Walk With Dad
Zorah got up after dinner was over and accepted the kisses from her new Nonna and Nonno who were heading to their rooms now. She’d been happy to learn they lived in this same estate as Dagoberto, Avaline, and Icaro.
They each lived in separate sections of the estate affording them all privacy but joined each other for dinner each night. Weekly they went to one of the brother’s houses and they would come to Dagoberto’s house, but they dined together when they were home.
She found it a lovely family tradition.
Dagoberto after bidding his parents goodnight, looked to Zorah, “my sweet new daughter. Would you care to come for a stroll with your new Papa? I have some things I’d like to say.”
“Sure.” She took his extended arm, tucking her hands into the crook of his elbow and smiled back at Avaline who winked at her.
When Icaro made a face, Dagoberto waved him off, “stuff it, son. I will return her to your rooms in a bit. I owe her my own apology for yesterday’s events. If you have enough room to complain or make faces, perhaps you are not busy enough? Shall I find some chores for you to do on the farm? I believe the staff were talking about getting out the special dishes for your wife’s celebration. They each need to be handwashed.”
“I’m good,” Icaro gave a curt nod to his father. “I actually have some work to do in my office. Perhaps instead of our rooms, you could deliver my bride to me there.”
“Of course.” Dagoberto paused as they reached the outer edge of the dining room and turned back to face Icaro, “check into the report we received from the team in New York. I sent you the details on it earlier but I’m curious to know what the men found out.”
Icaro’s eyes flicked for the briefest of moments to Zorah and she watched curiously as some unspoken communication passed between the two men. Dagoberto then started walking again as if the conversation never took place.
He walked her through the house towards a beautiful flower garden.
“It smells so good out here.”
“It does,” Dagoberto agreed as he patted her hand. “How did you enjoy your visit with Father Tarantino?”
“He is a very lovely man.”
“I quite like him as well. I have gone to speak to him more times than you can count on all your fingers and toes about my relationship with my family.”
“You have?”
“Yes. In our family,” he looked up to the sky pensively, “the Don rules until death. My father is the first to ever willingly step down. I was not emotionally ready to take the helm so soon. Then the fact my father was so ill, made me question my faith.”
Zorah was quiet and then she asked, trying to keep the judgemental tone of her question out of her voice, asked, “you believe in God and yet you murder people for money. How can you do one and the other at the same time?”
“Do you believe in the devil, Zorah?”
“Yes.”
“Do you do his work?”
“No!”
“Yet you believe in him.”
“Yes but.”
“Do you think admitting you believe in the devil means people will automatically think you are trying to get closer to him?”
“Gosh no. I simply question how you can pray to God and talk to a priest and then turn around and kill someone.”
“You don’t need to be a saint or martyr to believe and have faith. Do I harbor illusions of where I’m heading after I die? No. Not a single one. Do I think for a moment all the prayer in the world is going to save my soul? No. Will I continue to pray every evening for the wellbeing of my family? Every day. I do not ask for my own blessings, Zorah but I do pray God doesn’t hold my family accountable for my sins.”
“I guess.”
He chuckled at her reluctance to accept his word, “Zorah, Father Tarantino is a good man. I go to him because he is objective and sees the world from a view I don’t often consider. Our world is dangerous and can be dark at times. I worry sometimes I bring this darkness home, and it impacts my ability to be a loving husband to my wife, who deserves to have a good husband to her. He usually has great insight.”
“He told me I am too hard on myself and too negative and wants me to focus on positive things. He’s asked me to write positive things I do in a book.”
“How many did you write today?”
“Three.”
He chuckled, “was one of them kindness for not pushing Icaro down the cliffside? I heard he made you walk those stairs.”
“They’re awful!” she turned with excited eyes to his, “I told him they were terrible.”
“Indeed. I always drive to and from the church simply to avoid those stairs.” He gave a sigh, “I always wanted a daughter, Zorah. We had two and we lost them both. It was devastating for me, but it nearly destroyed my wife. She wanted so much to have a girl to be girly with. I wanted one to spoil. We were finally blessed to receive you in our lives and we both blew it yesterday. I will say, my immediate response to Icaro’s reaction was to protect you but I didn’t do enough. I should have seen where he was going in his thoughts the minute the nurse opened her mouth. I also should have considered Avaline would be giving you advice on being strong instead of simply holding you and reassuring you.”
She didn’t know what to say to his words.
“Zorah,” he turned her to face him, stopping their walk. “I am sorry. As a father, the father I want to be, I failed to protect you. Nobody in this family wants for you to be anything than who you are already. There are enough people in this family who are tough, cold, brutal, violent, and rough around the edges. We do not need more of them. What we need is someone with love, compassion, and kindness in their heart. We need you Zorah to be the woman you are as you are. I apologize for not protecting you better and then for not standing up for you last night in the moment. It is my duty as Don to ensure my family is safe, but it is my bigger obligation to keep my daughter safe. I promise to do better.”
Zorah stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, “thank you. I never had a dad but I’m glad I get one now.”
“Come, let’s continue our walk. I have some interesting stories I would like to share with you about my son. You may find them useful in your dealings with him.”
“You’re going to give me insider knowledge?” she clapped with delight. “Yes please.”
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