housekeeper

32. A first name with a V

(Dave)

We walk into an empty room that my father was assigned by a nurse. When he closes the door behind him, I ask what's wrong.

"Son, Karen's father knows you're involved in the death of his daughter, and he blames you."

"Why?" I ask, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. My father goes to the empty bed and sits on the edge.

"I don't know. He is at his wits' end and wants to avenge his daughter. He knows she was madly in love with you, and you showed no interest. He should recognize her sick obsession towards you."

"Don't tell me," I declare, my face twisted in revulsion as I sit next to him. 

"We have to watch out, Marco is in mourning now. Son..." he pauses, "I fear for your and Vanessa's life. Tony and the men have every possible scenario in mind, and the reinforcement in the hospital is currently sharpened."

"Thanks. What would I do without you?" I say, my voice trembling slightly. My father smiles as he looks out the window. "I will do everything possible to protect you. The police too, by the way. Thanks to you, they shut down a big drug lab."

"The house where Vanessa was trapped?"

"Yes, the lab was in the basement and was discovered during the research."

"Dad, the evidence might be there. But you know how he is. If he has to stay in prison, he will be free in no time."

My father sighs. "Look, son. You have people who make their money in a legal way, and then you have the opposite. Marco Bianchi had to fall through eventually, and there is help." 

I look at my father's face and see a warm, dreamy smile appear on his lips. 

"Dad, now you're making me very curious," I say as I bump my shoulder against his shoulder. "Victoria is now at the police station. I urged her to go to them. Marco abused her and cheated on her. He thought she didn't know. That she is a naïve woman. He should know how smart that woman was or rather is. Then he would have been paying attention when discussing his mafia practices in her presence. She knows everything, son. His labs, dealers, money laundering. That woman is really a top female." 

Hearing him, I can't help but laugh; my father is madly in love with Victoria, and honestly, she is ten times more beautiful than her daughter, on the inside as well as the outside.  Whenever I visited them, she was the only one I felt comfortable with, something you didn't have at all with the father-daughter duo. Victoria always had a way of making me feel at ease, her presence a soothing balm amidst the chaos. Unlike Karen and her father, who always seemed to carry an air of tension and unpredictability, Victoria was a beacon of calm and understanding. She is also the opposite of my mother, who is always seeking attention and looking down on others. I never saw that with her. 

"It seems you've completely forgotten about Ma," I say in a playful voice, trying to lighten the mood.

Dad looks up, a hint of irritation in his eyes. "Why are you saying that now?"

I grin. "Come on, Dad. You talk about Victoria the same way I talk about Vanessa. Women with a first name that starts with a V are dangerous. You fall in love with them just like that," I say, snapping my fingers for emphasis.

My father bursts out laughing. "Son, I think you're right. But, I need to leave my V alone for a while. She's having a hard time dealing with the death of her daughter. And we don't want to broadcast our new relationship to the world. First we need to sort out the divorces and let everything calm down a bit."

I look ahead with a painful expression. 

"Son, she doesn't blame you. Her daughter was crazy, as was her father. Victoria had no real connection with them any more. She is sad for the loss. She raised Karen, but she wasn't happy with the end result."

"Dad, I was so scared of losing Vanessa. I truly hope they finally leave us alone," I tell him, my voice starting to crack, filled with a mix of sorrow and desperation.

"I hope so too, my son. No one wants to live in constant fear of threats." My father looks at his wristwatch and sighs. "I have to go. There's a meeting in ten minutes. I don't miss this busy life."

"Sorry, Dad."

"Oh, I do it with love. You take care of your fiancée. I'll keep things straight at the office in the meantime."

"Thanks," I say as I give my father a big hug. He slaps my back a few times with one hand. "No, thanks. I'm there for you, just like a family should be there for each other. Stay and go see your fiancée now. I really have to leave."

"See you later, father."

"See you later, son," my father replies with a smile. I walk back to Vanessa's room in a happy mood, feeling a renewed sense of hope and determination.