Mick Sinatra 2: Love, Lies, and Jericho (10 page)

Joey Sinatra.
 
He was sitting there like he didn’t want to
be there, but as soon as Mick made his way to the table he was certain Joey
would be all smiles too.
 
But there was
pain in that boy, and bitterness.
 
He was
going to give Mick fits.
 
He could feel
it in his bones.

Then there
was Gloria Sinatra.
 
His only daughter
and his only biracial child.
 
She was as
gorgeous as her mother, and her mother was a beauty.
 
But she was in pain too.
 
Life wasn’t going the way she had hoped it
would go either.
 
Mick knew a large part
of it was his fault too.

And
suddenly, seeing all that pain, made him even more determined to get out.
 
But he held fast, and pulled out his cell
phone.

“Is
everything alright, sir?”
 
The Maître d
saw his hesitation.

Mick pressed
Roz’s number, and then looked at the man.
 
“I’m fine, thank you,” he said.
 
The Maître d bowed off.
 
Roz’s
voice came on line.

“Hey babe,”
she said.

“You aren’t
here yet,” Mick said.

“I’m on my
way.
 
Javier tried to change the plans I
laid out for the addition, as if I don’t know what I want, and I had to cuss
his ass out.
 
But I should be there in a
few.”

The idea of
his woman being forced to cuss somebody out bothered Mick.
 
“Want me to talk to him?”

“No,” Roz
said quickly.
 
“I’m good.
 
He gets me now, I think.”

“He’d better,”
Mick said.
 
Or I’ll be getting him
, he wanted to add.
 
“Where are you in proximity to where I am?”

“Five, ten
minutes tops.
 
Are your children there
yet?”

Mick looked
at his children.
 
All four of them were
from four different mothers.
 
Another one
of his shames.
 
“Yeh, they’re here.”

“They’re
happy to see you I’m sure.”

“We’ll see,”
Mick said.
 
“You just drive
carefully.
 
Don’t speed.”

“You mean
like you?
 
I won’t.”

Mick ended
the call.
 
Then he cut the bullshit and
made his way to his children.

They all
stood up, all smiles, when they saw him coming.
 
The sense of pride they felt in being related to him, to being his
children, could be seen in their eyes.
 
It wasn’t just that he was handsome and rich that impressed them the
most.
 
It was his power, the fact that he
was feared and highly respected, that most impressed them.
 
He was the giant among giants, and they loved
that.

“Hey
everybody,” Mick said jovially as he approached his children.
 
He moved toward Gloria first.

“Hey, Dad,”
she said as they hugged.
  
“You look
happy.”

“I’m
alright.
 
What about you?”

“I’m
good.
 
Thanks for asking.”

Mick hugged
each of his children and all four of them, just like him, kept up the smiles
and surface talk.
 
They all sat back
down.
 

“Where’s
Roz?” Teddy asked.

“That’s Miss
Graham to you,” Mick said.
 
“She’s on her
way,” he added.

“She’s
beautiful.”
 
Teddy smiled.
 
“And nice too.
 
A great combination.”

“What would
you know about it?” Joey asked.
 
“You
date a bunch of dogs.
 
You’ve never dated
a pretty girl.”

“Beauty is
in the eye of the beholder, little brother,” Teddy said.
 
“And if your eye is crooked, like yours, how
could you ever see anything straight?
 
Beauty can be right in front of you, and you’ll miss it.”

“They’re
still ugly,” Joey said, and Adrian laughed.

Gloria shook
her head.
 
“Don’t pay them any mind,
Teddy.”

“Is it true,
Dad?” Adrian asked him.

“Is what
true?”

“Joey’s
working for you?”

“He’s making
a start.”

“What about
me?”

“I’m a
busboy in the cafeteria at SI, Adrian,” Joey said.
 
“Don’t get carried away.
 
You’re a playboy.
 
Busboy and playboy don’t go together.”

“So why are
we here?” Gloria asked her father.

Mick found
her question odd.
 
“I can’t invite my
children to dinner?”

“You know
what she means,” Teddy said.
 
“It was a
whole week’s notice, so we assumed it means something’s come up.
 
We just want to know what.”

Before Mick
could answer, the waitress arrived and took all of their drink orders.
 
Mick ordered for Roz.
 
To his relief, she arrived just as the
waitress left.
 
Mick stood up, prompting
the children to stand too.

“Hey, babe,”
Mick said as he kissed Roz on the lips.

“Hello,
guys,” Roz said, waving a collective wave.
 
Teddy, Gloria, and Adrian gave her a hug too.
 
Joey nodded.
 
“What’s up?” he asked.

“Have you
told them?” Roz asked excitedly as Mick held out her seat.

“Not yet,”
he said, and sat down beside her.

“Have you
told us what?” Teddy asked.
 
“Inquiring
minds really want to know.”

Everybody
looked at Mick.
 
Mick smiled.
 
He leaned forward.
 
“We wanted to let you know that I have asked
Rosalind, Miss Graham, to be my wife.”

Joey and
Adrian looked shocked.
 
They never, not
in a million years, thought their father would ever marry anybody.
 
Especially when he didn’t marry their mothers
even after they turned up pregnant.
 
