9.11 - 6. Chapter 6

June 24, 2001

       

“When are you going back?” Tony asked me, even as he zipped up his suitcase.

“I’m going to check in with my dad, then book a flight out. I’ll probably end up leaving tomorrow,” I said. He wasn’t used to traveling the way that I did. He’d had his trip planned out and tickets bought over a month ago. My impulsiveness was foreign to him, although the fact that it cost a lot of money to just hop on a plane with short notice may have factored into it too.

“You’ll be OK here?” he asked.

“Dude, I’m so tired, I’ll probably just sleep,” I said. “You fucking wore me out.”

“I know,” he said, and kissed me. “It was awesome.”

“So you’re going home and then Dana’s coming down,” I said, reciting his schedule.

“Yeah,” he said grumpily. He didn’t want to think about that.

“We didn’t talk about us,” I said. Somehow that conversation had slipped right off the agenda.

“I told you I’d break it off with Dana,” he said defensively.

“I wasn’t talking about Dana, I was talking about you and me,” I said. “You want to know what I want?” I’d decided that if I didn’t take the lead on this, we would get nowhere.

“I don’t know. Do I?” he asked, teasing me.

“You do,” I said. “Otherwise, you’d have to think up how we’re going to be together all by yourself, and then you have to convince me that’s the way things should be.”

He did this thing where he rolled his eyes up without really rolling them; it was more of a gesture with his eyebrows. I called it ‘the Tony look’. “Fine. Probably a lot easier to just agree with you.”

“Good words to live by,” I joked.

“No shit,” he agreed and grinned at me.

“I don’t want any big commitments or shit,” I told him honestly. “I don’t really think either one of us is at the point to just be with each other.”

“You saying I can’t do that?” he asked all defensively.

“I’m saying I don’t want to do it, and I’m guessing that neither one of us can do it,” I said firmly. “In my ideal world, when we’re together, it’s just us. I don’t want to have to deal with seeing you with someone else.”

“So if you walk into a party and I’m making out with someone, you’re gonna be pissed?”

“No, I’m going to be pissed if you and I are at a party and you go off and make out with someone else.” He looked at me blankly. “See the difference?”

“Kind of,” he said, still confused.

“I love you, but it won’t work for us to be together, so I just don’t want to have it thrown in my face that you’re fucking around with other people,” I said, sounding frustrated.

“In other words, what you don’t know won’t hurt you,” he said.

“That’s what I’m thinking,” I told him.

“Shit, as soon as school starts, I’ll be too fucking busy to do much of anything,” he groused. Stanford was a tough school. Harvard-Westlake had been a bitch too, but Menlo wasn’t quite as taxing. I found I spent about half as much time doing homework. On the other hand, I didn’t feel like I was learning any less than I was at H-W. Maybe it was just less busywork. I was totally fine with that.

“No shit,” I agreed.

He kissed me again. “It will work out. I’m looking forward to seeing you on the sixth.” I smiled because the date I arrived in St. Louis was clearly etched in his brain.

“I’m looking forward to it too.”

“We’ll have most of Friday to hang out, just the two of us, and most of Saturday too. Then on Saturday night we’ll go down to the river and camp out.”

“Will we share a tent?” I asked suggestively.

“We will. We’ll have to be quiet, but we’ll definitely share,” he said, making me giggle. “Then we float on Sunday, and if we want, we can stay over again on Sunday night. Or we can go back home.”

“Sounds great,” I told him.

“You’ll like my friends,” he said, but seemed nervous about it.

“Will they like me?”

“They’ll like you,” he said, and gave me another Tony look.

“Do they know I’m gay?”

He swallowed nervously. This is what was bothering him. “No.”

“I think I can play it off as a straight dude for the weekend, just for you,” I promised. That got a huge smile from him to thank me for leaving that issue off the table for the weekend. I wondered if he’d ever come out to his friends. It would be interesting to meet them.

