Page 58 of Next Level
She sits up and puts her coffee on the side table. “Why?”
I get irritated. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. Who are they?”
She doesn’t say anything.
“Ma?” I demand.
She sighs. “Your father and George had a beef in high school. They never got over it.”
When I don’t say anything, she continues, “George and I had a brief fling, and your dad was with Letti before me. But then your father and I got together. It was a big fiasco back in the day. While we were dating, your father was unfaithful a couple of times with Letti. She was with George during that time, so there was always bad blood between the men.”
Confused, I ask, “So let me get this straight. You were with George first, and Dad was with Letti. Then the two of you met and got together, dumping the two of them. They hookup and later Dad fucks around with Letti, cheating on you with her?”
Her face is tight with anguish. “Yes, a couple of times. We were fighting at the time, but that isn’t an excuse. Letti loved your father and always yearned for him to return. George hated your dad for it. When I became pregnant with you, your father told me he chose me and he wanted to get married.”
I sit back on the couch, speechless.
Ma wrings her hands together. “George and Letti got married when she was pregnant, which was a few years after you were born. Things were good between your father and me. We heard Letti got pregnant again, but we didn’t know the details. Then, soon after her second child was born, they were all in a car accident. Letti was killed, and the kids were hospitalized. Your father went crazy.”
Holy shit.
“We never spoke of her or them after that. Your father shut down. I know he loved her in his way, but I never questioned it because he chose us.”
“Christ, Ma. How come I’ve never heard about this before?”
“Like I said, when Letti died, you were young. He shut down, and when George went to jail, we never spoke about it again.”
I sit there silently.
Ma continues, sounding irritated. “Son, don’t act like your father was a saint. I knew about his friendly hookups on the road. He promised me he wouldn’t fuck around here at the clubhouse or around me. He said he would never disrespect me in that way. He loved me, but he also liked to party.”
I don’t say anything. I knew he had a piece of ass here and there, but he would never flaunt it in front of me. Always said he wanted to get his dick wet from time to time, but it meant nothing.
Christ. Will I be like him? Never settling down. Will I cheat on Cherry?
I rub my face, trying to take it all in.
“Son, why are you asking me about this?” Ma asks, sounding worried.
Looking up at her, I say, “George’s two kids took Sammie.”
“What?” she gasps.
“Mm-hmm. It’s true.”
“I don’t understand.” She starts rambling to herself. “His kids were taken from him. He’s been in jail. How? Why?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know, Ma. That’s why I’m asking you. We have no connection to these boys except through you two. I don’t understand why they would take Sammie. I don’t even know if George was involved, but we do know he’s out of prison, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he shows up right when Sammie was taken.”
Ma sits back, both of us silent, trying to work out the whys in our heads.
When I still don’t come up with anything, I stand up. “I need to go talk to the guys. We need to find George.”
She shoots up from her chair, demanding, “I need to speak to George. When you find him, you bring him to me.”
I don’t say anything. I just stare at her.
“Marco! I will be the one speaking to him. Do you understand me?!” Ma practically yells at me.
