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Fuck. Enough dwelling for one day. It was time to jump in the shower and hit the road to meet my brothers.
The long shower helped my body to get a grip, but every noise made my temples go boom. After climbing out of the shower and drying myself off, I put on a new suit and combed my hair a little to at least seem presentable, even if I wasn’t feeling it. The man in the mirror had nothing in common with how I was feeling inside. Damn, I clean up nice. Before leaving the room, I gave the portrait another glance, taking in all her features, enough to last me the entire day.
Behind my bedroom door, Maximus was waiting in sitting position with his nose proudly up. My pup. Well, maybe pup was not the right description since Maximus was a 4-year-old Doberman, exquisitely trained both as a house pet and guard dog. Whenever we were inside, I let him be a puppy despite the fact that he looked like a brute with his pumped chest, muscular legs, and diamond-encrusted collar.
“Morning, Max.” He barked to salute and I scratched him between the ears. “Wanna go for a walk in Central Park, boy?” The wiggle of what was left from his tail was telling me he found my idea pretty fucking brilliant, so I put his leash on and got out of the apartment.
I loved my place; that’s why I went through a vicious auction and bribed a few people to make sure I’d get it. That happened way back in 1994. It was supposed to be my wedding present for Salva, but she’d fled before I even got to show it to her. A four-bedroom penthouse with a huge open conceptliving room. The state-of-the-art kitchen was designed for Salvatrice; I even had a special oven installed. She loved baking and I loved watching her do it.
Fuck, she was eating me from the inside. Every day for six years, everything I did revolved around Salva. What she would think about what I do, how she would like the things I saw. It was fucking useless. She was never coming back.
I stepped in the street, trying to focus on Maximus and purge myself of Salva’s memory, but that lasted for about six minutes, until I made it to the park and my eyes fell on a bush of Quick Sand roses. Her favorite fucking flowers. Sometimes I felt like it was useless to try and fight her off. There was no escape.
Lucky for me, the place Gino set for us to meet was close, and my headache, combined with family, should keep me busy for a couple of hours. They were seated on the back patio, at an intimate table right on the water. Catherinelle was sitting on Hugo’s knee even though there were enough free chairs. They always found a reason to touch each other. The Albanian Monster was a fucking housewife now and he loved it. Muse had little Enzo in her arms, talking to him, and the little fella was looking at his mom with wide eyes. He loved his momma’s voice. Gino was up with his arms crossed, watching over his woman and his son. There were some who thought that a child would soften him, but it only made him stronger, more ferocious, ready to protect what was his.
My brothers made it to the other side; they were happy, and it was a treat to see them like this. I, on the other hand, was still fighting to stay afloat.
“Morning, famiglia,” I said, making their heads turn. “Since you said it’s a family outing, Gino, I brought my son too.”
“Here comes the birthday boy.” Muse said with a smile.
Catherinelle jumped from Hugo’s arms and came to kiss me on my cheek, then went down to give Maximus a scratch.
“Aww, Max, you are so awfully pretty today.” She snuck a slice of beef from the Carpaccio and gave it to him.
“Cat, you’re spoiling my dog.”
“I’m not, I just want Maxie to know how much I love him. Hey, baby.” She looked at Mustafa over her shoulder, “We should get a dog.”
“No way. We don’t have time for a dog, Cat.”
“Why not? You owe me a dog since you don’t want to give me a baby, jackass.”
Oh, wow. They’ve been married for a minute and already thinking about kids? Hugo didn’t take long to shoot his answer back.
“The last time you were pregnant, you almost died, Catherinelle. I’m sorry I don’t get crazy at the idea of trying that again.”
“Oh, my God, nothing happened. I lost a pregnancy and passed out for a couple of hours. It’s been three years; you have to move on. I want kids.”
Muse, Gino, and I were watching the scene with a smile on our faces. Marriage didn’t change those two. Hugo was still a grumpy moron and Cat was hell bent on driving him crazy and, somehow, they were perfect for each other. On the opposite side, Gino and Muse never had a fight. None worth mentioning anyways. Their love was thick like molasses.
“Cat, dear,” Muse said, “you have enough time for you to become a mother. Children are a precious gift, I know that better than anyone, but all the late-night feedings are not so fun.”
Muse’s fertility problems were no secret. She and Gino had a few rough years, but finally, they got the little prince.
Catherinelle smiled and returned to Hugo’s arms while I sat next to them.
“You’re right, we’re in no hurry. I’m fine babysitting my sweet nephew for a few years. Also, there’s the other thing…” She left the sentence dangling in the air.
My curiosity got the best of me.
“What thing, Cat? Is there something we need to know?”
“Well, starting this fall, I will be a student at Columbia University. I decided to take my bachelor’s in fashion.”
Well, look at that. Hugo Mustafa was a good influence on our little Cat. It was good to see her finding her own path. I jumped on my feet to give her a congratulatory hug.
“That’s amazing news, Cat. I’m so proud of you. Why didn’t you come to me? The admission process must have been brutal; I could have helped.”
