“Yes. I’d heard.”
Ordinarily, Carmine would be annoyed by his father’s contrary nature. Today it was like a gift from the gods.
“You were about to say something before I keeled over,” Stefano said.
“Don’t worry about that. It’s not the time. You focus on getting well and we can have a talk then.”
But Stefano had a tight grip on him.
“Were you going to tell us you’re gay?”
Carmine thanked his lucky stars he’d sat down. His whole body seemed to tremor at those words.
“What?”
“Well?”
He might never get another chance. His remarkable father had opened the door. All he had to do was step through.
“Yes. I was.”
He expected Stefano to rear away from him. Or one of the machines to go haywire and someone to yell for the crash team. Instead, the older man stroked Carmine’s hand with his thumb.
“Son. Do you really think it would be that much of a surprise to us? Have we been such bad parents that you couldn’t come to us twenty years ago?”
“Dad…I…”
“All I want for you is to find love like I did with your mother. Nothing else matters.”
A sob left Carmine.
“Don’t blubber, for goodness’ sake,” Stefano said. “That’s all those years in America, for you. Now go and send your brother in. I’ve got plenty to say to him. Although God knows what I’m going to talk to Monica about. I’ll have to think of something.”
Carmine managed to hold it together long enough to book the hotel room and settle his mother. Raoul and Monica were going to take the first shift at the hospital for a couple of hours. Besides Stefano had things to say to them. Carmine hoped Raoul’sspeech wouldn’t consist entirely on how to get the famous La Piazza marinara sauce right. Or Monica’s that she needed a man and two children to find true happiness.
Now he stood in the ensuite, staring at himself in the mirror. Everything was in turmoil right now. For the first time in hours his thoughts fell to Noah. Carmine had been sharp with him on the phone. Of course Noah wasn’t to know the crisis Carmine and his family were facing.
As soon as his mama was asleep, he’d try to call Noah. It was unfair to be silent for so long.
He wiped his eyes and splashed water on his face. When he went into the room, Maria stared up at the ceiling.
“Mama? Can I get you anything?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t think I’ll sleep,” she replied.
He kicked his shoes off and lay down on the second bed facing her.
“Do you want a story?” he asked.
This made her smile. As a child, whenever he’d had a nightmare, she would scare the monsters away with one of her tales she appeared to have a never-ending supply of.
His favourites being tales of fairies who lived in Sardinia where Maria’s mother had grown up. These stories had been passed down for generations. Carmine realised he was ready to be an uncle and share such things. Raoul needed to get cracking.
I sound like Mama now.
“What did your father say to you?”