“I gotta go,” he said. I gave him a big kiss, and found myself wondering if this would be like my last trip to Rome, where I had this great romance, only as soon as I got home, it was over. I walked down and said goodbye to Tony’s mom and Julia, then gave him a formal goodbye. I watched their cab drive off, just like I’d watched the limo whisk Berto away last year. These parallels were pretty disturbing.

I walked out into the square and went to a nearby café. I sat there, eating breakfast and thinking about Tony. Was this just some big vacation romance? It probably was. There was no denying how this city could cast a romantic spell on someone. That had probably turbo-charged Tony’s feelings for me, and he may be a little less into me when we got back. That made me sad, but I refused to let myself go down that road. Tony and I were friends, and we had a deep connection. Rome may have made it deeper, and leaving Rome may make it less deep, but it would still be there. In a clairvoyant moment, I realized that the pain Berto had caused me last year had taught me how this worked, and helped me prepare myself for what may happen this time.

It was still early enough to call home, then after that I was determined to take a nap. I hadn’t been kidding about being worn out. I picked up my phone and called my dad. “Hello there,” he said pleasantly. “How is Rome?”

“Rome is great. Tony and his family just went home, so I’m thinking about heading back as well. What are you up to?”

“I’m going to New Jersey tomorrow to help your mother and Hank go house shopping,” he said.

“Have you worked things out with them?” I asked.

“I talked to Robbie and Darius, and they think that we should do what we can to make your mom and Hank happy with things. They think that’s worth more than possibly having Hank bailing on your mom and walking away with a chunk of money.”

“I agree,” I said, even though he hadn’t asked my opinion. “Maybe I’ll meet you there,” I said.

“That would be fantastic,” he said, and was genuinely happy about it. Dealing with stuff like this could be stressful; maybe I could make things easier.

“I’ll catch the next flight to New York.”

“Then you can fly back with me when we’re done,” he said. “That would work well.”

“Alright, let me pack up and find out when the next flight leaves. I’ll keep you posted. Where are you staying in New York?”

“The Waldorf,” he said. “Let me know when you plan to get there, and I’ll make sure the room is ready for you. I got a suite, so there should be plenty of room.”

“Awesome,” I said. I hung up, paid my bill, and went back to my room. I logged on to the net and found out there was a flight to New York in three hours. So much for my nap; no matter, I’d sleep on the plane. I booked a ticket, packed my bag, grabbed a cab, and headed to the airport. That evening found me safely back in the United States, crashed out in my father’s monster suite at the Waldorf.

 

June 25, 2001

 

Jet lag sucks. I groaned as I reached for the phone, wondering who would call me on the hotel line instead of using my cell phone, and who would be bold enough to call me in the morning. “Hello,” I answered, unable to sound anything but groggy.

“Sorry to wake you up!” I heard Hank say in a chipper way that indicated she wasn’t sorry at all.

“Not a problem,” I said pleasantly, trying to sound more awake. “It’s good to hear from you.”

“Well, I just finished up my shift and I was going to head home. I thought I’d pick you up so you could spend some time with Maddy and your mother.”

“How long until you pick me up?” I asked.

“Probably fifteen minutes,” she said.

“Dude, I will meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes if you promise me that we’ll get food on the way.”

She laughed. “Food will be provided.” I hung up the phone, jumped out of bed, and rushed through my shower and morning routine. It ended up taking me twenty minutes to get downstairs. I found Hank waiting for me, looking very official in her uniform.

“Sorry I’m late. I couldn’t cut that much time off my morning routine,” I said.

“No problem,” Hank said, and led me out to her car, which was actually a truck. It was a Dodge Ram, probably about five years old, and in good shape.

“Nice truck,” I said as I hopped in.

“I’ll have to trade it in and get something bigger when your mom moves out here,” she said.

“Can’t you get one of those models with a crew cab?” I asked.

“I guess. Costs some money though,” Hank said as she maneuvered out into New York City traffic.

“This is different from LA or the Bay Area,” I told her, making conversation. “Still lots of traffic, but more chaotic.”

“Very chaotic,” she said. “The damn cab drivers are the worst. They think that it’s alright to hit 70mph on Broadway.”

