Chapter 12- Manuel reveals what's been going on at home.
As we got out of the shower, I heard her phone go off and as I figured, it was her father. A glance at the clock told me that we had slept later than I had realized and it was well after 10 am.
"Hello?" She answered her phone. "Oh, good morning Daddy. Yes, we are up. I just got out of the shower." She listened for a moment and said "Yes, we can meet you in town. We can go to the club's diner and have brunch. We can be there in about half an hour." She told him looking over at me if that was alright and I nodded my head.
We finished dressing and after collecting Carmella from Kaylee and Boomer, who had watched her overnight. We loaded up in the SUV and drove over to the diner. Manuel was waiting in his car for us when we arrived and got out just as we pulled in. We all walked inside and found a table and I got Carmella a high chair and sat her between me and Annalisa.
A minute later, Dana approached our table and the look on Manuel's face was priceless. "Dana?" He asked in wonder and Dana looked like someone had slapped her.
"Manny? Is that really you?" Dana asked.
"Yes. How good to see you again. How are you?" Manuel stood up and embraced Dana. Annalisa had a confused look on her face and even I had to wonder how the two knew each other. I had known Dana for years and had known her husband before he died.
They stood and talked for a moment when suddenly Dana remembered that she was at work and Manuel realized that we were still sitting there with confused looks on our faces.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm being rude. Dana, I suppose you already know my daughter, Annalisa and her husband, Eagle and this little darling girl, is my first grandchild, Carmella. Dana and I dated for quite a while before I married your mother."
"Yes, Manny was snatched away from me but then I met Russell and we had many happy years together before he was killed. Manny, maybe we can talk more later? My lunch rush is about to begin and I have a lot to do to get ready for it." Dana said and Manuel replied. "I'd like that."
"So, what can I get for you folks to drink?" Dana asked. We all chose coffee except we asked for a cup of apple juice for Carmella.
"Where are Helena and Greggory?" Annalisa asked.
"They said they wanted to explore a bit and they walked down the street to the coffee shop." Manuel said.
We sat and mostly made small talk until our food arrived. I answered questions he had about belonging to an MC and my role in it as a weapons expert. After we finished lunch, we took Manuel to our house. I knew that there was a talk that needed to happen and after showing him around and Carmella went down for her nap, we gathered around the dining room table, drinking coffee.
"You have a very nice place here. It's very homey and comfortable." Manuel said as he settled in his chair.
"So Daddy. I've already figured out that Nessa called you and convinced you to come but I take it Mama refused?" Annalisa said.
"First of all, Annalisa, I need to apologize to you for being so blind for so many years about how Isabella and your brother, Joel, were treating you. Even though I had no idea they were mistreating not only you but our staff, I really have no excuse for neglecting my family, especially you.
To be honest with you Annalisa, I was not happy in the relationship with your mother from day one so I buried myself in working so hard to keep ahead of the game in business that I didn't pay attention to what was happening at home enough. Thanks to Helena, my eyes have been opened recently and I found out some things that I had never been aware of before. The long and short of it, Helena will be staying and your mother will be leaving.
You know our family does not believe in divorce and I may get excommunicated from the church but I can not stay married to or live with a woman who has spent our entire marriage cheating on me and now stealing from not only me but our employees as well." Manuel said, with a mixture of anger and sadness.
"Oh Daddy, I'm so sorry. What and how did you find out?" Annalisa asked.
"Apparently Isabella had been being extra rough with Helena after you left and just before I came here, Helena decided she'd had enough. She came to me one day in tears and said she was quitting and asked for her final paycheck. I asked her why she was so upset and why she had decided to leave us after so many years. That's when she not only told me what had been going on while I was away on business but provided photographs as proof that she was not lying to get back at your mother.
Isabella's "ladies' club meetings" did not have anything to do with any of her "lady friends", which I have recently found out that most of the women we know can't stand her. She was using that title as an excuse to meet up with her lovers, of which apparently there were many, some of them were even with men I've known and done business with for years.
When Helena told me that she had been stealing their raises and bonus monies, I was furious and then Helena told me that she had seen Isabella take a large sum out of the safe in my office. When I checked, there was at least $20,000 missing that I had just put in there the month before.
I don't know if you know this or not, princess but your mother and I did not meet and fall in love but our marriage was arranged by our parents. I had no idea that she was trying to do the same thing to you. That's why you ran away with Dennis, right?" Manuel ended by asking.
