You accepted the payment. Now let me speak to my son!
Another long stint of silence instigates a severe bout of recklessness.
Me:
If you don’t hold up your end of our agreement, I have no reason to maintain mine.
The custody agreement is simple: Pay thirty thousand dollars toward my debt for ten minutes of FaceTime with my child. The only other term is that I can’t tell anyone about Gabriele. If the Cosa Nostra hierarchies find out about him, they’ll take him from us and raise him to be a future commander.
Edoardo isn’t a great father, but compared to the fathers I’ve faced in his world, he’s the better choice.
My phone sails high in the air when a ping finally buzzesthrough it.
Edoardo:
The agreement was 40K this month. You’re 10K short.
Restlessness burns through me as the truth rains down around me. He requested forty thousand because he was angry I’d snapped a picture of Gabriele.How could I have forgotten that?
Without the means to earn another 10K on such short notice, I act as if I’m not as smart as I am. It isn’t a hard routine to pull off. Edoardo believes all women are beneath him.
Me:
No. Our custody agreement is thirty thousand a phone call. I paid that, so let me speak to my son. Now.
Counting down the days until I see him is all that’s kept me going this week. If he denies me this opportunity, I won’t get back up.
Another message flashes across the screen.
Edoardo:
Don’t treat me like a fool, Cici. The agreement can change at any moment. That’s my right. So either pay the additional 10K or miss out on this month’s chat.
My vision blurs as panic rises like an unstoppable tide. I can’t miss another month. I won’t survive it. I can’t bear not seeing him or hearing his voice. Not knowing if he’s okay is torture. Another thirty days of pretending I’m fine? I won’t make it. I’m already falling apart.
My fingers move on their own.
Me:
Please, Edoardo. I’m begging you. I’m sure we can come to some kind of arrangement.
I have no clue how sexting works, but I’m so desperate to see Gabriele that I’ll learn.
Edoardo:
Tempting…
I gnaw on my bottom lip and impatiently wait.
Air releases from my lungs in a hurry when his next message pops up.
Edoardo:
But the agreement was 40K. Let me know now if I should give him some soda. He’s extra tired today. I’d hate for him to be asleep when you call.
Me:
Don’t send him to bed until I’ve called. I’ll get the money.