“If I were in a hurry, I might think that too,” I joked, cracking her up.

She swallowed hard, like she was planning to talk about something unpleasant. “I felt like you and I were good before we left LA, but we didn’t get off to a very good start.”

“I think you’re right,” I agreed, smiling at her.

“Your mother and I were together in high school, even though no one knew that. Couldn’t be a lesbian back then and be out about it. Not that it’s all that easy now.”

“No it’s not,” I said, more to lubricate her conversation than anything.

“Your mom is so smart, and so pretty, but I always felt like I had to watch out for her. I guess it’s hard for this old dog to learn a new trick,” she said.

“I think it’s a good thing that you watch out for her. She’s had a tough year, and she’s still pretty fragile. That’s why you ran into such a brick wall with us when you were talking about money,” I told her. The whole time we were talking, my eyes were flitting around, taking in the sights of Manhattan.

“I was just trying to watch out for her, and make sure that she had enough to live on,” Hank said. ‘Enough to live on’ was a relative term, I realized.

“See, and from our perspective, we’re really nervous because she’s had all these problems, and now here she meets you, and the first thing she does is try to strong-arm my dad for money.”

“She wasn’t trying to strong-arm him,” Hank objected.

“I think it’s his perception, and ours, that matters more than whether that’s what you guys were really doing,” I said. “Look, I get that my father and grandfather are intimidating. They should intimidate you. They’re powerful men. They’re used to getting what they want and they’re used to doing what it takes to protect their family.”

“I’m not trying to hurt their family,” Hank said.

“When you talk about revoking my emancipation, that’s a threat. I took it seriously, and so did they,” I said firmly.

“I was trying to explain to all of you that you aren’t the only ones holding the cards here,” she said.

I laughed. “See, it was a threat. That’s pretty confrontational. You wonder why we all freaked out on you?”

She smiled at me, letting me see the kind lady that lurked beneath that cop exterior. “Dealing with this, with your world, isn’t something I’m used to.”

“I’m hoping that you remember that we’re all on the same page here. We’re on the same side. I want to see my mom finish getting better and find a place to be happy and a person to be happy with. And I want her to find a person who appreciates and loves Maddy as much as she appreciates Mom.”

“I do all of those things!” Hank objected.

“I know that now. I didn’t know that when we first met,” I said, winking at her, making her laugh. “You want some advice?”

“Why not.” She almost sounded like Tony when she said that.

“Take the deal my dad offered. Let him buy a house for you and Mom and keep it in a trust. Once he gets to know you, if you guys need more money, he’ll take care of you. And once he sees that Mom is happy and you two are in a stable, committed relationship, he’ll give her the house. It’s not about the money. It’s about watching out for Mom.” We drove through the Lincoln Tunnel and a sign announced that we were now in New Jersey.

Hank turned toward me, as if to emphasize her words. “I’ve been thinking this is something your mom needed to work out up front. You know, like a divorce, where you get whatever you can on the front end, because you can’t go back later.”

I shook my head. “Only this isn’t a divorce. It’s more like a marriage. In Hollywood, when people get married, the big thing is the pre-nup agreement. That’s what this is like. But it can change.”

“You say things can change. How are you sure?”

I laughed. “Because if he won’t change it, I will. Dude, if they piss me off, I’ll make their lives a living hell.” She laughed with me, a loud belly laugh that was really cool.

“You’re a smart kid,” Hank said.

“I am,” I agreed, making her laugh all over again.

“It’s hard to see the asshole your mother had such a problem with,” she said.

I sighed, and that was because I was talking about my mother. “I’ve always been close to my dad. He’s the center of my world. That pissed her off, I think, so she focused her attention on my brothers, especially on JJ.”

“He doesn’t seem to like me,” she said.

“JJ doesn’t like Mom right now. He really relied on her, she was his rock, and as he sees it, she took Maddy and bailed on him.” I held up my hand to stop her objections. “I know it’s not fair. Her shrink told her we were all so fucked up she should move far away from us. JJ knows that. But his feelings are still hurt.”