He
just plopped them down in some big house and kept them quiet by loading their
coffers with cash.
 
But Gloria and Teddy
were thrilled.
 
For them it was about
time their father found some true happiness.
 
They were elated.

“That’s
great news, Dad,” Teddy said, reaching over and squeezing his father’s massive
bicep.
 
“I didn’t think you had it in
you, old man!”

Mick
couldn’t help but smile at that one.
 
Of
all of his children, Teddy seemed to be the only one who found a way to overcome
the fact that he did not have a fulltime father in his life growing up.
 
He was able to move off of that debilitating
spot.
 
Mick was drawn to him more than
the others probably because of that strength he saw in him.
 
“Thank you, Theodore.”

Gloria was
happy too.
 
“Congratulations, Dad, and
welcome to the family, Roz.”
 
Then Gloria
quickly glanced at her father.
 
“I mean,
Miss Graham.”

“Roz is
fine, Gloria,” Roz said with a smile.
 
“And thanks.
  
I’m looking forward
to it.”

“Does your
family know?” Gloria asked her.

“Not yet,”
Roz said.
 
“We’re going to take a slow
drive to Tennessee tomorrow morning to let them know.
 
We wanted to meet with you guys before we
left.”

Gloria was
curious.
 
She knew, from experience, that
black families could be just as closed-minded about interracial relationships
as white families could be.
 
“How do you
think your family will take it?” she asked.

“She’s
marrying a rich, powerful man like our dad,” Joey answered, “how do you think
they’ll take it, Glo?
 
They’re going to be
overjoyed.
 
Thot like that just won the
lottery.”

Mick gave
Joey a look that could have frozen the sun.
 
But Roz was unfamiliar with the term.
 
“What’s a
thot
?” she asked.

Joey was
about to answer, but he saw his father’s eyes.
 
He felt the chill, and quickly realized, as if he didn’t already know,
that his dad treated this particular female far different than any one he had
ever seen him with.
 
Including his mother
and his siblings’ mothers.
 
He kept his
mouth shut.

Roz leaned
against Mick.
 
Apparently she had missed
something.
 
“What’s a thot?” she asked.

“A thot,”
Adrian gladly answered, “is the euphemism for
that hoe over there
.”

When Roz
heard the meaning, she was shocked.
 
She
looked at Joey.

Joey knew he
was in a danger zone.
 
He could see the
anger on his father’s face.
 
He knew he
had to clean it up.
 
“I didn’t mean
anything by it,” he quickly said.
 
And
then he smiled.
 
“I was just joking
around.”

But Roz
failed to see the humor.
 
“I have done
nothing but respect you, Joey,” she said in all sincerity.
 
“I have never disrespected you, not
ever.
 
Tell me one time when I treated
you as anything less than Mick’s cherished son?
 
Give me one example!
 
But then for
you to turn around and call me a vile name like that, and expect me to find it
humorous after the fact, is not acceptable.
 
I respect you and you will respect me back.
 
You demand it, and so do I.
 
You hear me?”

Joey glanced
at Mick again.
 
And then he nodded.
 
“I hear you,” he said.
 
“And I apologize.”

 
Roz knew it was disingenuous.
 
But she knew this man-child was going to be
her stepson someday.
 
They had to get
along for Mick’s sake.
 
And even though
she doubted his sincerity, she didn’t question it.
 
“Apology accepted,” she said.

But Mick was
cut from a different cloth.
 
He stood up,
walked around the table to Joey’s side, and without ceremony slapped Joey so
hard he slapped the taste out of his mouth.
 
Joey’s entire body fell over the chair, causing the entire restaurant to
look at him, and then he quickly got up.

Mick looked
him dead in the eye.
 
It was shit like
this that made getting close to his children damn near impossible.
 
He wasn’t the man he should have been when
they were growing up, but he still wasn’t going to take their nonsense.
 
“Use a derogatory term when referring to my
lady,” he warned his son, “and you won’t get up again.
 
Understand?”

Joey’s heart
was pounding against his chest.
 
He knew
what his father was capable of.
 
“Yes,
sir,” he said.
 
“I understand.
 
I’ll apologize to her again.”

Mick
frowned.
 
“She doesn’t give a fuck about
your chicken shit apology.
 
You just
treat her right, or you’ll answer to me.”

Joey
nodded.
 
“Yes, sir.
 
I promise you I will.”

Mick stared
at his son longer.
 
And then he walked
back around and sat back down.
 
Joey sat
down too.
 
Roz would have crawled under
the earth if she could have at that very moment.
 
She hated that she was the reason father and
son were in conflict.
 
But it wasn’t as
if she started the conflict.

More small
talk ensued as Mick constantly checked text messages as they came in, and he
even responded to a couple, but none of his children seemed offended.
 
At least not publicly, Roz thought.
 
They were very adept at putting on that
public face and letting their father get away with murder.
 
Except, perhaps, for Mick’s oldest child.
Adrian smiled a lot, but Roz saw a lot of pain in those wiry eyes.

“Any
questions about the announcement?” Mick asked his children.
 
And then he smiled.
 
“Speak now or forever hold your peace.”