Destined To Collide

Chapter 19

"Well, you kissed me back!" she says

"No, we're NOT getting off-topic," I say, "Look, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're here now. But just the mere mention that you were coming here already caused turmoil amongst my friends because of OUR history. And then they found out about how we slept together five years ago; while I was still engaged to someone else, mind you. And as I recall, you were already married to Carlo at that point.

"If they're going to find out I also have a child with you, I'm going to make damn sure that It's true. I'm not going to stand here and let you lie; I just saw him now, he looks just like me. So you're going to tell me the truth and then we're going to get us a same day paternity test; I'll go in this house right now and pluck some hair off his head and do it myself if I have to, so what's going to be?" She comes and wraps her arms around my neck and starts crying in my chest.

"I was going to wait to tell you!" she finally says, then she moves her head to face me "I'm still not 100% percent sure it's true, but I always wanted it to be true. I DO know he's not Carlo's and the two of you were the only two I was with at the time."

"How do you know that, Candy?" I ask, "And for that matter, why did you wait FIVE years to tell me I may have a son?"

"I know because, for starters, Carlo and I were married for two years and we were trying to get pregnant and it wasn't happening," she explains, "first,p we tried EVERYTHING and nothing so we went to the doctor and we discovered the problem was HIM, not me, he's sterile. But we were still hopeful so we tried again including right before I came here for your mother's funeral. Soon after I returned to Italy I found out I was pregnant. I really wanted it to be yours and not Carlo's; he already started hitting me because he was very insecure and sensitive that he couldn't give us a child.

"He wasn't upset that he couldn't give ME a child, he felt emasculated. I secretly got a paternity test without him knowing and it turned out negative. For the safety of myself and my son, OUR son, I had to let him think that Naldo's his. That's why I never told you. Here're some of the bruises gave me." She parts from my neck and shoulders and pulls up her sleeves to show me bruises on her arms, the back of her neck, and her chest; she told me she also has bruises near her private parts, "When I saw you on that video, I stupidly mentioned you to him and he somehow worked it out that I cheated on him with you."

"Did he rape you?" I say, very concerned

"If it wasn't for the neighbors calling the police for domestic disturbance, he would have raped me and then he'd beat me to death and God knows what to Naldo and this is without him knowing he's not Naldo's father. He's also never been Naldo's legal guardian even though he thought so. I had to find a way to get away. He's not allowed in the US because of some criminal history he has from before we met.

"I'm really sorry about all that, Candy," I say, "but you could've found a way to let me know, I would've found a way to protect you. I still had the right to know. Right now, you need to go get Naldo and his car seat from Kenny's car and we're driving to Trenton; the nearest big city to here and we're getting official documentation. Please, after all this time, I deserve this."

"Alright," she says wiping the tears off her face (I hate myself for thinking this under the circumstances but she's still beautiful), "but how will we get there without a car?"

"Oh, I have a car," I say, "I just hope it still works." We go into Kenny's garage which is detached from his house and behind the driveway. It's a three-car garage; one for Kenny and one for Gina, and in the third spot is my mom's old station wagon that's been sitting under a tarp for a while. I use it every once in a while when I need to drive somewhere and I can't borrow another car.