“I feel bad for him,” she said.

“He’ll be alright. Besides, Mom needs to not be involved in his skating, and that’s what rules his life right now. I’d leave it alone for the time being, and let him get his own head on straight.” We drove up to a small house in a neighborhood that looked kind of like the place where Gathan’s Uncle Wally lived in Claremont.

“This is home,” Hank said. We hopped out and walked up the steps to the small house. It was really cute, really small, and really well maintained. She led me inside and the first person I saw was Maddy, who smiled and held out her arms for me to hold her. I did, of course.

“What a nice surprise!” Mom said, coming into the room. The décor of the house was pretty tacky, but it was clean and functional. Mom was wearing casual clothes, and looked really happy.

“I just got in last night, and Hank called me this morning and dragged me over here,” I said.

“She got you up that early?” Mom teased.

“I was extra polite and didn’t growl too much,” I said. Then I turned to Hank. “Hey, wasn’t there supposed to be some food involved here?”

“Yes there was,” she said. She went into the kitchen and started cooking, leaving me with my mother.

“When does Dad get in?” I asked.

“He called from the plane to say that he got an early start and expected to be here right after lunchtime,” she said. That meant that they wouldn’t have to feed him. She seemed nervous as she kept looking at her watch.

“What’s bothering you?”

“I don’t think he understands how happy I am. I don’t think he trusts me.”

“He’s just...” I began, and then stopped. “We’re just watching out for you. You’ve had a tough go of it. Then you go to New Jersey, come home, and tell us you’re moving here and you’ve found a new girlfriend.”

“So. What’s wrong with that?” she challenged.

“Nothing’s wrong with that. It’s great. It’s just that you’re moving a little fast.”

“I don’t think I’m moving fast at all,” she said.

“Good,” I said, realizing that there was no point in arguing about relative speed. “So what’s bothering you?”

“He’s making a big deal out of this house thing, and it’s making moving a big deal. And I think it’s stressing Hank out.”

“Mom, if Hank’s going to be part of our family, she’s going to have to get used to being stressed out,” I said with a smile, making her laugh. “I’m here. I’ll keep him in line.”

“Right,” she said skeptically. I raised an eyebrow to question her blithe dismissal of my abilities to influence my father. “Alright, maybe you can do that. Not as well as Stef, but pretty damn well.”

I smiled and said, “We’ll have Dad buy the condo, and then we’ll have Stef decorate it. If Hank can survive that, she can handle anything.” We both laughed at that. Hank made us a big-ass brunch, while I hung out with them and played with Maddy. It was pretty cool. The whole thing was like a picture of domestic bliss. I didn’t remember living in an environment like that, even when I was young. I guess that with my family, there was so much going on, and everyone was so busy, that simple scenes like that weren’t really part of our lives. I thought it was pretty cool that despite all that, my mother was trying to create something like that with Hank and Maddy. And she was succeeding. “I need to go make a few phone calls,” I said after a bit. “I haven’t talked to Stef since I got back.”

“That’s fine,” Mom said. I pondered that the bitchy me of six months ago would have been pissed off that she seemed to think she had the ability to give me permission to do that, while now it meant nothing. I walked out front and looked at the neighborhood, which was pretty peaceful at this time of day, except for some kids hanging out. There weren’t any kids my age, but then again, I didn’t usually hang out with kids my age anyway. I sat on the porch and pulled out my cell phone and dialed Stef.

He answered the phone somewhat abruptly. “I heard you were back,” he said, being grumpy.

“I just got back last night, and I was pulled out of bed this morning to come over and hang out with Mom, Hank, and Maddy,” I said. “I took a break to call you.”

“You got up that early?”

“Hank woke me up and picked me up,” I said.

“You are getting along with her?” Stef asked.

“I am. I think she’s a really neat person,” I told him. I could almost feel how surprised he was at that. “I want to do something nice for her, which means I want to spend some money.”

“Oh?”

“She needs a new truck, one that fits Maddy. Can I use my credit card to get one for her?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said.

