Page 104 of DeLucas After Dark

“Babe, I’m just tired. We can talk about it soon.” He said, when he got out of the shower.

Babe?He’d never called me that a day in his life.

“Unh, huh.” Anxiety whirled inside, looking for a place to fester more doubts. “Are you sure that you want to do the wedding at Christmas? I know it’s soon.”

“Whatever you want.” He kissed my cheek and got dressed. His bags were in the living room by the door, but at some point, somebody must’ve retrieved it.

When he was dressed, he kissed me quickly and tried to leave. I got in his way and pulled him in for a deeper one. I didn’t know when I’d see him next. A peck wasn’t going to help me deal with him being away. He kissed me back, but as soon as I slowed the pull of his lips down, he pulled away.

“Simone, I need to go. Martina will be around to help you with anything that you need. Max has a key and will be stopping by here and the club to make sure that you’re fine. If you need anything, let him know.”

“Will I not talk to you at all?” I jutted out my hip and perched my hand there. Usually, he’ll go on and on about him being only a call away. For me to try his cell before reaching out to Max. What gives?

“You will.”

“Then…” I waited for him to elaborate, but he seemed like I was bothering him. Pestering him even.

“Simone, this is different from before. Bigger. I don’t know if I’ll have access to my phone the way I usually do. Try Max first. Denny will be around to drive you wherever you need to go. You won’t take money from me, unless I send Martina with my card when you’re shopping. What else do you need?”

“Uh, to talk to you? To hear that you’re alright.” I pushed. Why was he being a dick?

“Like I said, I don’t know if I’ll be available for that kind of stuff. I’ll call you before bed. I know with the time difference, it can be hard. We’ll figure it out.” He kissed my forehead and left out the front door.

Gone.

What in the actual fuck?

BENIAMINO

Three days later, I returned to town with every intention of breaking up with Simone when I stepped off the flight. My heart was heavy, feet dragging with every step. I stood to exit the plain. Crisp air opened my nose, and I watched the sunrise from the bottom of the staircase.

“Hey, son.” I looked over to see the man from the grocery store. He was unloading my luggage from the plane.

“What are you doing here?” I walked over to him as he slung a bag onto the cart.

“You tell me.” He joked, and we both laughed. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just…” I looked up at the sky, wondering how to convey everything that I was feeling into a simple phrase. “I feel like I’m about to lose my entire world.”

“That’s a lot to put on one set of shoulders. Too big a burden to carry alone. Did you do all you could?”

“I think I have, but when you didn’t have all the details, it was hard to stand strong on a decision.”

“There’s always more to the situation. People say that there are always two sides to a story. I believe that the perception is up to the beholder. Everybody always has something to gain in the situation and something to protect. You can’t be about to lose your entire world, because if you were, I’d see you fighting harder than you are. Maybe you’re stunned because you took an unexpected blow. Now you’re in shock and it hasn’t worn off yet.”

“There’s no fixing this.” I shook my head. The wise man in front of me had no idea how bad this shit was.

“Sounds like you don’t have the right tools.”

I snorted and shook my head. “What kind of tools can one possibly have to change a woman’s mind about the death of her husband?”

“Maybe his death was about the sacrifice for his woman. Their child.”

I nodded. The situation was definitely that. Eddie gave up his freedom to give his wife a baby girl. He had sacrificed. Did he know what he was doing when he asked my father for that favor?

“And now I have one on the way and no clue how to give them things that were taken away from them forever.”

“They don’t need those things to survive. I told you, sacrifice. Things are the way they are because they’re supposed to be. Usually when you lose something, something better comes along to replace it.”

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