on the drive here and you barely spoke to her.” As he wiped a tear off her cheek from where it edged the corner of her eye, “I’m not trying to make you upset, love.”
“I hurt her. I hurt the one person I’ve always relied on and who gave up everything to be with me and for what? I’m so self-absorbed.”
“Zorah, you’ve been through a lot.”
“I have but so has she. She gave up her career as a dental hygienist and she loved her job. She left her family, despite how much they were assholes. She left our apartment and our lives behind without a second thought. I need to make this up to her, Icaro. I have to.”
“And you will. How do you want to make this up to her? What do you want to do?”
“Well, tomorrow we’re spending the day together, you and I, right?”
“Yes.”
“What about the next day I spend a day just me and Sidonia? What do you recommend for two girls exploring Catania?”
“What if,” he pulled her towards him, so she was resting on his chest, “we do a day on the yacht? You and Sidonia can lay on the deck, swim in the sea, drink wine and eat good food and Vodingo and I will hang out together elsewhere on the boat. It’s big enough we can be at opposite ends. If you need us, we’ll be close but if you don’t you can spend an entire day without us breathing down your neck.”
She smiled widely at him, “I think I really like this idea. Sidonia loves seafood. I mean loves it. Can we arrange a seafood feast for her for lunch? Maybe have her favorite dessert there too? I want to apologize to her, and I want to make it special.”
“I think we can absolutely do this. Does she have any favorite wine we can bring for her?”
She giggled, “we often bought the cheap stuff.” She smiled, “thank you for helping me with this and for pointing me in the right direction again.”
“It is my pleasure. How about, I get you into a bath to soak your feet after all the walking you did in your sandals, and we have dinner here in our room? We can eat here and maybe watch a movie? Would you like this?”
“I would love this, Icaro. Are you sure you don’t have work to do though?”
“My work,” he rubbed her head, “is to take care of my wife. It is my only job for the moment. Let me give you a bath and we can get situated. Is there a favorite movie you would like to watch?”
She shook her head, “I think Icaro, I’d like to watch whatever your favorite movie is. I want to know more about who you are.” She paused, “unless it’s pornography. I’m not ready to watch pornography.”
He laughed, “you’re going to hate my movie choices, Zorah.”
“It’s violence and gore, isn’t it?”
“Have you ever watched John Wick?”
“No.”
“You’re in for a treat.”
His laugh as he got off the bed to run her bath made her extremely nervous and maybe, just a tad excited.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
