He leaned up gently, as Dennis stirred slightly. “Protecting you.”
“How in the fuck are you protecting me, Menace? I want to meet her.”
He looked into my eyes. “Bean, ain’t no going back… lot of shit I would have rather not known. Could have gone my entire life without knowing.”
“What are you not telling me, Maverick?” My heart thumped against my chest, as I watched him.
He wanted to rub his hands desperately but settled for his son’s back instead. “You want to meet her, then we’ll go. It’s an hour from here.”
I turned and left the library and went to my bedroom to call Kora. She answered after the third ring. “When did we start keeping secrets from each other?”
“Our life is one big secret. What is this about, Zoya, I have virtual court in a bit,” she replied.
“Our mother’s mom.”
“Yes. Constance has a mother… how else you think she was born in the first place.” She was trying to fish and see what I knew.
“Kora, he told me already and he’s taking me to meet her.”
“Why do you want to meet her, Zoya? What missing piece is that going to fix for you? She’s an old woman that doesn’t even know us.”
“Have you visited her?”
“No. Only Maverick goes and visits whenever he’s in Aspen. He has one of mom’s old childhood friends check in on her at the retirement home she’s in. Come to town and let’s go to the spa and have an early dinner.”
She was trying to convince me not to go.
Sometimes Kora called our mother by her name because it seemed less personal. That feeling we all hated didn’t sting as much if she called her Constance, instead of mom. I never questioned the ways my siblings decided to handle grief.
While I tried to ignore them and act like they never existed, she walked around talking about them with their real names.
To each his own.
“I’m going, Kora.”
“Fuck, Zoya. Why do you always have to be so hard headed? You didn’t know this woman existed before today. Why is it so important for you to go?”
“I’m going.”
“Fuck,” she muttered. “I’ll meet you both there… I’ll push this court appearance.” The fact that she was willing to push a virtual court appearance to come, scared me.
I ended the call with my sister and called the one person I wanted to hear from. “Not mad at me anymore, huh?”
I smiled slightly. “Hey, Goo.”
“What’s wrong, Baby?”
Even after the way I ended the call on him the last time we spoke, he still cared that something was wrong with me. “I don’t know yet.”
“What you mean? Speak to me, Boobie.”
I took a deep breath. “Something doesn’t feel right. I can’t explain right now, but I just know something isn’t good.”
“Zoya, you can’t call me and expect me not to worry. I know physically, you’re safe because you’re with your brother. Baby,I’m worried about mentally… tell me what’s wrong before I catch a flight to you.”
“Mr. Caselli is ready for you, Ms. Caselli.” I heard the announcement through the intercom.
“Can you?”
