Page 60 of Tito
I kept staring at him. “Your father’s ghost?”
“I always thought so.” Tito laughed. “But now I know it had to be Max.”
“Wow…” I nodded. “And it worked, right?”
“Hell yeah, it did!” Tito exclaimed as he laughed. “We went home, cleaned up and promptly showed up at the hospital. Max escorted us in fact. We both had black eyes, bruised jaws and busted lips but we were cleaned up and dressed nice.” Then Tito’s smile faded from his lips.
“What is it?’ I asked him.
“When we got to her room door, a nurse came out. She said we couldn’t go in. She refused to look us in the eyes too. Rocky demanded to know what was happening. He started to argue with the nurse and I slipped past her into my mother’s room.” He looked up at me and said, “She had a sheet pulled up over her face.” Tito shook his head. “Oh man, I forgot all of that.”
“So h-how…” I stammered. “What did you…”
“Max went past me into her room. He then shoved me back. The door slammed shut and I couldn’t get in. I was screaming and crying like a damn baby for them to open the door.” Tito shook his head and closed his eyes. “I don’t know how long it was. I told Rocky while I cried my eyes out that Mama was dead, that she was gone. I was almost hysterical.Finally, the nurse brought a janitor over and he got the door open.” He paused to shake his head.
I waited while almost breathless for him to tell me the rest.
He went on, “The nurse went in, then she screamed as she turned around and ran out.”
“Rocky and me went in and Mama was sitting up in bed. Max sat next to the bed and he asked us what all the yelling was about. Damn! That must have been when he brought her back!”
I got shivers and rubbed my arms. “Wow, and of course, you never knew the truth.”
“I couldn’t figure it out but I was so glad she was alive that I never considered it again really. Damn, that Max. He saved her!”
“I can see why. So much sadness and grief.” I took his hand in mine again. “So now you know why he saved her. Why she died. You now have that answer.”
“I do. But there are a few things that I don’t know. Who had my dad killed? Who poisoned my Aunt Bella and why did Uncle Stephano need to be saved from death?” He shook his head and scoffed. “Damn, if it doesn’t sound like an Italian soap opera.”
“See?” I agreed.
“Si, amore mia,” he said softly
At his words, I shivered a little. “The Italian is so sexy.”
“As my uncle would say, it is in your blood, that’s why it speaks to you.” He wrapped me up in his arms and whispered, “This will be your first lesson.”
I smirked. “Ok.”
He lowered his lips to mine and gently kissed me then said, “Un bacio. Repeat it,” he urged.
“Un bacio,” I whispered.
“It means, a kiss.”
“Ok.” I smiled and asked, “So how do you say,kiss me now?”
“Baciami adesso.”
I grasped his cheeks with both hands as I repeated it, “Baciami adesso.”
Tito smiled at me as he leaned closer to my lips and said, “Piacere mio. My pleasure.” He finally kissed me for real. Deeply and perfectly.
Chapter Seventeen:All About You
Tito
In the morning, I woke up then I simply laid there and watched her sleep. I wanted every day to be like this. Waking up while wrapped up in each other’s arms. Being able to enjoy her. To know that I would be with her all over again for another day together. I breathed her sweet scent in. I wondered how she could smell so good, when she hadn’t had any access to her things.
