Page 43 of Inescapable Ties
Luciana hesitated, giving me a nervous glance. “That’s a metaphor, right?”
“Yes,” I lied.
She let out a sigh of relief. “Ok, good.”
I supposed I’d have to rely on bribery. Pulling out my phone, I quickly sent messages to anyone in my contacts who might have connections, promising generous compensation for their help.
Within twenty minutes, I had found premium orchestra seats for that night’s showing of Wicked. I had to pay an obscenely high price to a congressman I knew, but it was worth it to have a nice night with Luciana.
“Found us some better seats,” I said.
“That quick?” Her eyebrows shot up, clearly taken aback by how quickly I had located them. “How?”
I scooted next to her on the sofa, pressing my body against hers as I leaned in close.
“I have my ways,dear,” I said, giving her a mischievous grin and playfully tapping her nose.
“You’re annoying, you know that?”
Despite her chilly response, her body language betrayed her true feelings. She moved closer, her nose gently brushing against my cheek. It was a subtle yet intimate gesture, one that displayed her unspoken desire to close the gap between us.
The show was an amazing performance, one that I had waited far too long to experience. My eyes were glued to the stage as the performers perfectly portrayed their characters, captivating the audience with every movement and emotion. And as the curtains closed and the audience erupted into thunderous applause, I knew without a doubt that this was an experience I would never forget.
Luciana was equally entranced, her face glowing in the dimmed theatre lights as the final strains of the orchestra faded away. There was a silence that stretched between us, filled with awe and wonder at what we had just witnessed.
“Elphaba’s performance was amazing,” she said.
“Yeah,” I responded. “And her voice was spectacular.”
I listened intently as Luciana’s words tumbled out in a flurry of excitement, her hands gesturing animatedly as she recounted her favorite moments from the show. The show had been nice, but watching her like this, full of joy and emotion, was even better.
“You want to get out of here, Jaws? Maybe go for another walk?”
“As long as no one tries to mug us again…”
“Don’t worry. You know I’ll always win.”
We escaped the bustling crowd of theatergoers and sought refuge in the outside world. The crisp night air was in stark contrast to how warm the theater had been.
Luciana and I had to walk many blocks down, but we eventually found a park to walk through. There were still people, but it was more quiet than the streets of New York.
“I’m glad you chose Broadway,” she said. “That was really fun.”
“Me too. I’ve wanted to go since I was little.”
Luciana looked at me, clearly confused. “Why did you wait so long? You have more than enough money.”
I debated avoiding her question, fabricating a reason I hadn’t visited before. But as I looked at her in the moonlight, her expression filled with genuine curiosity waiting for my response, I couldn’t bring myself to deceive her.
“I wanted my parents to take me when I was younger. They just never got around to it.”
“You never talk about them,” she said hesitantly, knowing she was bringing up a topic I might not want to discuss.
“Not much to say. Dad died when I was nine, and my mom left.”
“I’m so sorry, Emilio,” she gently touched my arm. She knew her words left the option to drop the topic, but I decided she should know the truth.
“It was a drive by shooting. Pretty fucking pathetic, as far as Mafia standards go,” I said. “My mom had always hated him. I thought she had at least cared for me, but I was wrong. She jumped at the chance to leave.”
