More Confessions
“You can’t leave!” Sidonia yelled at Icaro as she drew back towards them. “You said you’d stay for lunch with us. I miss her. You keep taking her away and separating us and I don’t like it.”
“Fine.” Icaro begrudgingly nodded. “We will stay.”
“Yes! I’m going to run and ask them to get lunch ready on the outdoor patio,” Sidonia was running off ignoring her husband who was calling after her to be careful.
“They’re kind of cute together,” Zorah said with a little smile.
“They are indeed.” Icaro commented, linking his hands through Zorah’s and then drawing her fingers up to his lips to kiss them. “So are we.”
“What did The Walrus say to you which had you stomping through the vineyard like a brat?”
“He reminded me of a few things,” Icaro shrugged.
“Such as.”
“A few years ago, there was a party in Catania. It was a multi-day celebration. In the five days we were there, I slept with three women. I didn’t know them. Two of the women turned out to be from our town.”
She rolled her eyes, “and?”
“They go to church with my mother and often shoot longing glances my way when I’m around.”
“And the third?”
“She likes to make a nuisance of herself whenever I’m back in Catania. The last time I was there I was forced to threaten her family if they didn’t get her in line. None of these women were virgins, Zorah, and none of them were memorable. Honestly, two of them, I don’t even know if they got off, including the one who resides in Catania.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because women throw themselves at me because they think I’m going to be the one to save them from their miserable existence. They are party girls looking for a wealthy husband and a Lucchesi is as wealthy as they come. The Walrus worries they will cause trouble for us locally.” He gave a shrug as if uncomfortable, “he is right of course. I didn’t know the two girls were originally from here, but they don’t work for our family, and they are not part of any of our enterprises.”
“But?”
“But I’m thinking The Walrus is going to make my life a living hell and since they will do anything for cash, I am concerned he has given them financial incentive to make things difficult. He made a comment about you seeing the girls in church or at the market.”
“I already knew I was going to see your past everywhere we went,” she mumbled angrily. “Why does he want to make it worse?”
“He fancies himself in love with you, or so he says.”
“What? He’s never had more than two ten-minute conversations!”
“He thinks the minute he saw you on the balcony in Rome he was struck with love.”
“Are all Sicilian men so absurd?” she was growing weary of the constant forced attention.
“Apparently,” Icaro sighed, “he made it clear he is making a play for you and wants you to be with him. He thinks I will fuck up bad enough you’ll go running to him.” He stopped their slow walk and turned her to face him. “I cannot tell you often enough how sorry I am for my past behavior. It was wrong and I have much regret in my heart. If there was a way to rewind the clock, there are so many things I would do different.”
She sighed and toyed with the end of the braid she’d put in her hair earlier, studying the ends intently. “I know you’re sorry now, Icaro but it doesn’t make me feel any more trusting and it doesn’t lessen the way I feel cheap. I wasn’t worth waiting for.”
“Oh Zorah,” hearing the tremor in her voice he shook his head. “It is nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. Walrus is right. I am a weak man. I was then, I am now. My sense of entitlement drove me to be the vilest of humans and I disregarded how special what we have is meant to be. I want to fix things, but I am floundering and at a loss. I am stumbling over two left feet and making more mistakes than gains.” He touched her cheek softly, “my beautiful bride, I would put the world at your feet if only it would take your hurt away.”
“What is going to happen with the girl when we go to Catania?” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Will you be killing her too?”
“No. If he’s given her a lump sum of cash to try to sow discord, it’s possible she may show her face, say some inappropriate comments and make a fuss but she is no better or worse than any of the other women we’ve run into thus far.” He stepped closer to him, “remember how you slapped the girl in the club?” When she nodded sheepishly, “then I want you to focus on the feeling of power and ownership you felt in the moment when you claimed me as yours. I don’t care if it’s a member of royalty trying to stake a claim where there is none, you know, in here,” he tapped above her breastbone, “who I belong to.”
“Now.”
“Always.” He shook his head. “You always owned my heart, Zorah. I was simply too foolish to respect it. My concern is, while there are three legitimate women locally, there are no others but the way he was speaking, I’m thinking he may do as he did at the club Sunday night.”
“Bring them in?”
“Yeah,” he rubbed his chin. “I wouldn’t put it past him. He wants you and if he flaunts my past in your face, he is confident it will drive you towards him.”
“Do you really think he’s going to be chasing me so ruthlessly he’ll make things this difficult for us both?” The thought of The Walrus importing Icaro’s past lovers into the small town was sickening.
“I do. It’s why I’m angry, Zorah. While I admit to sleeping with several women, he insinuated my number is in the triple digits. It is not, by the way, not by a long shot. However, I feel he’s the kind of man who would throw his money around to get women to lie and he’d provide them the backstory.”
“You expect me to believe he would go so far? How would I know which of you is lying?”
“I have been nothing but honest from the beginning, Zorah. I might be almost every kind of bastard, but a lying one isn’t on the list. I’ve told you the truth and I always will. If a woman is in front of us and I slept with her, I won’t lie to you, Zorah. I will admit my faults.”
She nodded her head but then asked, “what if you don’t remember them?”
“Ah but I have a secret weapon.” He gave a sad smile, “I never travel without a team and anyone I’ve ever been with has been photographed in the event they try to extort me.”
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