“I told Mom that after Dad buys a condo, you’d help them decorate it,” I said, stirring up some trouble.

“Then you must make sure he buys something I can work with,” Stef said, a little more enthusiastic about this condo now.

“I’ll do my best,” I said, and then we ended our conversation. I called Tony to let him know that I was back in the US, but it was a short call, because he was even more jet-lagged than I was.

My next call was to Darius. He seemed happy to hear from me, and I gave him a brief outline of what I’d been doing for the past few days.

“You’re in New Jersey now?” Darius asked, to confirm what I’d just told him.

“I am. I’m here in Hoboken with Mom, Hank, and Maddy, waiting for Dad to show up.”

“Mom said that Hank’s kind of nervous around Dad and Stef. See if you can help keep things calm,” he said.

“I’ve got it covered,” I told him. “I’m going to get Hank a new truck, and I was going to do it as a gift from you, me, and JJ.”

“Why are you doing that?” he asked.

“To welcome her into the family, and to give her something with enough room to drive Maddy around,” I replied.

“Oh,” he said. “I didn’t think you liked Hank.”

“Who told you that?”

“Mom said that when you met her, things weren’t good.”

“They weren’t. We didn’t get along at all. But over the weekend, we got to understand each other, and we’ve had a nice time today,” I told him.

“She’s not that hard to get along with,” he said, giving me shit.

“She’s a lot easier to deal with than most of the chicks you hang out with,” I said, just to annoy him. “We’re fine. So you want to be part of this gift or not?”

“I’m in,” he said, and hung up. JJ was less enthusiastic about it, but he didn’t really care enough to make a big deal out of it one way or the other. I’d just finished up my conversation with him when I was distracted as a big Escalade limousine pulled up. The driver got out and opened the door, and Dad stepped out, looking strangely unsure of himself, but only for a moment. He was wearing casual clothes, which I thought was a nice gesture on his part, an attempt to be less imposing. When he wore his normal corporate garb, a suit and a tie, he just reeked of power. “Hey!” I said, and ran out to greet him. I gave him a big hug.

“You’re going to knock me down,” he said, but he was smiling.

“You’re not dressed in a suit,” I said. “You still look like a dork.”

“Whatever,” he said. I led him up to the house and right inside. Hank was sitting on the floor, playing with Maddy, while Mom was cleaning up the dishes.

“Hello Brad!” Hank said, and got up to shake his hand. I saw my dad trying not to grimace at her iron grip. “Welcome to our home.”

“Thanks Hank. It’s a nice home,” Dad said. “Hello Jeanine.”

“Hello, Brad,” Mom said, and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek. “We can leave as soon as the nurse gets back. That should be in about fifteen minutes.”

“Excellent,” Dad said. “You said you wanted to live in Hoboken, down by the river.”

“There’s a lot of renovation going on,” Hank said. “They turned one of the piers into a park, and they’re building some nice places down there.”

“Have you ever thought of living in the city?” Dad asked.

“That’s way too expensive,” Hank objected.

“I don’t think that’s what he asked you,” I said, chiding Hank. She gave me a sour look.

“I’m wondering if you’d be willing to look at a few places in Manhattan.” Dad asked. “I think it may save you some time in traffic, and it may make things easier for Maddy when she starts school.”

“We can look,” Hank said cautiously. Mom and I gave Dad a more knowing look. I’d be willing to bet he’d already picked a place out for them.

“Excellent,” Dad said. We chatted briefly until the nurse got back, then we piled into the limo and drove back into New York City. A real estate agent met us there; she was nice, but a little flashy. We looked at three places. The first was a townhouse in Greenwich Village. It was pleasant, but a little small. It was one of those places that seemed really nice, but just didn’t seem like it would work for them. The next place was in the Upper East Side. It was on Park Avenue, in an older building that had obviously been recently updated. The agent took us into a very spacious apartment, with four bedrooms plus staff quarters, a big dining room and living room with great views of the city, and a monster balcony. It was nice enough, but it felt too traditional and too stuffy. Mom would probably like it, but I couldn’t see Hank being comfortable there.

