Page 41 of Kingpin
“I learned a lot while I was gone,” I answer, just as the hostess delivers our drinks. “A byproduct of growing up, I guess. One of the things I was really interested in was the kind of stuff you used to tell me about. The things you and your father were into were things the police put a lot of effort into getting rid of in this city, so I’m just curious.”
“The police can think that they got rid of something if they want to,” he says, avoiding the wordmafia. There aren’t many people in the VIP Lounge, but it’s better to be careful. “I’d prefer they think that, actually. But the thing my father was a part of will always be around, it just operates differently now. Quieter.”
“And you’re a part of that now?” I sip my drink to try to prepare myself for the answer.
“I always have been.”
My heart picks up pace. I knew it, but now I reallyknowit. Dominic is still in the mafia. It’s easy to think about the rumors and misconceptions of what people say about the mafia, but I don’t really know what that means, in all honesty. I think I want to find out, but maybe now isn’t the best time. I think confirmation of Dominic being a member of the St. Louis mob is enough for the first night.
A waiter comes over to the table and takes our order—I order a steak, Dominic gets the most expensive lobster on the menu—and I use the interlude to change the subject.
“I tried to write you, you know?”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, twice,” I tell him. “The letters came back both times. I just figured you moved or something. Which kind of reminds me of something else. So, I have another question.”
“Uh-oh. More questions.”
“Nothing bad. I was just wondering if you got my letter.”
He looks confused.
“I thought you said the letters got sent back.”
“Those did get sent back, but this is a different letter,” I reply. “I wrote it before we moved to Alaska, and I left it in your mom’s mailbox. I guess she decided not to give it to you. Or maybe she never got it. I don’t know. Never mind, I guess.”
“Hmm. Nah, I don’t know nothing about no letter,” Dominic says, as he starts devouring his lobster and digging into the baked potato that came with it. As he chews, he leans over so he can reach into his back pocket, then he places a folded piece of paper on the table and looks at me with a grin.
“What’s this?” I ask as I reach for it. He doesn’t answer, so I unfold the paper and I’m shocked to see that it’s my letter to him. The writing is faded, but it’s still legible. It’s my letter.
“I take it with me everywhere I go. Always have,” he says. He smiles at me as tears fill my eyes, then he goes back to his food like it’s no big deal.
But it is. To me, it is.
“I can’t believe you still have this after all this time. It’s been ten years, Dominic. Why do you still have this?” I ask as my voice starts to shake with emotion.
“Because you wrote it,” he replies nonchalantly. “My mother gave it to me the day of my father’s funeral. It goes where I go.”
“This is incredible,” I say, doing my best to shake away the tears. I fold up the paper and hand it back to him, and he pushes it into his back pocket, its home for the past ten years.
We finish our dinner—which Dominic pays for without hesitation—and make our way to the elevator. The doors close behind us and I’m filled with all kinds of emotions. On one hand, Dominic admitted he’s still in the mob, and on the other hand, he still carries my letter around with him every single day, and he’s been doing it for a decade straight. If that isn’t love, then what the hell do you call it? But he said it all so casually that I’m not sure how he even feels about me. The fact that he’s still carrying my letter around has to mean something, though. Right? I mean, he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care. Would he?
The elevator opens and I die inside, because I don’t want the night to end. We’ve stopped on the floor of my suite, and Dominic walks me to my door.
“I’m sure you’re probably tired after all the traveling and whatnot,” he says. “Sorry I didn’t let you rest before asking you out to dinner, but I’m really glad you came.”
“It was my pleasure. Thanks for asking. I’ll definitely sleep well tonight. I had a good time, though. It was good catching up.”
“Yeah, it was. But we still have more catching up to do. Ten years’ worth. So, I have to see you again. And then again after that. And probably again after that, too.”
We both laugh, and my insides fill up with teeny-tiny butterflies.
“Well, I have to report to the hospital tomorrow now that I’m here,” I reply.
“Okay, that’s cool. Just call me whenever you’re free.” Before he leaves, he gives me a River City business card that has his number on it, then he grabs my hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing it softly as he looks me in the eyes.
I melt.
Then he turns on his heel and walks away.
I watch him until he turns the corner and is out of sight. I’m overcome with feelings of happiness, anxiety, joy, and fear. It’s a whole buffet of feelings that bring tears to my eyes without me being able to fully understand why.
Once inside my amazing suite, I sit on my bed for fifteen minutes before I’m able to move. I have to take my time breathing all of this in. It’s like I’m right back in the ninth grade. Nothing has changed, even though everything has. There’s so much I don’t know, but the things I do know are enough for now.
He’s even more perfect now than he was before I left, and this was the perfect beginning to my new life in St. Louis. I have a feeling there’s more nights like this just around the corner, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
He’s still perfect.
He’s still Dominic.
