Page 29 of Dear, Carson McDermott
“You’re all leaving today?” I asked.
“Yep. Everyone should be down already,” Tony stood. “Come and say bye to my parents. They miss you too Bubba.”
This made me smile. I missed them too. I didn’t ignore them, but I tried to avoid them as much as I could. I gulped the rest of my whiskey and as I stood, I dropped some money on the table leaving enough for a tip as well. When we got to the lobby, surely enough, my mother and father-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Di’Maggio exited the elevator. Mrs. Di’Maggio was the first one to see me. Her sad face changed to a happy one,
“Bubba, my big baby,” she smiled as she walked towards me with open arms.
I walked right into them. I pulled her in for a bear hug knowing how much she loved them and couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on my face.
“Hi mama,” she’d scold me if I called her anything else. “I’ve missed you,” I admitted to her.
“I’ve missed you too.” She replied.
“Son.” Mr. Di’Maggio called out to me. “Haven’t seen you in a while, Bubba. We miss you around the house.”
I let Mrs. Di’Maggio go and went towards him.
“I missed you too, Papa,” I said with a smile on my face.
He smiled at me,
“let me take a good look at you, son, he said as he eyed me from the top of my head all the way down. “You know if you ever need a thing, you got us, right?” He asked me.
I nodded.
“I know, I know. Thank you,” I said and then changed the subject. “When do you take off?”
I shouldn’t be this curious. I was asking for both them and Katerina. I know I should let her get on that flight and go but I wanted retribution. I wanted payback for the way she left me here all alone instead of staying like she said she would.
“We leave in less than thirty,” he answered.
I nodded. I wanted to ask about her, but I didn’t. I just, I needed air.
“Okay, I’ll try and come back to say goodbye. Just text me where okay?” I said, ready to escape.
Mr. Di’Maggio nodded,
“Okay, will do. We’ll see you in a bit, okay?”
“Alright’,” I answered.
“Oh! Matty, I think I left my extra pair of heels upstairs in the room. Hold on, let me go get them,” Mrs. Di’Maggio exclaimed.
“Wait, I’ll get em’ for ya,” I told her.
“Oh no, no it’s okay I can go get them,” She said as if refusing for me to go up there.
She didn’t get it; I was trying to make sure Katerina didn’t walk into the lobby to meet her family. I didn’t know where she was nor did I see the rest of the clan, so I figured they either already left, or they were on their way back in. I wanted to avoid seeing Katerina at all costs.
“Oh, let me do this one thing for you please, Mama?” I smiled shyly.
She smirked,
“This damn charm of yours, Bubba.”
Phew!I was glad she didn’t refuse the second time.
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