“What do you think?” the agent asked.

No one said anything, so I stepped in. “I’m not feeling it.” Hank gave me an appreciative look.

“What’s not to like?” Dad demanded. I got the feeling that this place was the one he’d pretty much picked.

“It’s too traditional,” I told him.

“Well there’s one more to check out,” Dad said, but he was seriously annoyed with me. I didn’t let that bother me at all.

The last place we looked at was in Tribeca. I liked it from the minute we walked in, and I could tell that Mom and Hank did too. It had a lot of room, with potential for staff quarters, but best of all; it had a roof with a garden. “Dude, you could get rid of some of these plants and put a lawn in for Maddy to play on,” I said. The realtor looked at me as if I were a heretic, suggesting they tear out some ornamental bushes for a mere lawn. I paid even less attention to her than my father did. “This place is the bomb.”

“What do you think?” Mom asked Hank.

“I agree with Will,” Hank said, and smiled at me.

“You like this better than the apartment on Park Avenue?” Dad asked, surprised.

“Duh,” I said, intervening for them. “It’s more livable, and the neighborhood seems friendlier. A better place to raise Maddy.”

“Both neighborhoods are nice,” the agent said.

“Can you give us a moment?” Dad asked the realtor, who politely left us alone. “You like this one?” Dad asked Mom. She nodded. “And you like it too?” he asked Hank.

“It’s awfully expensive,” Hank said nervously.

“Do you like it?” I asked her.

“I like it,” Hank admitted.

“Excellent,” Dad said. “Why don’t you let me work out the details, and then I’d like to get settled into my hotel room. Will and I can meet you for dinner later on.”

“If you’re sure...” Hank said.

“He’s sure,” I joked. “We definitely need to eat dinner.” We wandered around the condo for a bit longer, taking pictures and making plans, while Dad negotiated to buy the place with the agent. He had to sign a bunch of papers, and then we left to return to the hotel. Mom and Hank conveniently caught a cab back to New Jersey.

Dad and I headed back to the hotel and we got caught up on what had been going on in our lives since I’d been gone. I told him all about Tony and our big romantic moment in the Pantheon, and about running into Roberto. He told me about a bunch of his boring business deals. The business part bored me, but some of the products those companies made were pretty interesting.

We drove along, with my eyes trying to absorb all the sites of this bustling city. Looking at all these cars, and at the lack of parking, made me realize that was pretty important. If I bought Hank a big-ass truck, would she even have a place to park it? “What about parking?” I asked my dad abruptly.

“We don’t have to worry about parking. We’re in a limo,” he said, and looked at me oddly.

“No, I mean for Mom and Hank’s place. Do they have parking?”

“Ah,” he said, understanding my question. “There’s a garage there and they get two parking places.”

“Cool,” I said, and changed topics.

We had a nice dinner in an upscale place in Jersey City, then dropped off Mom and Hank in Hoboken. As we emerged into Manhattan from the Lincoln Tunnel, I leaned forward to talk to the driver. “Is there a Dodge dealer around here?”

“A Dodge dealer?” Dad asked. “You can’t even drive yet.”

“I was talking to the driver, not to you,” I said, being snarky. He rolled his eyes and humored me.

“There’s one right over here, a couple of blocks away,” the driver said. “You want to go there?”

“In the morning,” I said. “But thanks anyway.” They’d probably be closed now anyway, and Dad was tired after a long day.

“So why are we going to the Dodge dealer in the morning?” Dad asked.

“We need to get a Hank a bigger truck to haul around Maddy in her car seat with all her diapers and toys and stuff.” He nodded and let the subject drop until the morning.

 

June 26, 2001

 

I got out of the limo, with Dad in tow, and headed into the Dodge dealership.

“Can I help you?” a salesman said. He was a younger guy, probably in his mid-20s, and cute.

“I need a new pick-up truck with one of those bigger cabs,” I told him. Dad looked at me strangely but said nothing. “One that’s loaded.”

