Page 42 of Chubs

“Mom. Aria. We need to talk for a minute,” Les states.

“About what’s going on with the family or something else?” Mom asks.

“Both. I don’t know how to say this to you, but things went down differently than we thought, were told, when Dad was sentenced. There’s… uh, well, we were lied to—"

“Stop!” Aria shouts, and I can clearly hear the anger in her voice.

“Aria, please, I have—” Les tries again.

“No! I don’t need to know what other way he died! I’ve accepted what we—” Aria continues, talking over Les, but this time, I hear an edge of panic in her voice.

“Aria! Please, honey. I need to hear what Les is trying to tell us,” Mom interjects.

“Then you listen, but I don’t need a new set of nightmares to live with! He’s dead, Mama. Does it matter how?” Aria asks in a desperate tone.

When I hear movement, I know Aria’s going to bolt out of the room. Decision made, I step into it. Les sees me first, but Mom’s eyes follow his immediately. Guilt, anger, sorrow, and emotions I don’t have a name for hit me hard. I watch the color drain from my mom’s face, and her hands fly to cover her mouth.

“Mom? What’s wrong? Mom?” Aria asks in concern when Mom remains deathly still, staring over my sister’s shoulder.

Lowering her hands from her face, Mom whispers raggedly, “Adriano.”

Aria remains still for a moment, then turns to see what has her mom and brother’s attention. When her eyes meet mine, she freezes. I move slowly, stiffly, into the room and stop a few feet away from their chairs.

Mom stands on shaky legs, then rushes toward me. I get my arms open in time for her body to crash into mine, pulling her in tight. I absorb her sobs and rest my chin on top of her head. I’ve made mistakes and hard decisions, but at this moment, every one of them was worth it.

“Adriano. Oh my God, my boy. Oh God, I’ve missed you,” Mom mumbles raggedly into my chest. She doesn’t ask how or why. She just clings to the son she thought was dead.

Lifting my head, I look at Les, then Aria. He has tears streaming down his face, unchecked, with no embarrassment. Aria hasn’t moved a single muscle, but her eyes are roving my features, probably looking for the brother she remembers. I’m not that person anymore. Not in appearance, mind, or soul, but I watch her silently while she searches for him.

Mom leans back and places her hands on both sides of my face. Looking down into her beautiful face, I feel a peace I haven’t felt in a long time. Mom pulls my head down and kisses both of my cheeks while her body continues to tremble.

“My boy,” she whispers.

“Missed you, Mom,” I whisper in return.

“Stop! Don’t you dare do that to her!” Aria shouts as she stands, reaching for our mother’s arm.

“Aria, please listen to me,” Les begs while reaching for Aria’s hand.

Aria jerks back as if she were burned and whirls to Les.

“Why are you going along with this shit? Why would you want to put her through it?” Aria says in a cutting tone.

Tucking Mom under an arm, I keep her close while addressing my nearly hysterical sister.

“Missed you too, Aria. So damn much. I can explain, but I get you need some time to accept the truth that’s standing in front of you. I—”

“No! No, no, no, no! Get out of this house! Go! You are NOT my brother! My brother would never have let his family think he was dead! My brother loved his family! My brother is dead! Why are you doing this to us?” Aria’s voice started out strong but ended in a tortured whisper.

After another moment of staring hard at me, she pushes between Les and me and bolts from the room. I can hear her feet running up the staircase and then a door slam. Looking at Les, I can see his indecision about following her.

“Let her be. Let her have some time alone,” Mom advises before stepping away from my side and turning to face me again. “You need to explain what happened and why you’re just now returning. I need to hear everything, but I haven’t forgotten anything about you, my son. You can talk while I warm up leftovers.”

I beat my mother and Les to the kitchen and sit at the small table we always used for breakfast. Without thought, I sit in the chair that was always mine. Mom notices because she pauses, smiles gently, then waves a hand in front of her wet eyes. I grin, then look toward the refrigerator hopefully. Les snorts before taking his own chair, and Mom starts pulling dishes from my favorite appliance.

The three of us talk for hours, covering several topics, from the why and how of my reappearance to where I’ve been to what I’ve been doing since leaving Chicago. Numerous times Mom’s eyebrows hit her hairline, once when I explained that I’ve become a biker and again when I explained about the federal agents and their role in what happened. I answer every question fully but stumble a bit when asked if I have a woman in my life. I tell them about Lucy, my feelings for her, and what I’d hoped would be our future, but how that’s changed now since I’ve left. Mom shakes her head insistently.

“No, Drew. A woman who loves with her whole heart will forgive most anything. If you love her like you say you do, you’ll find a way to regain her trust.”

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