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But now things had changed.Shehad changed and even without Valentina acting as her wingman, Gia had finally begun to see things differently. Because now when Gia looked at Riker, all the attraction and allure and mystique of the whole beautiful bad boy thing flew right out the window, and was replaced by a harsh, hard, cold reality.
Now when Gia looked at Riker, she saw him for exactly what he was—trouble.
“I’m going to miss you a lot.” Gia moaned from where she was sprawled out on the bed watching Valentina rifle through the drawers of the dresser.
Though there had been times over the recent years that the cousins had been separated by distance, it was never easy for them to be apart. Now they were back in Valentina’s former bedroom in the Abruzzi mansion and to Gia’s immense sorrow, Valentina was packing for her goodwill trip back to Haiti. Gia felt as though she had just gotten her cousin back and now she was leaving again. It left Gia with a sad feeling that she just couldn’t shake— one of bereft loneliness and a sense of being left behind.
Valentina stood on a chair and pulled down the oversized suitcase from the top shelf of the walk-in closet. When she was done, she moved to sit on the bed next to her cousin. Valentina reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind Gia’s ear. “You know you can always come with us.” Valentina said gently.
Gia sighed. “I honestly wish I could, but that’s a ridiculous thought and we both know it.”
“No, it isn’t, and I don’t know why you won’t even consider it.” Valentina pouted.
Then Valentina’s pout became comically exaggerated and she looked at her cousin with arched eyebrows and dramatic hand gestures. “Please?” She begged with hands clasped as if in prayer.
“Stop!” Gia couldn’t help but laugh. Then she put an arm around her cousin and hugged her warmly. “You know I’m not as nice of a person as you are, Valentina. The whole notion of giving of myself for the greater good is so not my thing. Especially if it involves any type of manual labor! And building both a school house and an orphanage from the ground up in a third world country? That’s definitely going to be a lot of work.” Gia sighed.
“You know you’re a much nicer person than you ever give yourself credit for, Gia. Someday I hope you’ll see yourself as I see you…giving and loving and kind.”
The two cousins sat together in silence; the sound from a clock acting as a sad reminder that their time together was growing shorter with each passing moment. To lighten the mood, Valentina teased. “But now that I think of it —you and any kind of physical labor? Definitely not a match!”
“Are you saying I’m lazy?” Gia pulled away from her cousin, stood up and stared in mock outrage.
“Nah, I’m just saying that you’re constantly on energy saving mode!”
“Very funny!” Gia grinned. “Hey, that reminds me. You want me to grab those Doc Martens for you? You know for me they are pure fashion statement, but I bet you could use something substantial like those on the job site.”
“Yeah. Thanks. That’s a great idea.” Valentina chewed her lip as she looked down at the contents of the open suitcase. “I’m probably forgetting a million things!”
“No worries, we’ll go back over your list again one more time.” Gia told her. Then she bounced off the bed and scurried out to find the borrowed work boots. She was back in a flash.
“Do you have any idea how long you’ll be gone?” Gia asked as she stuffed the boots into the big plastic bag that Valentina had laid out.
Valentina shook her head. “No. I don’t. But Hal told me that there’s a club member who’s really good with blueprints and design. Hal said that this guy…I don’t remember what his name is... built a beautiful house somewhere in the southeast in a place called Havengate. He offered to come down to Port-au-Prince for a couple of weeks and help Hal oversee the construction. So, I hope him being there and lending us that kind of expertise might speed things along. The guy’s married and has a couple of little boys. He’s bringing his family with him. His wife’s name is Melissa. I’ve talked to her on the phone a few times. She really sounds nice and is genuinely interested in the project.”
“So that’s good, at least you’ll have a friend there for part of the time.” Gia said. “It’s cool that the club’s okay with Hal leaving for a while. I’m surprised though. Doesn’t he have like responsibilities and stuff?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Valentina nodded. “But the Saints are also involved in a bunch of charitable events. Runs, raffles, fund-raisers are all part of what they do to keep the arrangements they have made with the politicians and the judges in the area.”
“Kind of like the dental clinics that Uncle G had built in the poorer villages in Italy back in the day.” Gia nodded. “Hush money stuff—keeps everyone happy.”
“I hate to think of it like that, because that is not and has never been what this building project is about. But I can’t deny that Hal going off to donate his time and money on this kind of venture satisfies at least part of the club’s goodwill obligation.”
“His time. Your money.” Gia huffed.
“Nope. Our time, our money. Hal’s matching what I donated.” Valentina said with pride. “And the club is throwing in, as well. So, all that put together with what Father Mike has been able to raise, we’ll be able to do a lot. You sure you don’t want to come down and lend a hand? Truthfully, there’s gonna be a lot more to do then just the physical construction and you know how much I’d love to have you with me.”
“Tempting, but no thanks. I have to stick around here and figure out what I’m gonna do with the rest of my life.” Gia sighed as she helped Valentina fold the clothes that were piled on the bed. Since her wedding a couple of weeks ago, Valentina had been caught in a whirlwind of activity. She hadn’t had much time to make the transition from her father’s house to Prosper’s lake house—the home that Hal had been staying in. That was just as well because it would have been a pointless move. Hal, Valentina, and Father Mike were leaving for the Caribbean tomorrow and they had no idea how long they would be gone.
Valentina cocked a hand on her hip and surveyed the contents of the suitcase. “I think I have all the clothes I need, and if I don’t, I’ll just have to improvise.”
“How about toiletries? Shampoo and stuff?” Gia asked.
“Yup, I’m pretty sure I’m all set.” Valentina nodded as she went down the list on the sheet of paper she had in front of her. Then she let out a long burst of an infinitely tired sigh. “Damnit!”
“What’d you forget?” Gia asked her.
“Tampons. I wanted to bring a few boxes with me.” Valentina frowned as she glanced at the clock. “I’m pretty sure that the drugstore is closed by now, but I think that new market on the corner of West and Second Street should still be open. Will you come with me?”
