Page 118 of Tito

“How do you know you love him? That it’s not just some, I don’t know, puppy love or whatever?”

My mother’s choice to leave my father came unannounced and without warning. Frustrated with his devotion to work after his promotion to detective, she simply left one day and never came back. The divorce that followed didn’t include bickering and fighting over custody or belongings. She washed her hands of him, me, and everything that reminded her of us.

Being blindsided by her lack of love for what he believed to be a perfect family left him jaded. It seemed he questioned anyone’s devotion to a relationship afterward. I can’t say that I blamed him, either.

“Puppy love? Really?” I laughed. “What’s with all the questions?”

“You two declared your love for one another the other day. I’m trying to make sure the man who’s potentially after my daughter’s hand in marriage has got her best interest at heart.”

“Here’s how I know he loves me.” I raised my index finger. “How I feel when he kisses me. I can’t even begin to explain it. It’s magic.” I extended my second finger. “He puts me first. Always. Doesn’t matter what it is, it’s always me first.” I extended my finger of authority. “When he holds me in his arms, I feel like nothing else matters, because nothing else does.” I raised my ring finger. “When we make love—yes, daddy, we have sex in the bed you bought me—he’s not selfish. Once again, it’s always about me.” I lifted my pinkie finger. “He makes sure he does everything in his power to protect me. It doesn’t matter if it’s keeping information from me regarding his friends in the club or putting himself between me and a crowd. He’s always protecting me.” I extended my thumb. “Lastly, he tells me he loves me. And, I believe him.”

“So, he is in a club?” he asked.

Out of everything that I said, he focused on the one thing that went against the grain of his beliefs. I shrugged innocently. “That slipped out.”

“Does it bother you that he is?”

“Not at all. It’s not what you think,” I explained. “It’s just him and a bunch of his friends from school. Well, his friends from school and one ex-military guy they met. They’re just friends. He’s talking about getting out of it, anyway.”

He seemed surprised. “Oh really?”

“Yeah. He mentioned it a few times.”

“Why” Did he say what brought it on?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a cop.”

He stepped back and gave me a look. “I was asking because I wanted to know if it was recent—after your declaration of love—or if it was before. If it’s a sacrifice he’s making because he feels he needs to—”

“He mentioned it the night we met,” I said snidely. “And, a few times since.”

He looked away. “Night you met, huh?”

“Yeah. I asked if he was in one. I thought you’d be mad if he was. Ends up, I really didn’t care if you were mad or not.”

He faced me and laughed. “I love you, Reg.”

“Love you, too.”

He gestured toward Raymond, who was hiding amongst a sale rack of spring clothes. “I’m guessing that kid with the makeup all over his face is Raymond?”

I rolled my eyes. “The one and only.”

“Who’s he hiding from?”

I glanced in that direction. As if he thought we couldn’t see him, Raymond was wadded up into a tiny ball, peering in our direction from between two tangerine-colored shirts. His green skinny jeans and sneakers were well out-of-place, extending from the bottom of the shirts down to the floor. His entire upper body was completely obstructed by the rack of clothes, except for the one eye that peered in our direction.

I laughed at the sight. “I’m guessing he’s hiding from you.”

He covered his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter. “Why?”

“Because you’re big, intimidating, and a cop.”

“Well,” he said. “He’s got nothing to worry about.”

“Can’t say that for the rest of this city,” I said with a laugh.

“Making this city a better place one criminal at a time.” He spread his arms wide. “Give me a hug, I’ve got work to do.”

I hugged him. “See you Sunday.”

“Damn,” he said. “That crept up on us. Day after tomorrow, huh?”

“Sure is.”

He seemed to be ashamed. “I may have to work.”

“Big case?” I asked.

“The biggest.”

He’d been chasing the same ghosts for as long as I could remember. I couldn’t recall the amount of Sunday dinners that I’d forfeited as a result of him working on that ridiculous case.

Frustrated, I shook my head. “You’re never going to catch those guys.”

“Never say never,” he said.