“You want the quad cab,” the salesman said. “We’ve got an SLT that’s got every option you can pack on it. Even got the heavy duty cooling system. It’s green, Forest Green, with a tan leather interior.”

“Let’s see it,” I said. He took us to the garage where they stored their vehicles and we looked it over. It was one nice truck. “This will work,” I announced.

Dad saw the dollar signs blinking in the salesman’s eyes and was unable to keep silent any longer. “I’ve got a meeting in forty-five minutes,” Dad lied. “How much for this truck. Give me a straight-up deal, with no bullshit.”

“How are you paying?”

“Credit card,” I said.

“Credit card?” Dad asked.

“Yeah,” I said. I pulled out my American Express Platinum card and handed it to the salesman. “That one.”

Fifteen minutes later and I’d bought a truck. “Whose name shall we register it under?”

“Hannah O’Shea,” I said, and gave him Hank’s address.

“Not your mother’s name?” Dad asked. “Or joint name?”

“No,” I said. “This is a present from me, Darius, and JJ to her.” We agreed to pick it up in a couple of hours, and then headed back to the hotel.

“So why did you do that?” Dad asked.

“Because Hank’s been doing all this fighting for Mom. She’s going to benefit, no doubt, but she’s actually been watching out for Mom’s interests. I thought it would be nice to do something just for her, to welcome her into the family.”

Dad smiled and patted my knee. “Good idea.” We packed our bags and then enjoyed a leisurely lunch before we went to pick up the truck. I made the limo driver stop at a drug store while I went in and bought a gift bag and a lame-ass Hallmark card. I hated them, but I was willing to bet that Hank thought they were pretty cool. They had the truck ready to go; I appreciated their efficiency. Dad got in and set all the mirrors, reminding me of how Tony was when he got into a different car. Dad was enjoying himself until we drove out of the dealership and ended up in traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel.

“Traffic sucks,” I said.

“It does,” he agreed. “Nice truck.”

“You used to drive Pop’s truck once in a while,” I noted.

“I like to look down and see the hot guys,” Dad said, cracking me up. We pulled up in front of Hank’s house and I made Dad give me the keys, which I put, along with the title, into the gift bag.

We walked up to the door and knocked. Hank answered. “Welcome back!” she said enthusiastically. We both gave her slight hugs and kissed her on the cheek, since we’d learned that was safer than shaking hands with her. Hank looked beyond us to the truck. “Who parked their truck in front of my house?” she asked, annoyed. Mom chose that minute to walk up with Maddy and greet us.

“It’s your truck,” I said, and handed her the card and gift bag.

“You already bought us a condo. I can’t take more from you,” Hank objected.

“Read the card,” I ordered. She read the card:

Dear Hank,

Welcome to our family!

Love,

Will, Darius, and JJ.

She had tears flowing out of her eyes, but she opened the gift bag before saying anything. “You titled this in my name? Why isn’t your mom on here with me?”

“Mom already has a car,” I said with a smile. “This isn’t a present for Mom; it’s a present to you, from her three sons.”

“That was very thoughtful,” Mom said, but she was really happy, and that made it all worthwhile.

“Thank you so much!” Hank said, and gave me a huge bear hug. Then she did the same thing to my dad, even though he didn’t buy the truck. It was funny to see him try to act like tall lesbians engulfed him in bear hugs on a regular basis.

We stayed for a drink and a snack with them, and then Hank drove us to the Teterboro airport on her way to work. She spent most of the time babbling about all the truck’s features.

“That was a nice thing you did,” Dad said as we waited for the G-V to be cleared for takeoff.

“That was a nice thing you did,” I said, referring to the condo.

“Your mother doesn’t ask for much, and it’s nice to give her and Hank a bigger place to start their lives together,” he said philosophically.

“How are you going to title the condo?” I asked him.

“I talked to your mother, and I told her that she should see an estate planning attorney. I suggested that she set up a trust, one that could benefit Maddy. After she does that, then we’ll transfer the condo into that trust.” I high-fived him, and then both of us sat back for take-off. It had been an exhausting visit, both emotionally and physically, but it had been a good one.