"Yes! Yes it is. She wanted me to marry that awful Alfredo Sanchez and I just couldn't do it. He was so disgusting and he told me he didn't want to marry me either but his parents had made a deal with Mama and they were going to cut him off if he didn't agree. Mama threatened me to do the same and told me you had told her to do it. I should have told you, Daddy." Annalisa told him.
"Is it true that Joel was bullying you?" Manuel asked.
"Yes, sir. When I was little it was just teasing but it moved on to name calling and degrading me, saying I was a fat pig and that no boy would ever want to be with me if I didn't lose weight and that got progressively worse as I got older. He would grab me and hold me up against the wall and threaten to punch me in the stomach if I didn't give him what he wanted, which was usually money. I can't say for sure who he is in debt with but I do know he goes to the track." Annalisa said.
"What? I give him a very generous allowance every month and he's been gambling it away? I'll break his damned neck! I work hard to give them everything they could possibly want and I can't believe they have been taking advantage of me for so long but to waste it gambling! How blind could I be? As soon as I get home, I'm calling my bank and my attorney and will be cutting them both off. I'm kicking his sorry ass out right along with his mother." Manuel said, now furious at this news.
"I'm so done with this BS! Thankfully, I did not confront your mother before I left because I wanted proof from a private investigator. I've hired someone to follow her to gather information and evidence of what she's been up to and lying to me about. I also want to find out who her current lovers are. I think now I need to add Joel to that list."
Neither Annalisa or I knew what to say to him but just reassured him that we are there for him. Thankfully, we were able to enjoy a relaxing afternoon, for Annalisa it was to catch up with her father and for me and him to get to know each other. He seemed impressed when we told him about how much land the MC owned and the number of businesses we owned and operated in town. As an executive club member, I was guaranteed an income from the money made on my investments for the rest of my life.
The look on his face when Carmella willingly let him pick her up was one that brought tears to Annalisa's eyes. He sat and happily played with his granddaughter on his lap for almost an hour and you could tell he couldn't have been happier. Annalisa snapped a couple of pictures of them and I knew she planned to draw it later on. That would be another picture to what she called her cherished memory collection.
Greggory and Helena came and had dinner with us and when they left to return to the hotel, we offered them a place to stay but Manuel said they were going to have to leave early tomorrow because he has an important meeting with his board of directors the day after tomorrow. He said that there were going to be some major changes going on at home. He also promised to come back and stay with us for Carmella's birthday in December.
Annalisa was sad to see him go but it was really nice to have our place to ourselves and to be home again. We would deal with getting our wedding presents tomorrow.
After they left, Annalisa was cleaning up and she found 2 envelopes under his placemat on the table. One was marked for the Rescue Farm and the other was a check for $50,000 inside and on the memo it said "Wedding expenses" and there was a note inside. "Cash this and don't argue about it. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you all these years but I'm here now. If there is ANYTHING you ever need, please call me. Love, Dad."
"I can't believe him but then again, yes I do. My daddy was always a generous man. I'm sure he will be a much happier person once my mother is gone. I just hope he gets out of it without losing his shirt." Annalisa said.
"I'm sure that if he gets evidence on your mother for theft and adultery, he won't have any problems getting a divorce without having to pay her a dime. I hope some of the money she stole she put away for a rainy day because it sounds like he's about to storm on her parade." I told her.
"Serves her right too if she's been cheating on him and stealing from him and his employees. The people that work for him are all good people who work hard as well as having to put up with her and her abuse, they deserve every penny they get. Helena was a good friend as well as my confidante, especially when I was younger.
She dried my tears when she and Joel would make me cry and let me vent when I was angry with my mother. She didn't like Dennis either but understood why I was going when I ran." Annalisa told me.
"Well, I hate that you had to go through that with Dennis but it led you to me which I can't say I'm sorry about that. Now, I have something I want to talk to you about. You remember a few months ago, we talked about me adopting Carmella? I still want to do that. Are you sure it's what you want too?" I asked her.
"Oh yes! Very much so. You are a great father to her and I want us all to have the same last name. Dennis can't even object since I never put his name on the birth certificate at his own insistence." Annalisa told me.
"I'll call our lawyer tomorrow and get the paperwork started then." I told her with a big smile on my face. I have a real family now but I had to wonder how long she will want to wait to have a child that will be mine by blood?